Flowers in Spanish: 200+ Flower Names

Key takeaways

• Most flower names in Spanish are feminine: la rosa, la margarita, la orquídea, la azalea. Some are masculine: el clavel, el girasol, el tulipán, el lirio.
• Spanish has flower vocabulary that English lacks equivalents for, and flower names often appear in given names, place names, and idioms, which makes this vocabulary unexpectedly useful.
• Many Spanish flower names share Latin roots with English and are therefore near-cognates: orquídea (orchid), magnolia (magnolia), jazmín (jasmine), violeta (violet).
• Flowers carry cultural significance in Spanish-speaking cultures: certain flowers are associated with specific events, seasons, and regional traditions, which affects the vocabulary learners encounter in real contexts.

Flower vocabulary in Spanish is practical in ways that go beyond botany. Markets, florists, garden visits, gifts, wedding planning, the names of streets, neighborhoods, and people, all require some command of flower names. Rosario (rosary, named for the rose), Violeta, Azucena, Flor are all Spanish given names. Las Margaritas, Los Girasoles are place names.

Dar calabazas (to reject someone romantically) comes from the word for squash, not a flower, but it illustrates how plant vocabulary runs deep into the language.

This guide covers 200+ flower names in Spanish organized by category, notes on gender and pronunciation, florist vocabulary, and the cultural associations worth knowing.

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Common garden flowers

Roses and classics

Spanish	English	Gender
la rosa	rose	feminine
el clavel	carnation	masculine
la margarita	daisy	feminine
el tulipán	tulip	masculine
la violeta	violet	feminine
el lirio	lily, iris	masculine
la azucena	white lily, Madonna lily	feminine
el narciso	narcissus, daffodil	masculine
la peonia	peony	feminine
el pensamiento	pansy	masculine
la begonia	begonia	feminine
el geranio	geranium	masculine
la lavanda / el lavando	lavender	feminine/masculine (varies)
el jacinto	hyacinth	masculine
la dalia	dahlia	feminine

Sunflowers and large blooms

Spanish	English	Gender
el girasol	sunflower	masculine
el crisantemo	chrysanthemum	masculine
la zinnia	zinnia	feminine
la caléndula	marigold (pot marigold)	feminine
el gladiolo	gladiolus	masculine
la amapola	poppy (red)	feminine
la peonía	peony	feminine
la hortensia	hydrangea	feminine
el amaranto	amaranth	masculine

Spring and bulb flowers

Spanish	English	Gender
el tulipán	tulip	masculine
el jacinto	hyacinth	masculine
el narciso	narcissus, daffodil	masculine
la fresia	freesia	feminine
el crocus / el azafrán	crocus / saffron crocus	masculine
la anémona	anemone	feminine
la ranúncula	ranunculus	feminine
la iris	iris (also el lirio)	feminine

Wild and meadow flowers

Spanish	English	Gender
la amapola	red poppy	feminine
el cardo	thistle	masculine
la manzanilla	chamomile	feminine
la lavanda	lavender	feminine
el romero	rosemary	masculine
el tomillo	thyme	masculine
la retama	broom (yellow-flowering shrub)	feminine
el espliego	lavender (another name, Spain)	masculine
la dedalera	foxglove	feminine
la onagra	evening primrose	feminine
el trébol	clover	masculine
la centáurea	cornflower, bachelor’s button	feminine
la milenrama	yarrow	feminine
el diente de león	dandelion	masculine
la borraja	borage	feminine
el gordolobo	mullein	masculine
la hierba de San Juan	St. John’s wort	feminine

Tropical and exotic flowers

These are particularly relevant for learners focusing on Latin American Spanish, where tropical flora is part of everyday language.

Spanish	English	Gender
la orquídea	orchid	feminine
la flor de la pasión / la pasiflora	passionflower	feminine
el ave del paraíso	bird of paradise	masculine
la bromelia	bromeliad	feminine
la helicoinia	heliconia, lobster claw	feminine
la flor de mayo	may flower, frangipani	feminine
el anthurio / el anturio	anthurium	masculine
la plumeria	plumeria, frangipani	feminine
el hibisco / la hibiscus	hibiscus	masculine/feminine (varies)
la cataleya	cattleya orchid	feminine
la buganvilia / la bugambilia	bougainvillea	feminine
la maracuyá (flor)	passionflower (passion fruit flower)	feminine
la cala	calla lily	feminine
el jengibre (flor)	ginger flower	masculine

Country-specific significance:

• The cataleya orchid is the national flower of Colombia, famously referenced in García Márquez’s El amor en los tiempos del cólera.
• The buganvilia (bougainvillea) is widely used in Mexican and Central American gardens and streetscapes.
• La flor de mayo (plumeria) is associated with Mexico, Central America, and Caribbean traditions.

Working through tropical flower vocabulary with a Spanish teacher from Colombia, Mexico, or Central America adds the regional associations and pronunciation that a word list cannot provide. Many of these names appear in Spanish cognates (orchid/orquídea, passion/pasión, hibiscus/hibisco), which means English speakers already have a pronunciation anchor.

Trees and shrubs with notable flowers

Spanish	English	Gender
el cerezo (en flor)	cherry tree (in blossom)	masculine
el almendro (en flor)	almond tree (in blossom)	masculine
la mimosa	mimosa	feminine
la magnolia	magnolia	feminine
la azalea	azalea	feminine
el rosal	rose bush	masculine
el jazmín	jasmine	masculine
la madreselva	honeysuckle	feminine
el saúco	elderflower / elderberry tree	masculine
la glicinia / glicinía	wisteria	feminine
el limonero (en flor)	lemon tree (in blossom)	masculine
el naranjo (en flor)	orange tree (in blossom)	masculine
el jacarandá	jacaranda	masculine

The jacarandá is closely associated with Buenos Aires and Mexico City, where the purple-flowering trees are a seasonal landmark in spring.

Gender patterns for flower nouns

Most Spanish flower nouns are feminine, but there are productive patterns for identifying masculine ones.

Generally feminine:

• Names ending in –a: la rosa, la margarita, la violeta, la dalia
• Names ending in –ia: la begonia, la zinnia, la magnolia
• Names ending in –ción: la flor de la pasión

Generally masculine:

• Names ending in –o: el romero, el tomillo, el geranio, el amaranto
• Names ending in –án or –ón: el tulipán, el gordolobo
• Names ending in –io: el lirio, el narciso, el jacinto
• Names ending in –al: el rosal (rose bush)

Exceptions to watch for:

• el lirio is masculine despite ending in –o: the noun gender is what matters, not the ending’s predictability.
• la flor (flower) is itself feminine, even though the –or ending is often masculine (el color, el olor).

For the full set of rules governing Spanish noun gender, including the patterns that apply beyond flowers, the guide to Spanish nouns covers the system in detail.

Florist and garden vocabulary

Spanish	English
la floristería / la florería	florist’s shop
el florero	vase
el ramo	bouquet
la corona	wreath, crown
el arreglo floral	floral arrangement
el tallo	stem
el pétalo	petal
la hoja	leaf
la espina	thorn
el capullo / el botón	bud
florecer	to bloom, to flower
marchitarse	to wilt
regar	to water
podar	to prune
plantar	to plant
el jardín	garden
el invernadero	greenhouse
el semillero	seedbed, seed tray
el abono	fertiliser
la temporada de floración	blooming season

At the florist:

Spanish	English
¿Qué flores tiene hoy?	What flowers do you have today?
Quiero un ramo de rosas rojas.	I’d like a bouquet of red roses.
¿Cuánto cuesta este arreglo?	How much is this arrangement?
¿Tiene flores de temporada?	Do you have seasonal flowers?
¿Me lo puede envolver para regalo?	Can you wrap it as a gift?

Cultural notes: flowers in Spanish-speaking contexts

Flowers and mourning: White and yellow chrysanthemums (crisantemos) are strongly associated with funerals in Spain. Bringing them as a casual gift would be inappropriate. In Latin America, customs vary but crisantemos are still often associated with the cemetery.

Día de Muertos: Marigolds (cempasúchil or flor de muerto, Tagetes erecta) are the defining flower of Día de Muertos in Mexico and parts of Central America. The correct Spanish name in this context is cempasúchil (from Nahuatl), not caléndula.

Flowers as names: Violeta, Rosa, Flor, Azucena, Rosario, Margarita, Lirio, Azalea are all common Spanish women’s names. Jacinto is a Spanish men’s name. Knowing the flower gives you an immediate connection to any Spanish speaker who has a flower-based name.

Wedding flowers: White roses and orange blossom (flor de azahar) are traditional Spanish wedding flowers. Azahar specifically refers to orange or lemon blossom and is associated with brides and spring in Spanish poetry and song.

Flowers as living vocabulary

Flower vocabulary might seem specialist, but it appears across everyday Spanish: florist visits, gift conversations, garden walks, market stalls, and the names of streets, people, and places. Knowing el girasol from la margarita and el clavel from la rosa makes a florist conversation natural and removes the uncertainty that comes from pointing and guessing.

italki has 30,000+ teachers across 150+ languages, including Spanish teachers who can turn a list of nouns into a real conversation: describing a favourite garden, talking about what flowers mean in your culture, practicing the kind of small talk that happens at a market or a flower shop. Find an online Spanish tutor and practice this vocabulary in sentences, not just lists.

FAQ

Are most flower names in Spanish feminine?

Yes, the majority are feminine: la rosa, la margarita, la orquídea, la dalia. But there are significant masculine exceptions: el clavel (carnation), el girasol (sunflower), el tulipán (tulip), el lirio (lily). The definite article (la or el) is the most reliable guide.

How do you say “bouquet” in Spanish?

Un ramo de flores. The word ramo is masculine: un ramo de rosas (a bouquet of roses). Un ramo nupcial is a bridal bouquet.

What is the most important flower in Día de Muertos?

El cempasúchil (also spelled cempazúchitl), a type of marigold native to Mexico with an intense orange-yellow colour and a strong scent. It is used to create paths and altars to guide the dead home during Día de Muertos.

What does flor de azahar mean?

Orange blossom or lemon blossom, specifically the flower of the citrus tree. It appears in Spanish poetry and song as a symbol of weddings, spring, and purity, and is strongly associated with the region of Andalusia in Spain.

How do you say “to water the flowers” in Spanish?

Regar las flores. Regar is the verb for watering plants: ¿Has regado las plantas? (Have you watered the plants?)