More Info on Artificial Flowers
Artificial flowers
and imitations of natural flowers are sometimes made for scientific purposes
(as the collection of glass flowers at Harvard
University, which illustrates the
flora of the United States),
but more often as articles of home decoration and ornament.
A large variety of materials
have been used in artificial flowers
manufacture by different peoples at different times - painted linen and
shavings of stained horn by the Egyptians, gold and silver by the Romans,
rice-paper by the Chinese, silkworm cocoons in Italy, the plumage of highly
colored birds in South America, wax, small tinted shells. More recent
production methods use carved or formed soap, nylon netting stretched over wire
frames, ground clay and mass produced injection plastic mouldings.
Source: Wikipedia