About 90 percent of plant species produce flowers. Flowers are essential reproductive structures of angiosperms and important food sources for many insects and animals – and flowers also have been valued by humans for thousands of years for a variety of reasons.

Flowers are cultivated in arrangements, gardens and landscapes for their aesthetic appeal. Many flowers are also used medicinally, such as chamomile and Saint John’s wort. Still others are used to garnish foods; edible flowers include calendula, nasturtiums and mints.