The Quest for the White Flower Quiz

Answer: Rose

Roses are, without a doubt, the most widely known of all flowers. There are well over 100 species of roses, and while red and white are the colors they are mostly associated with, roses also come by in yellow, pink and other colors. They are quite often used for ornamental purposes. Because of the cross-reactivity between different rose species, new hybrids of garden roses are easy to produce. Roses are usually given as a symbol of love, and as a kind they are the national flower of England.

Answer: Dahlias

Dahlias are flowers with long stems, starting from a foot (30 cm) to more than seven feet (2.10 m). Their corollas (the petals collectively) also differ in size, and range from two inches to 8-10 inches. Dahlias come in many colors, including white, yellow, red, pink purple, but not blue.

They are native to Central America and Mexico, but they were also introduced in Europe toward the end of the 18th century. Dahlias bloom during the summer, about two months after planting. "The Black Dahlia" (2006) is a neo-noir film directed by Brian De Palma and starring Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart and Scarlett Johansson.

It is very loosely based on the unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short in 1947, who was named the "Black Dahlia".

Answer: Magnolia

Magnolia is a genus of flower with more than 200 species. Its carpel (ovary, style and stigma) is tough so it won't be harmed by pollinating beetles. This happens because the magnolia is a very old genus, millions of years old, and came to be before bees did! It is indigenous primarily to Asia and secondarily to the Americas.

The magnolia was named in honor of the botanist Pierre Magnol and when given, it symbolizes nobility. "Steel Magnolias" (1989) is a film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Shirley MacLaine, Sally Field, Daryl Hannah and Julia Roberts.

Originally written as a play, it depicts the events in the lives of several different women in Louisiana who can be gentle as magnolias, or tough as steel.

Answer: Yellow

The poppy anemone, also known as Anemone coronaria, is a relatively small flower, which rarely grows more than one foot in height and two to three inches in diameter. Its most common hues are white, red and purple/blue, but it can also be found in pink.

It is indigenous to areas around the Mediterranean, particularly Israel. The poppy anemone became Israel's national flower in 2013. It is widely used as a decorative flower.

Answer: No

The tulip is one of the most beautiful flowers and, much like the dahlia, it comes in many colors, except true blue. It is found mainly in the areas surrounding the Mediterranean, but it is also native to some areas that are steppes. Its name in Arabic, lale, is written the same way as Allah, so the tulip is a symbol for Islamic countries, especially Turkey.

This is most likely how tulips where introduced to the Netherlands in the 16th century, becoming very closely associated to the country. Today, the tulip is the national flower of the Netherlands, where billions of tulip bulbs are produced every year!

Answer: Bird of paradise

The bird of paradise flower is named after a flower named after the birds of paradise, which are found mostly in New Guinea and often feature intricate designs in the plumage of some species. The bird of paradise flower also goes by the far less flashy name Strelitzia.

In its native South Africa, it is often called the crane flower. The bird of paradise is one of the largest flowers, with the tallest species reaching as much as 10 m (almost 30 feet) high, while other species commonly reach a height of ca. 7-12 feet (2 m to 3.5 m).

Answer: Leontopodium alpinum

The edelweiss, which literally translates from German as 'noble white', is a small mountain flower which grows in the Alps. It can be found up to an altitude of three km (nearly two miles), and it has white 'hairs' on its leaves and flowers, thus protecting it from the cold.

The edelweiss is the national flower of Austria and Switzerland. Part of its scientific name, Leontopodium alpinum, comes from the Greek words for lion's foot, thus the connection to lions. The other three choices are made up names that are references to bears (Ursinum), horses (Equinirium) and felines in general (Hydrofelinium, the hydro part meaning water).

Answer: Yes

Leucanthemum vulgare is one of the flowers that are commonly called "daisy", but is also known by the more distinctive name ox-eye daisy. The word Leucanthemum comes from the Greek words for white and flower, making it an appropriate reference to the flower head of white petals that is characteristic of the ox-eye daisy.

It blooms from spring up to autumn, and is native to Europe and parts of Asia, but it has also been introduced to North America. The ox-eye daisy is a small flower, its flower head reaching only up to two inches.

Answer: Narcissus

Narcissus, also known as daffodil or jonquil, is a flower with dozens of different species. It comes in many different colors, that range from white to yellow and red. Specifically, the white flower Titania saw could have possibly been a jonquil (Narcissus jonquilla), otherwise known as rush daffodil.

The jonquil comes in white or yellow. The most popular explanation for the name of the Narcissus, is that it gets the name from an ancient Greek myth. Although there are many variations of the myth, the common ground is that Narcissus was a very good-looking man who spurned his suitors, and paid for his hubris by falling in love with his own reflection, and eventually committing suicide after realizing his love was unrequited.

The flower grew on the place where he died, so it was named after him.

Answer: chamomile

The chamomile is a flower of the Asteraceae family that belongs to daisies. It is rather small in size, reaching between six inches and two feet (ca. 15-60 cm) in height. The chamomile has white florets on the outside and yellow disc florets on the inside, and it is used to make an herbal tea which can alleviate stress and insomnia, acting effectively as a sedative.

The chamomile can also be used to make blonde hair more pronounced. The two chamomile species that are mainly used to make the tea are Matricaria chamomilla (German chamomile) and Chamaemelum nobile (Roman chamomile).