Amazing Data

In the plant kingdom, there are definitely some species that most people would acknowledge are highly strange.

1 – Wolffia angusta

World’s Smallest Flowering PlantWolffia angusta: the world’s smallest flower. A dozen plants would easily fit on the head of a pin and two plants in full bloom will fit inside a small printed letter “o.”Source

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2 – Amorphophallus

The Corpse Flower – Worst smelling flowerBy far one of the hardest flowers to grow outside of its natural habitat, the Amorphophallus hails from the rainforests os Sumatra.
The reason for it`s name it smells like a rotting corpse. Amorphophallus: means, literally, “shapeless male genetalia.” Source

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3 – Rafflesia arnoldii

The biggest flower in the worldRafflesia arnoldii a very rare flower that can be found in the rainforests of Indonesia. It has the world’s largest bloom, that can grow up to 3 feet across and may weigh up to 15 pounds, has no visible leaves, roots or stem.
Rafflesia arnoldii is actually a parasite that attaches to a host plant for water and nutrients and while in bloom emits an odor similar to rotten meat. This is how it attracts insects that pollinate the plant. Source

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4 – Welwitschia mirabilis

The weirdest terrestrial organism
The plant Welwitschia mirabilis gets my vote for the weirdest terrestrial organism. Science fiction has never come up with any Martian to rival this plant. It has a low trunk and two leaves that sprawl on the Namib gravel for the entire life of the plant, which can span many hundreds of years.
Its estimated lifespan is 400 to 1500 years. If this weren’t enough, Welwitschia is a gymnosperm related to Mormon Tea (Ephedra) and produces seeds in cones, not from flowers. An individual Welwitschia plant produces either male or female cones, but never both.Source

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5 – Hydnora africana

Hydnora africana, an unusual flesh-colored, parasitic flower that attacks the nearby roots of shrubby in arid deserts of South Africa. The putrid-smelling blossom attracts herds of carrion beetles.Source

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Fake?

Another picture I got from dnhs74.com purportedly sent 2 pics of very strange looking desert plants. They did not give them names though, which made me a little bit suspicious as to their authenticity.Source

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