What is the national flower of Mexico?

The national flower of Mexico is the dahlia. Mexico recognized the dahlia as its national flower and a symbol of national floriculture by presidential decree on May 13, 1963.

The dahlia is especially closely connected with Mexico because the genus is native to the country and Central America. Mexico is home to many Dahlia species, most of them native to Mexican regions such as the Sierra Madre ranges and the Valley of Mexico. Its scientific name honors Swedish botanist Andreas Dahl.

Long before becoming an ornamental garden favorite, dahlias had practical and cultural uses. Indigenous peoples cultivated some varieties for food, and the hollow stems of certain species were used as water tubes. In Nahuatl, the flower was known as acocoxochitl, commonly translated as “water-pipe flower.”

A common mix-up is the marigold, or cempasúchil, which is strongly associated with Día de los Muertos and is one of Mexico’s best-known cultural flowers. That association does not make it the national flower: the official national floral symbol is the dahlia.