floriculture

thumb|Floriculture thumb|right|Flower seedlings sold at a local market in Breda, Netherlands

Floriculture (from ) is the study of the efficient production of the plants that produce showy, colourful and even edible flowers and foliage. It is a commercially successful branch of horticulture and agriculture found throughout the world. Efficient production practices have been developed over the years, for the hundreds of plant taxa used in the floral industry, increasing the overall knowledge of whole plant biology. Plant breeding and selection have produced tens of thousands of new genotypes for human use.