6 Beautiful Flowers That Start with X

Written by Jaydee Williams
Updated: August 21, 2023
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You can probably name a couple of flowers that start with B, D, or R, but what about X? There certainly aren’t many flowers that start with an X, but the ones that do are some of the most beautiful. Flowers that start with the letter X grow in many different parts of the world and come in many shapes and colors. Many flowers that start with the letter X are flowers that grow in the wild or uncultivated species. There are just a few types that are cultivated and used as garden varieties.

Xanthisma spinulosum

Xanthisma spinulosum, also known as the cutleaf ironplant, is a small plant that grows from 4 to 20 inches tall. It produces bright yellow blooms during the summer, often from June through September. It is native to the prairies of the northwest United States. 

Cutleaf ironplant looks similar to a daisy but is all yellow in color. The flower grows best in sandy soil and can grow in rocky desert environments. The plant grows an abundance of yellow summers during the flowering season and has long, hairy stems with many thin leaves. 

Beautiful bright yellow flowers of Texas sleepydaisy or star-of-Texas (Xanthisma texanum)
Xanthisma

species produce yellow flowers with yellow centers that are similar to daisies in shape.

©Natalka De/Shutterstock.com

Xanthoceras sorbifolium

Xanthoceras sorbifolium is also called the yellowhorn plant. It’s a type of deciduous shrub that is native to northern China. It grows anywhere from 8 to 25 feet tall and 10 to 25 feet wide. The plant produces gorgeous white and red or yellow-centered flowers during the month of May.

It’s a very easy plant to grow and does well in full sun and well-drained soil. It can tolerate drought, damp soil, and partial shade. The plant keeps its lustrous leaves until late fall before dropping them during winter. It’s a great plant to grow alone or in groups for a border or hedge. 

Blossom Yellowhorn Xanthoceras sorbifolium Shinyleaf tree goldenhorn, or Chinese flowering chestnut.

The yellowhorn plant produces white flowers with red or yellow centers.

©lialina/Shutterstock.com

Xeranthemum annuum

Xeranthemum annuum is also known as annual everlasting, or immortelle. With a name like that, you can be sure that it is representative of immortality and eternity. The name comes from the fact that this plant is almost impossible to kill. It does well in dry and sunny conditions as well as in partial shade. 

Immortelle is a beautiful blooming plant during the summer, usually producing flowers from June through September. It has a few different colors of flowers, but they mainly range from dark pink to lilac, and lighter colors including white.

This flowering plant is native to Europe and Western Asia, and it is mainly cultivated as a garden flower. 

Fresh immortelle yellow flowers in garden, Helichrysum arenarium background

The immortelle plant produces small, yellow blooms.

©Happy window/Shutterstock.com

Xerochrysum bracteatum

Xerochrysum bracteatum is also called strawflower, or golden everlasting. It is in the Asteraceae plant family, a family that includes daisies, sunflowers, and asters. This flowering species is native to Australia and is an annual plant.

Strawflowers grow to between 3 and 4 feet tall and have green or grey foliage. They produce yellow and white flowers during spring through autumn. The species was propagated in Germany in the 1850s to create more flower colors including bronze and purple. They are sold as seed packs and grown as garden plants.

In many places, strawflowers grow in the wild as wildflowers. They are a food source for many pollinators including butterflies, moths, bees, and grasshoppers. 

Bright, colorful strawflower heads fill the image.

Strawflower blooms were originally yellow and white, but now come in shades of red, lilac, and pink.

©Kathy D. Reasor/Shutterstock.com

Xerophyllum tenax

Xerophyllum tenax is also called beargrass or basket-grass. It’s a type of herb with thick rhizomes and white, flowery stalks. It’s used as an ornamental and it grows in full sun or light shade in well-drained soils. 

Beargrass usually grows up to 2 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. It grows well in higher elevation areas and survives anywhere between sea level and 6,600 feet. The tiny, white blooms are also slightly fragrant. 

Close up of bunch of white wildflower blossoms, specifically of common beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax), with forest foliage out of focus in the background.

Beargrass produces small, white, fragrant blossoms during the spring and summer.

©Kay Dropiewski/Shutterstock.com

Xyris difformis

Xyris difformis, also known as the bog yelloweyed grass, is a type of flowering plant native to North America. The grass has been found in eastern and southern parts of the U.S., eastern and central Canada, and Central America. 

It’s a type of perennial herb that grows up to 3 feet tall. It produces a bloom of yellow flowers that grow on the top of long, thin, stalks. The plant grows almost anywhere but is often found in savannas, roadside ditches, around ponds and bogs, and other moist areas. It blooms during the summer and fall and is mainly grown as a wildflower in many states. 

Tall Yellow-eyed Grass flower (Xyris indica L.)  beautiful in fields After harvesting the rice is done.
Xyris

flowers are small and yellow, growing at the top of thin stems.

©Doikanoy/Shutterstock.com

Summary of Six Flowers That Start with X

NumberFlowers
1Xanthisma spinulosum
2Xanthoceras sorbifolium
3Xeranthemum annuum
4Xerochrysum bracteatum
5Xerophyllum tenax
6Xyris difformis

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Doikanoy/Shutterstock.com


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About the Author

Jaydee Williams is a writer at AZ Animals where her primary focus is on gardening, mammals, and travel. She has over 5 years of experience in writing and researching and holds a Master's Degree in English from the American College of Education, which she earned in 2019. A central Florida native, Jaydee loves being on the water, playing music, and petting her cat, Beans.

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