They are so strange – they look like birds, animals, even Darth Vader. But not flowers.
We have collected photos of the most interesting, amazing and even frightening plants that show how strong nature and our Earth are, which does not use magic, but creates unreal miracles.
Bird flower
The flower looks like you are holding a tiny hummingbird in your hand. A bird flower in common parlance, Crotalaria cunninghamii is the scientific name for a legume masquerading as birds. It grows in Northern Australia along sand dunes. Indigenous Australians value it for more than its looks. The bird has healing properties, it was often used to treat wounds from infections.
Calceolaria
She looks like a funny little alien or a tiny penguin jumping over rocks. This plant is called Calceolaria Uniflora or Darwin’s Slipper Flower. Calceolaria was discovered by Charles Darwin during a trip to South America. These flowers grow in small colonies, grow in cool climates and cannot stand heat.
Caleana Orchid
It is affectionately called the duck orchid, and in science – Caleana Major. It mainly grows in Eastern and Southern Australia.
The flower is very reminiscent of a duck during flight: it has mustard wings, spread behind a plum-colored body. This orchid looks completely harmless, but in fact it is a hunter – as soon as the insect touches the perianth of the orchid, it quickly slams shut.
Monkey orchid
This is a rather rare flower – Dracula simia, also known as the monkey orchid. The petals of the flower are folded so that they very much resemble the muzzle of a primate. Monkey orchids are mainly found in Ecuador and Colombia. But you can find them in the botanical gardens of Japan, for example.
Anturus Archera
It is often called the devil’s fingers for obvious reasons. Strictly speaking, this is not a plant, but a mushroom that looks like a nightmare. It releases from four to seven outstretched thin “arms”, similar to tentacles. Then the tentacles open, and you can see a dark red coloration inside the mushroom, covered with dark spores. The picture is completed by the aroma of rotten meat, which exudes the anturus.
Snapdragon
Snapdragon flower is very common in home gardens. It is also known as the dragon flower – very similar. And when the flower dies, it leaves behind a seed pod that looks like a human skull. This eerie transition has given rise to the superstition that snapdragons have supernatural powers. Moreover, the flower helped protect from curses: myths said that it could even restore youth and beauty.
Anguloya one-flowered
The orchid is a flower species with countless stunning plants, but none more mesmerizing than Anguloa Uniflora. The flower is like a baby in diapers, and the petals of the plant surround the newborn, like an aura created to protect him.
Orchis italian
Orchis italica – in science. Orchid “naked man” – among the people. Each flower in the inflorescence resembles the outline of a naked person. The orchis blooms with candles, which from afar look like a bunch of dancing men, as if descended from the paintings of Henri Matisse. Maybe the Frenchman was inspired by these colors?
Balsam “Untouchable”
Impatiens bequaertii, also known as the “dancing girls” orchid, is a rare plant species that grows in the tropical forests of East Africa. Charming flowers, the petals of which are like a little girl in a skirt with raised arms, which perfectly matches the white and light pink color of the flower.
Parrot flower
It grows in Thailand, Burma and India and was first described by renowned botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker as a “flying cockatoo.” After that, it became difficult to see something else in it – but the flowers of this type of orchid really look like a bird with a purple back and a red head.
Ballerina Orchid
Caladenia melanema is a simple, elegant and very graceful flower. Well, like a ballerina! The orchid seems to be standing on tiptoe, arms raised above its head. It grows in the southwest of Western Australia. But you can also find it in the collections of flower growers around the world.
Kirkazon of Salvador
This plant is called Aristolochia Salvadorensis. It is actually quite inconspicuous, despite the loud name – Darth Vader. The plant got its nickname because of its shape, which resembles the helmet of a star saga character. In addition, the flower has a terrible scent of rotting flesh. The plant also has luminous “eyes” through which insects sometimes fly.
Bee orchid
See how this bee smiles and stretches out its legs for a hug! This is Ophrys bomybliflora, or, as many people like to call it, the laughing bee orchid or even the smiling bumblebee. I just want to tickle her fluffy belly!
Radiant guide
The Habenaria Radiata orchid or heron orchid grows in the Far East. She has the most delicate white flowers that really look like a graceful white heron in flight.
Anigozanthos
Kangaroo’s foot is the name of a flower native to southwestern Australia. The plant is so called because of the shape of the tubular flowers covered with thick hairs. At the tops, they are open and form six claw-like bends.
Psychotria sublime
Psychotria Elata is science. It is usually called much simpler – “hot lips” because of the shape of the bright red bracts. As it turns out, the plant has evolved into its unique shape and color to attract pollinating insects.
Gidnellum Peka
As soon as they do not call him names! A bleeding tooth, a devil’s tooth … And this is just a young fungus, Hydnellum peckii. It looks really a little disgusting: a whitish blot, on the surface of which crimson drops appear.
Takka chantry
Either a bat, or a monster from the movie “Predator”, but not a flower. Still, this flower comes from the tropics. Tacca Chantrieri has a velvety dark color, and even grows a “mustache”, which can be up to 60 centimeters in length.
Monilaria reverse conic
The complex name hides a succulent crumb, similar to rabbit ears. If you’ve ever wanted to get a rabbit but suddenly realized that you didn’t have enough space or time to take care of it, we may have found the perfect solution – you can just grow it in a pot!
Pears buddha
One day, a Chinese farmer named Xianzhang Hao managed to grow pears in the shape of a Buddha. These fruits sell for $ 8 each. People believe that they buy luck with the pear. This belief comes from an ancient Chinese myth: according to legend, eating fruit in the shape of a Buddha guarantees immortality.
Stapelia
Stapelia is a type of succulent stem plant that is primarily found in South Africa. It looks like a hairy starfish, smells like rotten when in bloom and is generally quite unsympathetic. Only insects and botanical enthusiasts like it.
Hydnor African
Hydnora Africana cannot be confused with another plant: it has no leaves, no chlorophyll, and it is 100% parasitic and perennial. And in general, it looks like a dried cracked pumpkin, forgotten by someone in the middle of the savannah. Hydnora grows under a layer of mud, and appears on the surface only when it blooms.