Flower Families: Botanical Families of Cut Flowers

Every flowering plant belongs to a family, and the family it belongs to explains a great deal about how it behaves once it is cut. Flowers in the same family tend to drink at the same rate, fail in the same way and respond to the same treatment, which is why a florist who knows the families is rarely surprised by a new variety.

These pages cover what defines each family botanically, which of our flowers belong to it, the handling each one needs in the vase, and the relatives you already know from the garden or the kitchen. Rather more of what you eat is closely related to what you buy in a bouquet than most people expect.

A sunflower head showing ray florets around spiraled disc florets

Asteraceae

16 flowers · Asterales

The daisy and sunflower family

Read about Asteraceae

An umbel of flowers on a leafless stalk, narcissus and allium

Amaryllidaceae

7 flowers · Asparagales

The amaryllis and daffodil family

Read about Amaryllidaceae

Layered ranunculus beside a black centered anemone

Ranunculaceae

7 flowers · Ranunculales

The buttercup family

Read about Ranunculaceae

A hyacinth spike with lily of the valley and ruscus

Asparagaceae

6 flowers · Asparagales

The asparagus family

Read about Asparagaceae

An open garden rose with cherry blossom behind

Rosaceae

5 flowers · Rosales

The rose family

Read about Rosaceae

Panicles of lilac with white jasmine sprigs

Oleaceae

4 flowers · Lamiales

The olive family

Read about Oleaceae

Hanging crimson amaranthus tassels beside celosia plumes

Amaranthaceae

3 flowers · Caryophyllales

The amaranth family

Read about Amaranthaceae

Dianthus and carnations showing fringed petals and ribbed calyx

Caryophyllaceae

3 flowers · Caryophyllales

The pink and carnation family

Read about Caryophyllaceae

A bearded iris showing three upright and three falling petals

Iridaceae

3 flowers · Asparagales

The iris family

Read about Iridaceae

A king protea head ringed by stiff bracts, with a pincushion

Proteaceae

3 flowers · Proteales

The protea family

Read about Proteaceae

The flat lacy umbel of Queen Anne's lace from above

Apiaceae

2 flowers · Apiales

The carrot and parsley family

Read about Apiaceae

A calla lily showing its spathe wrapped around the spadix

Araceae

2 flowers · Alismatales

The arum family

Read about Araceae

Violet blue bellflowers nodding along a stem

Campanulaceae

2 flowers · Asterales

The bellflower family

Read about Campanulaceae

Honeysuckle tubes with projecting stamens, and a scabious

Caprifoliaceae

2 flowers · Dipsacales

The honeysuckle family

Read about Caprifoliaceae

Sweet peas showing the pea flower shape, with wisteria behind

Fabaceae

2 flowers · Fabales

The pea and bean family

Read about Fabaceae

Lavender flowers in whorls on a square stem

Lamiaceae

2 flowers · Lamiales

The mint and lavender family

Read about Lamiaceae

An open lily showing six tepals and six loaded anthers

Liliaceae

2 flowers · Liliales

The true lily and tulip family

Read about Liliaceae

Silver eucalyptus foliage with waxflower sprigs

Myrtaceae

2 flowers · Myrtales

The eucalyptus and myrtle family

Read about Myrtaceae

Snapdragon spikes opening from the base, with veronica behind

Plantaginaceae

2 flowers · Lamiales

The snapdragon and plantain family

Read about Plantaginaceae

Cyclamen with swept back petals above marbled leaves

Primulaceae

2 flowers · Ericales

The primrose and cyclamen family

Read about Primulaceae

A white gardenia on dark glossy leaves

Rubiaceae

2 flowers · Gentianales

The coffee and gardenia family

Read about Rubiaceae

Silver pussy willow catkins on bare stems

Salicaceae

2 flowers · Malpighiales

The willow and poplar family

Read about Salicaceae

Violets and pansies showing the marked face and the spur

Violaceae

2 flowers · Malpighiales

The violet and pansy family

Read about Violaceae

Alstroemeria blooms showing streaked inner petals

Alstroemeriaceae

1 flower · Liliales

The alstroemeria family

Read about Alstroemeriaceae

Waxy white star shaped stephanotis flowers on a glossy vine

Apocynaceae

1 flower · Gentianales

The dogbane and milkweed family

Read about Apocynaceae

Holly with spined glossy leaves and scarlet berries

Aquifoliaceae

1 flower · Aquifoliales

The holly family

Read about Aquifoliaceae

Column stock showing four petals arranged in a cross

Brassicaceae

1 flower · Brassicales

The cabbage and mustard family

Read about Brassicaceae

A cactus stem showing spines and a flower emerging from areoles

Cactaceae

1 flower · Caryophyllales

The cactus family

Read about Cactaceae

An open morning glory funnel beside a spirally furled bud

Convolvulaceae

1 flower · Solanales

The morning glory and bindweed family

Read about Convolvulaceae

A flat sedum head above thick succulent rosettes

Crassulaceae

1 flower · Saxifragales

The stonecrop and houseleek family

Read about Crassulaceae

The center of a poinsettia showing the small yellow cyathia

Euphorbiaceae

1 flower · Malpighiales

The spurge family

Read about Euphorbiaceae

Alpine blue gentians beside layered lisianthus blooms

Gentianaceae

1 flower · Gentianales

The gentian family

Read about Gentianaceae

A scarlet heliconia with boat shaped bracts in a zigzag

Heliconiaceae

1 flower · Zingiberales

The heliconia family

Read about Heliconiaceae

A lacecap hydrangea showing large sterile flowers ringing tiny fertile ones

Hydrangeaceae

1 flower · Cornales

The hydrangea and mock orange family

Read about Hydrangeaceae

Hypericum berries with a yellow flower showing bundled stamens

Hypericaceae

1 flower · Malpighiales

The St John's wort family

Read about Hypericaceae

A magnolia flower on a bare branch showing its central column

Magnoliaceae

1 flower · Magnoliales

The magnolia family

Read about Magnoliaceae

A white water lily open among floating round leaves

Nymphaeaceae

1 flower · Nymphaeales

The water lily family

Read about Nymphaeaceae

Evening primrose with four petals, beside satin godetia cups

Onagraceae

1 flower · Myrtales

The evening primrose and fuchsia family

Read about Onagraceae

A phalaenopsis orchid showing its lip and central column

Orchidaceae

1 flower · Asparagales

The orchid family

Read about Orchidaceae

An open blush peony beside a tight unopened bud

Paeoniaceae

1 flower · Saxifragales

The peony family

Read about Paeoniaceae

Backlit poppies with crumpled petals, a bud and a seed capsule

Papaveraceae

1 flower · Ranunculales

The poppy family

Read about Papaveraceae

Papery statice growing on a coastal salt marsh

Plumbaginaceae

1 flower · Caryophyllales

The leadwort and sea lavender family

Read about Plumbaginaceae

A border of phlox heads, each flower a tube opening to a flat face

Polemoniaceae

1 flower · Ericales

The phlox family

Read about Polemoniaceae

Astilbe plumes with alpine saxifrage growing from rock

Saxifragaceae

1 flower · Saxifragales

The saxifrage family

Read about Saxifragaceae

Buddleia cones of tiny orange eyed flowers, with mullein behind

Scrophulariaceae

1 flower · Lamiales

The figwort family

Read about Scrophulariaceae

A bird of paradise showing orange sepals and the blue arrow

Strelitziaceae

1 flower · Zingiberales

The bird of paradise family

Read about Strelitziaceae

A camellia with geometric petals on dark glossy leaves

Theaceae

1 flower · Ericales

The tea family

Read about Theaceae

A red torch ginger cone with flowers emerging between bracts

Zingiberaceae

1 flower · Zingiberales

The ginger family

Read about Zingiberaceae

Below the family

A genus sits one rank further down, and in this guide only 5 of them hold more than one flower. Those have pages of their own; the rest are covered on the page of the single flower they contain.

A florist rose, a garden rose and a spray rose side by side

Rosa

3 flowers · Rosaceae

The rose genus

Read about Rosa

Carnations beside flat heads of sweet william

Dianthus

2 flowers · Caryophyllaceae

The carnation and pink genus

Read about Dianthus

Golden trumpet daffodils beside clustered white paperwhites

Narcissus

2 flowers · Amaryllidaceae

The daffodil genus

Read about Narcissus

Silver catkin stems, contorted willow and a bundle of withies

Salix

2 flowers · Salicaceae

The willow genus

Read about Salix

Large faced pansies beside small violets and violas

Viola

2 flowers · Violaceae

The violet and pansy genus

Read about Viola

All flower genera