What gives bougainvillea its bright color?

Colored bracts around tiny flowers

Who is bougainvillea named after?

Explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville

Tropical Flowers Quiz: Places, People and Key Facts

A bird of paradise flower from South Africa really does look like a colorful bird in flight, and this tropical flowers quiz explores the bold shapes and scents of warm climates. Meet heliconias, frangipani, bougainvillea and anthuriums from Hawaii, Brazil and Southeast Asia.

Start Tropical Flowers Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Bird
Where is the bird of paradise flower native?
Heliconia
Which tropical flowers are nicknamed lobster claws?
Frangipani
Which fragrant flower is used in Hawaiian leis?
Bougainvillea
What gives bougainvillea its bright color?
Anthurium
Which flower has a glossy heart-shaped spathe?
Ginger
Which plant family includes torch ginger?
Passion
Which flower was named for symbols of the Crucifixion?
Jade
Which rare vine has blue-green claw-shaped flowers?
Night
Which tropical flower blooms only at night and is pollinated by moths?
Bougainville
Who is bougainvillea named after?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Where is the bird of paradise flower native?
Answer: South Africa
Sunbirds pollinate it.
Q2: Which tropical flowers are nicknamed lobster claws?
Answer: Heliconias
Hummingbirds visit them.
Q3: Which fragrant flower is used in Hawaiian leis?
Answer: Plumeria (frangipani)
Its scent is strongest at night.
Q4: What gives bougainvillea its bright color?
Answer: Colored bracts around tiny flowers
The true flowers are small and white.
Q5: Which flower has a glossy heart-shaped spathe?
Answer: Anthurium
Hawaii grows many.
Q6: Which plant family includes torch ginger?
Answer: Ginger family
Its buds are eaten in Malaysia.
Q7: Which flower was named for symbols of the Crucifixion?
Answer: Passionflower
Spanish missionaries named it.
Q8: Which rare vine has blue-green claw-shaped flowers?
Answer: Jade vine
It is native to the Philippines.
Q9: Which tropical flower blooms only at night and is pollinated by moths?
Answer: Moonflower
It opens at dusk.
Q10: Who is bougainvillea named after?
Answer: Explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville
Botanist Jeanne Baret collected it on his voyage.

Tropical Flowers Quiz – Colors of the Tropics

Tropical flowers grow in warm, humid regions near the equator and are known for bold shapes, vivid colors and rich scents. Many are pollinated by birds, bats or large insects, which shapes their flowers.

Bird of paradise flowers from South Africa resemble birds in flight, heliconias look like lobster claws and anthuriums have glossy heart-shaped spathes. Bougainvillea's color comes from bracts around its tiny flowers, while frangipani and moonflowers release scent at night.

Tropical flowers are grown worldwide in gardens, greenhouses and as cut flowers. Hawaii's leis use frangipani and orchids, and the jade vine of the Philippines is among the rarest. Habitat loss threatens many wild species.

What This Quiz Teaches

Gardeners and travelers will enjoy these questions.

Where bird of paradise comes from
What heliconias are
What colors bougainvillea
Which flowers are used in leis
Which tropical vine is rare

Did You Know?

Some heliconias hold water in their bracts.
Frangipani has no nectar.
Bat flowers are dark and scented.
Torch ginger is edible.
Ixora is popular in Asia.