Ice Flower

Ice Flowers are one of the many power-up items in the Mario series. This object can be found in a ? Block if Mario is in his Super Mario form. When obtained, he becomes Ice Mario and can hurl out Ice Balls from his hands that can freeze many enemies during gameplay. This power-up appeared in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and New Super Mario Bros. U among other appearances in other series, having the same function, except in Super Mario Galaxy, where Mario or Luigi gains a different ability. They are the icy counterparts of Fire Flowers.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Ice Flowers made their official debut in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. The effects of an Ice Flower are similar to a Bros. Flower, but they allow Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi to shoot Ice Balls instead of Fireballs. Ice Flowers can randomly lower the enemies' Attack, Defense, and/or Speed.

Super Mario Galaxy
Ice Flowers reappear in Super Mario Galaxy, specifically in the Beach Bowl Galaxy, the Freezeflame Galaxy, and the Deep Dark Galaxy. Ice Flowers turn Mario into Ice Mario, which lets him cross cold water and lava by creating hexagonal platforms of ice wherever he steps on either surface. Additionally, instead of running, Mario can skate about the level, increasing his speed. The music accompanying the ability, which has higher notes than the Fire Flower's theme, increases in speed until the effect of the Ice Flower ends, in effect serving as a timer.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Ice Flowers reappear once more in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. In this game, they function as they did in their debut game, allowing Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad and Yellow Toad to launch Ice Balls that can freeze opponents. They are often found in Towers and Castles. Yoshi can grab an Ice Ball thrown by another player or an Ice Bro and spit it out. This also works for fireballs from a Fire Flower or a Fire Piranha Plant.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Ice Flowers reappear in the game New Super Mario Bros. U for the Wii U. Their behavior is similar to that of their previous appearance.

Mario Party 9
Ice Flowers make a cameo appearance in Mario Party 9. In King Boo's Puzzle Attack, they are in the puzzle table among other items.

Mario Tennis Open
In Mario Tennis Open, Ice Flowers appear as the Ice Flower Cup and its trophy, which has a different design.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Ice Flowers appear as stickers in Paper Mario: Sticker Star game for the Nintendo 3DS. When used, Mario is transformed into Ice Mario and hurls Ice Balls at any ground or low-altitude enemies, freezing them. If the attack depletes their HP, they shatter. This sticker also has two variants: the Shiny Ice Flower and the Flashy Ice Flower, which inflict more damage to enemies.

Mario Golf: World Tour
In Mario Golf: World Tour, Ice Flowers appear as an item shot. They let the ball freeze terrain wherever it bounces, letting players bypass water hazards.

Super Mario-Kun
The Ice Flower appears in volume 36 of the Super Mario-Kun, which is adapted from Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. It becomes Baby Luigi's primary form of offense. After Commander Shroob destroys the snowman Baby Luigi had built, Baby Luigi pulls out an Ice Flower from the snowman's remains and defeats Commander Shroob and his Support Shroobs, while accidentally freezing his other three allies. He then uses a Fire Flower to melt them, scorching Mario in the process.

Baby Luigi then later uses the Ice Flower against Mario, after the four characters were provoked by a Tanoomba masquerading as them.

Super Mario Galaxy trading card description
''The Ice Flowers turn Mario into his Ice Mario form, which allows him to cross bodies of water and lava! Any liquid that Mario touches while in this form turns into hexagonal platforms that he can walk on and cross great distances. Ice Mario can also freeze waterspouts and waterfalls, which allows him passage to higher elevations.''

Trivia

 * The Ice Flower is one of the two power-ups from Super Mario Galaxy that does not return in Super Mario Galaxy 2 through legitimate means, the other being the Red Star. However, Ice Mario's theme returns, and is even updated to match the other power-ups that returned, suggesting the Ice Flower (and thus, Ice Mario) were intended to return. As a matter of fact, patching the remainder of Ice Mario's files into Galaxy 2 and disabling the "event table" for collecting a power up for the first time will allow you to use the Ice Flower.
 * Blue-color Fire Flowers have previously appeared in the slot machine games of Super Mario Bros. 3 (in the Spade Panel minigame) and Mario Party 5 (in Panic Pinball).
 * Ice Flowers were meant to appear in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, but were scrapped for unknown reasons.