These little beauties are one of the rarest flowers around and prove quite hard to find even for the most determined plant collector. Nicknamed for their resemblance to dancing ladies in dresses, these tiny flowers are native to East Africa and come in white and light pink. The plant itself is quite petite, growing to just about one foot across and bearing blooms that max out at ½” long. Dancing Girls trail and climb, so they make lovely additions to hanging planters where you can enjoy their fabulous flowers at eye-level. Dancing Girls will root wherever they touch the soil, and they make excellent indoor plants if you can find one.

Nope, you’re not seeing things, that’s a plant, not a monster! This South African subterranean plant is truly one of the most bizarre plants on Earth. Despite its crazy look, it’s actually semi-common in the arid regions of South Africa. The Hydnora africana also called Jackal Food by the locals, has no visible leaves, roots or chlorophyll. It is strictly a parasitic, underground plant whose flowers take nearly one year to emerge from the ground. Despite its monstrous look and disgusting scent, the Hydnora africana produces tasty berries that are just delicious when baked over an open fire. The fruit also has astringent properties and has been used for preserving fishnets, for tanning, and infused in face wash as an acne treatment.

This happy little guy gets its name from its uncanny resemblance to a smiling bumblebee; that is if bumblebees could smile. Its name comes from the Greek word “Ophrys” meaning eyebrow, perhaps referring to the fuzzy bits around the edge of the flower. The Bee Orchid is widespread across Europe the Middle East and even North Africa. However, it’s becoming more and more scarce because the propagation process is so complicated. You see, the Bee Orchid requires a symbiotic relationship with a particular type of fungus to successfully grow, making transplanting tough. This orchid is more clever than it appears; the flowers are almost exclusively self-pollinating in the northern ranges, but the colouring and shape of the flower mimic the look and smell of a female bee which entices male bees towards it to mate, thus expediting the pollination process!

Too cute! These tulip orchids, nicknamed Swaddled Babies, were discovered in the Colombian Andes between 1777-1788 during a ten-year expedition but weren’t named and officially classified until 1798. During certain times of the plant’s blooming stage, the flowers’ unique shapes resemble that of a baby all wrapped up in white swaddling. Their tempting scent attracts insects to the hinged lip of the petal where the unsuspecting creatures are shoved into the column, where a pack of pollen then attaches itself to their abdomens, increasing pollination.

If you’ve never seen a Parrot Flower before you’re not alone. The Parrot Flower, a Thailand native, is classified as endangered and therefore not allowed to leave the country. The neat thing about the flower of this rare species of balsam is that when you look at its side profile, it looks just like a parrot or cockatoo in flight! Funny thing is, when images of this flower began to circulate across the Internet they were dismissed as being “digitally manipulated” or Photoshopped because very few people had actually seen one since they are so extremely rare in the wild, and it’s illegal to remove them

If you’ve ever had any doubt as to whether or not a flower is a living creature, here’s the proof! Many gardeners and horticulturists are fond of Snapdragons for their bright colors and fragrance—not to mention if you squeeze the sides of a Snapdragon flower it looks like a dragon’s mouth opening and closing— but not so many gardeners and horticulturists know about the dragon skulls that are left once the Snapdragon has gone to seed! Interestingly enough, in ancient times, people believed Snapdragons held mystical powers, and that and that growing them in one’s garden would protect one’s home from curses and evil. These tiny, perfect little skulls are quite a reminder of the circle of life, wouldn’t you say?

This fowl orchid is just too cute! Native to Australia, this orchid’s unique shape helps increase its pollination. Sawflies are attracted to its scent and land on the “bill”, where their weight forces them down and inside the flower, temporarily curling the “bill” down and in. From there, the only way out is through a pollen-laden section of the flower where the sawfly finds and then emerges from. You’d think such a unique looking flower would be easy to find. However, it’s reddish brownish colouring makes it blend right into the Australian bush. Want to add the Flying Duck Orchid to your home greenhouse? Sorry! This flower only grows in the wild, in Australia, and has never been propagated. Why you ask? Because in order to grow, it depends symbiotically on a particular type of vegetative fungus that only grows in Australia. It’s an excellent excuse to go on a vacation, though!

The moon orchid is one of Indonesia’s three national flowers the flower of charm, the other two are Jasminum sambac and Rafflesia arnoldii. Usually, in nature, the stripings and markings on flowers are evolved to either mimic larger animals in order to scare away predators, or to resemble the genitals of insects in order to attract the most significant number of pollinators and propagate. In this case, the Moon Orchid’s stripes look almost exactly like that of a tiger! Makes you wonder what kind animals this lovely little flower is trying to scare off.

Some call it Darwin’s Slipper, other the Happy Alien, and still more call them Chamber Maids. But no matter what name they go by, these crazy little mountain flowers are truly one of a kind. Originally discovered by Darwin between 1831 and 1836, the Chamber Maids love cold weather and can still be found in profusion in Tierra del Fuego, South America. The little white “plate” section of the flower tantalises local birds who eat it and, in doing so, gather pollen on their heads and in turn aid in the pollination of the plant. If you’re on the lookout for this plant be sure to look low; the only grow to be about 4 inches tall with blooms of just 2 inches long.

The Passion Flower has more than 400 different varieties and is known as the Clock Flower in India and Japan. When it was first encountered by Spanish missionaries, it was given its name because of its likeness to elements in the story of Jesus’s crucifixion which is also called “The Passion.” The Passion Flower produces an incredible scent that’s used commercially as well as a tasty fruit, which is used in flavourings for a number of different culinary dishes. Did you know that the Passion Flower is a food source for caterpillars and butterflies and is regularly grown on butterfly farms? Neat!