9 of the Weirdest Flowers in the World

Welcome to the fascinating world of flowers, where beauty and strangeness intertwine. Some flowers are beautiful, others are heavenly scented, and some… are just plain weird. Mother Nature has a sense of humour, as you’ll find out with these unusual flowers. You’re wondering what makes these flowers unique? Let’s find out – here are 9 of the weirdest flowers on Earth. While we often associate flowers with delicate petals and sweet fragrances, nature never fails to surprise us with its eccentric creations. From blooms that mimic animals to others that emit peculiar odours, these nine extraordinary flowers will take you on a journey into the weird and wonderful corners of botanical diversity. Get ready to be amazed as we delve into the mysterious realm of some of the most bizarre and captivating plants Mother Earth has ever produced.

Bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis)

About the flower:

• Species: Lamprocapnos spectabilis
• Common names: Bleeding heart, lyre-flower, fallopian buds, Asian bleeding-heart
• Native to: Siberia, China, and northern Japan. Introduced in North America

Bleeding hearts usually come in pink and white colours. They are in the shape of a heart with a drop at the bottom. They look adorable, like a bunch of hearts dangling in the air.

Bleeding hearts were quite popular during ‌Victorian times and could be spotted in many gardens. Artists even incorporated the bleeding hearts into patterns and designs during that era. If you’d like to have a fairy garden, then this flower is definitely for you.

They usually grow about a metre, give or take a few centimetres. They’re shade-loving plants. The bleeding heart flowers like cooler weather, so when summer starts to kick in, they’ll slowly go dormant until the winter comes back. When they begin to die off, you need to cut them back all the way to the base. When the weather gets cooler, you’ll see how they just pop back up.

The branches are easy to break, so you need to be careful with them when you’re transplanting them. They also like the soil to stay moist. Not too wet and soggy, but wet enough so that the roots wouldn’t dry out.

Naked man orchid (Orchis Italica)

About the flower:

• Species: Orchis Italica
• Common names: Italian orchid, Naked man orchid
• Native to: The Mediterranean Basin

Orchis Italica is a rather unusual orchid. The flowers resemble little naked people with small smiling faces. For obvious details, it got its common name – Naked Man Orchid. To give a little bit of background, the genus Orchis draws its name from ancient Greek and means “testicle”.

This flower is native to the Mediterranean region. You can find it in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Serbia, Greece, the Aegean islands, Turkey, Cyprus, Malta, Syria, Jordan, and northern Africa.

It grows at altitudes of up to 1,300m and typically prefers areas of direct sunlight. It will also flourish in a wide range of soil types, as long as it has adequate drainage. The unique rosettes of the Orchis Italica grow atop stalks that are commonly 20-50 cm high.

The primary colours of the blooms include a whitish-pink, but on occasion, display a bright purple as well.

‌Orchis Italica most commonly appears in fertile meadows or light forests. It typically blooms between March and May and grows in large groupings. Not every bloom displays the eye-like pattern that we mentioned above. The plants also produce edible tubers.

Parrot flower (Impatiens Psittacina)

About the flower:

• Species: Impatiens Psittacina
• Common names: Parrot flower, Parrot balsam
• Native to: Southeast Asia; Thailand, Burma, and parts of India

The Parrot flower is a species of Balsam that looks like a parrot. Its scientific name is Impatiens Psittacina. It is a very rare species. It was first found in Burma in the 19th century. The flower thrives in the wildland of Thailand, Myanmar (Burma) and South-East India.

The Thai Government has forbidden the export of seeds of Parrot Balsam which has increased the sale of fake seeds.

Interesting fact is that scientists don’t know the pollinator of the plant. This makes the parrot balsam impossible to grow by gardeners. Scientists speculate that it’s some type of bird or a bat that has a tongue long enough to reach inside the flower. Others think it’s some type of a specific bee or wasp species.

Chocolate orchid (Oncidium Sharry Baby)

About the flower:

• Species: Oncidium Sharry Baby
• Common names: Chocolate Orchid, Sharry Baby orchids
• Native to: South America, Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies

The Sharry Baby orchids look like small babies with arms up to give you a hug. This species is a mix of two types of Oncidiums and it’s a favourite to many people for it’s delightful smell of chocolate. It can be found in South America, Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies.

The chocolate orchid can grow singly or in a group. The flowering period continues from August until early September.

Duck orchid (Caleana)

About the flower:

• Species: Caleana major & Caleana minor
• Common names: Duck orchid
• Native to: Western Australia; Eastern Australia and New Zealand

The duck orchid, as you can guess from its name, is a flower that looks like a duck. It has little wings that point backwards and a small body (plus a head and a beak). From a plant’s point of view, things get even crazier.

Any sort of insect can pollinate most flowers, but the duck orchid needs a specific pollinator – a male sawfly. The male sawfly thinks that the duck orchid looks like a female sawfly, so it comes down to saying hello. In doing so, the flower triggers a reaction and snaps shut, trapping the sawfly inside, which can be a dangerous place on a hot day. As the sawfly squirms its way out of the flower, it pollinates it, giving the flower what it wants.

However, it tends to leave a little frustrated not knowing exactly what has happened. Of course, the duck orchid reopens after that. The process takes about one hour on a hot day.

There are two types of duck orchids:

• Caleana major – Western Australia
• Caleana minor – Eastern Australia and New Zealand

The duck orchid is powered by the sun. Water is heated within the flowers until it puts pressure on some of the petals, much like a snap trap. When something comes along and lands on the flower, it snaps it up.

Snapdragon (Antirrhinum)

About the flower:

• Species: Antirrhinum
• Common names: Dragon flowers, Snapdragon
• Native to: Western North America, Western Mediterranean region, North Africa

The Snapdragon plant is a popular garden plant among avid gardeners. But little do people know, the beautiful flowers, when dried up hide ominous-looking seed pods that resemble skulls. The dragon flower derives its name from the resemblance of a dragon’s head. The plant can handle colder weather pretty well.

You can propagate the plant easily from seed. You can plant them in the autumn and let them grow all summer long.

Monkey orchid (Dracula Simia)

About the flower:

• Species: Dracula Simia
• Common names: Monkey orchid, Monkey-like Dracula
• Native to: Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru

Many people think that the photos of the Monkey Orchid are photoshopped, but they are as real as they can be. The scientific name of this rare flower is Dracula simia. The first part of it is hinting at the resemblance between its two long spurs to the fangs of the famous vampire count, and the second meaning “monkey” in Latin.

The Monkey Orchid grows in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru at an elevation of between 1,000 and 2,000 metres above sea level. In its natural habitat, the plant can flower throughout the whole year. It is hard to be grown in “captivity” but there are some lucky collectors who have succeeded. Although you might think that the Monkey Orchid smells like bananas, its fragrance actually reminds you of ripe oranges. Ironic, right?

Swaddled babies (Anguloa Uniflora)

About the flower:

• Species: Anguloa uniflora
• Common names: Swaddled babies
• Native to: Andes regions around Venezuela, Columbia, and Ecuador

The Swaddled Babies Orchid is one of the smaller species of orchids. The plant grows up to a height of 18-24 inches only. One can see pseudobulbs that are conical in shape just below this orchid’s thin and pleated leaves.

However, the highlight of this orchid, without a doubt, is its complex flower that looks like a baby cuddler and is wrapped inside a swaddling cloth. The flowers are unusually large in comparison to the size of the plant.

These amazing flowers are often a creamy colour or completely white and are wavy. Another interesting fact about these flowers is that they are incredibly fragrant. They usually bloom during the spring.

Hot lips (Psychotria elata)

About the flower:

• Species: Psychotria elata
• Common names: Flower lips, Hot lips, The kissable flower
• Native to: Central and South America

This gorgeous pair of luscious red lips belongs to the Psychotria elata. It’s also referred to as “flower lips”. “Hot lips” or “The kissable flower”. It is native to the rainforests of Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama and Ecuador. Unfortunately, due to the uncontrolled deforestation in those countries, the flower may become extinct soon.

The shape of the flower is not only responsible for its name but also for its ability the attract more pollinators, butterflies and hummingbirds. Bright flowers of this plant are particularly attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies, which are involved in the process of pollination. This plant blooms several times a year.

Do you have any favourite weird flowers? You can tell us in the comments below!