25 Plants That Start With Q (2024)

Looking for plants that start with Q? There are many charming flowers that start with Q, but if you're looking specifically for plants, we've got you covered!

There are not a lot of words that start with this uncommon letter of the alphabet, but luckily there are still plenty of beautiful plants that do. Here are 25 of the best plants starting with the letter “Q.”

Quick Look

Queen Anne’s Lace
Quince
Quackgrass
Queen’s Tears
Quandong Tree
Queen’s Cup
Quartervine
Queensland Bottletree
Queen of Sheeba
Quaking Aspen
Quail Bush
Queen’s Palm
Quinine
Quillwort
Queensland Kauri Pine
Queen of the Meadow
Quickset
Quesnelia
Quaker Ladies
Queen of the Night
Quassia
Quercus
Quadricolor Century Plant
Quamash
Queen’s Wreath

1. Queen Anne’s Lace

Common Name(s): Queen Anne’s lace, Wild carrot, Bird's nest, Bishop's lace
Scientific Name: Daucus carota
Native to: Temperate regions of Europe and southwest Asia

This plant became known as Queen Anne’s lace when it was introduced in North America. The flowers resemble lace, and the red central spot is where the queen pricked her finger on a needle.

2. Quince

Common Name(s): Quince
Scientific Name: Cydonia oblonga
Native to: Iran and Turkey

This bright yellow fruit belongs to the same family as apples and pears. However, the fruit is quite tart when eaten raw. It is usually made into jellies, jams, and puddings instead.

The tree is often grown ornamentally as it displays beautiful pale pink flowers. The fruits also turn pink when cooked, so they can add an attractive hue when added to a fruit spread.

3. Quackgrass

Common Name(s): Quackgrass, Couch grass, Twitch, Quitch grass. Dog grass, Witchgrass
Scientific Name: Elymus repens
Native to: Europe, Asia, the Arctic biome, and northwest Africa

Although sometimes used for erosion control, it isn’t recommended as it’s so difficult to eradicate. This plant's ability to entwine itself with the roots of other perennials makes this grass seriously invasive and a weed world-over.

4. Queen’s Tears

Common Name(s): Queen's tears
Scientific Name: Billbergia nutans
Native to: Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina

Although this plant looks delicate, it is quite tough and can withstand periods of neglect, making it an easy addition to a garden, and one sure to delight onlookers.

5. Quandong Tree

Common Name(s): Quandong Tree, Desert Quandong, Native Peach
Scientific Name: Santalum acuminatum
Native to: Australia

The fruit of this tree has become one of the most well-known of native Australian’s ‘bush tucker’ food, with the popularity leading to wider domestication.

6. Queen’s Cup

7. Quartervine

Common Name(s): Quartervine, Crossvine, Trumpet Flower
Scientific Name: Bignonia capreolata
Native to: Central and southern United States

If you cut the stem of this plant you will find a distinctive cross pattern, hence the unusual name for this flowering vine.

8. Queensland Bottletree

Common Name(s): Queensland Bottletree, Narrow-leaved bottle tree
Scientific Name: Brachychiton rupestris
Native to: Queensland, Australia

The name of this tree is derived from its bulbous trunk. This trunk thins out as the trunk grows higher, resulting in a bottle-shaped appearance.

9. Queen of Sheeba

Common Name(s): Queen of Sheeba
Scientific Name: Theylmitra variegata
Native to: Western Australia

These gorgeous orchids can only grow in one specific spot in Australia, as they rely on specific fungi to germinate their tiny seeds.

10. Quaking Aspen

Common Name(s): Aspen, Trembling Aspen, American aspen, Mountain aspen, Golden aspen, Trembling poplar, White poplar, Popple
Scientific Name: Populus tremuloides
Native to: North America

Quaking aspens are so-called for the leaves which tremble on their long stalk, even in a light breeze. They are beautiful in the fall when their leaves turn a golden yellow hue.

11. Quail Bush

Common Name(s): Quail bush, Big saltbrush, Big saltbush, Quailbrush, Lenscale, White thistle
Scientific Name: Atriplex lentiformis
Native to: Coastal California

These salt-tolerant shrubs can grow tall in saline or alkaline soils and bloom from June to July.

12. Queen’s Palm

Common Name(s): Queen’s palm, Cocos palm
Scientific Name: Syagrus romanzoffiana
Native to: South America

This hardy palm is now a common ornamental tree for urban areas in subtropical regions worldwide.

13. Quinine

Common Name(s): Quinine, Cinchona, Red cinchona, Cinchona bark, Jesuit’s bark, Loxa bark
Scientific Name: Cinchona officinalis
Native to: South America

The most famous use of this tree is for the extract of quinine from its bark. This was used as an anti-fever agent, and for the prevention of malaria.

This was prescribed to British naval officers, who mixed the bitter ingredient into a tonic with gin. From here, it became a popular pairing with the spirit. This is still true today, as quinine is now the main flavoring in today’s tonic water.

14. Quillwort

Common Name(s): Quillworts
Scientific Name: Isoetes
Native to: South America

These semi-aquatic plants grow in slow-moving streams. Fossilized versions of the species can be dated back as far as the Permian period, which ended about 300 million years ago.

15. Queensland Kauri Pine

Common Name(s): Queensland kauri pine, Smooth-barked kauri
Scientific Name: Agathis robusta
Native to: Queensland, Australia, and Papua New Guinea

This tree is much rarer today after being heavily logged. The tall evergreens grow in rainforests and some are hundreds of years old.

16. Queen of the Meadow

Common Name(s): Queen of the meadow, Meadowsweet, Mead wort
Scientific Name: Filipendula ulmaria
Native to: Europe and Western Asia

This plant provides a pleasant herb. It is used in alcoholic beverages, vinegar, and stewed fruits. It adds a subtle almond flavor to these recipes.

17. Quickset

Common Name(s): Hawthorn, Quickset
Scientific Name: Crataegus
Native to: Temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere

The term “quickset” is used to refer to hawthorn when it is planted to create a hedge, often used as a boundary and called a “living fence.”

18. Quesnelia

Common Name(s): Quesnelia
Scientific Name: Quesnelia
Native to: Brazil

This plant genus refers to many beautiful tropical flowers that grow widely in Brazil. They grow 2 to 3 feet tall and flower bright red in the spring.

19. Quaker Ladies

Common Name(s): Quaker ladies, Azure bluet
Scientific Name: Houstonia caerulea
Native to: Eastern Canada

The dainty blue flowers can be found growing all along the east coast of North America, and can grow in large thickets in the right conditions.

20. Queen of the Night

Common Name(s): Queen of the night, Princess of the night, Dutchman's pipe cactus
Scientific Name: Epiphyllum oxypetalum
Native to: Southern Mexico

This cactus gets its mysterious name from the fact that it rarely blooms and, if it does, only does so by night. By morning, its flowers have wilted.

The plant has become naturalized in China, and is used in traditional medicine across Asia to reduce pain and inflammation.

21. Quassia

Common Name(s): Quassia
Scientific Name: Quassia
Native to: Tropics worldwide

Quassia wood is thought to have many health benefits, including the treatment of eating disorders and digestive problems.

It contains a chemical that might increase stomach acid and this is thought to account for its digestive effects and use as an appetite stimulant.

22. Quercus

Common Name(s): Oak
Scientific Name: Quercus
Native to: The Americas, Asia, Europe, and North Africa

This tree has long been considered a symbol of strength and endurance. A long list of countries has designated it a national tree, including Germany, Poland, and Bulgaria.

23. Quadricolor Century Plant

Common Name(s): Quadricolor Century Plant
Scientific Name: Agave univittata
Native to: Mexico

This plant is a highly ornamental succulent, great as an addition to rock gardens in sunny regions. When exposed to very bright sun, the deep green leaves will start to turn red.

24. Quamash

Common Name(s): Quamash, Camas
Scientific Name: Camassia quamash
Native to: Western North America

This small plant can cover an entire meadow, making it appear a blue-violet color

It can also be eaten, with the bulbs making a nutritious food when roasted or boiled. However, care needs to be taken in identifying the right flower, as it looks very similar to the toxic white-flowered “meadow death-camas.”

25. Queen’s Wreath

Common Name(s): Queen’s wreath, Coral vine, Coralita
Scientific Name: Antigonon leptopus
Native to: Mexico

These beautiful vines produce small pink or white flowers. Aboriginal inhabitants of Baja California used to toast the seeds for eating, they burst open creating a dish very similar to popcorn.