30 Flowers That Start With M (Names, Bloom Times & Toxicity)

Flowers that start with M span magnolias, marigolds and moth orchids — plus two different plants both sold as “moonflower,” one harmless and one severely poisonous. Knowing which you have matters.

This guide covers 30 flowers beginning with M, with botanical names, plant type, bloom season and what distinguishes each. Toxic species are flagged.

Flowers Starting With M: Quick Reference

The Two Moonflowers — Know Which You Have

Two unrelated plants are both sold as “moonflower,” both open at night, and both have large white trumpet flowers. One is a harmless morning glory relative. The other is a Datura, and it is severely poisonous.

Moonflower (Ipomoea alba) is a twining climber in the morning glory family. It unfurls fragrant white flowers up to 15 cm across at dusk, pollinated by hawkmoths, and closes by morning. It climbs by wrapping its stems and needs a support.

Moonflower vine (Datura) is not a vine at all — it is a bushy annual in the nightshade family with upward- or outward-facing trumpets and a spiny seed capsule that gives it the name thornapple.

Trees and Shrubs

Magnolia

Magnolias are among the oldest flowering plants on earth — the genus predates bees, and the tough, fleshy flower parts evolved to survive the clumsy chewing of beetles, which remain their principal pollinators. Many species flower on bare branches before the leaves emerge, which is why a late frost can brown an entire display overnight. Site them away from early-morning sun for the same reason as camellias.

Mimosa

Acacia dealbata covers itself in fluffy, intensely fragrant yellow pompons in late winter, when almost nothing else is out. In Italy it is the flower of International Women’s Day on 8 March. It is fast-growing but short-lived and brittle, and it is invasive in parts of southern Europe, Australia and South Africa. Note that the drink is named after the flower’s colour, and that Mimosa pudica — the sensitive plant that folds when touched — is a different genus entirely.

Mock Orange

Philadelphus produces white flowers with a scent almost identical to orange blossom, despite no relation to citrus. It flowers on wood made the previous year, so prune immediately after flowering — cutting it in winter removes the entire coming display, the single most common mistake with this shrub.

Mandevilla

A tender climber from South America carrying large pink, red or white trumpets all summer. Like others in the dogbane family it exudes a milky sap when cut, which irritates skin and eyes — worth gloves when pruning. It needs warmth and will not survive frost.

Border Perennials

Monarda

Bee balm, with shaggy whorls of tubular flowers and strongly aromatic foliage historically used for tea — the name Oswego tea refers to its use after the Boston Tea Party. It is heavily worked by bees, hummingbirds and moths. Its main weakness is powdery mildew: give it good air circulation and choose resistant cultivars. It is unrelated to the bergamot orange in Earl Grey despite sharing the name.

Michaelmas Daisy

Autumn-flowering asters, named for Michaelmas on 29 September, when they are typically at their peak. They are one of the last substantial nectar sources of the year, which makes them disproportionately valuable to late-flying bees and butterflies preparing to overwinter.

Meadow Rue

Thalictrum holds clouds of tiny flowers — mostly showy stamens rather than petals — on tall wiry stems above delicate, columbine-like foliage. It gives height without bulk, which makes it useful for adding structure to a border without blocking what is behind it.

Mullein

Verbascum spends its first year as a rosette of large felted leaves, then sends up a dramatic flower spike that can exceed two metres. The dried stalks were historically dipped in tallow and burned as torches. It self-seeds prolifically and prefers poor, dry, stony ground.

Milkweed

Asclepias is the only plant group monarch butterflies will lay eggs on — their caterpillars eat nothing else — which has made milkweed planting central to monarch conservation. The caterpillars sequester the plant’s cardiac glycosides, becoming toxic to predators themselves. The same compounds make milkweed toxic to livestock and people, and the milky sap irritates skin and eyes.

Meadowsweet

Filipendula ulmaria throws creamy, almond-scented froth over damp ground in summer. It has a real place in medical history: salicylic acid was isolated from it in the nineteenth century, and the name aspirin derives from Spiraea, the genus meadowsweet was then placed in.

Mallow

Malva is a hibiscus relative with open, five-petalled flowers in pink and mauve through a long summer season. Leaves and flowers are edible with a mild flavour and a mucilaginous texture that thickens soups — the same property that gives its relative marsh mallow its historical use.

Marsh Mallow

Althaea officinalis grows in salt marsh and damp ground with soft velvety leaves and pale pink flowers. Its root produces a mucilage that was whipped with sugar and egg white to make the original marshmallow confection. Modern marshmallows contain no plant material at all — gelatin replaced the root in the nineteenth century.

Milkwort

Polygala produces small, intricately structured flowers with two large winged sepals that look like petals. The name reflects an old belief that it increased milk production in nursing mothers and grazing cattle — a claim with no evidence behind it, but one that stuck to the plant permanently.

Milfoil

Another name for yarrow, Achillea millefolium — both names mean “thousand leaf,” describing the finely dissected foliage. The flat flower plates are ideal landing platforms for hoverflies and other small beneficial insects, and the plant thrives on poor dry ground where richer conditions make it flop.

Bedding, Bulbs and Orchids

Marigold

Tagetes — French and African marigolds — are among the most planted annuals anywhere, valued for relentless flowering and near-total indifference to neglect. The pungent foliage is the basis of their reputation in companion planting; there is reasonable evidence that certain species suppress root-knot nematodes in soil, though claims about repelling flying pests are weaker. In India marigolds are strung into garlands for festivals and temples in enormous quantities. Note the confusion: pot marigold is Calendula, a different genus.

Marguerite Daisy

Argyranthemum frutescens from the Canary Islands, producing classic white daisies over a very long season. It flowers hardest in cool conditions and slows in high summer heat, which makes it a strong spring and autumn container plant in warm regions.

Million Bells

Calibrachoa looks like a miniature petunia and is closely related, but it needs no deadheading — spent flowers drop cleanly on their own. That single trait is why it has largely displaced trailing petunias in hanging baskets. It is hungry and needs regular feeding to keep flowering.

Moss Rose

Portulaca grandiflora is a low succulent annual with silky, rose-like flowers in vivid colours. It thrives in exactly the conditions that kill most bedding — baking sun, drought, poor gravelly soil — and its flowers close on dull days. Not a rose, and unrelated to the moss roses of old garden rose breeding.

Mexican Sunflower

Tithonia rotundifolia reaches two metres in a season, producing vivid orange daisies that butterflies — monarchs especially — work heavily during migration. It needs heat and poor soil, and it flops in rich ground or wind without support.

Marvel of Peru

Mirabilis jalapa, the four o’clock flower, opens in late afternoon and stays open overnight, scented for hawkmoths. A single plant can carry flowers in several different colours at once, and individual blooms can be striped or split down the middle — the result of a transposable-element effect that made it an early subject in the study of inheritance.

Monkey Flower

Mimulus takes its name from the speckled, gaping throat of the flower, thought to resemble a grinning face. Many species have a hinged stigma that snaps shut when a pollinator touches it, which reduces self-pollination. Most prefer reliably damp ground.

Morning Glory

Ipomoea opens at dawn and closes by afternoon, each flower lasting a single day. It climbs vigorously and self-seeds so freely that several species are serious agricultural weeds — check before planting. The seeds contain toxic alkaloids and should not be eaten.

Muscari

Grape hyacinth, producing dense spikes of tiny blue urn-shaped flowers that genuinely resemble an upside-down bunch of grapes. It naturalises rapidly — too rapidly for some gardens — and the foliage appears in autumn, months before the flowers, which surprises people into thinking something has gone wrong.

Myosotis

The true forget-me-not, a biennial that carpets ground in pale blue in spring, then dies after setting seed. It self-seeds so reliably that a single sowing usually establishes a permanent colony. The seeds cling to clothing and fur, which is how it travels.

Montbretia

The common hybrid crocosmia, with arching sprays of orange flowers in late summer. The older naturalised form spreads aggressively by corm and is invasive in Britain, Ireland and New Zealand, where it colonises hedgerows and riverbanks. Named modern cultivars are considerably better behaved.

Moth Orchid

Phalaenopsis is the orchid most people own, and the most forgiving — a single flower spike can last three months or more. The commonest way to kill one is overwatering: the roots are adapted to grip bark and dry quickly, so standing water rots them. Water weekly, let it drain completely, and never leave the pot sitting in a saucer.

Wild and Woodland Plants

Mayapple

Podophyllum peltatum carpets eastern North American woodland with paired umbrella-like leaves, hiding a single nodding white flower beneath them. It spreads by rhizome, so a large colony is often one plant.

Marsh Marigold

Caltha palustris lights up pond edges and wet ditches with glossy golden flowers in early spring, and is one of the earliest substantial nectar sources for emerging insects. It is a member of the buttercup family and shares its chemistry — it contains protoanemonin and is toxic raw, causing skin blistering and digestive upset. Despite historical accounts of the buds being pickled, it is not a plant to eat.

Growing Notes

Heat and poor soil: marigold, moss rose, Mexican sunflower and marvel of Peru all flower best in exactly the conditions that defeat richer bedding. Damp ground: marsh marigold, marsh mallow, meadowsweet, monkey flower and mayapple. Prune right after flowering: mock orange and magnolia — both flower on old wood, so winter pruning removes the display. For pollinators: monarda, milkweed, Michaelmas daisy and Mexican sunflower — milkweed specifically if you want monarchs, since nothing else will do.

Frequently Asked Questions

What flowers start with the letter M?

Thirty are covered here, including magnolia, marigold, monarda, muscari, myosotis, moth orchid, morning glory, moonflower, mallow, mullein, milkweed, meadowsweet, mimosa, mock orange, mandevilla, Michaelmas daisy, marguerite daisy, million bells, moss rose, Mexican sunflower, marvel of Peru, meadow rue, monkey flower, montbretia, marsh mallow, marsh marigold, mayapple, milkwort, milfoil and Datura moonflower vine.

Is moonflower poisonous?

It depends which one. Ipomoea alba, the true moonflower, is a harmless morning glory relative. The plant sold as “moonflower vine” is usually a Datura, and every part of it is severely toxic. Check the botanical name before buying or handling.

Which M flower is best for butterflies?

Milkweed, without competition, if you want monarchs — it is the only plant their caterpillars will eat. For nectar generally, Mexican sunflower and Michaelmas daisy are outstanding, the latter because it flowers so late in the year.

Why didn’t my mock orange flower this year?

Almost always winter pruning. Mock orange flowers on wood grown the previous season, so cutting it back in winter removes every flower bud. Prune immediately after it finishes flowering instead.

What is the difference between marigold and calendula?

They are different genera. Marigold is Tagetes — pungent, heat-loving, used in companion planting. Calendula is pot marigold, with edible petals and a preference for cool weather. The shared common name causes constant confusion.

Are any M flowers poisonous?

Yes. Datura moonflower vine is severely toxic. Mayapple is toxic in all parts except the ripe fruit. Marsh marigold contains protoanemonin and is toxic raw. Milkweed contains cardiac glycosides and its sap irritates. Morning glory seeds and mandevilla sap are also best avoided.

Sources

Tropane alkaloids in Datura and podophyllotoxin in Podophyllum: clinical toxicology literature. Protoanemonin in the buttercup family: standard toxicological plant references. Salicylate history of Filipendula ulmaria: pharmacological history literature. Tagetes and nematode suppression: agricultural extension research.

This article is for general information. Never eat any flower, root or fruit unless you are certain of its identification — several plants listed here are toxic.

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