Understanding the psychology of generalizations
Nature is so full of mystery and allure, but in our day-to-day lives, we get quite used to seeing the same species of flora around us. There are so many kinds of flowers that we'll just never see in our lives!
From flowers that only bloom once every few decades, to those that require very specific conditions, to those whose bloom last mere hours, there are some dazzling rare species to behold out there. Click through to take a look for yourself.
The Epiphyllum oxypetalum, also called Queen of the Night or Dutchman’s pipe cactus, is a popular species of cactus famous for producing large, sweet-smelling flowers only one night per year, and only for a couple of hours!
The corpse flower, or titan arum, blooms just once in a few decades. It can reach up to 11.8 ft (3.6 m) in height, though it has no roots, and only one large petal shaped like a cone. It gets its name from the foul odor it emits during bloom, similar to rotting meat, which is reportedly meant to attract flies and carrion beetles.
Named after the shape of its petals, the ghost orchid, or dendrophylax lindenii, is one of the rarest flowers of the world because it requires high temperatures and high humidity to grow (typically in Cuba, Florida and the Bahamas), making it almost impossible to cultivate outside its natural habitat. It's also hard to find without any leaves, and blooms only for three weeks between April and August.
The Juliet rose is considered one of the rarest flowers in the world because it took 15 years for rose breeder David Austin to cultivate the flower in England and it cost him a whopping US$4.3 million (£3 million) to do so! The rose has beautiful peach and apricot colored petals.
Apparently worth thousands of dollars on the black market, the Rothschild’s slipper orchid, or paphiopedilum rothschildianum, is considered one of the rarest flowers in the world. It not only grows at altitudes above 1,640 feet (500 m) and only in the rainforests of Mount Kinabalu, but it also takes 15 years to bloom.
Native to Mexico but nonexistent in the wild anymore, the cosmos atrosanguineus flower is reddish-brown in color and gives off a rich chocolate aroma when it blooms, hence the name. It blooms in the evening at the end of summer and does not produce any seeds.
This tiny parasitic flower native to China and Taiwan was reportedly first found growing on an aroid palm leaf. The rare white flowers, measuring no more than one millimeter in diameter, don’t have a scientific name but are said to bloom once every 3,000 years and have a special meaning in Buddhism.
The black bat flower, or tacca chantrieri, is the most unique flower in the world because of its color. It got its name from its bat-like appearance, including long, droopy whisker-like stamens, and is found in Southeast Asia where there is lots of humidity.
Strongylodon macrobotrys, or jade vine, can only be found in the Philippines’ tropical woods. The flowers, clusters of jade-colored blooms shaped like claws, are rare and endangered due to deforestation.
Lotus berthelotii, or parrot’s beak flowers, are rare blooms along trailing vines endemic to the Canary Islands. They get their name from their sharp bright yellow and orange blossom.
Puya raimondii, dubbed queen of the Andes, is found predominantly in Bolivia and Peru, between 10,500 to 15,750 ft (3,200 to 4,800 m) above sea level in the Andes mountains. They bloom only once in their 100-year lives, and they can take decades to bloom because of their harsh environment. But when they do, they produce eight to 12 million seeds and thousands of flowers. This endangered plant dies after flowering.
This member of the agave plant family blooms irregularly and unpredictably, sometimes taking decades. But right before blooming, they grow very rapidly, sometimes more than three to four times their average height of six feet (almost two meters). After blooming small, yellow flowers, they die out.
The agave Americana were once commonly known as century plants since they were thought to bloom once every 100 years, but they actually bloom every 10-25 years. They tend to grow up to six feet (about two meters) in height.
The talipot palm, found predominantly in southern and eastern India and Sri Lanka, is one of the largest palm trees in the world and flowers only once near the end of its approximately 80-year life cycle, producing massive clusters of cream-colored flowers.
Strobilanthes kunthiana, also known as the Kurinji or Neelakurinji flower, is a type of wildflower mostly seen in high altitudes in the southern part of India. It blooms only once every 12 years.
Scientifically identified as an unspecified camellia, this flower is known as the rarest on Earth. It was imported from China as a luxury item in 1804, but was wiped from its native country, and now there are reportedly only two specimens of this plant left: one in the Chiswick House conservatory in the UK, while the other is located in New Zealand.
Gloriosa superba are called fire lilies for their stunning flame-like blossoms. They are native to tropical regions of Asia and southern Africa, but are becoming quite rare. If you ever do see one, don't touch it, as it's poisonous.
Franklinia alatamaha actually belongs to the tea family, and it has sadly been extinct in the wild since the 19th century, as they are challenging to cultivate though they can be spotted in rare few gardens.
The vibrant palicourea elata was aptly called hot lips because of its two voluptuous red bracts. Native to the rain forests of Central and South America, it's considered endangered due to deforestation.
Hibiscus arnottianus, known as Koki’o, is a rare breed as it’s only found in certain wet mountainous forest area on the Oahu and Moloka’i islands of Hawaii. The subspecies immaculatus is even rarer, and only found on the Moloka’i island.
Selenicereus grandiflorus is a stunning member of the cactus family indigenous to Central and South America and blooms only one night each year. Its bloom gives a vanilla scent that attracts nocturnal pollinators such as bats and moths.
This flower gets its name from its resemblance to a lady’s slipper. The flower takes years to grow and mature, which is why in some jurisdictions it's a protected species under the law, making it illegal to pick them.
Monotropa uniflora, also known as ghost plant, ghost pipe, or Indian pipe, look so creepily pale because they don’t generate chlorophyll, and instead of using photosynthesis to make food, they depend on mycorrhizal fungi that live on the flower and leech food from other plants. They're native to temperate regions of Asia, North America, and northern South America.
Hibiscus fragilis, also called the mandrinette, is an extremely rare flower primarily found on the steep slopes of the Corps de Garde and Morne Brabant mountains on Mauritius.
The Rafflesia flower, is a rare parasitic blooming plant found in Indonesia and Malaysia. Growing three feet (one meter) in diameter—without roots, stalks, and leaves—it's the largest bloom in the world. It is also called the corpse flower because its bloom smells of decomposing flesh.
Rhizanthella gardneri are called western underground orchids because they spend most of their lives underground and even flower underground, although their petals may occasionally peek out from the soil. They look like tiny dark red flowers surrounded by a ring of tulip-shaped pink bracts. Native to a small area in Western Australia, these rare orchids are threatened by habitat loss.
From deforestation to climate change, it seems our most beautiful naturally occurring flora is growing increasingly rare day by day, so we must do all we can to protect it.
Sources: (Petal Republic) (Oddity Central) (Owlcation) (Our Endangered World) (Travel.Earth)
See also: Medicinal flowers and plants you can grow in your garden
The rarest blooming flowers on Earth
From blooming once every 3,000 years to costing US$4 million to cultivate!
LIFESTYLE Nature
Nature is so full of mystery and allure, but in our day-to-day lives, we get quite used to seeing the same species of flora around us. There are so many kinds of flowers that we'll just never see in our lives!
From flowers that only bloom once every few decades, to those that require very specific conditions, to those whose bloom last mere hours, there are some dazzling rare species to behold out there. Click through to take a look for yourself.