Fascinating Flora: 7 of the World's Strangest Plants

Weird, peculiar, wonderful, strange & bizarre are the kind of words that can be used to describe these plants. They are unique & fascinating and make us wonder if they really exist.

1. Welwitschia mirabilis:World's Most Resistant Plant

It is one of the few things on Earth that can truly claim to be one of a kind. There really is nothing like it.

This plant is a gymnosperm and is found in Namib desert of South Africa. It is commonly called as "Onion of desert" as it can be baked or eaten raw. It has a lifespan of about 1500 years and can survive without rain for 5 years. Welwitschia has only two leaves in its entire lifespan and is a beautiful example of parental care as its offspring grow near to it and are taken care of. This gives an appearance as if the plant has many leaves.

2. Desmodium gyrans: the Dancing Plant

Commonly known as the "Telegraph plant", Desmodium is also called as the dancing plant as it is capable of rapid movement. The common name is due to the rotation of the leaflets with a period of about three to five minutes. This plant also has a legend behind it which is quiet interesting.

3. Euphorbia obesa: the Baseball Plant

Euphorbia Obesa, also known as the Baseball Plant, is endemic to the Great Karoo region of South Africa. This plant is endangered because of over-collection. It has become very common in cultivation. By growing large numbers of Euphorbia obesa, nurseries and botanical gardens have been working to ensure that specimens being traded and sold among plant collectors are not obtained from the wild.

4. Amorphophallus titanum: the Corpse Flower

It is a flower taller than man and has deep burgundy colour that mimics rotting flesh. It is called as "Corpse flower" due to its odour which is like the smell of a rotting animal. This Indonesian plant has the world's biggest inflorescence.

5. Adansonia: the Bottle Tree

Baobab is the common name for each of the nine species of tree in the genus Adansonia. They are native to Madagascar. They not only look like bottle but store water in their trunk in the trunk (up to 100,000 litres or 26,000 US gallons) to endure harsh drought conditions.

6. Tacca integrifolia: the Bat flower

The White Bat Plant is one of the world’s largest and most unusual flowers. It’s strange little black flowers come in clusters of twenty to forty and resemble bats’ faces, while the white bracts above resemble bats’ ears. The Bat Plant can grow to anywhere between 60 and 90 centimeters tall and comes in both a black version and a white version. The whiskers of the flower will also grow quite long, sometimes reaching all the way to the ground. An interesting fact about this weird wonder is that despite it’s resemblance to the lily it is actually a member of the yam family!

7. Antirrhinum majus: Snap dragon

If you’ve ever had any doubt as to whether or not a flower is a living creature, here’s the proof! Many gardeners and horticulturists are fond of Snapdragons for their bright colors and fragrance—not to mention if you squeeze the sides of a Snapdragon flower it looks like a dragon’s mouth opening and closing— but not so many gardeners and horticulturists know about the dragon skulls that are left once the Snapdragon has gone to seed! Interestingly enough, in ancient times people believed Snapdragons held mystical powers, and that and that growing them in one’s garden would protect one’s home from curses and evil. These tiny, perfect little skulls are quite a reminder of the circle of life, wouldn’t you say?