The Top 20 World’s Most Unusual Flowers (Rare Flower Names & Pictures)

This article is a list of most unusual flowers in the world that will totally surprise you. These flowers resemble things you may never think of. 

Flowers are one of the things we admire in nature. The fact is, most of us love flowers. We use flowers to decorate our environments and we love to perceive their nice fragrances.

As for these unusual flowers, they will not only beautify the environment but also attract the attention of people for minutes. You may have wondered, what is the most unusual flower in the world? These flower pictures are not photoshopped, they are all really amazing rare, and unusual floras. 

Scroll down and see this  wonderful God's creations that are on the lists of World’s most unusual flowers (Rare Flower Names & Pictures), they are,

• Ballerina Orchid
• Hooker’s lips flower
• Devil’s hand flower
• Snapdragon seed heads
• Moth orchid
• Flame lily
• Monkeyface orchid
• White egret orchid
• Darth Vader flower
• Parrot flower
• Happy Alien flower
• Angel orchid

and ten more, read on...

1. Ballerina Orchid  

Scientific name: Caladenia melanoma

Blossom period: August to Mid-September

Ballerina Orchid is a beautiful unusual small flower. The flower looks like a lady with elegant ballet poses with a lovely gown of white and pink. The red part of the orchid looks like hands are up and the one at the back being erect are all the dorsal sepals. The white and red parts are the lateral sepals. While the lower sepal looks like legs.  

From the month of August to mid-September, the flowering plant bloom. The orchid can only be spotted in Lake Altham in Malle biogeographic area, Belgium. The feeding of kangaroos and rabbits of the plants are really causing a threat to the plants.

2. Hooker’s lips flower  

Image credit: iseeidoimake

Scientific name: Psychotria elata

Blossom period: December to March

Hooker’s lips flower is also known as Mick Jagger’s Lips, flower lips, and Hot Lips.  The flower grows in Ecuador, Costa Rica, South, and Central American countries. As shown in the picture above, the flower red bracts look to have the appearance of lips that bright red lipstick is applied. 

The bright red color helps in attracting pollinators to the flowers such as butterflies and hummingbirds. The plant of the tree is used by the people in Central America as herbs for treating diseases such as skin irritation. It is threatened due to deforestation and climate change.

3. Devil’s hand flower  

Image credit: strangewonderfulthings

Scientific name: Chiranthodendron pentadactylon

Blossom period: March to August

Devil’s hand tree is also referred to as Mexican hand tree. The Devil’s hand tree is a big tree that produces red color flowers. The tree is found in Southern Mexico and Guatemala. The flower has a hand shape with five finger-like appearances. 

The edges of the fingers have structures similar to that of human fingers and nails. The finger-like branch is about 5 inches in length. The flower stamens are the branches that look like fingers with yellow pollen on the knuckles. The tree and its flowers are very rare. 

As this amazing finger-like flowers ages, it crawls, looking more devilish. The flower is believed to be medicinal in treating heart diseases while the big leaves of the tree are used for rapping food by local people in Mexico.

4. Snapdragon Seed Heads         

Scientific name: Antirrhinum majus

Blossom period: July & August

If you are thinking is this a flower, yes it is. Snapdragon flower is a beautiful flower when it just blossoms. Snapdragon Seed Heads flower looks like a dragon head when its flower shrinks and falls, leaving the pods. 

Image credit: Summerbloomz Etc/Flickr

If you gently squeeze both sides of the flower pod, the jaw closes. The flowers are being pollinated by bumblebees. After the pollinated flower dies, then the snapdragon seed head looks more like a brown human skull. 

The tiny skull-like look of snapdragon seed heads appears as if they are crying in agony, like something creepy. That is the reason the flower is on the list of unusual flowers in the world. They can be found in rocky regions of North Africa, the United States, and Europe.

5. Moth orchid  

Scientific name: Phalaenopsis amabilis

Blossom period: Year-round

Moth orchids are one of the most popular beautiful indoor flowers. They are very easy to grow.  Like other unusual flowers, this orchid looks like a moth. If you deeply look at it, it looks like a tiger head in the middle. 

The Moth orchid plant has broad leaves with short stems. The orchid consists of three sepals that look like petals, two lateral petals, and a middle petal. These orchids can be found in southeastern Asia and in some regions of Australia.

See also

The Largest Flowers In The World (You Should See) 

6. Flame lily  

Image credit: Macvivo at English Wikipedia

Scientific name: Gloriosa superba

Blossom period: May, June, September, October, and November

Flame lily is also known as creeping lily, glory lily, and climbing lily. Flame lily as the name says looks similar to a flame of fire. Just like fire, the flower is bright red with a yellow line, at the edge of each branch of the flower 6 petals known as rays.  

It is very common in the southern part of Africa. You can sport it in grassland, sand dunes, and in woodlands. In fact, it is Zimbabwe’s national flower. Diamond brooch in the design of flame lily was presented to Queen Elizabeth II from Zimbabwe as a gift. 

The plant is very poisonous including the flower and its root. It is seen to have caused the death of dogs and rodents. It is poisonous to humans as well, so if you touch it, wash your hand very well. Keep it out of reach of children and pets.

7. Monkeyface orchid  

Image credit: thisiswhyimbroke

Scientific name: Dracula Simia

Blossom period:   Any time

Monkeyface orchid is like a little monkey laughing at you by showing its complete teeth. The flower can be spotted in Southeastern Ecuador and Peru's tropical forests. They are rare unusual flowers with three distinct petals.  

Image credit: Dick Culbert from Gibsons, B.C., Canada/Wikimedia Commons

They thrive very well at an altitude of around 2000 meters. Apart from its monkey’s look, it also has a very nice smell like a ripe orange fragrance.  There are other varieties of Dracula genus, like Dracula Gigas and Dracula Amaliae, all with monkey’s faces.

8. White egret orchid  

Image credit: Sunoochi from Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan/Wikimedia Commons

Scientific name: Habenaria radiata

Blossom period: August

White egret orchid is a beautiful white orchid. It is named according to the appearance of a flying graceful white egret. It is found in Japan where there is little sunlight and moist soil. On one flower spike alone, there can be more than 12 on it, during the bloom time. 

 

9. Darth Vader flower  

Image credit: Image credit: Inspiration by John/Twitter 

Scientific name: Aristolochia Salvadorensis

Blossom period: October

Darth Vader plant is a woody climber that produces a rare unusual flower. The plant is also known as Aristolochia Pipevine Plant. The flower got the name, Darth Vader from its resemblance to the character in the Star war movies. 

It can be found in Brazil's soggy flood plains and in humid meadows.  It can also be spot on in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Kyoto Botanical Garden in Japan. 

The appearance of this plant looks like a corpse. It also appears like a mask or helmet with a purple coloration. The flower only lasts for a week. The eye part of the floral is where insects pass through to pollinate the flower.

10. Parrot flower  

Image credit: Amazon.co.uk

Scientific name: Impatiens psittacina.

Blossom period: October & November

Parrot flower is beautiful rare and unusual flowers that mimic a flying parrot. It is also known as parrot balsam. You can spot the flower in Myanmar, Thailand, and in some areas in India. 

The flower's plant looks bushy and untidy with its needle-like leaves.  It is a climber that can be high as 6 feet. So it can be used for privacy on walls and fences. Most times, the color of the flower is from purple to carmine red and white.

11. Happy Alien flower  

Image credit: Thomas Mathis/Wikimedia commons

Scientific name:  Calceolaria uniflora

Blossom period: June, July & August 

The flowers look like happy-faced aliens carrying a white thing and saying to you that we have brought this white stuff for you. The color of the flower is a combo of yellow and orange.  

You can spot this flower in South America in rocky alpine terrains. The flower shape is like a punch that can be just 2 inches tall. The plant is just 4 to 5 inches tall tightly fitted to the soil. 

Image credit: Thomas Mathis/Flickr via Wikimedia commons

Tiny birds like hummingbirds pollinate the flower and they also eat the white part of the flower. It is an endangered species of plants due to climate change and loss of habitat.

12. Angel orchid  

Image credit: gardenofeaden.blogspot.com

Scientific name:   Habenaria Grandifloriformis

Blossom period: June & July

As the name implies, the orchid looks like an angel descending from heaven. The flower has a distinct 5 white bilobed petals (each petal consists of two lobes). The plant flower is a small plant that is about 5 inches tall. 

It can be found in, southern India, Vietnam, and the eastern Himalayas' moist regions. It grows on rocks and trees. Each blossom can last for weeks. It is also on the list of unusual flowers in the world. 

13. Flying duck orchid  

Image credit: lyn Edwards/Flickr 

Scientific name: Paracaleana nigrit

Blossom period: September to February

In the picture above, it is clearly seen that this flower appears like a flying duck. The flower has a petal that looks like a duck's beak. The middle petals resemble duck feathers while flying and the flower petals look like duck's legs.

They are a small flower that measures about half an inch (1-1.9 cm). When an insect lands on the beak-like petal, the insect will be trapped and forced to pass through the pollen before exiting. You can spot this orchid in Australia. 

Another interesting fact about the flowering plant is that the root of the plant has a symbiosis relationship with a specific fungus. As a result of this, the plant can only grow in Australia.  Habitat loss and decrease in the numbers of pollinators make the flower on the list of vulnerable plants in Australia.

14. Dessert pea  flowers 

Scientific name: Swainsona formosa

Blossom period: May to August 

The flower is also known as Australia Glory pea. The flower has black bulbs that have a look of big black eyes with a red body. That looks weird. 

The flower is only found in north-western and central Australia. It is a desert plant that is adapted to its harsh environment. The flower can last for 30 days in water if it was pluck as it is opening.

15. Birds of paradise flower  

Image credit: Anita 1705/Pixabay

Scientific name: Strelitzia reginae

Blossom period: March to October

The unusual flower is also known as the Crane Flower. It is another interesting flower that resembles a colorful flying bird. The flower is native to South Africa. 

The flower’s plant is closely related to banana plants with its fan-like leaves. The bract of one main flower is like a canoe with a green and red edge.  The flower is pollinated majorly by sunbird.

                    

       

16. Swaddled babies orchid  

Image credit: gardenofeaden.blogspot.com

Scientific name: Anguloa uniflora

Blossom period: March to May

Each flower resembles a baby wrapped in a cradle cloth. It is also known as a tulip orchid. The flowers are found on the forests floor of Ecuador, Venezuela, and Colombia. 

The orchid plant leaves have pseudobulb with pleated leaves. It can grow and reach a height of 18 to 24 inches. The flower is usually big compare to the size of the orchid plant. The plant thrives very well where there are little sun rays. 

17. Dove orchid  

Image credit: orchidsplus.com

Scientific name: Peristeria Elata

Blossom period: August & September

It is also referred to as the Holy Spirit orchid because of its appearance like a dove. In Panama, the orchid is the national flower. Due to its amazing look, the flower is among the endangered species because of its over-collection. 

Dove orchids smell like a bear unlike other orchids with a sweet smell. The flower is native to South America, Trinidad, Panama, and Costa Rica. In Central America rainforests, the orchid can be seen growing on tree trunks moss. This means the flowers are epiphytes.

                                                               

18. Hammer orchid  

Image credit: theconversation.com

Scientific name: Drakaea glyptodon

Blossom period: late September to early November

The flower is also known as the King is His Carriage. Though, unlike other flowers, the flowering plant may not blossom every year. A single hammer orchid is 4 cm long. Its plant thrives in deep sandy soil.  

To humans, the flower looks like a hammer with the purple part of the orchid. While to wasp, the orchid looks like a female wasp. For this reason, a male wasp is being deceived by this plant. This tricking leads to pollination by the male wasp.  

This is one of the unusual ways of pollination in flowers. You can only spot the flower near the shores of Albany and Perth in Western Australia.  This is because like, like flying duck orchids, the floral plant also requires specific fungus for survival.

19. Bee Orchid  

Image credit: Bernard DUPONT from France/Wikimedia Commons

Scientific name: Ophrys apifera

Blossom period: June & July

They are orchids native to the U.K. Just as the name shows and seen in the above picture, the orchid looks similar to a female bee that opens its mouth wide and its sepals that look like wings. 

This really deceived the male bee into pollinating the flower because it mimics the female, which attracts the male and wants to mate with it. But most times, the orchids are self-pollinated because there is no appropriate bee.

20. Dancing lady orchids  

Image credit: Calyponte/Wikimedia Commons

Scientific name: Oncidium flexuosum

Blossom period: September to February 

The flower is also known as a dancing doll or Oncidium orchids. The flower bears a resemblance to a woman with a large skirt dancing the folkloric dance. It is a small to medium size orchid that can grow from 2cm to 25 cm in length. They are found in Central and South America. The floral plants are large with many leaves.

Over to you, which flower on the list do you find the most unusual? Let hear from you in the comment section (post a comment). We will appreciate it if you can share this article and subscribe to our mailing list to get new updates. Thanks for reading!