• The bird-of-paradise grows wild on the coastal riverbanks of South Africa.bird of paradise image by Keith Pinto from Fotolia.com
  
  Exotic flowers originate from countries such as southern Australia and South Africa, the Pacific Ocean islands and the tropical Americas including the Caribbean, central and south America. Florists make use of exotic flowers such as hibiscus, orchids and gardenias to create floral arrangements. In warmer climates, gardeners incorporate them into their landscape. Exotic flowers add vibrant color to the home, emit a tropical or aromatic scent and have a long vase life when cut for an arrangement.
  
  

Bird-of-Paradise

• Discover the bird-of-paradise (Strelitzia reginae), also called crane flower, a striking flower native to South Africa. Cultivated as an ornamental flower in warmer regions and a florists' cut exotic flower, the bird-of-paradise grows commercially in Hawaii and California; Los Angeles regards the bird-of-paradise as the city's emblem. Its blue, orange and yellow blossom "is a combination of blue petals and orange sepals that emerge from a beak-like bract (modified leaf), states The University of Florida." The bird-of-paradise bears a resemblance to a brightly-colored bird in flight with its distinctively shaped bird beak and plumage that bloom upward. Stiff grayish green oblong leaves emerge from the flower's base. Flowers stand above the foliage at the tip of the long stalks and grow to a height of 3 feet. The bird-of-paradise blooms intermittently through the autumn, winter and spring. Considered a slow growing plant, the bird-of-paradise prefers full sun to moderate shade. The bird-of-paradise has a USDA hardiness zone of 10 to 11.
  
  

The Sacred Lotus

• The sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), an aquatic perennial, originates from southern Asia and Australia. Deeply-rooted in shallow murky waters, the soft pink flowers blossom up to 8 inches across atop a stiff stalk that emerges from beneath the water. The lotus leaves can reach lengths of 2 feet across with heights up to 8 feet. These sweet-scented flowers open in the morning. The lotus fruit "develops as the flower opens and turns brown when the flower fades and the petals fall into the water," according to University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Florists often use the conical pod in dried floral arrangements. Along with its ornamental usefulness, the sacred lotus symbolizes vitality and purity by the Buddhist religion and cultivated for food and traditional Chinese medicine, says Salisbury University Arboretum. The sacred lotus falls in the USDA hardiness zones 5 through 10.
  
  

The Bleeding Heart Vine

• Indigenous to West Africa, the bleeding heart vine (Clerodendrum thomsoniae) retains a vine-like nature that coils around supports without tendrils, suckers or root hairs. The bleeding heart vine flower blooms plentifully with rich crimson petals that become visible from white, balloon-like calyx or outer structure. The complete bell-shaped flower displays clusters of red and white. Glossy, dark evergreen leaves reach approximately 5 to 7 inches in length arranged opposite one another along the stems. This exotic flower thrives in filtered light to partial shade and prefers high humidity and a moist well-drained soil. The bleeding heart vine flower blooms in spring and summer and it falls within the USDA plant hardiness zones 9 to 12.