50 Unique Tropical Flowers With Names and Pictures

Use the sorter to narrow these 50 tropical flowers by where they will grow, light, flower color, and what you want them for, from scent and cutting to hummingbirds or butterflies. Filter for plants safe around cats and dogs; each card links to its entry.

1. Amaryllis

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Not to be confused with plants from the Amaryllis genus, the Hippeastrum genus of the Amaryllidaceae plant family contains about 120 species of bulbous flowering plants that are commonly called amaryllis flowers. These tropical flowers are native across South America, from Colombia and Venezuela south to Argentina and Uruguay. The cherry-red varieties have become popular to grow and gift around the holidays.

2. Paperflower or Lesser Bougainvillea

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Native to eastern South America, the Bougainvillea glabra is a species of climbing shrub in the Nyctaginaceae plant family and one of the most commonly grown types of bougainvillea. They produce large clusters of showy bracts in purple and pink flowers that surround small white flowers. Grown as hedges, the lesser bougainvillea is quite striking when it is in bloom, as the bright blossoms ultimately overtake the dark-green foliage.

3. Garden Cosmos or Mexican Aster

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These flowers are native to Mexico. The Cosmos bipinnatus belongs to the daisy plant family (Asteraceae) and is a widely grown garden cosmos. This herbaceous flowering plant produces cheerful 8-petaled blossoms in various pretty colors with prominent golden-yellow pom-poms at their centers.

4. Anthurium or Flamingo Flower

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Native to the rainforests of Colombia and Ecuador, the Anthurium andraeanum is a flowering plant species belonging to the Araceae plant family. In their native habitat, these epiphytes grow from the sides of trees or rocky outcroppings, primarily pulling nutrients in from the air and water rather than through their roots and soil. They have lush, broad foliage, producing heart-shaped pinkish-red spathes with a central yellow-white spadix.

5. Bush Lily

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Native to South Africa, the Clivia miniata is a rhizomatic flowering plant belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family. The plant has also been naturalized in Mexico. This plant produces thick, strappy leaves that span out from a central stem in two opposite rows, almost like fans or wings. The plant produces bright-orange funnel-shaped flowers that are quite ornate and beautiful. In some rare flower cultivars, the blooms are a buttery yellow hue.

6. Blood Lily

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Belonging to the Amaryllidaceae plant family, the blood lily has a broad native range, including the Arabian Peninsula, most of Sub-Saharan Africa, and Seychelles. Blood lilies grow from rhizomatic bulbs and produce false stems that are made of leaves. At the top of these closely wound leaves, they produce a globe-shaped cluster of hundreds of tiny flowers that range from a red to a faded pinkish-red hue. Blood lily is poisonous if eaten, causing salivation, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, and the bulbs are the part to keep away from children and pets.

7. Jewel Pagoda Ginger

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Native to Java, Zingiber neglectum, commonly called jewel pagoda, is one of more than 200 species in the ginger genus Zingiber belonging to the Zingiberaceae plant family. This family contains the true gingers, which have a prominent place in the culinary arts thanks to the unique zing of their aromatic flavors. This specific species of ginger plant is most beloved for its ornate and fleshy cone-shaped flowers that feature ruffles of lime-green petals rimmed with a fiery red.

8. ‘Ohe Naupaka

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The ‘ohe naupaka is a flowering shrub that belongs to the Goodeniaceae plant family and is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. With lush, green, ovate foliage, the ‘ohe naupaka produces long, tube, or trumpet-shaped yellow flowers with a slight flare at their tips and purplish, almost-black fruit.

9. Hawaiian Hibiscus or Chinese Hibiscus

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The Hibiscus rosa-sinensis belongs to the Hibisceae tribe of the Malvaceae plant family, and its common names include the Chinese Hibiscus, Hawaiian hibiscus, China rose, rose mallow, and shoeblack plant. Its wild origin is uncertain, since it has been cultivated across the tropics for so long. It features exotic-looking, papery, trumpet-shaped flowers in fiery tropical colors with prominent red and yellow stamens.

10. Bird of Paradise

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Native to South Africa, the Strelitzia reginae is a flowering plant species belonging to the Strelitziaceae plant family. Its unique bird-shaped blossoms can most easily be recognized. Birds of paradise can be cultivated indoors outside of their natural habitats, but they can be tricky to care for. They will not bloom without enough sunlight and the proper nutrients, and they need patience to flower indoors. Coaxing an indoor bird of paradise into full bloom, however, can be a greatly rewarding experience for indoor gardeners.

11. Sacred Lotus

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Nelumbo nucifera, commonly called the sacred lotus, is one of two living species of flowering aquatic plants comprising the Nelumbonaceae family. They have a relatively wide native range, growing naturally in India, Indochina, East Asia, Russia, and around the Caspian Sea. In the language of flowers, the lotus stands for purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration, and rebirth.

12. False Bird of Paradise or Hanging Lobster Claw

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Native to the Andean countries of South America (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru), the Heliconia rostrata is one of about 200 species in the genus, belonging to the Heliconaceae plant family. This plant is an excellent choice for growing in tropical gardens thanks to its impressive size, large banana-shaped leaves, and eye-catching flowers that give way to showy fruit. Their predominantly red flowers shaped like lobster claws hold nectar that attracts hummingbirds.

13. Orchids

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All of the plants that we know as orchids belong to the Orchidaceae plant family. It is highly diverse and widespread, with more than 32,000 accepted species of orchids from regions all around the world. While many types of orchids come from tropical regions, others grow naturally in temperate zones and much cooler climates. Additionally, the appearance of their flowers and blossoms is highly varied, depending on the species.

14. Scarlet Sage

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Salvia splendens, commonly called scarlet sage, belongs to the Lamiaceae (sage) plant family and is native to Brazil. Scarlet sage typically grows 1 to 3 feet tall, but compact cultivars are most often grown in garden beds. They typically feature brilliant racemes of scarlet-red flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Still, the flowers of cultivars also come in various other colors and combinations of colors.

15. Star Flower or Egyptian Star Cluster

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The Pentas lanceolata belongs to the Rubiaceae plant family and has a native range from Yemen to East Africa. This species is commonly called the star flower or Egyptian star cluster, about the five-petaled, star-like shape of the small flowers, which comprise the shrubby plant’s globe-shaped flower clusters. These beauties are a perfect choice if you wish to attract butterflies to your garden, and they can be grown as annuals in cooler climates.

16. King Protea

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The Protea cynaroides, commonly called the king protea, has the most prominent flower head of all species in the Protea genus in the Proteaceae plant family. It is both native to and the national flower of South Africa. The king protea has flower heads that can be 5 to 12 inches across. Bowl-shaped, brightly colored bracts surround a central pom-pom of flowers. King proteas are commonly used in cutting gardens and in floral bouquets and arrangements.

17. Chenille Plant

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Native to the islands around New Guinea, Acalypha hispida, commonly called the chenille plant, is a flowering shrub belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family. Common names for the chenille plant include the Philippine Medusa and the red hot cattail. Both names reference the shrub’s racemes of flowers, which appear fuzzy and red (or sometimes purple). Smaller blossoms have a shape similar to that of chili pepper, while longer blossoms look similar to tails or red snakes. They make very popular indoor hanging plants.

18. Indian Shot

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Canna indica belongs to the Cannaceae plant family and is native to Mexico, the West Indies, Central America, and South America. These perennial flowering plants produce large, dark-green foliage and flowers in bright yellow or red and, sometimes, orange in specific cultivars. Canna indica has been cultivated as a food crop in Central and South America for thousands of years. The rhizomes can be eaten raw or cooked, and a baking starch is made by grinding the roots.

19. Christmas Cactus

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Native to the tropical and humid coastal mountains of Southeastern Brazil, the Schlumbergera truncata belongs to the Cactaceae plant family and is commonly called a Christmas cactus thanks to the timing of the plant’s flower blossoms in the northern hemisphere around Christmastime. The plants have attractive, fleshy segments instead of stems and leaves. Toothed edges mark each segment. The flowers and buds sprout from the ends of these segments and are ornate, frilly, and funnel-shaped.

20. Persian Cyclamen

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Native to the eastern Mediterranean, from Tunisia and Algeria across Greece and Cyprus to Türkiye, Lebanon, Syria and Israel, the Cyclamen persicum (or Persian cyclamen) belongs to the primrose plant family (Primulaceae). They feature deep-green, sometimes silvery-green, heart-shaped foliage that sprouts into a rosette. The blossoms shoot up from the center of the foliage and are shaped like shooting stars. During dormant months, cyclamen plants appear dead, but their growth will return the next autumn. In the language of flowers, cyclamen stood for resignation and diffidence, and for goodbye.

21. Damask Rose

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A member of the Rosaceae (rose) plant family, the Rosa x damascena is a cultivated plant that does not grow naturally in the wild. The damask rose grows as a shrub. The large, multi-petaled flowers produce a strong and sweet fragrance used in perfumes worldwide.

22. Wild Lantana

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Lantana camara belongs to the Verbenaceae plant family and is native to Central and South America. It produces foliage and flowers in variegated combinations of warm colors that attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees, but it is a weedy pest in many tropical regions. Common lantana grows quickly and aggressively, so choose its spot with care. That said, it is a lovely tropical plant to grow in container gardens in cooler climates where it cannot survive the winter.

23. Florist’s Daisy

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The Chrysanthemum x morifolium belongs to the Asteraceae (daisy) plant family. It is a hybrid cultivar that probably descends from chrysanthemum species native to China or East Asia. This type of chrysanthemum comes in several varieties with flat, daisy-like blossoms and large pom-pom-shaped blossoms in various colors.

24. Bromeliads

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Native to the American tropics, the bromeliad plant family (Bromeliaceae) contains more than 3,800 species of flowering plants, including the pineapple plant. Bromeliads from the Aechmea and Guzmania genera are commonly grown as ornamental plants for their attractive rosettes of lance-shaped foliage and prominent flowers that blossom in bright, tropical colors. Bromeliads can be enormously rewarding to grow, but they only bloom once in a lifetime before producing offshoots that can be potted and grown into new plants.

25. Tropical Milkweed

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Native to the American tropics, Asclepias curassavica belongs to the Apocynaceae plant family. Other common names for this milkweed species include bloodflower, Mexican butterfly weed, and cotton bush. These plants are subshrubs that reach about 3 feet in height. They have narrow, ovate leaves and globe-shaped flower clusters with fiery red corollas and yellow or orange corona lobes. The flowers are a strong attractant for monarch butterflies. Still, it is thought that the presence of tropical milkweed outside its native range could potentially be harmful to the migration patterns of monarchs.

26. Māmane

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Native to Hawaii, where it goes by the common name, māmane, the Sophora chrysophylla is a flowering plant that belongs to the pea or bean plant family (Fabaceae). This plant is considered polymorphic, meaning it can grow as a tree or a smaller shrub. When in bloom, it produces copious amounts of showy, pendulous golden-yellow flowers that make the tree or shrub look like it could be on fire.

27. Blanket Flowers

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Gaillardia (aka blanket flowers) is a genus of flowers that are native to both North and South America, belonging to the Asteraceae (daisy) plant family. The genus consists of several species, cultivars, and hybrids that are bred to produce flowers that are even more showy and ornate than their wildly growing varieties. The flowers feature fuzzy brown centers surrounded by tri-tipped ray florets in sunset colors that fade from red to orange to yellow at the tips.

28. Barberton Daisy

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The Gerbera jamesonii is native to southeastern Africa and belongs to the daisy or composite plant family (Asteraceae). It is commonly called the Barberton daisy or Transvaal daisy, producing showy, daisy-shaped flowers in single or double styles. The blossoms are typically orange-red, but hybrids and cultivars of the species have brought about a wide range of shades that range from deep red to pastel pinks, yellows, and whites.

29. African Violet

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Streptocarpus sect. Saintpaulia is a section of the Streptocarpus subgenus that holds the plants known as African violets, belonging to the Gesneriaceae plant family. These plants are commonly called African violets and native to southeastern Kenya and Tanzania. African violets produce rosettes of fuzzy, dark-green, heart-shaped leaves. Slender stalks of flower blossoms sprout from the centers of the plants and produce five-petaled, velvety flowers in various beautiful colors and color combinations with bright yellow stamens at their centers.

30. Showy Medinilla or Rose Grape

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The Medinilla magnifica is native to the Philippines and belongs to the Melastomataceae plant family. Commonly called the showy Medinilla or rose grape, the plant produces large (8 to 12 inches) leaves that are ovate with a glossy, leathery texture and showy flowers that consist of bell-shaped bracts and small pendulous flowers that resemble bunches of grapes.

31. Morning Glory or Purple Moonflower

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The Ipomoea muricata belongs to the Convolvulaceae (morning glory) plant family. It is a flowering vine that most commonly produces delicate, trumpet-shaped flowers in shades of purple or lavender. This species of morning glory is native across tropical Central and South America, from Mexico to Peru, Bolivia and Brazil, and is widespread elsewhere as an introduced plant. Moonflowers attract pollinators, including butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds.

32. Hinahina or Silver Geranium

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The Geranium cuneatum is a flowering shrub that belongs to the Geraniaceae plant family and is native to the higher elevations of Hawaii. The plant grows naturally in drier areas and is surprisingly drought-tolerant for being native to such a wet, humid climate. It produces silvery-green foliage and pretty clusters of delicate flowers that blossom in a snowy shade of white that is sometimes touched with stripes of purple flowers that are most prominent toward the base of the petals.

33. Kahili Ginger or Ginger Lily

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Native to the Himalayas of Bhutan, India, and Nepal, the Hedychium gardnerianum is a flowering plant species belonging to the Zingiberaceae (ginger) plant family. Despite belonging to the ginger plant family, this species is primarily grown as an ornamental plant in gardens. It has a large size, bright-green foliage, and spikes of yellow flowers with red stamens.

34. Powder Puff

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Native to Bolivia and widely grown across the tropics, the Calliandra haematocephala is one of more than 150 species of the Calliandra genus that belongs to the Fabaceae (pea and bean) plant family. This species grows into shrubs that spread with a rambling habit or small trees. The plant’s common name, powder puff, comes from the appearance of its fluffy, globe-shaped flowers, each of which features a puff of airy stamens in a deep crimson hue.

35. Molokai Ohaha

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Native to Hawaii’s island, Molokai, the Brighamia rockii is a species of flowering plant, commonly called the Molokai ohaha, that belongs to the Campanulaceae (bellflower) plant family. It features rosettes of bright green, egg-shaped leaves. From between the leaves, large, white, trumpet-shaped blossoms protrude.

36. Kadupul Flower or Queen of the Night Cactus

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The Epiphyllum oxypetalum is native to southern Mexico and Central America, now grown widely as an ornamental, and is a type of cactus that belongs to the Cactaceae plant family. This plant blooms at night once a year, and each flower lasts only a few hours. When the kadupul flower does bloom, its large, milky white flowers wilt within hours.

37. Sampaguita or Arabian Jasmine

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Jasminum sambac, commonly called Arabian jasmine or sampaguita, is a species of flowering shrub or vine that belongs to the Oleaceae (olive) plant family. It has a twining or scrambling growth habit and produces lush, vibrant green foliage in addition to delicate, pure-white flowers that fade to a gentle shade of pink as they mature. The flowers are strongly fragrant and have been used in China to scent jasmine tea.

38. Peace Lily

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Native to the tropical regions of the Americas and the western Pacific, from Costa Rica and Brazil to the Philippines and New Guinea, Spathiphyllum is a genus of 76 species of herbaceous flowering plants (commonly called peace lilies) that belong to the Araceae plant family. Peace lilies produce full clumps of foliage from which shoots carrying spoon-shaped spathes and rod-shaped spadices rise. People give peace lilies as a sign of peace and sympathy.

39. Common Jasmine

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Jasminum officinale is a species of flowering herb or vine, commonly called common jasmine or jasmine, that belongs to the Oleaceae (olive) plant family. The plant has a very wide native range with natural habitats spread throughout western China, the Himalayas, India, Nepal, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, northern Iran, and the Caucasus. Jasmine flowers are prized for their fragrant essential oils released at night and used in perfumes, skincare formulas, and aromatherapy.

40. Angel’s Trumpet

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Native to the tropical regions of South America, Brugmansia is a genus containing ten species of woody, flowering shrubs or trees that belong to the Solanaceae (nightshade) plant family. They have fluttery foliage and large, trumpet-shaped flowers that hang like clusters of bells. The plants of this genus contain tropane alkaloids and are some of the most toxic garden plants grown for ornamental purposes. If you introduce them to your garden, be extremely careful to keep animals and young children away from them.

41. Yellow Ilima or Golden Mallow

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Native to Hawaii and other Pacific islands, Sida fallax is a species of herbaceous flowering, shrub-like plant, commonly called golden mallow or yellow ilima, that belongs to the Malvaceae (hibiscus) plant family. The plant produces dusty-green foliage and small golden or yellow-colored flowers that are usually no larger than an inch in diameter.

42. Nānū or Forest Gardenia

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Commonly known as nānū in its native Hawaii, the Gardenia brighamii belongs to the Rubiaceae (coffee) plant family. The plant is a small tree that produces glossy, deep-green, ovate leaves and small, snow-white flowers. Each flower features six lobes or petals that connect at the base to form a tube-like shape. The flowers are highly fragrant.

43. Blue Passionflower

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Native to South America, the Passiflora caerulea is a flowering deciduous or semi-evergreen vine that belongs to the Passifloraceae plant family. Its common names include blue passionflower, common passionflower, and bluecrown passionflower. Its flowers have an unusual and alluring appearance, with symbolic white sepals surrounding a fringe of a blue-white corona of filaments that further encircles a few purple stigmas and greenish-yellow stamens that protrude prominently from the complex flower’s center.

44. Orchid Trees

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Bauhinia is a genus of flowering trees that belong to the Fabaceae (pea or bean) plant family. While many individual species have their common names, many are referred to as orchid trees or mountain ebony. Plants of the genus have a broad native range and grow commonly in tropical regions worldwide. The five-petaled flowers are fragrant and resemble orchids or hibiscus flowers with their exotic colors and prominent stamens.

45. Allamanda

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Native to the tropical regions of South America, Allamanda is a genus of 16 species of flowering vines, evergreen trees, and shrubs that belong to the Apocynaceae (dogbane) plant family. They produce large, trumpet-shaped flowers. The flowers of most species are yellow or golden colored, and these species are commonly called golden trumpet. Other species and cultivars, however, produce flowers in various hues.

46. Tobacco Flower

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Native to South America, Nicotiana alata belongs to the Solanaceae (nightshade) plant family, and it is toxic to pets. Commonly called the tobacco flower, sweet tobacco, or jasmine tobacco, the Nicotiana alata is primarily cultivated as an ornamental plant for its pretty clusters of trumpet-shaped flowers. These plants mainly bloom in the late afternoon into the evening, and their blossoms emit a lovely, sweet fragrance into the night air.

47. Mussaenda

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Native to the tropical regions of Asia and Africa, Mussaenda is a genus of flowering shrubs or small trees that belong to the Rubiaceae (madder or coffee) plant family. They have vibrant green foliage and produce copious clumps of flowers in various colors ranging from a bright crimson red to soft pinks and mauves. Several species and cultivars of Mussaenda are commonly grown as garden ornamental plants.

48. Begonias

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Begonia is a genus containing more than 2,200 species of flowering undershrubs and herbs that belong to the Begoniaceae plant family. These plants are commonly called Begonias. They feature attractive foliage that can be fuzzy or glossy and range from dark or vibrant green to deep burgundy. Their flowers are ornate and beautiful to behold. Begonias grow naturally in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide but are primarily native to South America, Central America, Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

49. Freesia

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Native to South Africa, Freesia is a herbaceous flowering plant species belonging to the Iridaceae (iris) plant family. These perennials grow from bulbs and produce fragrant, funnel-shaped flowers atop leafy stalks. They are sweetly fragrant, as in these fragrant purple flowers. They are a popular addition to floral designs and cutting gardens everywhere.

50. Crown Imperial

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The Fritillaria imperialis is a perennial, flowering, herbaceous, bulbous plant that belongs to the Liliaceae (lily) plant family. Commonly called the Kaiser’s crown, imperial fritillary, or the crown imperial, the plant grows natively in various regions, including Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, northern India, and the foothills of the Himalayas. The 3-foot-tall plant features flame-shaped leaves in a vibrant shade of green and a prominent stem from which a whorl of bell-shaped flowers hangs. This cluster of flowers is topped with even more spikes of green foliage.

Even if you don’t live in a tropical climate, you can still warm up your garden or home with flowering tropical plants. Pick 'Indoors' in the sorter above to see the houseplants, and bring potted tropicals indoors when nights drop to about 50°F, keeping them away from cold drafts so they bloom again next year.

For more types of flowers, see our guides to orange cosmos flower meaning, honey perfume roses, colors of hibiscus and honeymoon red hibiscus.