TOP 35 Most Unusual and Amazing Plants in the World | (Photo & Video) +Reviews

This small plant, belonging to the Rosyankovye family, attracts attention with its spectacular color and unusual leaf shape.assembled in a socket. However, for insects, close acquaintance with the flycatcher becomes a fatal mistake.

In fact, this graceful plant is a ruthless predator whose victims have no chance of salvation.
The carnivorous flycatcher feeds on insects, which it catches on leaves adapted for this purpose, and then digests them, producing digestive enzymes.

This little predator grows on the east coast of the United States, but can be cultivated as a houseplant.

The largest water lily in the world got its name in honor of the English Queen Victoria. The plant, first discovered almost 200 years ago in the Amazon, is striking in the size of its leaves floating on the surface of the water. They have a round shape and peculiar "sides" from the edges bent up.

The leaves of Victoria amazonica can reach a diameter of more than two meters and can withstand weight up to 30, and in some cases up to 50 kg.! From being eaten by fish and aquatic animals, huge leaves are protected by sharp and long spikes, which are studded on their surface from the underside. This side is brown-red or dark purple.

The water lily blooms once a year, and flowering lasts only 2-3 days. Its large flowers, having a diameter of 20-30 cm, bloom in the evening, and plunge into the water in the morning to reappear above the water surface in the afternoon.

Each flower has up to 60 petals:

After that, the flowers disappear under water and do not appear again. Victoria Amazonian in the wild lives up to 5 years. This unusual water lily is one of the most popular greenhouse plants and adorns the collections of many botanical gardens in the world.

At the mention of these mighty trees, the hot African savannah immediately appears, where they grow. Baobabs are one of the thickest trees, with a diameter of up to 8 m and a height of up to 25 m.

These African giants don't have tree rings., so it is impossible to accurately determine their age, but, according to scientists, it could be several thousand years. On rare rainy days, the baobab is able to accumulate water.

The thick trunk can hold up to 120,000 liters of water! To reduce its consumption, during the dry season, the tree usually sheds its leaves.

An unusual perennial plant found in tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia and South America. It prefers flat areas of moist equatorial forests and grows in height from 40 to 100 cm.

Particularly interesting is the type of plant called takka Chantrier. A bizarre flower can be mistaken for a large insect or bat. Its "wings" are 15-20 cm wide each, and cord-like threads up to 70 cm long hang from the middle of the flower.

This plant can be tried to grow at home. It is capricious, requires special conditions of detention and constant attention. However, the reward for the labors will be outlandish inflorescences of dark purple, almost black color.

This tree grows in North America and is the symbol of the state of Alabama.. Swamp pine is distinguished by its decorative effect and exceptional fire resistance.

It grows up to 47 meters in height.

The swamp pine entered the list of unusual plants as the owner of the longest needles: it can reach 45 cm in length.

There are 170 known species of this plant, which is a representative of tropical and subtropical zones:

It grows from underground tubers and comes in a variety of sizes. The largest is the titanic amorphophallus, which was discovered on the island of Sumatra.

The tuber of the plant reaches 50 kg, and its inflorescence is the largest in the world and can be 2.5 m high and 1.5 m wide.

Amorphophallus blooms once every 5 or even 10 years, and flowering lasts only two days.

Those wishing to admire this mesmerizing spectacle must put up with the disgusting smell of decay that the plant exudes in order to attract pollinating insects.

Bananas, which have already become familiar to us, have every right to a place in the list of the most unusual plants, and there are many reasons for this:

1. Banana palm is not a tree, but a grass. Banana is considered one of the largest herbaceous plants in the world.
2. The banana fruit is not a fruit, but a berry. Infructescence can have up to 300 fruits and have a weight of up to 50-60 kg.
3. Allergy to bananas is very rare..
4. Banana cultivars reproduce only vegetatively.because the fruits do not have seeds.
5. In places of growth, a banana is considered medicinal plant.

In folk medicine, almost all parts of the banana that have healing power are used: flowers, juice, young leaves, roots and fruits. The peel is used in cosmetology. Just 2 bananas can provide the body with enough energy for 1.5 hours of intense training.

The fruits are a natural sedative. The pulp of bananas contains tryptophan, an amino acid that is converted in the body into the hormone of good mood and calmness serotonin.

Yucca shortleaf is an evergreen perennial plant also called the Joshua tree.

This unusual tree grows wild in the desert area of ​​the Southwestern United States., in four states: Utah, Nevada, Arizona and California, where the Joshua Tree National Park was created.

The oldest specimens can be several hundred years old.

This relic plant lives in the most ancient desert of our planet - the Namib, which is located in the southwest of the African continent.. Looking at a dry pile of leaves with dead edges, it is not immediately possible to understand that this is a living plant, and it lives for a very long time: Some specimens are over 2000 years old.

Velvichia has only two leaves that come out of the socket and look like boards to the touch. Their number never increases, but they can separate into narrow bands. The leaves grow throughout the life of the plant, growing annually by 30-40 cm, have a width of 1-2 m, and can reach a length of 4-8 m.

Velvichia amazing grows in a harsh desert with an annual rainfall of only 10-13 mm. The plant takes moisture exclusively from the fogs that the western wind brings from the Atlantic Ocean.

So called dichotomous aloe, which grows in the southwest of the African continent. The local tribes used its hollowed-out branches as quivers for arrows, hence its name.

At the tips of the branches grow rosettes of pointed succulent leaves, characteristic of aloe.

Plants reach 8-9 meters in height and have an unusual appearance, thanks to which the region of their growth has become a popular tourist destination.

The forest of quiver trees has been declared a national monument in Namibia.

In Asia, this prickly fruit is called the "king of fruits." Its weight reaches several kilograms, and the pulp is rich in trace elements and vitamins. In addition, it has an amazing taste and delicate texture.

But not everyone can be convinced of this, because the smell of durian is simply disgusting.

This fruit smells so sickening that it is forbidden to carry it in taxis, planes, hotels and other public places.. In the countries of Southeast Asia, there is even a prohibition sign in the form of a durian crossed out with a red line.

It is one of the most common carnivorous plants. The genus includes over a hundred species, most of which grow in Australia and New Zealand. The trapping leaves of this predatory plant are covered with numerous hairs, on the tips of which droplets of a sticky liquid glisten, attracting the attention of insects.

Alluring drops in reality turn out to be a death trap for potential victims.

The sticky mucus contains the alkaloid coniine, which has a paralytic effect and makes it impossible for insects to escape.

This plant, belonging to the Mulberry family, is often referred to as cow or milk tree. It is cultivated in Southeast Asia, Central and South America. Unlike other plants, whose milky sap is poisonous, brosimum juice can be eaten.

The consistency of this milky-white liquid is similar to heavy cream, and to taste - like condensed milk.

It includes:

Even in the tropics, milk tree sap does not spoil within a week. Local residents replace cow's milk with it, and from the wax, which, when boiled, is released on the surface of the juice, they make candles and chewing gum.

An unusual plant from southern Africa is a parasite and lives on the roots of succulent plants of the Euphorbiaceae family. The whole plant is underground, and only a flower is shown on the surface, which has a fantastic appearance.

Gidnora African grows slowly, and seeing it bloom is a rarity. Flowers with fleshy petals of bright orange color reach 10-15 cm. They grow directly from the roots, since the plant has neither stems nor leaves.

Gidnora attracts insects with an unpleasant smell, trapping them with closed petals. Unlike insectivorous plants, it does not digest insects, but waits for them to collect pollen, and releases them after a few days.

This tree has a trunk covered with thorns, poisonous seeds and toxic sap, which the Indians of South and Central America lubricated with arrowheads. Even sawdust and smoke from burning wood can cause respiratory and eye irritation.

One of the species of this plant is cracking khurah, which is also called exploding khurah or dynamite tree. Such names are associated with an unusual way of distributing seeds.

Ripe fruits literally explode, scattering seeds at high speed over a distance of up to 45 meters.

Perennial succulent plant in the wild grows in the desert regions of South and South-West Africa. However, it can often be found as a pet on our windowsills.

Stapelia is unpretentious and does not cause much trouble in care.

Under favorable conditions, the plant will delight with bright flowers, similar to stars, which have a diameter of 5 to 30 cm.

Stapelia flowers are unusual and beautiful, but do not rush to smell them: to attract insects for pollination, they exude an unpleasant, fetid odor.

A perennial plant belongs to a rare life form called herbaceous trees. Xanthorrhoea has a tree-like trunk and rosettes of leaves, reaching 1 meter.

This plant lives:

Xanthorrhoea grows both in humid climates and in arid savannas, where fires are common. Tree-like trunks are quite resistant to fire, and the leaves grow back rather quickly. The plant is poisonous. In the wild, it lives up to 600 years.

This plant lives only in Southeast Asia: on the islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, the Philippines and the Malay Peninsula. Rafflesia parasitizes the roots of tropical vines.

This plant has neither leaves nor stems. All substances that are necessary for growth and development, it receives from the host plant.

Rafflesia lives underground, and only flowers appear on the surface, which are remarkable for their huge size.. They have a diameter of up to 1 m and a weight of up to 8-10 kg. The plant blooms for only 4 days, exuding an unpleasant smell of rotting meat.

Insects flock to it and pollinate the flower, after which a fruit similar to a pumpkin appears.

If you were surprised to see a lemon in the list of the most unusual plants on our planet, then you do not know about one unique feature of this tree. The fact is that the ripe fruits of the lemon themselves almost never fall off the branches.

If the harvest is not harvested on time, then lemons and will remain hanging on a tree all autumn and winter. But the most amazing thing is that in spring the yellow fruits turn green again! With the onset of heat, they continue to grow, significantly increasing in volume and acquiring a thick skin.

By autumn, such repeating lemons become rough, and their peel again acquires a yellow color.

You probably noticed two different types of lemons on store shelves:

1. Small, dense, juicy, with a thin crust are the fruits of the harvest of the first year.
2. Large, with thick skin and loose flesh - These are lemons left for the second year.

During those two years that the fruits hang on the branches, they lose most of the vitamins and nutrients. Therefore, you can often find recommendations to buy exactly thin-skinned lemons, as the most beneficial for health. Now you know why.

This deciduous tree, which belongs to the genus Pterocarpus, grows in the southern part of the African continent. It is called the blood tree for the dark red juice that oozes from the cuts.

Sawn African teak trunks look intimidating.

Locals use the sap of the tree as a natural dye and attribute healing and magical properties to it..

Pitahaya, dragon fruit, prickly pear or dragon heart are the names of one of the most popular exotic fruits. Pitahaya tastes like kiwi, banana and strawberry at the same time.

But the most amazing thing is that these fruits do not grow on trees, but on cacti!

Flowers, from which the ovary later appears, open exclusively at night. The plant bears fruit up to 5-6 times a year.

Its homeland is Mexico, and now it is widely spread in the countries of Southeast Asia.

Parmentiera cereifera, or candle tree, grows wild only in Panama. This rather large plant got its name because of the fleshy edible fruits.

They really look like candles in shape, grow up to 60 cm, have a waxy texture and contain a lot of oil.

The fruit tastes like a sweet apple and is eaten raw. Fruits are formed on the trunk and main branches - this rare phenomenon is called caulifloria.

It is the only eucalyptus species that grows in the Northern Hemisphere. It lives in the humid forests of several islands in Southeast Asia. In height, an adult tree reaches 75 m and has a diameter of about 2.5 m.

The rainbow eucalyptus got its name because of the unusual multi-colored bark.

In young plants, the bark has a bright green color, but as it grows, it acquires a lot of other shades:

In adult plants, the trunk casts simultaneously with all the colors of the rainbow, and the color of the bark tends to constantly change. Due to its unusual appearance, the rainbow eucalyptus has become widespread as an ornamental plant in the tropics and in the subtropical zone.

The alpine South American plant has a life form called the "cushion plant". The evergreen inhabitant of the harsh Andes grows at an altitude of 3.2 to 4.5 thousand meters above sea level and is protected by law in four countries of South America - Peru, Chile, Argentina and Bolivia.

Yareta looks like one big green pillow, but in fact it is a colony of many tiny perennial herbaceous plants, the waxy leaves of which fit snugly together.

Yareta is a hermaphrodite and grows very slowly, about 1.5 cm per year. Scientists have found that the age of individual specimens reaches three thousand years.

This evergreen plant of the Myrtle family is also known as the Brazilian grape tree. It comes from the tropical latitudes of South America, where it is cultivated as a fruit crop.

Jaboticaba has the unusual property of caulifloria: its fruits grow on the trunk and main branches. This gives the tree a very unusual appearance, both during flowering and during fruit ripening.

Round fruits have a diameter of up to 4 cm, a dark, almost black skin and a translucent jelly-like pulp. They are edible fresh and taste good. Juices, jellies, liqueurs, marmalade and red wine are also made from the fruits. In Brazil and some other countries in South America, jaboticaba fruits are grown on an industrial scale.

The shelf life of fresh fruits is very limited. Three days after the harvest, the fermentation process begins, which makes it impossible to supply fruits for export. The tree grows slowly, seedlings begin to bear fruit only 10-12 years after planting.

The scientific name of this tree, which grows up to 30 m, is Copaifera langsdorffii. It belongs to the legume family and lives in the rainforests of Brazil.

This plant is interesting in that its juice is close to hydrocarbons of the sesquiterpene series and is similar in composition to diesel fuel.

From a hundred-year-old tree in two hours you can get up to 20 liters of oily juice that has a golden color. Locals traditionally use it to heal wounds and fractures.

A perennial plant belonging to the legume family lives in tropical regions of South America, where it is considered a weed. It is cultivated all over the world as an indoor ornamental plant. Mimosa reaches a height of 30-70 cm.

The plant is poisonous. Blooms with small pink flowers.

Of interest is the reaction of this evergreen plant to a potential threat. At the slightest touch to the mimosa leaves, they begin to move and fold along the central vein. This amazing property made the plant popular among flower growers and gave such an unusual name to the bashful mimosa.

This tree got its name in honor of the Russian botanist F. Schmidt, who first discovered it. It belongs to rare species and grows only in the south of Primorsky Krai, in the north of the Korean Peninsula and in certain regions of Japan and China. This birch grows slowly and lives up to 300-350 years.

The unusual qualities of this tree are reflected in its other name - iron birch, because it is incredibly hard and durable:

Due to its properties, in some cases Schmidt birch could replace iron. It does not rot and, unlike metal, does not corrode.

This predatory plant lives in the humid tropical regions of Asia and has another name - pitcher. It comes from an insect catching device that has a bright, attractive color and a pitcher shape.

Inside, such a vessel is covered with slippery scales, which do not allow insects that have fallen into a trap to escape. They slide down the smooth walls and fall into a liquid containing digestive enzymes and organic acids.

The length of the pitchers in different types of Nepenthes can vary from 2.5 to 30 cm.. In nature, there are species with huge 50-centimeter jugs. Not only insects can fall into such traps, but also frogs, snails, lizards and small rodents.

Dragon dracaena is an inhabitant of the tropical and subtropical belt. This plant can be found in the wild on the islands of Southeast Asia and Africa, and on the largest island of the Canary archipelago, Tenerife, it is considered a plant symbol.

The branched tree trunk reaches a height of up to 20 m and has a diameter at the base of up to 4 m.

Rosettes of sharp leaves grow at the ends of the thick branches of dracaena, giving the tree an unusual appearance, similar to huge fantastic umbrellas.

This coniferous deciduous tree has another name - two-row taxodium. Trees prefer wetlands in the subtropics with high humidity and grow up to 30-36 meters.

Thanks to their dense, rot-resistant wood, swamp cypresses can grow in water.

Their roots form peculiar outgrowths - pneumatophores, which have a conical shape and rise 1-2 meters above the water. The most famous swamp cypress groves grow in Lake Caddo (USA) and not far from Anapa, in Lake Sukko, which is also called Cypress Lake.

Coconuts, which today can be bought in almost any supermarket, no longer surprise anyone. However, the coconut palm occupies a well-deserved place on our list due to its exceptional vitality.

Coconut is one of the most environmentally friendly foods on the planet. Coconut palms grow in places where there are no chemical and heavy industries - on the coasts of several continents and many islands. Such a wide range of growth is a consequence of the incredible vitality of the coconut fruit.

From palms growing on the coast, coconuts fall into the ocean and travel thousands of kilometers on raging waves. They are able to remain viable in sea water for up to 110 days.to take root on the salty shore where no other plant can survive.

This plant is the national tree of Colombia and is rightfully considered the tallest palm tree on the planet. The highland valley of Kokora is the only place where it grows.

Palm trees grow here at an altitude of 1.8 to 2.4 thousand meters above sea level.

Kindioy wax palm reaches 50 meters in height, but there are also taller specimens growing up to 60 meters. These giants grow slowly, and their age often reaches 100-120 years.

Thanks to the wax palms, the Cocora Valley has become one of the extraordinarily popular tourist destinations in Colombia.

succulent plants measuring up to 5 cm in height and width are not in vain called "living stones", because they are considered camouflage professionals. They really can be difficult to distinguish from small stones in their natural habitat.

The birthplace of lithops is the rocky deserts of the southern part of the African continent: South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. The aerial part of the plant consists of two fleshy leaves, fused at the base and separated by a hollow.

Lithops store water in their leaves to survive the dry months. Every year the old pair of leaves is replaced by a new one. A peduncle appears from the hollow, and the flowers are white and yellow, less often pink and orange. Lithops are successfully grown in room culture.

In some tree species, a unique phenomenon can be observed, which is called "crown shyness". Fully developed trees, even with a significant density of plantings, do not touch each other with crowns, forming a forest canopy with gaps.

This phenomenon became known to science almost 100 years ago, but scientists still cannot come to a consensus about the causes of its occurrence.