6. The worlds biggest flower the Rafflesia is also called the Stinking Corpse Lily. Its nicknames the Stinking Corpse Lilly because it gives of an odor that smells like rotting meat to attract flies. This plant is a carnivore just like the Venus Fly Trap.
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11. These are Pink Lady’s Slippers in Clay County, North Carolina. The flower is a member of the orchid family. It prefers highly acidic soil, the kind that occurs commonly in pine forests. It also requires that a fungal mycelia be present in the soil, making it very difficult to cultivate the plant. It thrives in the eastern third of the nation, but while it is common in some areas, it is rare in others.
12. The black bat flower in Yunnan Province, China is exceptionally rare and quite beautiful. The flowers can reach over 12″ in diameter and each bloom typically has many “ whiskers ” that can grow to two feet or more in length. The rare and beautiful Green Jade flower in South Africa of is distinct for its blue-green petals and navy-purple center. It looks like a fuschia plant on an acid trip.
13. According to the USDA , water hemlock or poison parsnip is “the most violently toxic plant in North America”. The flowers and stems are safe, but the stalky roots contain chambers that are full of a deadly sap containing the convulsant cicutoxin. Grand mal seizures are followed by a quick death if even a tiny amount is consumed.
17. Algae cells have been found to produce extremely high amounts of oil. These tiny organisms may hold the key to a renewable energy revolution. Scientists and energy companies are studying this type of energy as a viable alternative to gas and diesel.
18. Hydnora Africana bears no resemblance to normal flowers except for its bright salmon to orange red color on the inside. White bait bodies that are found on the inner base of the flowers play a very important role in the life cycle of the plant. They omit a putrid odor to attract various carrion beetles and other insects which become trapped in the flowers. Numerous stiff bristles are found on the inner surface of the perianth lobes which restrain the trapped insect from escaping. After feeding on the bait bodies, the trapped insect drops down the flower tube.