**Wildflower Identification Chart — Count the Petals**

> Free wildflower identification key for 30 common North American and European wildflowers. Filter by petal count, colour, arrangement and habitat.

Source: https://orvik.app/tools/wildflower-identifier/ · updated: 2026-09-04

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# What wildflower is this?

Colour is the worst filter available: half the flowers in a meadow are yellow. What a botanist uses is **how many petals, how they are arranged, and what the leaves look like**. Count the petals first — three, four, five, six or many — and the family often follows before you have looked at anything else.

Entries **30** Filters **5** Updated **2026-09-04** Cost **Free, no account**

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Search wildflowers by name

Petal count

Count on a fully open flower. Fused petals count as the number of lobes.

3 petals 4 petals 5 petals 6 petals Many — a daisy-like head Irregular — two-lipped or hooded

Colour

Yellow White Pink or red Blue or purple Orange Green or brown

How the flowers sit

One flower per stem A tall spike or raceme A flat umbrella of small flowers A dense head or cluster Whorls up the stem

Where it grows

Meadow, field or roadside Woodland Wet ground or pond edge Dry, sandy or rocky ground Lawn, garden or waste ground

Season

Spring Summer Late summer and autumn

Showing all 30 wildflowers

1. ### Dandelion Taraxacum officinale A single yellow head of many strap-shaped ray florets on a hollow leafless stem that bleeds white latex, over a rosette of deeply back-toothed leaves. Size Head 3–5 cm Where Everywhere in the temperate world. Confused with Cat's ear and hawkbit, which have branched, solid, slightly hairy stems. A dandelion stem is always hollow, unbranched and hairless. In the record 479,234 georeferenced records · half of them Mar–May · most distinctive in April · mostly from the Netherlands [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/5394163)

2. [Dandelion botany](https://orvik.app/plants/dandelion-scientific-name/)

3. ### Ox-eye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare A classic white daisy with a flat yellow centre on a single tall stem, over spoon-shaped toothed leaves that clasp the stem. Size Head 3–6 cm Where Meadows across Europe and naturalised throughout North America. In the record 871,936 georeferenced records · half of them May–Jul · most distinctive in June · mostly from the United Kingdom [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/8848598)

4. [Daisy species and names](https://orvik.app/plants/daisy-names/)

5. ### Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta Golden rays around a raised dome of chocolate-brown disc florets, on a bristly hairy stem with rough sandpapery leaves. Size Head 5–9 cm Where Across North America; the state flower of Maryland. In the record 67,351 georeferenced records · half of them Jun–Jul · most distinctive in July · mostly from the United States [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/3114225)

6. ### Purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea Drooping rose-pink rays around a spiky orange-brown cone that stands well proud of them. Coarse, rough-hairy leaves. Size Head 7–12 cm Where Prairie and open woodland of the central and eastern United States. In the record 16,111 georeferenced records · half of them Jun–Jul · most distinctive in July · mostly from the United States [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/3150935)

7. ### Goldenrod Solidago species Dense plumes or wands of hundreds of tiny yellow heads in late summer, on unbranched leafy stems. Blamed for hay fever it does not cause — its pollen is heavy and insect-carried. Size Plumes 10–30 cm Where Across North America and naturalised in Europe. Confused with Ragweed, which flowers at the same time with inconspicuous green flowers and is the actual hay fever culprit. In the record 1,344,809 georeferenced records · half of them Jun–Aug · most distinctive in September · mostly from France [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/5388868)

8. ### Common yarrow Achillea millefolium A flat-topped cluster of tiny white daisy heads over very finely divided feathery leaves that smell strongly aromatic when crushed. Size Head 5–10 cm across Where Across the northern hemisphere. In the record 1,788,213 georeferenced records · half of them May–Jul · most distinctive in August · mostly from the United Kingdom [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/3120060)

9. ### Queen Anne's lace Handle with care Daucus carota A flat lacy umbrella of tiny white flowers, very often with a single dark purple floret at the exact centre, over a hairy stem and carrot-scented ferny leaves. Curls into a bird's nest as it seeds. Size Umbel 5–12 cm Where Roadsides across Europe and North America. Risk Its family contains poison hemlock and water hemlock. Hemlock stems are hairless and purple-blotched; wild carrot stems are hairy and green. Never eat a wild root on flower shape alone. In the record 881,697 georeferenced records · half of them Jun–Aug · most distinctive in October · mostly from France [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/3034742)

10. ### Common milkweed Handle with care Asclepias syriaca Spherical clusters of small dusty-pink crown-shaped flowers on a stout stem that bleeds white latex, with opposite oval leaves. Warty pods full of silk-tufted seeds follow. Size Cluster 5–10 cm Where Eastern and central North America. Risk Cardiac glycosides. Toxic to livestock and pets; the sap irritates skin and eyes. In the record 142,383 georeferenced records · half of them Jun–Jul · most distinctive in October · mostly from the United States [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/3170247)

11. [Milkweed toxicity](https://orvik.app/plants/is-milkweed-poisonous/)

12. ### Chicory Cichorium intybus Sky-blue daisy heads with square-tipped fringed rays, sitting almost stemless against a wiry, nearly leafless stalk. Flowers open at dawn and close by early afternoon. Size Head 3–4 cm Where Roadsides across Europe and North America. In the record 373,208 georeferenced records · half of them Jul–Aug · most distinctive in September · mostly from the United States [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/5392252)

13. ### Common blue violet Viola sororia Five unequal petals — two up, two side, one lower with a spur behind — in violet-blue with a white throat, on a leafless stalk over heart-shaped leaves. Size Flower 1.5–2.5 cm Where Eastern North America; related species across Europe. In the record 9,322 georeferenced records · half of them Apr–May · most distinctive in April · mostly from the United States [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/5331238)

14. ### Trillium Handle with care Trillium species Everything in threes: three petals, three sepals, three broad leaves in a whorl, one flower per plant. Unmistakable and slow — a trillium takes seven years to reach flowering size. Size Flower 5–8 cm Where Woodland across eastern North America. Risk Picking the flower removes the leaves too and can kill the plant. Protected in several states and provinces. In the record 227,631 georeferenced records · half of them Apr–May · most distinctive in April · mostly from the United States [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2742182)

15. ### Bloodroot Handle with care Sanguinaria canadensis A single white flower with eight to twelve petals wrapped in one deeply lobed leaf, appearing before the trees leaf out. The root bleeds orange-red sap when broken. Size Flower 3–5 cm Where Eastern North American woodland. Risk Toxic. The sap is a caustic escharotic and has caused serious injury when used as a home remedy on skin. In the record 84,107 georeferenced records · half of them Mar–Apr · most distinctive in April · mostly from the United States [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/5334192)

16. ### Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta A one-sided arching spike of nodding narrow violet-blue bells with cream anthers and strongly rolled-back tips, over strap leaves. Carpets whole woodland floors. Size Spike 20–40 cm Where Ancient woodland in Britain, Ireland and western Europe. Confused with Spanish bluebell, which stands upright with bells all round the stem, blue anthers, and no scent. It hybridises with and displaces the native. In the record 364,734 georeferenced records · half of them Apr–May · most distinctive in April · mostly from the United Kingdom [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/5304283)

17. ### Wild lupine Handle with care Lupinus perennis Upright spikes of blue pea flowers over palmate leaves whose leaflets radiate from one point like fingers. The sole larval host of the endangered Karner blue butterfly. Size Spike 15–30 cm Where Sandy soils of eastern and central North America. Risk Seeds and pods contain quinolizidine alkaloids and are toxic to livestock. In the record 10,272 georeferenced records · half of them Apr–May · most distinctive in May · mostly from the United States [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2964435)

18. ### Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium A tall magenta spike that opens from the bottom upwards, four petals per flower, over narrow willow-like leaves. Colonises fire sites and bomb craters, which is how it got both its names. Size Spike 20–40 cm Where Across the northern hemisphere, especially on burnt or cleared ground. In the record 40,228 georeferenced records · half of them Jul–Aug · most distinctive in January · mostly from the Netherlands [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/3188783)

19. ### Common evening primrose Oenothera biennis Four broad lemon-yellow petals with a cross-shaped stigma in the centre, opening at dusk in a few minutes — fast enough to watch — and fading by the next afternoon. Size Flower 3–5 cm Where North America and naturalised across Europe. In the record 92,511 georeferenced records · half of them Jul–Aug · most distinctive in September · mostly from France [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/3188924)

20. ### Butterfly weed Asclepias tuberosa Flat-topped clusters of vivid orange crown-shaped flowers on a hairy stem with alternate narrow leaves — and, unusually for a milkweed, no white latex. Size Cluster 5–8 cm Where Dry open ground across the eastern and central United States. In the record 58,231 georeferenced records · half of them Jun–Jul · most distinctive in June · mostly from the United States [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/3170305)

21. ### Wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa A ragged pompom of tubular lavender-pink two-lipped flowers on a square stem with opposite leaves smelling strongly of oregano. Square stem plus opposite leaves plus scent means the mint family. Size Head 4–6 cm Where Across North America. In the record 56,267 georeferenced records · half of them Jul–Jul · most distinctive in July · mostly from the United States [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/5341411)

22. ### Selfheal Prunella vulgaris A short blunt head of hooded violet-blue flowers among purplish bracts, on a square stem, low enough to survive mowing. One of the commonest lawn wildflowers. Size Head 2–4 cm Where Lawns and grassland across the northern hemisphere. In the record 1,216,166 georeferenced records · half of them Jun–Jul · most distinctive in July · mostly from the United Kingdom [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/5341297)

23. ### Foxglove Can injure you Digitalis purpurea A tall one-sided spire of thimble-shaped purple flowers, spotted inside the lower lip, over a rosette of soft grey-green downy leaves. Size Spike 30–100 cm Where Woodland edges across Europe and the US Pacific Northwest. Risk Cardiac glycosides. Every part is toxic and the first-year rosette has been eaten in mistake for comfrey. In the record 557,582 georeferenced records · half of them May–Jul · most distinctive in February · mostly from the United Kingdom [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/5414995)

24. [Foxglove toxicity](https://orvik.app/plants/is-foxglove-toxic/)

25. ### Jack-in-the-pulpit Handle with care Arisaema triphyllum A green or purple-striped hood arching over an upright club, with the leaves in threes on a separate stalk. Becomes a tight cluster of scarlet berries in late summer. Size Spathe 5–8 cm Where Eastern North American woodland. Risk Calcium oxalate crystals cause immediate intense burning of the mouth and throat. In the record 73,262 georeferenced records · half of them Apr–May · most distinctive in May · mostly from the United States [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2867316)

26. ### Common milkwort and lobelia Lobelia species A spike of two-lipped tubular flowers, split so the upper lip has two lobes and the lower three. Cardinal flower is the same shape in brilliant scarlet and is hummingbird-pollinated. Size Spike 10–40 cm Where Wet ground across North America. In the record 329,293 georeferenced records · half of them Jul–Sep · most distinctive in December · mostly from the United States [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2756426)

27. ### Marsh marigold Handle with care Caltha palustris Glossy waxy golden-yellow cups over rounded kidney-shaped leaves, in standing water or saturated ground in early spring. The petals are actually sepals. Size Flower 2.5–5 cm Where Wet ground across the northern hemisphere. Risk Contains protoanemonin, which blisters skin and irritates the gut. Do not eat raw. In the record 821,926 georeferenced records · half of them Apr–Jun · most distinctive in April · mostly from the United Kingdom [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/5371685)

28. ### Buttercup Handle with care Ranunculus species Five glossy petals with a lacquered shine caused by a mirror-like layer of cells beneath the surface — the reason a buttercup reflects yellow under the chin. Size Flower 1.5–3 cm Where Across the northern hemisphere. Risk Protoanemonin blisters skin and irritates the mouth. Livestock avoid it in the field and it is inactivated by drying in hay. In the record 5,971,221 georeferenced records · half of them May–Jul · most distinctive in May · mostly from the United Kingdom [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/3033294)

29. ### Red clover Trifolium pratense A dense round head of small magenta pea flowers, over leaves of three leaflets each marked with a pale V. Fixes nitrogen, which is why it improves the ground it grows in. Size Head 2–3 cm Where Grassland across the northern hemisphere. In the record 1,602,820 georeferenced records · half of them May–Jul · most distinctive in May · mostly from the United Kingdom [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/8324121)

30. ### Common vetch and pea family Vicia and Lathyrus species Pea-shaped flowers — a big upper banner, two side wings and a fused keel below — on scrambling plants with compound leaves ending in curling tendrils. Size Flower 1–3 cm Where Across the northern hemisphere. In the record 3,525,224 georeferenced records · half of them Apr–Jun · most distinctive in May · mostly from the United Kingdom [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2974751)

31. ### St John's wort Hypericum perforatum Five yellow petals with black dots along the margins and a burst of long stamens. Hold a leaf to the light and it is peppered with translucent oil glands that look like pinholes. Size Flower 2–2.5 cm Where Europe, and invasive across North America and Australia. In the record 908,616 georeferenced records · half of them May–Jul · most distinctive in November · mostly from France [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/3189486)

32. ### Common mullein Verbascum thapsus A tall unbranched candle of yellow flowers over a rosette of enormous felted grey-green leaves as soft as flannel. Biennial — the rosette one year, the spike the next. Size Spike 50–200 cm Where Disturbed ground across the northern hemisphere. In the record 342,759 georeferenced records · half of them Jun–Aug · most distinctive in November · mostly from the United States [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/3171949)

33. ### Wild geranium and cranesbill Geranium species Five rounded pink or lilac petals with darker veins, over deeply palmately lobed leaves, followed by a long beaked seed capsule that gives the plant its name. Size Flower 2–4 cm Where Across the northern hemisphere. In the record 4,252,055 georeferenced records · half of them Apr–Jun · most distinctive in May · mostly from the United Kingdom [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2889949)

34. ### Ragwort Handle with care Jacobaea vulgaris A flat-topped mass of small yellow daisy heads, each with about 13 rays, over deeply cut ragged leaves. Host to the black-and-orange cinnabar moth caterpillar. Size Head 1.5–2.5 cm Where Europe, and invasive in North America, Australia and New Zealand. Risk Pyrrolizidine alkaloids cause cumulative irreversible liver damage in horses and cattle. Dangerous in hay, where animals cannot avoid it. In the record 794,871 georeferenced records · half of them May–Jul · most distinctive in February · mostly from the United Kingdom [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/5388602)

Nothing in this key matches every filter at once. That usually means one observation is
off — a colour read in shade, or a size guessed rather than measured. Clear the filter you
are least sure about and look again.

## Count the petals before you look at the colour

Petal count is the first branch of every serious plant key, because it reflects deep evolutionary structure rather than surface appearance. Colour changes with soil, light and cultivar; the number of floral parts does not.

*What the number of petals tells you about the family.*

| Count | Usually means | Examples |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 3, or parts in multiples of 3 | A monocot | Trillium, iris, lily, orchid, spiderwort |
| 4 | Mustard or willowherb family | Wild mustard, garlic mustard, fireweed, evening primrose |
| 5 | The largest group by far | Buttercup, geranium, milkweed, St John's wort, mullein |
| 6 | A monocot with parts in twos and threes | Bluebell, lily, tulip, daffodil, star of Bethlehem |
| Many, in a flat head | Daisy family — each "petal" is a whole flower | Dandelion, daisy, goldenrod, coneflower, thistle |
| Irregular, two-lipped or hooded | Mint, pea, snapdragon or orchid family | Bergamot, lupine, foxglove, violet, lobelia |

The daisy family deserves a warning, because it looks like a single flower and is not. A dandelion head is a hundred or more separate complete flowers packed together, and each yellow strap is one of them. That is why a daisy family plant does not have a petal count in the ordinary sense, and why the filter above gives it its own category.

## The characters that settle it after the petals

Once the petal count has narrowed the family, four more observations usually reach the species.

**Leaf arrangement.** Opposite, alternate or whorled, checked on the stem. It is fixed within a species and it is the second question in every key.

**Stem cross-section.** Roll the stem between finger and thumb. **Square means the mint family**, almost without exception, and combined with opposite leaves and an aromatic smell it is close to diagnostic.

**How the flowers are grouped.** A single flower per stem, a tall spike, a flat umbrella, a dense head or whorls up the stem — the arrangement is a family character rather than an individual quirk.

**Habitat and season.** Botanists lean on these far more than beginners expect. A yellow five-petalled flower in standing water in March is a very short list; the same flower in dry sand in August is a different short list.

Smell is worth adding. Crushing a leaf identifies the mint family, the carrot family and several others instantly, and it costs nothing.

## The look-alikes that matter

**Queen Anne's lace and poison hemlock.** The most consequential confusion in this key. Both are flat white umbels in the carrot family. Wild carrot has a hairy green stem, a carrot smell when crushed, and usually a single dark floret at the exact centre of the umbel. Poison hemlock has a smooth hairless stem blotched purple, a musty unpleasant smell, and no central floret. Hemlock is lethal, and people have died from mistaking the root for parsnip.

**Native and Spanish bluebell.** Native bluebells nod on a one-sided arching stem with cream anthers, strongly rolled-back tips and a strong scent. Spanish bluebells stand upright with flowers all round the stem, blue anthers and little scent. The hybrid is displacing the native across Britain.

**Goldenrod and ragweed.** Goldenrod is blamed for autumn hay fever it cannot cause: its pollen is heavy, sticky and carried by insects. Ragweed flowers at the same time with inconspicuous green spikes and is wind-pollinated, and it is the actual cause.

**Dandelion and its relatives.** Cat's ear, hawkbit and hawksbeard all produce a yellow head on a stalk. A true dandelion has a hollow, unbranched, hairless stem and one head. Anything branched or hairy is something else.

## Picking, and why mostly not

Wildflower picking is regulated in more places than people realise, and the ecological case against it is stronger than the legal one in most cases.

**Legally:** in the United States, collecting plants in National Parks is prohibited, most state parks restrict it, and many states protect specific species — trillium and several orchids among them. On federal land other than parks, limited collection of common species is often allowed. In the United Kingdom, the Wildlife and Countryside Act makes it an offence to uproot any wild plant without the landowner's permission, and picking above-ground parts of unprotected species on land you have access to is generally permitted.

**Ecologically:** some species cannot survive picking at all. A trillium takes seven years to reach flowering size and its three leaves come off with the flower, so picking one commonly kills the plant. Orchids depend on soil fungi and never transplant successfully — digging one up destroys it and achieves nothing.

The conventional guidance is the one-in-twenty rule for common species in unprotected places, taking no more than one plant in twenty and never the last few. For anything uncommon, photograph it and record it instead. A record in iNaturalist is worth more than a flower in a jar, and it lasts longer.

## Photographing a wildflower so it can be identified

Four photographs cover almost everything a botanist would ask to see, and taking them is quicker than describing the plant afterwards.

1. **The flower face-on and close**, showing the petal count and the centre.
2. **The whole plant from a metre back**, showing height, branching and how the flowers are arranged on the stem.
3. **The leaves**, including where they join the stem — arrangement is a key character and it is the shot most often missed.
4. **The stem and the base**, showing whether it is square or round, hairy or smooth, and what the basal rosette looks like.

Include the habitat and the date. "Wet meadow, southern Wisconsin, early June" narrows a candidate list more than any close-up does, and it is the information an identification service asks for first.

30 entries here cover the wildflowers people most often photograph in North America and northwest Europe. There are over 20,000 native vascular plant species in North America alone, so anything unusual will not be here. iNaturalist and regional native plant societies identify submissions free, and a good set of four photographs usually gets an answer within a day.

## What the observation record shows

Every entry in this key that carries a scientific name is matched against

- [GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/), the
international register of biodiversity records, and against

- [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/).
That puts a hard number behind 30 of the 30wildflowers here:
**11,653,807 georeferenced records** across the 24 entries that resolve to a single species, spanning 17 families, the oldest of them collected in
1956. The snapshot was taken on 2026-09-04.

That evidence is not spread evenly, and it is worth knowing before you trust a narrow
result. The five best-recorded wildflowers in this key hold 55%
of all the records between them: Common yarrow alone accounts for
1,788,213, while Common blue violet has
9,322. A common thing is common in the data too, so
when a filter narrows to one frequent entry and one rare one, the frequent one is
usually the answer — and the record count is the quickest way to see which is which.
The same skew applies geographically: 23% of these
records come from the United Kingdom, so the key describes what is
reported there far better than it describes anywhere else.

### When these are actually reported

*Half of the 9,525,845 georeferenced records for these 24 wildflowers fall in May–July alone. The bars are the raw share by month, which mostly measures when people go looking; the line divides each month by the baseline for every species in every Orvik key, so a value above 1.0 means these wildflowers are reported more than the season alone explains, and it peaks in July. Source: GBIF, snapshot 2026-09-04.*

Half of every record for this group falls in May–July.
A raw month count measures two things at once — when the organism is about, and when
people are outdoors with a camera — and the second effect is large enough to give
almost anything a summer peak. The line on the figure divides each month by the
baseline for every species in every Orvik key, which answers a different question:
relative to when people record anything at all, when are these wildflowers recorded?
Values above 1.0 are the months that belong to this group rather than to the season.
On that measure 7 of the 24wildflowers here peak
outside the warm half of the year — St John's wort, Queen Anne's lace, Ragwort among them. Those are the ones a seasonal rule of
thumb gets wrong.

### Records behind each entry

Sorted by how much evidence exists, not by how likely you are to meet one. The peak
month is the effort-adjusted figure, and it is left blank wherever the sample is too
thin for the month-to-month wobble to mean anything.

*GBIF and iNaturalist record counts for the 30 named wildflowers in this key,
 snapshot 2026-09-04. Rows above species rank aggregate everything beneath them and
 are not comparable with the rest. Free to reuse with a link to this page.*

| Entry | Accepted name | Rank | GBIF records | Research-grade | Half fall in | Peak, adjusted | Most reported from |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Common yarrow | [Achillea millefolium L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/3120060) | species | 1,788,213 | 368,490 | May–Jul | August | the United Kingdom |
| Red clover | [Trifolium pratense L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/8324121) | species | 1,602,820 | 242,096 | May–Jul | May | the United Kingdom |
| Selfheal | [Prunella vulgaris L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/5341297) | species | 1,216,166 | 208,475 | Jun–Jul | July | the United Kingdom |
| St John's wort | [Hypericum perforatum L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/3189486) | species | 908,616 | 162,557 | May–Jul | November | France |
| Queen Anne's lace | [Daucus carota L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/3034742) | species | 881,697 | 216,237 | Jun–Aug | October | France |
| Ox-eye daisy | [Leucanthemum vulgare Lam.](https://www.gbif.org/species/8848598) | species | 871,936 | 176,928 | May–Jul | June | the United Kingdom |
| Marsh marigold | [Caltha palustris L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/5371685) | species | 821,926 | 95,096 | Apr–Jun | April | the United Kingdom |
| Ragwort | [Jacobaea vulgaris Gaertn.](https://www.gbif.org/species/5388602) | species | 794,871 | 91,213 | May–Jul | February | the United Kingdom |
| Foxglove | [Digitalis purpurea L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/5414995) | species | 557,582 | 109,968 | May–Jul | February | the United Kingdom |
| Dandelion | [Taraxacum officinale Weber ex F.H.Wigg.](https://www.gbif.org/species/5394163) | species | 479,234 | 302,157 | Mar–May | April | the Netherlands |
| Chicory | [Cichorium intybus L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/5392252) | species | 373,208 | 183,229 | Jul–Aug | September | the United States |
| Bluebell | [Hyacinthoides non-scripta (L.) Chouard ex Rothm.](https://www.gbif.org/species/5304283) | species | 364,734 | 28,706 | Apr–May | April | the United Kingdom |
| Common mullein | [Verbascum thapsus L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/3171949) | species | 342,759 | 189,703 | Jun–Aug | November | the United States |
| Common milkweed | [Asclepias syriaca L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/3170247) | species | 142,383 | 192,937 | Jun–Jul | October | the United States |
| Common evening primrose | [Oenothera biennis L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/3188924) | species | 92,511 | 76,638 | Jul–Aug | September | France |
| Bloodroot | [Sanguinaria canadensis L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/5334192) | species | 84,107 | 105,247 | Mar–Apr | April | the United States |
| Jack-in-the-pulpit | [Arisaema triphyllum (L.) Schott](https://www.gbif.org/species/2867316) | species | 73,262 | 126,312 | Apr–May | May | the United States |
| Black-eyed Susan | [Rudbeckia hirta L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/3114225) | species | 67,351 | 112,670 | Jun–Jul | July | the United States |
| Butterfly weed | [Asclepias tuberosa L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/3170305) | species | 58,231 | 78,604 | Jun–Jul | June | the United States |
| Wild bergamot | [Monarda fistulosa L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/5341411) | species | 56,267 | 86,500 | Jul–Jul | July | the United States |
| Fireweed | [Chamerion angustifolium (L.) Holub](https://www.gbif.org/species/3188783) | species | 40,228 | — | Jul–Aug | January | the Netherlands |
| Purple coneflower | [Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench](https://www.gbif.org/species/3150935) | species | 16,111 | 54,156 | Jun–Jul | July | the United States |
| Wild lupine | [Lupinus perennis L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/2964435) | species | 10,272 | 13,082 | Apr–May | May | the United States |
| Common blue violet | [Viola sororia Willd.](https://www.gbif.org/species/5331238) | species | 9,322 | 7,143 | Apr–May | April | the United States |
| Buttercup | [Ranunculus L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/3033294) | genus | 5,971,221 | — | May–Jul | May | the United Kingdom |
| Wild geranium and cranesbill | [Geranium Tourn. ex L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/2889949) | genus | 4,252,055 | — | Apr–Jun | May | the United Kingdom |
| Common vetch and pea family | [Vicia L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/2974751) | genus | 3,525,224 | 494,538 | Apr–Jun | May | the United Kingdom |
| Goldenrod | [Solidago L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/5388868) | genus | 1,344,809 | 769,516 | Jun–Aug | September | France |
| Common milkwort and lobelia | [Lobelia Plum. ex L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/2756426) | genus | 329,293 | — | Jul–Sep | December | the United States |
| Trillium | [Trillium L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/2742182) | genus | 227,631 | — | Apr–May | April | the United States |

This table is assembled from open data and is free to reuse with a link back to this
page. The snapshot behind every Orvik key is published as one downloadable file on the

- [open field data](https://orvik.app/data/) page, with each source's licence terms.

## Questions people ask about this

How do I identify a wildflower?

Start with petal count, not colour. Three or six petals usually means a monocot such as a lily or trillium; four means the mustard or willowherb family; five is the largest group; many petals in a flat head means the daisy family, where each "petal" is a whole flower. Then check leaf arrangement, whether the stem is square or round, how the flowers are grouped, and the habitat and season.

Why is colour a bad way to identify flowers?

Because it varies within species with soil chemistry, light and cultivar, and because it is not evolutionarily informative — half the flowers in a summer meadow are yellow and they belong to a dozen unrelated families. Petal count, leaf arrangement and stem shape are fixed characters that reflect the plant's actual relationships, which is why every botanical key starts with them.

What is the difference between Queen Anne's lace and poison hemlock?

Wild carrot, or Queen Anne's lace, has a hairy green stem, smells of carrot when crushed, and usually carries a single dark purple floret at the centre of the umbel. Poison hemlock has a smooth hairless stem blotched with purple, smells musty and unpleasant, and has no central floret. Hemlock is lethal and the confusion has killed people, so never dig or eat a wild root on flower shape alone.

Is it illegal to pick wildflowers?

It depends on where and what. Collecting in US National Parks is prohibited and most state parks restrict it; several states protect specific species including trillium and orchids. In the UK it is an offence to uproot any wild plant without the landowner's permission, though picking above-ground parts of common species is generally allowed. The ecological case matters more: a trillium takes seven years to flower and picking one usually kills it.

Does goldenrod cause hay fever?

No. Goldenrod pollen is heavy and sticky and is carried by insects, not wind, so very little of it reaches anyone's nose. Ragweed flowers at the same time with inconspicuous green spikes, is wind-pollinated, and is the actual cause of most autumn hay fever in North America. Goldenrod gets blamed because it is the conspicuous yellow thing flowering when people start sneezing.

What has a square stem?

The mint family, almost without exception — bergamot, selfheal, catnip, dead-nettle, sage, thyme and hundreds more. Roll the stem between finger and thumb: if it is square and the leaves are in opposite pairs and something aromatic comes off on your fingers, you are in Lamiaceae. It is one of the fastest family identifications in botany.

Can I transplant a wildflower into my garden?

Usually you should not. Many woodland species depend on specific soil fungi and simply die when moved — orchids essentially always do. Digging plants from the wild also removes them from a population without adding to one. Buy nursery-propagated native plants or collect a small amount of seed with permission instead; both work better and neither damages the site.

## Still not sure? Point a camera at it

A filter narrows wildflowers down to a shortlist. Orvik reads the photo itself and names the species, with the look-alikes ranked underneath so you can check the call yourself.

- [Get Orvik free](https://orvik.app/app/)

## Keep reading on Orvik

- [How to identify flowers](https://orvik.app/plants/identify-flowers/)

- [Name this flower](https://orvik.app/plants/name-this-flower/)

- [Flowers and their names](https://orvik.app/plants/flowers-and-names/)

- [Flower identification apps](https://orvik.app/plants/flower-identification-app/)

- [Names of poisonous flowers](https://orvik.app/plants/names-of-poisonous-flowers/)

- [Identify a plant by leaf shape](https://orvik.app/plants/identify-plant-by-leaf-shape/)

- [Types of weeds with names](https://orvik.app/plants/types-of-weeds-with-names/)

- [Scientific names of flowers](https://orvik.app/plants/flowers-scientific-name/)

## Other free Orvik tools

- [Is this plant poisonous to dogs or cats?](https://orvik.app/tools/plant-toxicity-checker/)
- [Identify a tree by its leaf](https://orvik.app/tools/leaf-identifier/)
- [Identify a tree by its bark](https://orvik.app/tools/tree-bark-identifier/)
- [What succulent is this?](https://orvik.app/tools/succulent-identifier/)
- [How old is this tree?](https://orvik.app/tools/tree-age-calculator/)
- [When do I start these seeds?](https://orvik.app/tools/seed-starting-calculator/)
- [What kind of rock is this?](https://orvik.app/tools/rock-identifier/)
- [Which mineral is this?](https://orvik.app/tools/mineral-identifier/)

## Where the data comes from

- [USDA PLANTS Database](https://plants.usda.gov/)
- [Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center — native plant database](https://www.wildflower.org/plants/)
- [Plantlife — UK wildflower law and identification](https://www.plantlife.org.uk/)
- [iNaturalist — community identification](https://www.inaturalist.org/)
- [GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility](https://www.gbif.org/)
- [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/)

---

HTML version: https://orvik.app/tools/wildflower-identifier/
Structured data for this site: https://orvik.app/api/v1/openapi.json · https://orvik.app/llms.txt
Free to quote and reuse with a link back to the source URL above (CC BY 4.0).