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Rare Flowers and Plants

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Yousuf.Chy:
Rafflesia arnoldii

Several species of  Rafflesia grow in the jungles of Southeast Asia, all of them threatened or endangered. Rafflesia arnoldii is the largest; its blossom attains a diameter of nearly a meter and can weigh up to 11 kg. Not only is it the world's largest flower, it is one of the most bizarre and improbable organisms on the planet.

It produces no leaves, stems or roots but lives as a parasite on the Tetrastigma vine, which grows only in primary (undisturbed) rainforest. Only the flower or bud can be seen; the rest of the plant exists only as filaments within its unfortunate host. The blossom is pollinated by flies attracted by its scent, which resembles that of carrion.

The Rafflesia is rare and fairly hard to locate. It is especially difficult to see in bloom; the buds take many months to develop and the blossom lasts for just a few days. How many of these strange plants still survive is unknown, but the last of them can be expected to vanish as the remaining primary forests of Borneo and Sumatra are burned.

Yousuf.Chy:
Tacca chantrieri 'black' , Bat Flower
TACCA CHANTRIERI 'BLACK'
Bat Flower
Taccas have beautiful foliage and one of the most interesting flower ever seen. However, they can be picky sometimes regarding their environmental conditions. When they like the conditions, they grow, flower a lot, and even produce babies. When something is not right, they slowly decline and eventually die. Unfortunately, sometimes the only way to know if you can provide them the right conditions is by trying.
Large plants seem to do better than smaller ones. They like shade, and good air circulation. They don't like too much heat and air that is too dry.
We found that they don't like to be rootbound. It may not be a bad idea to repot it every year in the spring. When you reach a 10" pot or larger you can wash the soil, cut most of the roots off and remove most of the leaves. Remove the babies and repot in the same size pot with fresh soil.

Yousuf.Chy:
Strangler Fig
Strangler Fig is the common name for a number of tropical and sub tropical plant species, including some banyans and unrelated vines, namely:

    * Ficus aurea, also known as the Florida Strangler Fig
    * Ficus barbata, also known as the Bearded Fig
    * Ficus watkinsiana
    * Ficus obliqua
    * Ficus benghalensis

They all share a common "strangling" growth habit that is found in many tropical forest species, particularly of the genus Ficus. This growth habit is an adaptation for growing in dark forests where the competition for light is intense. These plants begin life as epiphytes, when their seeds, often bird-dispersed, germinate in crevices atop other trees. These seedlings grow their roots downward and envelop the host tree while also growing upward to reach into the sunlight zone above the canopy

Yousuf.Chy:
Lunaria annua
Annual Honesty (Lunaria annua) is a tall (height about 1 m), hairy-stemmed biennial plant native to the Balkans and south west Asia, and naturalized throughout Europe, North America, and parts of Asia. It has large, pointed oval leaves with marked serrations. The common name "Honesty" arose in the 16th century, and it may be due to the translucent seed-pods which are like flattened pea-pods and borne on the plant through winter. In South-East Asia and elsewhere, it is called the Money Plant, because its seed pods have the appearance of silver coins. In the United States it may also be known as "Silver Dollars," also because of the seed pods. In Denmark it is known as Judaspenge and in The Netherlands as Judaspenning (coins of Judas), an allusion to the story of Judas Iscariot and the thirty pieces of silver he was paid.



*all the above posts are from world wide web.

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