Nature gives us wonderful and incredibly beautiful treasures. A very clear example of this are the flowers. It is not known exactly how many current flowers in the world exist, but the bibliographies most interested in the subject assure that there are 422,000 plants that create flowers at some point.
Unfortunately, many of the world’s most exotic and unusual flowers are currently threatened or endangered. For this reason, and other factors, we are not used to seeing them as often as tulips, roses or daisies.
Do you dare to know some of the most unusual and strange flowers in the world? We have prepared a list to bring you closer to them.
Kadupul flower: seen and not seen
It is a strange flower native to Sri Lanka , although it has also been seen in Australian territory. It is often listed as the most expensive flower in the world , because it blooms for such a short time that very few people in the world have ever seen it blooming. It is a very short-lived flower, also nocturnal, as it only opens its petals after midnight and withers before the first rays of the day.
The Golden Orchid, golden beauty
The Gold Orchid or Gold Orchid is one of the sadly endangered flowers and a new example of the Top 5 of the most expensive flowers in the world. It can only be found on the island of Borneo , located in Malaysia. Its leaves produce a kind of “gold particles” that can live without spoiling for up to fifteen years.
Phantom orchid, the reappeared
Again an orchid occupies our list. In this case, it is an unusual flower because it neither has leaves nor does it use photosynthesis to feed itself. Its stem is very fine and thin, so much so that the flowers seem to be floating. Although this makes it very beautiful and ethereal, this is also where its fragility lies. It is very difficult to pollinate this flower, that is why they hardly reproduce and it is in serious danger of extinction. In fact, it was already considered extinct for two decades, until surprisingly some specimens were recently found in Cuba.
Wolffia Angusta, the diminutive
This flower is the smallest in the world. It is so small that twelve of them would fit perfectly on the head of a pin when they have not yet flowered and, once converted into a flower, two of them would fit within a circle similar to the one of the letter “o” in this post. What seems incredible to you? They are all light green.
Rafflesia Arnoldii, gigantic flower
Since we have named the smallest, we are also going to say which is the largest in the world. In this case, it is a red flower called Rafflesia Arnoldii. You can only find them in the forests of Sumatra and Borneo and it is one of the three national flowers of Indonesia. There are only 28 Rafflesia spices. This one, the Arnoldii can grow up to a meter tall and weigh up to 11 kilos. One of its distinctive features is that its smell, far from filling the forests with a floral aroma, is highly unpleasant due to the microorganisms it shelters.
Passionflower: a beautiful Chilean flower
Surely you have seen it sometime, but we must not stop naming it for its great beauty and originality. In Chile you can find many of them, but you can also see them in Brazil, and in almost all of South America, including the southern United States and the Antilles. In addition, they are medicinal flowers that are used to calm anxiety, combat stress, to stop smoking and other dependencies, or to treat diabetes, depression or insomnia.
Saffron flower, one of the most expensive
We all know or have heard about how expensive that spice called saffron is. It is born from the saffron flower, in fact it is the stamens of it that we use to obtain this seasoning. Without a doubt, it is the most expensive spice in the world because to produce a kilo of saffron we would need 150,000 flowers like this one.
Camellia Japonica, pink beauty
If you like light pink flowers, this will impress you. In addition, its leaves are so perfectly distributed that it is one of the most admired plants in its country. You can find it in the forests of China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan , but only at altitudes above 1,000 meters, it is a cold flower , which is why it is also called the Winter Rose.
Hoya wax, it seems made of wax
It is called Hoya wax or hoya carnosa, although you can also understand if you mean a “wax flower”. You will imagine why when you see the morphological and texture peculiarity of these flowers. Its stems are large, they can reach up to six meters in length and it is actually a climbing plant that you can find in East Asia or Australia. Its flowers are very aromatic, star-shaped, and are pink or white, or a mixture of both.
Candy Cane Sorrel, to eat!
If you love sweets, you may have just discovered your favorite flower. This flower looks exactly like it was made from candy canes , with its lovely mix of red and white. It is a spring jewel that looks great in gardens or pots. They are native to South Africa .
Tacca Chantrieri, long-stemmed
It is from the Taccaceae family, called in some countries “bat plant” for its curious shape. It is not actually a flower, but a plant typical of the tropical regions of the world, particularly Thailand and Burma. Its stems (those extensions that come out that look like spider legs) can reach up to 60 centimeters long. Its unusual appearance makes it a plant that attracts powerfully attention.
The Simian Dracula, an orchid from South America
Orchids are a fascinating floral species because of the bizarre shapes they present. For example, the Simian Dracula has certain hairs along its flower and a center that makes it look like an angel, a bat, or even a monkey , depending on the variety. Dracula means “little dragon” precisely because of the peculiarity of its center. This type of orchid has 120 subspecies, so we can find it in many different colors. It was discovered in 1978 by a Chilean botanist, it is typical of South America, especially we can find it in Peru and Ecuador. Another peculiarity is its delicious aroma.
Psychotria Elata, the flower that seems to kiss us
When we look at this flower, we instantly think of a heavily made-up woman with full lips wanting to kiss us. We will find it in the tropical forests of Latin America. However, we cannot see this shape for a long time, as it continues to open fully to show the rest of its flowers and will lose that “kiss” appearance.
The most macabre flower: Antirrhinum
This flower reminds us of small scared skulls , that is why it is known in some countries as “the skull flower”. Actually, the flower is of great beauty throughout its life and has been a popular garden plant for many years; however, once it has died, it leaves behind the seed pod and that is when the skull shape appears.
Caleana major, the orchid that looks like a flying duck
Without a doubt, lovers of the animal world, more specifically birds, will find this unusual orchid very funny. It is the Caleana major, which can display an infinite number of colors and shapes. It is a small orchid that has been found in southern and eastern Australia. Flowers from September to January. This flower is characterized by attracting a large number of different insects, so it is easily pollinated.
The Chocolate Flower, sadly extinct
It is one of the sadly extinct examples in the world. There is only one clone. It is named for its color between dark red and brown, which also emits a sweet aroma of vanilla and cocoa, which gave rise to its name. Before its extinction, it could be found in certain regions of Mexico. Its botanical name is Cosmos Astrosanguineus.
