Flowers come in all shapes, sizes and colours and some are more well-known than others. Roses, lilies and carnations are popular choices when choosing fresh flowers for your home or a loved one, but how about trying something a bit different? We’ve put together our top ten favourite bizarre yet brilliant flowers, ranging from the exotic to the downright weird!
Passion flower
The striking blade-like petals of the passion flower, also known as passiflora, are what give it its unique shape. Ranging in colours from vivid purple to bright pink, passion flowers are widely grown for the fruit that they produce.
Living Stone
Also known as lithops, these strange flowers are members of the Aizoaceae family. Native to southern Africa, these flowers resemble rocks and stones, hence their name. The petals of the flower are grey or brown and fused together to form an oval shape, protecting the vital parts underneath.
Desert Pea
Desert Pea, also known as Swainsona Formosa, was named after an English botanist, Isaac Swainson, and is recognised by its vibrant red petals and black centre. Aside from its unique look, the Desert Pea is also unusual for the number of common names it has been known by, including Blood flower, Dampier pea, Beautiful Donia and Australian glory pea.
Stapelia flavopurpurea
This flower is one of 40 species of stapelia, which are native to South Africa, with some varieties known to grow to more than 16 inches in diameter when fully opened. It’s dark red colour and shape is said to represent rotting meat to attract insects for pollination.
Cannonball flower
These unusual flowers grow on the Cannonball Tree which is an evergreen tree related to the Brazil nut. The distinctive flowers sprout direct from stalks on the tree trunk and are a mixture of fiery orange and bright yellow.
African daisy
This beautiful spiky flower comes from Africa and as such, prefers direct sunlight to grow properly. They are popular with gardeners as the bright colours of the petals attract many different types of insect.
Gloriosa
This delightful tropical flower is also known as the Flame Lily, due to its upright, bright red petals. However, the vivid colours are there as a warning to unwary gardeners; the gloriosa is very toxic and can cause severe reactions if handled or eaten.
Bat flower
Named due to its resemblance to the flying mammal, the bat flower, or tacca chantrieri, is commonly thought to be black in colour. Actually, it is dark brown or dark purple in colour, although some varieties do grow in white.
Pitcher plant
Not a flower technically, but we just had to include the Pitcher Plant; a member of the carnivorous plant family. Insects are lured to the plant by its sweet aroma and then become trapped inside the ‘pitcher’, where they are slowly digested.
Corpse flower
We can’t have a top 10 bizarre flowers without including the impressive Titan Arum or ‘corpse flower’. It has the largest flower head in the world and emits a smell of rotting flesh to attract pollinating insects, making it part of a group of flowers known as ‘carrion flowers.’
Source: Interflora – Top 10 Bizarre Yet Brilliant Flowers
