Meet the world's most extraordinary plants.
Earth
Joined January 2014
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Amazing Plants retweeted
Did you know that flowers native to North Africa still grow in the ruins of the Colosseum, their seed thought to have been brought to Italy in the fur of exotic animals displayed by the Romans. A 19th century survey found 420 species of plant and 56 types of grass growing inside.
Male tropical bees use perfume collected from bucket orchids in their courtship dances. The orchids trap the bees, glue pollen to their bodies, and eventually release them so they can find another orchid, delivering the pollen and collecting more perfume.
(Coryanthes macrantha)
Amazing Plants retweeted
Meet the cobweb houseleek (Sempervivum arachnoideum) - the plant that can manufacture its own spiders' webs. In nature the cobweb hairs protect the plant from the elements in its exposed habitat.
If I'm not mistaken, one of the world's most amazing plants! The cannonball tree (Couroupita guianensis) -- one of the ripe fruits falling on your head is likely to kill you. The foul smell of the exploded fruit attracts animals which disperse the seeds. thingsguyana.com/the-cannonb…
The sacred golden lotus banana from Yunnan, China. It doesn't produce edible bananas, but its stem is fermented to make wine, so there's that.
(Ensete lasiocarpum)
Deadly beautiful. All parts of the angel's trumpet contain tropane alkaloids which cause hallucination, paralysis, delirium and, well, death. They are thought to be extinct in the wild, and exist only in cultivation.
(Brugmansia spp.)
Amazing Plants retweeted
Leather made from Cactus: It's elastic, customizable and breathable like animal leather. It is also soft to touch. It is suitable for luxury production.
Jackfruit is an obvious choice for vegan burgers, with its flesh the consistency of pork and a neutral taste that absorbs the flavor of sauces and seasonings. The fruit itself can weigh 55kg, or 120lbs.
(Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Everything about the snake gourd vine makes me unreasonably happy
(Trichosanthes cucumerina var. anguina)
Rainbow roses are made, not grown: after cutting, the stem is split and placed in different dyes, which are drawn up and color the white petals. All 1,000 rainbow rose seed listings on eBay are a scam.
Here in the south of France it seems like every wall is covered in trumpet flower vines. The forked stigma, or pollen receptor, in the center of the flower closes up before your eyes within seconds of pollen grains landing on it.
(Campsis radicans)
The arum lily family has some of the weirdest plants, but there's so much beauty too. Some like the peace lily are loved as houseplants—others are super-stinky to attract (and, often, then kidnap) pollinating flies. This painting by Olof Winkler was published in 1897.
