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Certainly to classify the top ten most rare flowers
isn’t easy especially since, according to scientists, more than 270,000
types of flowers exist (which doesn’t include the 10 to 15% of
unclassified flowers in remote regions of the world). Of those that are
rare, here are not only the top ten rarest flowers, but the ten with
unquestionably the most interesting stories.
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10. Campion
Only found in Gibraltar, the Campion was once thought to be extinct by
the scientific community in 1992, when all traces of the plant vanished.
Then in 1994, a single specimen was discovered by a climber hiking on
the high cliffs of Gibraltar. It was propagated at the Millennium Seed
Bank and specimens are now grown at the Almeda Gibraltar Botanic
Gardens, as well as at the Royal Botanic Gardens in London. For hanging
in there on the solitary cliffs of Gibraltar waiting to be found, the
Campion flower comes in at number 10. |
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9. The Jade Vine
The Jade Vine, known for its spectacular blue-green, claw-shaped
flowers, produces a hanging inflorescence of color seldom seen in any
other flower. The flower is pollinated by bats which will hang upside
down to drink the nectar. These rare flowers are now hardly seen in the
wild and are believed to be threatened by the deforestation of their
natural habitat in the Philippines. For its beauty to botanists and bats
alike, the Jade Vine comes in at number 9. |
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8. Parrot’s Beak
Classified as exceedingly rare since 1884, the Parrot’s Beak flower is
believed to be extinct in the wild, though some individuals believe it
may still be alive. The plant is native to the Canary Islands and is
believed to have been originally pollinated by sunbirds which have long
gone extinct. Experiments have been done to see if the flowers could
have found new pollinators but, as of 2008, none of these experiments
have been successful. For all the efforts made to take this one back
home, the Parrot’s Beak flower makes number 8 on our list of the rarest
flowers. |
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7. Chocolate Cosmos
You may have seen Chocolate orchids, but have you ever seen or gotten a
whiff of Chocolate Cosmos? It is a flower native to Mexico that has been
extinct in the wild for over 100 years. Still, the species survives as a
single, non-fertile clone created in 1902 by propagation. The flowers
are a rich deep-brown color and grow to about 3-4 cm in diameter. As the
name suggests, Chocolate Cosmos emit a delicious vanillin fragrance in
the summer (also found in vanilla beans, some coffee beans and some
cocoa beans). For being so rare and almost sweet enough to eat, the
Chocolate Cosmos comes in at number 7. |
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6. Koki’o
Another rare flower comes from a tree in Hawaii. Discovered in 1860, the
Koki’o tree has proven difficult to propagate and, in 1950, was deemed
extinct. However, 20 years later a sole survivor was found, but was
destroyed in a fire in 1978. As luck would have it, one of the branches
was saved and grafted into 23 different trees in various places in
Hawaii. The tree grows to 10-11 meters high and has hundreds of bright,
red flowers that mature trees produce annually. As a flower so willing
to adapt, the Koki’o flower comes in at number 6.
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5. Kadupul Flower
This flower is easily cultivated, but is rare for the sole reason that
it blooms so rarely. They are found in Sri Lanka in the wild and have
spiritual significance to Buddhists. When they do bloom, they bloom only
at night and then mysteriously wither before dawn. According to
Buddhists, it is believed that when the flower blooms, the Nagas
(semi-mythical Sri Lankan tribes) descend from their heavenly abodes to
present the flower as a gift to Buddha. The flowers are oddly scented
and produce delicate, white flowers. The flower also has a rich history
in Japan where its name can be translated as “Beauty under the Moon.”
For a flower so shy about blooming and so highly thought of, they take
notice on the list at number 5.
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4. Ghost Orchid
Not only rare but fascinating, the Ghost Orchid is a plant that was
presumed to be extinct for almost 20 years and only recently
materialized again. The plant is so rare because it is near-impossible
to propagate. It has no leaves and does not use photosynthesis to
manufacture its own food. It, like the Lady Slipper mentioned below,
needs a specific fungus in close contact with its root system to feed
it. The Ghost Orchid can live underground for years and is only found in
forests in Cuba, and another variety, in Florida. The flowers emit
fragrant odors and bloom between the months of June and August. In Cuba
they grow on cypress trees in which they appear to float like ghosts,
thus the name. They can only be pollinated here by the giant sphinx moth
and if their seeds land on a specific moss. For being so selective as to
their growing conditions, the Ghost Orchid drifts in at number 4.
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3. Yellow and Purple Lady Slippers
A rare wild orchid once found across Europe, Yellow and Purple Lady
Slippers are now growing in Britain, but in only one odd location: a
golf course. It has been under strict police protection since 1917 in
order to preserve it from people (and golf balls of course). A single
cutting can be sold for $5,000 US, which is unheard of considering how
the plant is very difficult to propagate. Another rare Lady Slipper
flower (Cypripedium reginae) is just as difficult to propagate; even
Charles Darwin failed to successfully cultivate it. The seeds of the
flower provide no nourishment for the growing plant and so it lives in a
symbiotic relationship with a specific type of fungus that nourishes it.
Once the plant has reached maturity, the fungus lives off the adult
plant. The flower has dark purple to almost red-brown tendrils and
bright-yellow “slipper or moccasin” shaped flowers. For being so rare,
so temperamental, and so fungus-friendly, the Yellow and Purple Lady
Slippers dance in at number 3.
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2. Youtan Poluo
Discovered by a Chinese farmer named Mr. Ding when he found it growing
in his steel pipes, and then later by a Chinese nun named Lushan who
found it growing under her washing machine, the mysterious Youtan Poluo
has no scientific name and is made up of 28 pieces of minuscule, white
sweet-smelling flowers measuring a mere 1mm. It is a flower that has
been mentioned in Indian myth and was believed to only bloom when the
Sage King of the future visits the present world. In Sanskrit the name
means “an auspicious flower from heaven”. The flower is also mentioned
in Buddhist scriptures and botanical experts say that the flower only
blooms once every 3000 years (now how would they know that?). For
blooming but every 3 millenniums, the Youtan Poluo flower is quite a
wonder at number 2.
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1. The Corpse Flower
Native to Sumatra, this rare and striking plant has flowers that reach
up to 6 feet in height and 3 feet in diameter. The Corpse Flower is
found on low-lying rainforest floors in Indonesia and looks like
something out of the prehistoric age (or perhaps a Star Trek episode).
It is considered the world’s rarest, largest, and most endangered
flower. Also known as Rafflesia, its survival is interdependent with the
Tetrastigma vine. Bodiless, stemless, leafless and rootless, it requires
the vine for its nourishment and support. It emits a pungent rotten
flesh smell (hence the name, “Corpse Flower”) which attracts flies and
beetles to pollinate it. The flower blooms for about a week before
dying. For breaking the stereotype of all that a flower is or should be,
the Corpse Flower comes in at number 1 for the world’s most rare flower.
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