Artificial flowers are imitations of natural flowering plants used for commercial or residential decoration. They are sometimes made for scientific purposes (the collection of glass flowers at Harvard University , for example, illustrates the flora of the United States ).
Materials used in their manufacture have included painted linen and shavings of stained horn in ancient Egypt , gold and silver in ancient Rome , rice- paper in China , silkworm cocoons in Italy , colored feathers in South America , and wax and tinted shells. Modern techniques involve carved or formed soap , nylon netting stretched over wire frames, ground clay , and mass -produced injection plastic mouldings. Polyester has been the main material for manufacturing artificial flowers since the 1970s . Most artificial flowers in the market nowadays are made of polyester fabric.
