The question of which flower holds the record for the most petals moves from the simple anatomy of wild species to the extreme morphology of cultivated varieties. Most flowers in nature adhere to a predictable number of parts, often in multiples of three or five. The pursuit of the highest petal count quickly leaves the realm of natural species and enters the world of horticultural extremes. The answer lies in select cultivars where genetic changes have been intentionally fostered for centuries.
The Current World Record Holder
The flower with the greatest number of petals is a cultivated variety of the Sacred Lotus, Nelumbo nucifera. While naturally impressive, selective breeding has pushed its petal count to extraordinary levels. The Japanese variety ‘Ohmi Myoren’ is widely recognized for producing the highest count, with some blossoms featuring between 2,000 and 5,000 petals.
This sheer volume is a result of intensive cultivation, not a natural occurrence. A Chinese cultivar, ‘Qian Ban Lian,’ also known as the “thousand petals lotus,” displays between 3,000 and 4,000 petals, creating a tightly packed, opulent appearance. The lotus holds the undisputed title for the most-petaled single flower.
Defining Petals, Sepals, and Tepals
Botanically, the showy, colorful structures are the petals, which collectively form the corolla. Beneath the petals are the sepals, typically small, green, and leaf-like, which protect the flower bud before it opens. In some plant families, such as lilies, sepals and petals look nearly identical and are called tepals.
Flowers with the highest petal counts gain their density through structures called petaloids. These petaloids are not true petals but are stamens, the male reproductive organs, that have transformed to become petal-like. This phenomenon of “doubling” means that in highly modified flowers, much of what is counted as a petal is actually a sterile, petal-shaped stamen.
The Genetic Mechanism Behind Multi-Petal Flowers
The ability of a flower to produce hundreds or thousands of petals is rooted in homeotic transformation. This process is a mutation that causes one type of floral organ to develop into another. All floral organs—sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels—are modified leaves that develop in concentric rings, or whorls, controlled by regulatory genes.
This genetic control is described by the ABC model of floral development, which dictates the identity of organs in each whorl. A mutation in a specific gene, often one controlling the development of stamens and carpels, can cause those reproductive organs to revert to the identity of petals. When the genes responsible for forming stamens are altered, the flower produces extra petals in their place, leading to the characteristic “double flower” appearance. This shift results in a sterile flower, as the reproductive parts are replaced by non-functional petals.
Other Flowers Known for Extreme Petal Counts
While the lotus holds the maximum record, other flowering plants have been extensively bred for high petal counts. The most common example is the rose; wild species like Rosa chinensis possess only five petals. Cultivated varieties are classified by density; a “very full bloom” rose cultivar features over 40 petals, and some English roses, such as ‘Spirit of Freedom,’ may exceed 200 petals.
Peonies are another genus famous for opulence, especially the double-flowered types which can contain hundreds of petals. Certain massive double peony cultivars are known to have more than 300 petals, forming a dense, globe-like bloom often referred to as a “Thousand Petal Crown” in Chinese classification systems. Camellias, particularly Camellia japonica species, also exhibit this trait in double varieties, where dense, overlapping petals create a full, formal appearance.