Colorín flowers; copyright free image courtesy of "Acardo36" made available through Wikimedia Commons.
The Colorín flowers at the right were spotted on a table in the market area beside the Zócalo of Tepoztlan, Morelos. They were taken from small, native American trees, often grown ornamentally, Erythrina americana, of the Bean Family. The fried flowers are added to scrambled eggs or beans. The upland Nahua-speaking people add them to their remarkable peanut tamales. Sometimes they're called flor de pito. Traditionally they're especially sought during the días de cuaresma, a period of 40 days beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending with Maundy Thursday.
Jamaica flowers; copyright free image courtesy of "Popperipopp" made available through Wikimedia Commons.
In Mexican mercados, hibiscus flowers sold for teas are sold in the dried, dark-red form seen at the left. Technically, the "flowers" are actually fleshy, acid-tasting calyxes and involucres of blossoms (the nonsexual lower parts), not the flowers themselves. Jamaica blossoms are produced on an annual bush six or seven feet tall, Hibiscus sabdariffa, native to the Old World tropics. They can be eaten, but in Mexico the dried flowers are boiled in water for brewing a tea North Americans would identify with Celestial Seasons' Red Zinger herbal tea.
As seen at the right, Linden flowers sold in Mexican mercados are sold in a dried, brown state, often offered in bins from which they are scooped into bags. Tea made from these blossoms not only tastes good, but supposedly soothes a cough. The Mexican Linden tree, Tilia occidentalis is a different species of from those growing in North America and other countries. It grows in the Mexican mountains.
Flor de calabaza flowers
Squash flowers like those at the left are sold fresh. Mainly they're cooked in tamales and tacos, where they have a slightly lemony taste. The hard stamens and pistils are removed, so you just eat the corollas. Also you can dip the corollas in a batter of eggs and spices, and fry them alone.