Nature’s weird and wonderful plants (Part 2)

Last week, you may have seen our blog on some of our favourite truly bizarre plants from across the world. In the second and final part, we have even more of the weird and wonderful to share with you!

Wood’s Cycad (Encephalartos woodii)

It’s one of the rarest plants in the world: a tall, palm-like tree with dark, glossy leaves that is extinct in the wild. The species was discovered in a small area of the Ngoya Forest in 1895, and years later offsets were collected for cultivation in the Durban Botanic Garden, where they survive to this day. In addition to its rarity, the striking appearance of the Wood’s Cycad makes it one of the most sought-after cycad species in the world.

_{Purves, M. [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons}

Waterwheel Plant (Aldorovanda vesiculosa)

Aldorovanda vesiculosa, commonly known as the waterwheel plant, is a remarkable aquatic carnivorous plant from the family Droseraceae. The species captures small aquatic invertebrates using traps that are similar to those of the Venus flytrap, arranged in whorls around a central, free-floating stem. Each trap is covered in trigger hairs that cause them to close when stimulated, making it one of the few plants capable of rapid movement.

_{Jan Wieneke [GNU-FDL (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl-1.3.en.html), via Wikimedia Commons}

Snowdonia Hawkweed (Hieracium snowdoniense)

It may not be smelly, oversized or unusual looking, but the Snowdonia hawkweed may well be one of the world’s rarest plants! Botanists believed it had become extinct in the early 1950s as a result of overgrazing, but in 2002 it was rediscovered growing on a steep mountain slope in Wales.

_{By Konstantin Ryabitsev from Montréal, Canada (Flickr) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons}

Fork-leaved Sundew (Drosera binate)

Drosera binate is a unique sundew that is naturally found in Australia and New Zealand. Its specific epithet is Latin for “having pairs” – a reference to its leaves which are narrow and forked. The carnivorous species is known for its ability to become a large insect-catching ‘bush’ and will produce small pink or white flowers.

_{Noah Elhardt [CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons}

Devil’s Hand (Chiranthodendron pentadactylon)

We have to admit, when we first saw the hand-shaped blooms of this tree, we were a little spooked! The species is native to Guatemala and southern Mexico, where trees can reach anywhere between 34 and 90 ft. in height. Its distinctive flowers appear in late spring and early summer; the five stamens are long, bright red and curved upward, giving the appearance of a clawed hand. Creepy!

_{Stan Shebs [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons}

Western Underground Orchid (Rhizanthella gardneri)

This unusual orchid spends its entire life underground, even remaining below the surface when it flowers in late May and early June. The white leafless plant produces a flower head consisting of over 100 tightly packed, tiny flowers and emits a strong but sweet fragrance. As the species can’t obtain the sun’s energy, it instead feeds on the broom honeymyrtle and fungus for nutrients and carbon dioxide.

_{By Jean and Fred Hort (Flickr: Underground Orchid) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons}