How to Identify Cut Flowers

Use a notebook to record the color features on your cut flowers and take a picture that you can refer to later on. Make a note of the colors and specify whether the petals display more than one shade (like the dianthus and daffodil, for example). Continue by writing down whether the blossom has any distinguishing characteristics, such as stripes or freckles, and indicate the hue of these marks.

Write down the shape traits of the blossom and take note of the petals. For example, how many petals are found on this cut flower and do they present a scalloped form such as a campanula, or a spiky appearance like a dahlia? Note whether the flower shape is distinct, such as growing out in a pod shape like a Chinese lantern, or if it appears as all one petal like a calla lily.

Take note of the leaf characteristics, if they are still present, on the cut flower. Feel the texture of the foliage and write down whether it is smooth or coarse. Look at the veins of the leaves and see if they offer a distinctive color (like caladiums, for example). Additionally, indicate whether the leaves are smaller or larger than the blossom.

Access the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) website to search the plant database (see Resources). Click the "Advanced Search" link on the left side and begin entering your recorded information. For instance, under the "Morphology/Physiology" section, select the appropriate flower color(s) from the text box and highlight the foliage details, such as texture, in the corresponding box provided. Continue to select additional information in the text boxes and click the "Display Results" button at the bottom. Click through the resulting links to view an image and classification that helps you identify your cut flowers. Write down the names of the flowers as you make the identifications.

Access the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers as an additional aid in naming your cut blossoms (see Resources). Click the "Flower Search" link on the left and click on the box that displays the letters, such as "A-B," that your cut flowers may start with. Scroll through the page until you locate your cut flower. You can also click on the flower, once you find it, to get a listing of flower growers that produce this particular cut blossom.