Eight of the World’s Most Unusual Plants

Weird is relative. What seems weird to me might not seem weird to you. In the plant kingdom, however, there are definitely some species that most people would acknowledge are highly unusual.

1. Rafflesia arnoldii: this parasitic plant develops the world's largest bloom that can grow over three feet across. The flower is a fleshy color, with spots that make it look like a teenager's acne-ridden skin. It smells bad and has a hole in the center that holds six or seven quarts of water. The plant has no leaves, stems, or roots.




2. Hydnora africana, an unusual flesh-colored, parasitic flower that attacks the nearby roots of shrubby in arid deserts of South Africa. The putrid-smelling blossom attracts herds of carrion beetles.


Image Credit: Martin Heigan (via creative commons)


3. Dracunculus vulgaris: smells like rotting flesh, and has a burgundy-colored, leaf-like flower that projects a slender, black appendage.






4. Amorphophallus: means, literally, "shapeless male genetalia." The name comes from the shape of the protruding black spadix.





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10.21.2010
Maria
My grandmother who lived in Puerto Rico when I was a kid; had a plant that had one flower and the flower opened only at midnight. When she told m about the plant, at first I was skeptical. Therefore, One night I sat on guard and witnessed the flower opening exactly at midnight. It maintained itself open for a very short time, then it closed. That was one of the many amazing things I have witnessed from nature.
09.22.2010
Grace Marie
omigosh that first one is crazy!
06.26.2010
g. typing
Anyway, Mary Katz, yr website was broken when i tried to surf it.
06.26.2010
g. typing
If only if all the articles about plants hav their common n genus names.it's so diffiicult find the names i want for my recent plant project. :(
03.20.2010
Mary Katz
I love the TickleMe Plant. It moves like the plant in Avatar. The leaves instantly close and even the branches droop when Tickled! It is amazing that now anyone can grow this tropical wonder indoors year round in the TickleMe Plant Greenhouse. They even have TickleMe Plant Party favors! If your house plant doesn't move when you Tickle It - grow one. See how interactive it is here http://www.ticklemeplant.com
It feels good to write.

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