Exotic Flowers
They can be found in blistering deserts, remote tropical rainforests, on little-known islands separated eons ago from the earth's primordial continents, or as James Joyce has put it, anywhere else "where the hand of man never set foot." We are talking of course about exotic plants, those strange beings that sometimes make botany seem like science fiction.
There are orchids that lure wasps into neatly sprung traps, and unseen parasites composed of myriad threads that send out giant blooms from within the tissue of their victims. With exotic flowers it seems that nothing is impossible and everything is astonishing.
Few fields of scientific study are so able to inspire wonder and awe as the world of exotic flowers. If you're looking to grow some exotic plants of your own, or just desiring to indulge your curiosity, the articles listed below will stimulate your mind and senses. Enjoy your tour of the world’s most exotic plants.
Lotus flower history
The legend of the Lotus flower is as old as civilization itself – and probably older. Stories of the Lotus-eaters and the Lotus worshippers of pre-historic times survived as oral tales and rude drawings until the Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Greeks, in their golden ages revived the myth and the power of this mystical bloom.
Immortality
Growing in slow moving stream beds, ponds and oases since time immemorial, the Lotus flower would disappear in months of drought and then magically, or so it would seem, reappear at the first rains. The primitive people of the world came to associate the Lotus with immortality. In modern times the Lotus, or more commonly, the water lily serves as a wonderful accent to water gardens, streams and ponds in nature, and as a wonderfully versatile flower for displays and celebrations. Though the Lotus may seem to be more prosaic in this modern era, all of us still sense the unique history and allure of this flower.
Divinity
In Christianity the Lotus is associated with the divine nature of the Christ. In the East, the lotus is a symbol of the enlightenment of the Buddha. In the Hindu traditions, many of the gods and messengers of the gods are depicted in statues and paintings, seated on a Lotus flower. It’s symbolism of mystic and spiritual truth is a universal, shared concept in almost all cultures where the Lotus is known.
White or pink in its original colors, Lotus flowers originated in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus River valley on the Indian subcontinent. Or at least such is the documented source of the Lotus. Used as religious symbol, funerary offering or celebratory garland the Lotus flower has become an intrinsic part of mankind’s life and philosophy.
Healing
The Lotus flower was also considered to have medicinal, healing attributes. Some used it to heal fevers, relieve pain, close wounds, or to still the troubled mind. Other times saw the Lotus flower used as a part of the treatment of sick or injured animals. And still more uses were found for the Lotus flower as a base for fine perfumes and healing oils.
Artists have found much inspiration in the delicate beauty of the Lotus flower’s blossoms. As they open in the evening or at dawn – depending on the variety, the Lotus faces each day with beauty and a sense of mystery. Its delicate pure colors make the Lotus flower the perfect subject. From Ancient Egypt to Gustav Klimt, the Lotus flower is the essence of artistic beauty.
Rare plants & where they grow
In rainforests, deserts, and secluded islands, strange things are growing.
Botany offers many pleasures. Among them are the quiet satisfaction of watching living things grow from seed and the visual splendor of a field of wildflowers. And then there are the freak shows, rare plants so unique and strange that they seem the stuff of science fiction. Rare plants restore our sense of wonder while reminding us of the urgent need for environmental conservation. The following rare plants are just a few of the many biological wonders the world keeps tucked away in its remoter corners.
Rafflesia arnoldii
Rafflesia arnoldii holds the distinction of producing the world's largest single flower. Aside from photos, the chances of seeing it are miniscule, and not just because these rare plants are found only in the rainforests of Southeast Asia, particularly Borneo and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Rafflesia's bloom lasts less than a week, but when it appears it is over three feet across, weighs nearly 25 pounds, and smells like rotting fish.
Rafflesia is actually a parasite that does not have any visible leaves, roots, or stems. It is composed of small threads that grow within the tissue of other plants, specifically vines of the Tetrastigma genus. When Rafflesia displays its reddish-brown flower, the stem is the tissue of its victim.
Welwitschia
Strange things grow in the desert, but perhaps none stranger than Welwitschia mirabilis. The first thing one notices about Welwitschia is its odd appearance. It looks like a giant, tattered green flower tossed down from the sky to die on the desert ground.
These rare plants are composed of nothing but two leaves, a stem base, and roots. Though torn to shreds, Welwitschia's two leaves will last a lifetime — a lifetime being 400 to 1,500 years — and eventually reach lengths of up to 12 feet.
Welwitschia grows in the Namib Desert along the southwest coast of Africa, specifically in the nations of Namibia and Angola, but rarely more than 100 miles from the coast. Some of its characteristics are unique even for rare plants. Welwitschia is the only plant in the world in which the stem's apical growth point stops at an early stage. The stem thus grows out, up, and away from the original dead apex, giving it a weird obconical or inverted cone shape.
Hydnora triceps
Hydnora triceps is the only known eudicot with hypogeous flowering. How terribly exciting, you say. Let's put that another way then, shall we? Hydnora triceps is the only one out of about 200,000 species of plants that bears its fruits and flowers underground. It's also unique among about 400,000 species of angiosperms in that it has no leaves or leaf-like structures.
Not only are H. triceps's rare plants, they're some of the rarest plants on the good side of extinction. H. triceps is native to southern Namibia and a small region south of the Orange River in South Africa. It is a subterranean parasite; only the tops of its flowers appear above ground. H. triceps produces no chlorophyll (unsurprising, considering how much sunshine it gets), and is thus dependent on its host for survival.
Much of what is known about this rare plant is attributable to Dr. Erika Maass of the University of Namibia and Dr. Lytton John Musselman of Old Dominion University.
The Island of Soqotra
Finally there are those isolated regions, lost worlds preserved through some accident of geology that contain numerous rare plants found nowhere else in the entire world. Soqotra (or Socotra as it's commonly spelled) is such a place.
Socotra is an archipelago of four islands in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia. The main island is also called Socotra, and is known as the island of the Dragon's Blood Tree. Of the 800 plant species in Socotra, about one-third are unique to the region, including the umbrella-shaped dragon tree, Dracaena cinnabari.
The Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, Scotland presented a Socotra exhibit from July 1 to October 29, of 2006.
Exotic house plants
A sampling of species that will exoticize your home.
The words "exotic" and "domestic" are seldom used synonymously, and with good reason. Domestic routines would devolve into chaos if exposed to the idiosyncrasies, the strange and singular exceptions that define the exotic. If there is a meeting place between the two worlds, it can be found in exotic house plants. That strange phrase "exotic house plants" is most often used to describe plants native to another part of the world. There lies the key to this paradoxical term: what is domestic in one region seems wholly exotic to another.
Ming aralia
Native to India and Polynesia, Ming aralia is an evergreen perennial that makes an excellent indoor tree. The species Polyscias fruticosa in particular is prized for its luxuriant, hanging foliage.
Ming aralia's compound leaves are dark green, about four inches long, and highly variable. Ovate or lanceolate in form, the leaves are attached to zigzagging stems that give Ming aralia a complicated, ornamental appearance, unusual even among exotic house plants.
These exotic house plants look tremendous when grown out to a height of seven or eight feet, or they can be kept trimmed for a less imposing ambience. Ming aralia grows slowly, but lives long and has few needs beyond moist soil and high lighting.
Polka dot plant
Native to Madagascar, polka dot plants look less like exotic house plants than home decorating accidents. Imagine a typical evergreen perennial, only with a bucket of pink paint spilled all over it. That's a polka dot plant.
Polka dot plants have gained favor as exotic house plants recently because of the work being done to create hybrids. The polka dot plant deserves the attention. It's easy to grow, reaching a maximum height of three feet. It enjoys rich, moist, well drained soil and bright light.
A common complaint about these exotic house plants is that they become leggy as they age. Pinching longer shoots will promote bushiness and keep your polka dot plant looking happily splattered.
Peace lily
Sometimes exotic house plants are both beautiful and useful. Such is the case with Spathiphyllum, or peace lily. The peace lily is cherished not only for its snowy white blooms, but also for its usefulness as an air purifier. A peace lily actually cleans the air by removing vaporized solvents, making it a decorator's favorite in public places such as malls and corporate offices.
Peace lilies prefer filtered light, and are a bit unusual in that they can flower even with lower light levels. As with most exotic house plants, water with room temperature water that does not contain chlorine. Keep your peace lily in a large pot, and be very sparing with fertilizer.
Cobra lily
Admit it. Ever since your first childhood viewing of Little Shop of Horrors , you've wanted to own one: a plant that eats things. But carnivorous plants are a true gardening challenge. The reason carnivorous plants eat bugs is that their natural soil lacks the nutrients they need to live. Imitating their native conditions is essential to keeping them healthy.
The cobra lily is a little easier to maintain than most carnivorous exotic house plants. The humidity level needn't be quite so high, but cobra lilies are accustomed to having cool water constantly running over their root system. Flush a cobra lily every day with distilled water, and never let its roots dry out.
The cobra lily grows up to a height of four feet, and its large root system dictates it be kept in large pots. Keep a cobra lily's root system cool, never fertilize, and plant it in living sphagnum moss, and you just might have success.
One last thing: you don't have to feed bugs to your cobra lily. But if you want to — and that seems to be the whole point of growing cobra lily — feed it freshly caught insects every six weeks.
Exotic flowers guide
Orchids, birds of paradise, flamingo lilies: are these exotic flowers or creatures frozen in mid-metamorphosis?
Say the phrase "exotic flowers" to most people and the first word that comes to mind will be "orchids." The Orchidaceae family is indeed the largest of the flowering plant families, with a mind-boggling variety of species (20,000 to 30,000) and hybrids. But for the sake of diversity — which orchids so clearly revere — we've singled out some other exotic flowers in addition to orchids that home gardeners might find to be a worthwhile challenge.
Anthurium
Anthurium andraeanum, or the flamingo lily, is an epiphytic evergreen tropical perennial native to Colombia and Ecuador. It can be grown in USDA hardiness zones 11 and 12, though it's grown throughout the U.S. as an indoor plant.
The flowers of the flamingo lily are composed of a yellow spike known as a spadix sticking straight up from a large, waxy red bract or modified leaf known as a spathe (typically about six inches in diameter). These exotic flowers look a bit like miniature versions of Titan arum, though they don't smell anything like the famous "Corpse Flower." Other exotic flowers in the Anthurium genus feature spathes colored white, orange, or pink.
When it's happy, flamingo lily flowers freely throughout the year. It prefers bright, indirect sun and consistent moisture.
Bird of paradise
A species in the genus Strelitzia, bird of paradise displays some of the most colorful exotic flowers in the world. S. reginae is the species properly known as bird of paradise. Its wing-like exotic flowers flaunt a dizzying blend of whites, oranges, blues, greens, and yellows.
Bird of paradise grows up to five feet tall, and if grown from seed, will take about five years or so to display its exotic flowers. If grown in a region where temperatures drop below 50 degrees, it should be kept indoors. Bird of paradise prefers full sun and moderate humidity.
Heliconia
For truly original looking exotic flowers, consider one of the many species of heliconia. Heliconia's exotic flowers are panicles, or loose branching clusters of flowers, usually long, and either erect or drooping in habit. With their hot, bright colors, they look like something you'd buy at a carnival and eat with dipping sugar.
Some of the most exotic flowers of the Heliconia genus can be found on H. psittacorum. The cultivar "Sassy" features panicles that are light green on the bottom and orange in the middle, with a black band just beneath the white tip.
Orchids
A great deal has been written about orchids in the past few years, but one of the joys of these exotic flowers is that there's always more to discover.
It seems counterintuitive that such a large and well-known flower family as Orchidaceae could still be considered mysterious and exotic. But then you might say that the orchid is the Johnny Depp of flowers, loved by the masses and the cognoscenti.
Which isn't to say that these exotic flowers don't have their nerd appeal also. Taxonomical phrases like Oncidium Alliance sound more like potential Star Trek movie subtitles than groups of related orchids. And it takes commitment to be able to reel off genus names like Odontoglossum, Paphiopedilum, and Cymbidium.
If we seem reluctant to dig into the details of these exotic flowers, it's only because there are so many. If there's one thing that orchids are not, it's typical. Some are terrestrials. Some are epiphytes. Some are lithophytes. Some orchids actually look like exotic flowers, while others appear to be experiments in alien DNA.
Orchids are a lifelong commitment, producing the sort of madness so famously documented in Susan Orlean's book The Orchid Thief. Orchids aren't so much exotic flowers as they are obsession-inducing botanical creatures. So tread lightly: here there be dragons.