The botanical families behind the flowers in this guide
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.
The daisy and sunflower family
16 flowers in this guide · order Asterales
Read about Asteraceae
The amaryllis and daffodil family
7 flowers in this guide · order Asparagales
Read about Amaryllidaceae
The buttercup family
7 flowers in this guide · order Ranunculales
Read about Ranunculaceae
The asparagus family
6 flowers in this guide · order Asparagales
Read about Asparagaceae
The amaranth family
3 flowers in this guide · order Caryophyllales
Read about Amaranthaceae
The pink and carnation family
3 flowers in this guide · order Caryophyllales
Read about Caryophyllaceae
The bellflower family
2 flowers in this guide · order Asterales
Read about Campanulaceae
The honeysuckle family
2 flowers in this guide · order Dipsacales
Read about Caprifoliaceae
The mint and lavender family
2 flowers in this guide · order Lamiales
Read about Lamiaceae
The true lily and tulip family
2 flowers in this guide · order Liliales
Read about Liliaceae
The eucalyptus and myrtle family
2 flowers in this guide · order Myrtales
Read about Myrtaceae
The snapdragon and plantain family
2 flowers in this guide · order Lamiales
Read about Plantaginaceae
The primrose and cyclamen family
2 flowers in this guide · order Ericales
Read about Primulaceae
The coffee and gardenia family
2 flowers in this guide · order Gentianales
Read about Rubiaceae
The willow and poplar family
2 flowers in this guide · order Malpighiales
Read about Salicaceae
The violet and pansy family
2 flowers in this guide · order Malpighiales
Read about Violaceae
The alstroemeria family
1 flower in this guide · order Liliales
Read about Alstroemeriaceae
The dogbane and milkweed family
1 flower in this guide · order Gentianales
Read about Apocynaceae
The cabbage and mustard family
1 flower in this guide · order Brassicales
Read about Brassicaceae
The morning glory and bindweed family
1 flower in this guide · order Solanales
Read about Convolvulaceae
The stonecrop and houseleek family
1 flower in this guide · order Saxifragales
Read about Crassulaceae
The spurge family
1 flower in this guide · order Malpighiales
Read about Euphorbiaceae
The heliconia family
1 flower in this guide · order Zingiberales
Read about Heliconiaceae
The hydrangea and mock orange family
1 flower in this guide · order Cornales
Read about Hydrangeaceae
The St John's wort family
1 flower in this guide · order Malpighiales
Read about Hypericaceae
The water lily family
1 flower in this guide · order Nymphaeales
Read about Nymphaeaceae
The evening primrose and fuchsia family
1 flower in this guide · order Myrtales
Read about Onagraceae
The leadwort and sea lavender family
1 flower in this guide · order Caryophyllales
Read about Plumbaginaceae
The saxifrage family
1 flower in this guide · order Saxifragales
Read about Saxifragaceae
The figwort family
1 flower in this guide · order Lamiales
Read about Scrophulariaceae
The bird of paradise family
1 flower in this guide · order Zingiberales
Read about Strelitziaceae
The ginger family
1 flower in this guide · order Zingiberales
Read about ZingiberaceaeThe order is the rank above the family. It is a broader grouping, and families that share one are more closely related to each other than to anything else on this page, which often shows in how they behave. Half of these hold a single family in this guide; the rest hold several.
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.