Types of Three Petal Flowers

Knowing about a few basic three-part flowers can help you learn to identify more plants when you're on a nature walk or gazing at your flower bed.

Wild Ginger

Wild ginger is a perennial plant that thrives in the rich, moist soil of the Northwestern United States. The small red flowers of the plant have three long and wispy-looking petals and deep green leaves that nearly conceal the flowers from the sunlight and elements.

False Mermaid

The false mermaid is a small annual flowering plant that is found in the moist soils of the Eastern United States. Its three petals are shorter than the sepals, or protective leaves, that wrap around the small pink blooms.

American Water Plaintain

This flowering plant is sub-aquatic and can ordinarily be found in wetlands in low elevations near mountain ranges in the United States. It displays three wide pink petals that wrap around a bright yellow-green stamen.

Arumleaf Arrowhead

The arumleaf arrowhead flower is often referred to as the wapato flower, and it is identified by its strikingly similar appearance to a water plantain. Its flowers are small and white, and have three petals each. The center of each blossom is green with black speckles.