rose , lilies , iris , snapdragons , sunflowers , gerberas , and the occasional exotic orchid are a florist shop ’s blood in trade . But as bloom are not only our business but our passion , we also love reveal flowers that one does n’t see every day or even in a life . Among all of the specie of flowers on the planet , these ten have to be the unearthly flowers in the world .
#1 Weirdest Flower: Monkey Face Orchid (Dracula simia)
get ’s face it ( pun intended ) , the little flower referred to as Monkey Face Orchid did n’t take a whole lot of resourcefulness to name : “ Dracula ” because of its two long , fang - like petals and “ simia ” for its resemblance to primates .
The two dark petty eyes , fuzzed specked brow , and furry little olfactory organ and beard area of Monkey Face Orchid bear striking simian resemblance that become even more obvious when viewed from a distance . It might as well be called the Baboon - Faced Orchid , but who ’s keeping track ?
The Monkey Face Orchid is a rarified curiosity . It is only see in the cloud forest of Peru and southeasterly Ecuador at altitudes of more than 3,000 foot . It has the power to flower class - circular , fly high in average to tender conditions , and its flowers smack like mature Orange , making it a prized summation to any orchid connoisseur ’s garden . To make an particularly striking bouquet or flowered system withDracula Simia , conceive mate the pointy orchid with shaggy , fluffy plants and flowers like the untamed pussy willow .
A small point to keep in mind : some Monkey Face Orchids grow large , with down - turn pointy petals , while others produce a smaller , bleary efflorescence that looks more like monkey faced - cotton wool balls . If you ’re into pathologic floristry , try seduce an arrangement out of the Monkey Face Orchid and a bunch of Dragon ’s Skulls ( dead and dried snapdragon ! ) .
#2Weirdest Flower:Naked Man Orchid (Orchis italica)
Is it an outlander ? Is it a sea anemone ? Should you have say yes to that post - rave cup of chocolate in hopes of quell your neon visions ? Nope , it ’s the Naked Man Orchid !
This little guy ( or hombre ) , also known as the Hanging Man Orchid , is native to the Mediterranean region and resemble tiny short hanging raw military personnel , from their dotted eyes and smiles right down to their fiddling but lofty you - know - whats .
Naked Man Orchids fare in all sizes and normally range in colour from light purplish blank to deep purply pink . Some loan-blend of this heyday have broad pink flower petal that enclose the top of the flower , almost like a goon or a poke bonnet . The Naked Man Orchid is classified as having a threatened status , perhaps because of its popularity as an antidiarrheal , antiflatulent and aphrodisiac .
Another demented fact about these fun flowers : they ’re used in wee-wee the drink Salep , also call up Turkish Delight . Want to strain out your own batch of homemade Salep ? If you ’ve got an abundance of these lilliputian oddment , you’re able to toil up the tubers into a heyday that resembles arrowroot . This is the basis of the loggerheaded , sweet , coffee - like drinkable . Because the Naked Man Orchid has a threatened status , it is illegal to export true Salep powder from the Mediterranean region from whence it comes .
#3Weirdest Flower:Devils Hand (Chiranthodendron pentadactylon)
If idle hand are the devil ’s workshop , we ’re not really sure what the Devil ’s Hands are , but we sure enough have sex to look at them . Some call this tree diagram the Monkey ’s Hand , Hand - Flower or Monkey Paw , but we would n’t recommend get any wish on it ( though we will say that it makes an astonishing livelihood headstall or hand-held bouquet , peculiarly aroundHalloween ) .
The Devil ’s Hand is aboriginal to Mexico , where the Ancient Aztecs held it in especially gamy religious regard , and harvest the nipper - similar flower for generations . The yield develop by this tree has an down-to-earth taste and has been used for year in traditional medicine to treat many miscellany of affectionateness conditions . The pincer part of this efflorescence come forth from the otherwise normal - looking bloom like an unholy creature emerging to snap its quarry .
need to capitalise on this flower ’s evil façade ? Pair it with a few black Taiwanese Batflowers and Doll ’s Eye ( otherwise known as white baneberry ) , and you ’ve got a special occasion centrepiece your guest wo n’t shortly forget . Be careful if you have pets , however , as Doll ’s Eye is passing toxic . Unlike some tropical industrial plant the Devil ’s Hand tree diagram is extremely stalwart and can rise relatively fast , reach upwards of 40 ’ to 60 ’ tall !
#4Weirdest Flower:Parrot Flower (Impatiens psittacina)
If you ’ve never see a Parrot Flower before , you ’re not alone ( no , we ’re not talking about the handygardening app , Parrot Flower Power ) . This flower is so rare that many hoi polloi still doubt its actual existence .
The Parrot Flower , a Thailand aboriginal also known as the “ parrot balsam , ” is classified as endangered and therefore not allowed to leave the state . That means if you want to find out whether or not this little wonder exists , you ’ll have to book a flight to Manipur , India , Burma , or a tiny neighborhood in northerly Thailand near Chiang Mai .
The nerveless affair about the flower of this rare metal money of balsam is that its profile looks just like a parrot or cockatoo in trajectory ! comical thing is , when images of this bloom first start to circularize across the Internet they were dismissed as being “ digitally manipulated ” because very few people had actually seen one .
#5Weirdest Flower:Bee Orchid (Ophrys bombyliflora)
The Bee Orchid gets its name from its uncanny resemblance to a smiling bumblebee ( that is , if bumblebees could smile ) . Its name comes from the Grecian word “ ophrys ” meaning eyebrow , perhaps referring to the blurry bits around the edge of the flower . Some Bee Orchids stick to the pick , brownish and gold colour scheme while others have a pinkish hue to their petals .
You ’d imagine that the Bee Orchid got its name from bet like , well , a Apis mellifera , but you ’d be haywire . The Bee Orchid actually got its nickname because bee are this flower ’s mainpollinator . The Bee Orchid is native to Malta , however it ’s becoming more and more scarce because the propagation process is so difficult . You see , the Bee Orchid ask a symbiotic relationship with a certain character of fungus for successfully arise , making transplanting extremely hard . Bee Orchids thrive in grasslands and astonishingly , many have been found growing out of ironic , chalky limestone !
The Bee Orchid is very apt : The color and shape of the flower mime the look and smell of a distaff bee , which entices manly bees towards it to pair , thus expediting thepollination unconscious process ! While Australian Bee Orchids are lucky enough to have a healthy universe of pollinators nearby , Bee Orchids in other parts of the world are n’t as favourable . In places like the UK , the right species of bee but does n’t exist , which conduce the Bee Orchids of the UK to become self - pollinator .
#6Weirdest Flower:Swaddled Babies (Anguloa uniflora)
Too cute ! These adorable little tulip orchids , nicknamed swaddle Babies , were discovered in the Colombian Andes between 1777 and 1788 during a ten - twelvemonth outing but were n’t name and officially classify until 1798 . During certain times of this complex plant ’s blooming stage , the efflorescence ’ unequaled shape resembles that of a child all enwrap up in white swaddling . Some of us here call back that Swaddled Babies look more like the inside of mussels , but we ’ll leave the decision up to you !
In their native South American habitat , the Swaddled Babies Orchid is a summer bloomer , and not arduous to escape either , if you live what you ’re looking for . The white , waxy flowers can grow up to 10 cm across and smell amazingly sweet . Their tempting scent attracts insect to the hinged rim of the petal , where the unsuspecting creatures are shove into the tower where pollen bond itself to their abdomens , increasing pollenation .
#7Weirdest Flower:Hooker’s Lips (Psychotria elata)
Hooker Lips , Hot Lips , Flower Lips — call them what you will — there ’s no guessing how this seductive plant got its name .
The bright red fleck that resemble a Richard Hooker ’s burnished scarlet sassing are actually bract , not petals . The leafage - like bract are only in their kissable state for a few Clarence Day before open up to reveal the little icteric and white heyday within , almost like the plant is stick its spit out at you .
If this working miss looks especially trippy , there ’s a unspoiled reason for it . Turns out the Hooker ’s Lips blossom fall from a genus in the flora family Rubiaceae that produces psychedelic chemicals like Dimethyltryptamine ( DMT ) , and with 1,990 unlike kind of metal money , it ’s quite a expectant genus . Several species of Hooker ’s sassing are scar with dark-skinned spotlight that are really bacterium - fulfill nodules .
The Hooker ’s Lips Plant is native to the tropical regions of Columbia , Costa Rica , and Panama , but due to its popularity with collectors and the deforestation of its natural home ground , it ’s landed on the jeopardise species lean . Hope we do n’t have to kiss this small beauty goodbye anytime shortly !
#8Weirdest Flower:Bat-faced Cuphea (Cuphea llavea)
Another strikingly beautiful flower that we ’re not sure if we should run from or stick in a vase is the Bat Face Cuphea ( Cuphea Iluvea ) . This heat - loving perennial is native to Mexico and grow in sprawl hill that are characterized by their bright red and drab purple tubular flowers resemble the face of abat .
The Bat Face Cuphea , also known as the Cigar Plant , Peter ’s Plant or Bunny Ears , grow anywhere between 1 ’ and 2 ’ tall , with hairy , trowel - like leave . The plant is exceedingly drouth - tolerant and oestrus - tolerant but still enjoy a safe lachrymation once per week . Bat Face Cupheas do n’t plainly add popping and splashes of color to the garden ; they pull hummingbirds and butterflies , too ! The Swallowtail and Sulphur butterflies especially enjoy the cherubic ambrosia hidden inside the little Bat Faces .
Considering adding the Bat Face Cuphea to your garden ? They make perfect hang baskets and container flowers and look especially nice when used in borders .
#9Weirdest Flower:Lithops Weberi (Lithops comptonii)
You may have heard of a pet Isidor Feinstein Stone before , but a flowering stone ? Nope , your eyes are n’t playing conjuration on you ; it ’s Lithops Weberi , otherwise sleep together as Living Stones . These awesome littlesucculentsare perfect for originate indoors , especially for folks whose thumb are not so fleeceable . Like most succulents , the Lithops Weberi is extra - dauntless and usually persist unfazed with change in conditions or surround .
be Stones are aboriginal only to South Africa , where their evolutionary progress turn them into a drouth - cogent evidence plant . When Lithops blooms , it looks extraordinary , with a white or icteric daisy poking out from what appear to be solid stone .
Talk abouteasy to propagate ! If you want to multiply your Living Stones only take a leaf off of one , stick it into the pebble bed and it will take tooth root . That ’s it . If your Living Stone begins to take on a stretched - out or oblong form , it is because the works is n’t get enough sunshine . Simply set the little fella in direct sunshine for a few day and keep an eye on as it returns to its , short , stubby , lovable self . If creepy-crawly works that count like rocks and other things are in your pilothouse , count adding the Bleeding Tooth Fungus and the Octopus Stinkhorn ( do n’t vex , that last one ’s just a mushroom ) .
#10 Weirdest Flower:Corpse lily (Amorphophallus titanum)
This teras of a plant was made famous in the pic Dennis the Menace . It blossom so infrequently that whenever one does , it often hold local and sometimes global headlines .
The Corpse Lily is technically a chemical compound efflorescence — though still considered the human race ’s great individual blossom — and only grows in Indonesia , specifically Sumatra . If you ’re enquire what kind of pollinator would be concerned in such a stinky bud , the answer is carrion beetles and flies . Surprised ?
The Corpse Lily ’s Romance name comes from the Ancient Greek “ amorphos ” which means , “ without form , misshapen . ” Not only is this heyday super rare , it ’s extremely large , some develop up to 12 feet tall with flowers weighing up to 25 pounds !
Despite its yucky malodor and rather phallic appearance , the Corpse Lily is the official bloom of the rainforests of Borneo , where it promise home . Another little - known fact about the Corpse Lily : Each flower ( if successfully pollinated , that is ) can produce up to four million seeds .
Photos courtesy ofDick Culbert;Mark Freeth;Josh*m;Bjorn S … ;Tim Waters;Harry Harms;Chris Freeland(CC )
