Five wildflower species occupy less than 1,000 cm² in this photo taken on the eastern slope foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in late July. Pink: Alberta wild rose; white: Western yarrow; blue: Bluebells showing both pink (immature) and blue (mature) stages; yellow: Arnica cordifolia (Heart-leaved arnica); and red: Red paintbrush
Wildflowers of Western Australia
Wildflowers are blooming in April in a field in central Texas near Lake Grapevine.
Wildflowers in Death Valley National Park

A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is any different from the native plant, even if it is growing where it would not naturally be found. The term can refer to the whole plant, even when not in bloom, and not just the flower.[1]

"Wildflower" is an imprecise term. More exact terms include:

  • native species naturally occurring in the area (see flora)
  • exotic or introduced species not native to the area, including
  • imported (introduced to an area whether deliberately or accidentally)
  • naturalized are imported but come to be considered by the public as native

In the United Kingdom, the organization Plantlife International instituted the "County Flowers scheme" in 2002, see County flowers of the United Kingdom for which members of the public nominated and voted for a wildflower emblem for their county. The aim was to spread awareness of the heritage of native species and about the need for conservation, as some of these species are endangered. For example, Somerset has adopted the cheddar pink (Dianthus gratianopolitanus), London the rosebay willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium) and Denbighshire/Sir Ddinbych in Wales the rare limestone woundwort (Stachys alpina).

Examples

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wild flowers can be found in deserts, forests, meadows, and fields. "wildflower". Retrieved December 5, 2014. Wildflower, noun. Any flowering plant that grows without intentional human aid.
  2. ↑ Pauline Pears (2005), HDRA encyclopedia of organic gardening, Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 978-1-4053-0891-5

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