Are you looking for new and unusual plants for your garden? Are you hoping to find something that will stand out and make you the talk of the town?
Look no further for I have assembled this unusual collection of rare plants and flowers for your reading pleasure. Take your pick from this odd assortment and your garden will never be the same again!
For my first selection, you'll have to travel deep in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo. There you'll find the Rafflesia Arnoldii better known as the "corpse flower."
Unlike other plants, the corpse flower has no noticeable leaves, stem or roots. This parasite lives on the Tetrastigma vine which also grows in rainforests. Like fungi, it gets water and other nutrients from its host. What makes the plant unique is the fact that it produces the largest individual flower on earth. The flower is huge - over three feet across - and has a reddish-brown color.
It has a hole in the center that can hold about seven quarts of water. Its moniker comes from the fact that it stinks of rotting flesh much like a corpse. The bad smell attracts flies that pollinate the plant.
Scientists say the flower wasn't always that big. You'll be surprised to know that it is related to poinsettias and cassavas. For some reason, it evolved to be 79 times its former size over 46 million years ago.
Sadly, this freak of nature is nearing extinction as the rainforests slowly disappear. The corpse flower is getting harder to find nowadays, especially since it takes many months to develop and the flower lasts for only a few days.
"Some environmentalists are thinking of a way to recreate the species' environment, in an effort to stimulate a recovery in the population of this endangered species. This has proved unsuccessful so far, but the efforts have continued," according to the editors of Wikiedia.
Dracunculus Vulgaris may sound like a relative of Dracula but it's actually a flowering plant that is also known as the Dragon Arum, the Black Arum, the Voodoo Lily or the Stink Lily. It is native to Greece and Crete and is also found in Oregon and California.
It has a large purple flower from which protrudes a long spadix or spike. The Greeks believed that the spike was the tail of a small dragon hiding in the flower. Like the corpse flower above, Dracunculus Vulgaris has an awful smell and is also pollinated by flies. (Next: Another corpse for your garden.)
Look no further for I have assembled this unusual collection of rare plants and flowers for your reading pleasure. Take your pick from this odd assortment and your garden will never be the same again!
For my first selection, you'll have to travel deep in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo. There you'll find the Rafflesia Arnoldii better known as the "corpse flower."
Unlike other plants, the corpse flower has no noticeable leaves, stem or roots. This parasite lives on the Tetrastigma vine which also grows in rainforests. Like fungi, it gets water and other nutrients from its host. What makes the plant unique is the fact that it produces the largest individual flower on earth. The flower is huge - over three feet across - and has a reddish-brown color.
It has a hole in the center that can hold about seven quarts of water. Its moniker comes from the fact that it stinks of rotting flesh much like a corpse. The bad smell attracts flies that pollinate the plant.
Scientists say the flower wasn't always that big. You'll be surprised to know that it is related to poinsettias and cassavas. For some reason, it evolved to be 79 times its former size over 46 million years ago.
Sadly, this freak of nature is nearing extinction as the rainforests slowly disappear. The corpse flower is getting harder to find nowadays, especially since it takes many months to develop and the flower lasts for only a few days.
"Some environmentalists are thinking of a way to recreate the species' environment, in an effort to stimulate a recovery in the population of this endangered species. This has proved unsuccessful so far, but the efforts have continued," according to the editors of Wikiedia.
Dracunculus Vulgaris may sound like a relative of Dracula but it's actually a flowering plant that is also known as the Dragon Arum, the Black Arum, the Voodoo Lily or the Stink Lily. It is native to Greece and Crete and is also found in Oregon and California.
It has a large purple flower from which protrudes a long spadix or spike. The Greeks believed that the spike was the tail of a small dragon hiding in the flower. Like the corpse flower above, Dracunculus Vulgaris has an awful smell and is also pollinated by flies. (Next: Another corpse for your garden.)
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