I remember I once had an unusual weird plant called stone flower, bought it in an excursion, from a botanical garden.
It was actually my first flower that I had to take care of myself. It died after 2 years, but that’s not the point. The point is it really looked like a rock, only that when you touched it, it was mellow and fragile.
As I read somewhere, it looked like a stone to protect itself from the animals that could eat it. Anyways, I can’t remember its name or anything about it, but now that we’ve come across these unusual plants around us, it just appeared from the back of my mind.
Most popular countries to find weird plants:
- Mexico
- South Africa
- Demp or desert habitats
It’s funny but not surprising that the most unique plants will grow in areas where the climate is extreme, such as desert, or rain forrest, this is why a lot of weird plant species grow in areas like South Africa and not let’s say New York City.
So, today we’re gonna discover together 20 unusual plants that grow on our dear Earth. Let’s see!
Weird Plants list of unusual flowers
1. Pleiospilos nelii “Split Rock” (sort of like my rock plant) first on the unusual plants list
Official scientific name: Pleiospilos nelii
Where does it grow: South Africa
2. Pelecyphora aselliformis “Peyotillo” (quite an introvert, hmmm)
Official scientific name: Pelecyphora aselliformis
Where does it grow: Mexico
3. Kalanchoe thyrsyflora “Flapjacks” (winding little fellow)
Official scientific name: Kalanchoe thyrsiflora
Where does it grow: East South Africa
4. Blue Echeveria (looks very nice, but where are the leaves?)
Official scientific name: Echeveria secunda
Where does it grow: Central America
5. Crassula “Buddha’s Temple” (looks much like a futuristic 3D rendering)
Official scientific name: Crassula ovata
Where does it grow: Coastal Areas
6. Haworthia cooperi “Pussy Foot” (Hence the nickname)
Official scientific name: Haworthia cooperi
Where does it grow: East South Africa
7. Gentiana urnula “Tibetan Starfish”
Official scientific name: Stapelia grandiflora
Where does it grow: All over the world expect Antartica
8. Cleistocactus strausii “Silver Torch” (is it just me that can’t really see the torch here?)
Official scientific name: Cleistocactus strausii
Where does it grow: Bolivia
9. Aloe peglerae “Fez Aloe” (some sort of Aloe Vera?)
Official scientific name: Aloe peglerae
Where does it grow: South Africa
10. Albuca spiralis “Corkscrew” (this little fellow likes complicated things)
Official scientific name: Albuca spiralis
Where does it grow: South Africa
11. Pilosocereus leucocephalus “Wooly Torch” (Am I the only one who sees a dog first here?)
Official scientific name: Pilosocereus leucocephalus
Where does it grow: Mexico
12. Titanopsis variegate “Living Rock” (It’s alive!)
Official scientific name: Titanopsis hugo-schlechteri f. variegata
Where does it grow: South Africa
13. Oxalis palmifrons “Palm Leaf Oxalis”
Official scientific name: Oxalis palmifrons
Where does it grow: South Africa
14. Crassula “Pangolin”
Official scientific name: Crassula
Where does it grow: Open Forests
15. Trachyandra tortilis “Ribbon Plant”
Official scientific name: Trachyandra tortilis
Where does it grow: Unknown to us
16. Stenocactus multicostatus “Brain Cactus”
Official scientific name: Stenocactus multicostatus
Where does it grow: Mexico
17. Cheiridopsis candidissima “Carpet Weed” (Wait! Did someone say weed?)
Official scientific name: Cheiridopsis denticulata
Where does it grow: South Africa
18. Hydnora
via tumblr
Official scientific name: Hydnora Africana
Where does it grow: South Africa
The Hydnora seriously looks more like an alien than a flower, it also is interesting to know that it mostly grows underground and you only see the flower popping out. It is a sort of a parasite flower that grows on the roots of other plants.
An interesting fact about this flower is that it emits a scent like feces to attracts flies to it, and once they get close it traps them inside, but it doesn’t eat them, it just holds them inside until the flower is mature then releases them. Interesting.
19. Hammer Orchid
via © ron_n_beths pics flickr
Official scientific name: Drakaea glyptodon
Where does it grow: Australia
You can find this rare orchid in damp or swampy areas around western Australia. This Hammer Orchid is on the endangered list of its kind. The Orchid releases pheromones that tricks some animals like the wasp to think this flower is a female wasp and attracts to it. The male wasp then tries to grasp the plant which in turn gets covered in pollen, nature is weird but amazing right?
20. Flypaper Plant
Official scientific name: Pinguicula gigantea
Where does it grow: Mexico
With a beautiful but dangerous green glow, this tropical plant attracts insects and flies to it, once they land on its surface, it starts eating them and they can’t get away because the surface is very sticky.
This is a pretty common strategy with plants that they gather food by making small animals stick to them and therefor they can’t escape.
If you liked these unusual plants like we did, just let us know! We don’t know where you can find one of these to buy, but it’s good to know they exist. You know, this planet has so much in store for us.
