Cloud Flower

"Cloud step?"

- Whittle

A Cloud Flower is a power-up from Super Mario Galaxy 2. The flower of the plant looks like a cloud with eyes. If Mario grabs one, he'll transform into Cloud Mario. As Cloud Mario, he'll be able to create clouds as temporary platforms by spinning. These clouds have faces on them. Additionally, only three clouds at a time can be made, although Mario may obtain another flower to replenish his cloud supply. The Cloud Flower improves Mario's jumping abilities, as he now falls slower and his long jumps are longer. A jumping trick that is little known is that the bounce made when Mario spins the clouds can be used to make Mario's jumps higher, although timing is difficult. The clouds can be ground-pounded to be destroyed, although Mario will fall straight through the cloud if destroyed this way. The Cloud Flower also gives Mario the ability to stand on clouds that disappear when the normal Mario stands on it. However, if Cloud Mario touches water or takes damage, he reverts to regular Mario, causing any of his cloud platforms to disappear.

Cloud Flowers first appear in the Fluffy Bluff Galaxy. In the Puzzle Plank Galaxy, they are used to battle the boss Bugaboom. The Cloudy Court Galaxy introduces the fact that Mario's clouds will be affected by wind (and thus will move). The Starshine Beach Galaxy has the Cloud Flower help in reaching the tip of the tower. The Throwback Galaxy requires Mario to use the Cloud Flower to collect Silver Stars. In Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker, the Cloud Flower is needed to defeat Bowser Jr. In Bowser's Galaxy Generator, the Cloud Flower will be used, up until Mario acquires Yoshi. It is also used to collect multiple Green Power Stars in some of the aforementioned galaxies, along with in the Twisty Trials Galaxy.

The Cloud Flower is the only power-up that is usable on Starship Mario. It is also the only power up to appear in the game's final galaxy, the Grandmaster Galaxy. In that galaxy's daredevil run, Mario will be in his cloud-form up until the end; as there is no water or other power-ups, Mario's status as Cloud Mario does not disappear when in contact with a Launch Star, and if Mario takes damage, he loses a life and will have to restart the whole level.

For unknown reasons, the noise it makes when Mario collects a Cloud Flower after having used at least one of his three clouds (though not completely losing the power-up) is very similar to, if not exactly the same as the noise it makes in Super Mario Sunshine when a previously used fruit reappears in its permanent location, as well as the sound for one of the boxes containing nozzles being opened.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a Cloud Flower makes a cameo on the Starship Mario spirit's artwork.

Trivia

 * In the Super Mario Mash-up in Minecraft, Azure Bluets are replaced by Cloud Flowers.