Botanical Names Trivia

Celebrities and films that reflect nature

By Paula Green

June offers the best of both worlds, as spring ends and summer begins. It’s a great time to enjoy nature's beauty by gardening and hiking. This month, we will explore the environment and focus on celebrities with botanical names. As a bonus, we’ll include a few floral movie titles and television characters.

June’s birth flowers are roses and honeysuckle, a great pair. The 1980 film Honeysuckle Rose even brings them together. You’ll find famous Roses everywhere, like Rose Kennedy, Rose Marie, Rose Byrne, Axl Rose, and Peter Rose. Movies also feature roses in titles such as The Rose, The Purple Rose of Cairo, The Rose Tattoo, The Name of the Rose, and The Subject Was Roses. And don’t forget the fictional Rose DeWitt Bukater from the blockbuster Titanic.

Moving down the flower chain, we bloom through daisies, with Daisy Fuentes, Daisy Duke, and Daisy Duck. There were the films Please, Don’t Eat the Daisies and Inside Daisy Clover.

Heather stands tall as an evergreen shrub crowned with bell-shaped blooms. Famous ladies that blossom with this name are Heather Locklear, Heather Graham, Heather Thomas, and Heather O’Rourke. There was even a 1989 satirical teen movie called Heathers.

Onward to the sparkling world of "Holly"wood! Stars like Holly Hunter, Holly Marie Combs, Holly Madison, and Holly Robinson Peete light up the scene with their festive, botanical names.

Melissa isn’t just a name; it’s a flowering herb known for its lemony zest. Flower beauties with this namesake include Melissa Gilbert, Melissa Joan Hart, Melissa McCarthy, Melissa Etheridge, and Melissa Sue Anderson.

Rosemary is an evergreen herb with blue flowers. A few famous ladies with that name include Rosemary Clooney and Rosemary Kennedy. For a twist, let magnolia trees join the Hollywood parade with films like Magnolia and Steel Magnolias.

Ready for a cinematic bouquet? Feast your senses on floral films: Flowers for Algernon, Flowers in the Attic, Broken Flowers, Cactus Flower, Desert Flower, Wildflowers, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Lilies of the Field, and Tulip Fever. Colorful petals pop in The Blue Dahlia, The Black Dahlia, The Blue Gardenia, and Blue Jasmine.

Still rolling through the wilds of nature, we splash into water names such as Brooke Shields, Brooke Burke, and River Phoenix.

Since we have perused our way through famous botanical names, we must now plant our thoughts on this nature-named query. Get set to don those gardening hats, because it’s time to get a little trivial.

   1. Actress Betty White portrayed this character on the TV show, The Golden Girls.

   2. She portrayed Whitley Gilbert on the NBC sitcom A Different World from 1987 to 1993.

   3. Who was Kathleen Turner’s co-star in the 1989 movie War of the Roses?

   4. She is the first-born daughter of singer Beyoncé and rapper Jay-Z. 

   5. Jessica Tandy and David Morgan Freeman starred in this 1989 comedy drama.

   6. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have a 20-year-old with a floral name.

   7. This actress was a cast member of the TV show Laugh-In; she also starred in the film 9 to 5.

   8. Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty starred in this 1961 greenery-titled film.

   9. F. Scott Fitzgerald created this female character in his novel The Great Gatsby, which was made into a film four times.

10. Who is the daughter of Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, known for her music and acting?

11. What is the name of Herman's wife in the TV show The Munsters?

12. Daphne is a flowering shrub. What TV comedy show featured a character named Daphne Moon?

13. This 2002 drama film stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Robin Wright, and Renee Zellweger.

14. Mayim Bialik and Joey Lawrence starred in this sitcom, which ran on NBC from 1990 to 1995.

15. Which famous male British actor starred in Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lord of the Rings?

Answers: 1. Rose Nylund 2. Jasmine Guy 3. Michael Douglas 4. Blue Ivy Carter 5. Driving Miss Daisy 6. Violet Affleck 7. Lily Tomlin 8. Splendor in the Grass 9. Daisy Buchanan 10. Willow Smith 11. Lily Munster 12. Frasier 13. White Oleander 14. Blossom 15. Orlando Bloom

Sources: www.listal.com/list/celebrities-have-flower-plant-name, www.listchallenges.com/20-films-with-a-flower-in-the-title, theeverymom.com/earthy-girl-names/, www.baby-names/ideas/flower-inspired-baby-names, www.listchallenges.com/20-films-with-a-flower-in-the-title