Top Ten Rare and Unusual Beautiful Flowers in the World
Flowers are the adornment nature brings to the world, and the flowers we commonly see in daily life are only a small part of it. Many of the world's rarest and most beautiful flowers have never been seen by most people in their entire lives. Some flowers only exist in the wild, while others are simply too rare. These beautiful flowers are unique existences, and irreplaceable.
1. Sri Lanka Cactus Flower
It is said that the Sri Lanka cactus flower is an extremely rare bloom. Its flowers only open at night for 1 to 2 hours, and the dates on which it blooms follow no pattern whatsoever; all that is known is that it blooms in summer. Unless you stay awake around the clock keeping watch, it is very hard to see this beautiful flower.
2. Ghost Orchid
The flowers of the ghost orchid look somewhat like spiders. This plant is extremely particular about its growing environment, and can only grow under certain conditions in the wild; it is basically impossible to cultivate artificially. That is why the ghost orchid is so rare, and since this flower has no leaves, it is all the harder to find.
3. Parrot's Beak Impatiens
Parrot's beak impatiens is one of the world's rarest and most beautiful flowers. The flower looks exactly like a parrot's beak and is native to the Canary Islands. Today the number of these flowers continues to decline, and they are already protected by law.
4. Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora)
Indian pipe is crystalline and translucent all over, a flower akin to a ghost. This is a saprophytic flower that only blooms where there are decaying corpses, so people also call it the flower of death. This flower has no leaves and is extremely rare. Legend says it is a magical herb that can bring the dead back to life, or a poison that can kill a person.
5. Nymphaea 'Tropical Blue' (Sleeping Fire Lotus)
The sleeping fire lotus is a very delicate flower. It is extremely beautiful, but it blooms for only seven days each year. The outer part of the sleeping fire lotus has purple petals, while the center has a golden receptacle just like the usual color of flames, making it very rare.
6. Udumbara Flower
The udumbara flower is only 1 millimeter in diameter, an extremely small flower, with pale white color and a stem as fine as a hair. Like the night-blooming cereus, this flower only opens at night. It is a legendary flower of the highest heavenly realm, and because its blossoms are pale white without gaudy color, it is also called the Buddhist flower.
7. Campion Flower
The campion flower is a flower that was once declared extinct. Its flowering period is very short, and it also blooms at night. In 1992 it was thought to be extinct, but in 1994 a climber discovered that this flower still existed. Today this flower survives only in Gibraltar and in a botanical garden in London.
8. King Protea
The king protea is the national flower of the Republic of South Africa. Its blooms are very large, and its flower shape is so unusual that it holds the title of king of flowers. This flower also has a very long flowering period and can stay in bloom for a long time without fading, and it is called the most luxurious and magnificent flower in the world.
9. Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia)
The bird of paradise is called the paradise bird abroad; in China it is named after the crane to keep it down to earth. The appearance of this flower is extremely unusual, just like a crane raising its head to look into the distance. The receptacle of the bird of paradise looks exactly like a crane's beak, while the flower and stamens resemble the crane's crown, which is how it got the name bird of paradise.
10. Jade Vine
The jade vine is also called emerald vine. This flower is very unusual, blue-green in color and shaped like a claw, and it is very hard to see in the wild. The jade vine is mainly distributed in the Philippines, but due to reckless logging and deforestation there it has become extremely rare.