- Having a shampoo ginger growing in your bathroom would be pretty handy.
Flowers and plants come in all shapes and sizes. You could probably fill every garden in the world with different kinds of plants and still have some left over.
With the floral abundance, is it any wonder that some plants are just straight-up weird? Maybe it’s how they look or where they grow, but many plants really leave you scratching your head.
Here are seven examples of the most bizarre plants you’ll find growing on the planet.
1. White Baneberry
The white baneberry is a plant native to the eastern forests of North America. It’s also known as doll’s-eyes for its bizarre-looking berries.
As the berries mature, they turn white with a black stigma on them. Meanwhile, their stems swell up and turn a stark red.
The ripe fruiting body looks like a collection of eyestalks growing in the forest. No wonder it’s called doll’s-eyes.
But beware of those berries, because the plant is also called “baneberry” for a reason. All parts of it can be fatally toxic, so appreciate the creepy eyeballs from a distance.
2. Rafflesia
Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the flowers. Unless those flowers are Rafflesia.
Rafflesia is a strange plant for two reasons. First, this Southeast Asian plant produces the largest flowers in the world. The flowers of some Rafflesia species can grow to be four feet wide and weigh more than 20 pounds.
It’s a good thing you can see the flowers from afar because you probably don’t want to go anywhere near a Rafflesia. Those huge flowers reek of decomposing, rotting flesh in an attempt to attract pollinating flies.
3. Venus Flytrap
You’re probably already aware of the Venus flytrap. But just because it’s famous doesn’t make this carnivorous plant any less bizarre.
The Venus flytrap’s leaves form a maw-like structure with sensitive trigger hairs on them. When a hapless insect touches the hairs, the “jaws” close — and the slow digestion process begins.
The thing is, though, a Venus flytrap doesn’t need to eat flies. It’ll be healthier if it does, but the plant can survive with sunlight and whatever it sucks up from the soil.
Essentially, it chooses to kill because it makes it feel good.
4. Horny Wonder
The horny wonder is a succulent vine that grows in eastern and southern Africa. But why does it have such a weird name?
It might have something to do with its flowers. They kind of look like a…
Well, a piece of male anatomy with a contraceptive device stretched over it.
Due to its flowers, the horny wonder is also called a condom plant. It’s relatively easy to take care of, though, so it can make a naughty conversation piece in your home.
5. Rainbow Eucalyptus
Who painted that tree? Nobody — that’s just how it looks.
The rainbow eucalyptus is a weirdo in the eucalyptus family because it’s the only tree of its kind that likes to grow in a rainforest. But that’s not why most people find it strange.
The tree’s smooth, orange bark tends to fall off in strips, revealing the below layers that can range in color from green to red, yellow, gray, and even purple. It’s like the rainbow eucalyptus couldn’t decide what color it wanted to be, so it decided to be all of them.
6. Skeleton Flower
The skeleton flower grows in the forests of northern and central Japan. Its small flowers with white, thin, delicate petals are pretty and all, but there’s nothing that strange about-…
Wait, why’d they become transparent?
The skeleton flower’s name stems from the fact that its petals are so thin that they turn transparent when they get wet. After a brief shower, it looks like somebody replaced the flowers with tiny glass sculptures.
7. Shampoo Ginger
The shampoo ginger is a member of the ginger family that grows in many parts of tropical Asia. It develops bright red flowers that kind of look like pinecones.
But the weird thing isn’t what the flowers look like. It’s what’s in them.
The flower heads fill with what’s known as an “aromatic, slimy liquid.” They get so chock-full that squeezing them causes the goo to ooze out.
Yet, the weirdest thing is that the flower slime is an excellent haircare product. These things are basically nature’s own shampoo dispensers.