14 Amazingly Unique Plants

Here's a list of plants having an unusual or bizarre characteristics.

Photos courtesy of Wikipedia

1. Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora)

   
   
   Not all plants obtain nourishment from sunlight. Indian pipe, a smooth, leafless, waxy herbaceous plant is colorless because it has no chlorophyll. It turns black when mature. The plant obtains nourishment from decaying organic matter. They are also called as Ghost plant or Corpse plant. It is generally scarce or rare in occurrence.

2. Florentine Iris (I. florentina)

   
   
   Orrisroot powder is made from the fragrant rootstocks of Florentine iris and other several varieties of European irises. The name orrisroot is a corruption of iris root. It is used in the manufacture of perfumes and tooth powder.

3. Eucalyptus

   
   
   Eucalyptus oil on its natural state is toxic to most mammals. Koalas are relatively tolerant of it.

4. Elder or Elderberry (Sambucus)

   
   
   This shrub of the honeysuckle family is used in making jellies, sauces, pies and wine.

5. Daisy

   
   
   The word “daisy” is a contraction of day's eye, referring to the flower's sun-like appearance.

6. Saguaro Cactus (Carnegiea)

   
   
   The roots of saguaro cactus can store up to 8 tons of water, collected during the brief periods of rain.

7. Day Lily (Hemerocallis)

   
   
   Day Lily was so named because the individual blossoms last only one day, it opens at sunrise and wither at sunset, possibly replaced by another one on the same stem the next day. Some species are edible and some are use for medicinal purposes.

8. Coco de Mer (Lodoicea maldivica)

   
   
   Coco de mer is the world's largest seed and can be 20 inches or 50 cm long. This rare nut is protected by Seychelles government.
   
   

9. Dandelion

   
   
   Dandelion comes from the French “dent de lion” (lion's tooth), suggested by the tooth-like notches on the leaves.

   • Dandelion's Leaves

     Young leaves are used as green in salad.

   • Dandelion's Flowers

     Flowers of dandelion are used in making wine.

   • Dandelion's Roots

     Roots of dandelion are roasted and prepared as a substitute for coffee and

   • Dandelion's Dried Roots

     Dried roots of dandelion are used in medicine as a tonic or to increase the flow of urine.

10. Quiver Tree (Aloe dichotoma)

    
    
    Khoisan people of Namibia and South Africa used the branches of this tree to make quivers or cases for carrying arrows. The slow growth rate and relative rarity of the plant make it a particularly expensive specimen.

11. Dayflower

    
    
    Dayflower was so named because its flower opens for one day only.

12. Jonquil (Narcissus jonquilla)

    
    
    Jonquil is a perennial flowering herbaceous plant grown as a garden plant and for its fragrant flowers that yield oil used in soaps and perfumes.

13. Angelica (Angelica archangelica)

    
    
    The angelica also called archangel and wild parsnip bears greenish flowers. It is cultivated for its leaves, which are cooked as a vegetable, and for its leafstalks and stems, which yield aromatic oil used in perfumes, confections, medicines, and liqueurs.

14. Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)

    
    
    Dutchman's breeches are wild herbs of the bleeding heart family. The gray-green feathery leaves contain a poisonous alkaloid, curcullarine, which may be fatal to cattle.

Plants are truly wonderful living things which can either be beneficial or harmful to other living things. Watch out for more peculiar plants.