Spooky plants
Spooky plants
Photo Credit:wikipedia
The plant kingdom has it share of creepy and sinister specimens as part of nature's grand scheme for diversity. Some of these strange-looking plants seem to have grown out from some horror flicks. Imagine encountering a bat plant, eyeball plant, a dracula flower, a skunk cabbage, a strangler fig, to name a few. These bizarre plants are not only weird-looking, stinky, monstrous, but can kill (other plants) that is.
You will never walk alone again in the garden after seeing these spooky plants.
Are you ready for this spooky boo-tanical tour?
Let's go!
The eyeball plant (Spilanthes oleracea) also known as the peek-a-boo plant, is all eyes. The cylindrical shape flowers with yellow sides and reddish-brown top resemble eyeballs. The leaves and flowers have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial benefits.
White Baneberry - Only have eyes for you
The White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) is also known as the Doll's eyes plant. The berries are highly poisonous and when eaten can lead to cardiac arrest and death. Can you imagine taking a walk in the garden at night with these creepy eyes peering out of the darkness?
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons
The Strangler fig tree is native to Florida Keys and the West Indies and is a parasitic plant. It lodges its seeds in the bark of its host and puts out air roots and lives off nutrients from the host and air. Eventually the roots reach the ground and develop, sapping the host tree and strangling it to death. Watch out for these stiffling hugs.
The Bat Plant (Tacca Chantreiri) - Gothic Charm of the garden
Hailing from the rainforests of West Africa and East Asia, the Bat Plant will add gothic charm to your garden.The interesting looking flower of the Bat Plant look like a bat's face with large ears, long whisker-like filaments and a purple cape resembling a bat in flight.
Dead Man's Fingers (Xylaria polymorpha) - Don't let these fingers point you the wrong way in the forest
These bizarre plant lives up to its name - Dead man's fingers. But could easily could be mistaken for some animals' poop. It is a fungus that grows on dead logs and look like individual black fingers reaching out from the ground to grab your legs. It is hard not to let your imagination run wild after seeing this spooky plant.
Corpse Flower (Titum Arum) - Pollinators love this stinky flower
The corpse flower is named after the putrid odor that it releases that smells like rotting flesh. The tall conical central stalk generates heat that propels oils called putecines and cadavarines into the air.The stinky blossom turns off humans, but attracts pollinators, like bees, flies and carrion beetles that normally feed on dead animals.
Watch this time-lapse video of the corpse flower blooming - You should be glad you were not there
Dracula Vampira 'Bella Lugosi' - "I vant to suck your blood"
Photo Credit: Steve Beckendorf
Dracula Vampira is not from Transylvania but from the cloud forests of Southeast Ecuador. The small orchid is gorgeously creepy looking like a monkey or baboon and named after a famed actor who played the blood-sucking vampire Dracula in the movies.
Dracula Simia 'Racha' - Plants mimicking monkeys
Photo Credit: Steve Beckendorf
These small delightful Dracula Simia orchid flowers will stop anyone on their tracks. It is a species of orchid that also grows in the cloud forests of Columbia and Ecuador. This flower also resembles the faces of monkeys with eyes and cupped lips..
Skunk Cabbage (symplocarpus foetidus) - Pepe Le Pew of the plant world
The skunk cabbage lurking in the wet woodlands could easily startle an unexpected hiker. This unusual plant produces its own heat to keep its weird flower safe and warm in freezing temperatures. It grow in Eastern North America.
Devils's Tongue ( Amorphophallus konjac) - Unpalatable and creepy-looking
The Devil's tongue is supposed to look like a devil's tongue although I have never seen one. In spite of its smell, the Devil's Tongue is grown in India, China, Japan and Korea for its large starchy corms to create flour and jelly. It is also used to create candies, believe it or not.
The ghost plant is aptly named as it is ghostly white with bowed flower heads and is parasitic. It needs no chlorophyll and therefore is not dependent on sunlight to grow, and gets its energy from photosynthetic plants.
Medusa cactus (Medusoid Euporbias) - Ouch!
The snake-like stubby arms of this unusual plant is reminscent of the snake-haired gorgon Medusa of Greek mythology. Although no one turns to stone, the sight of this creepy cactus is definitely spine-tingling.
Ant Ferns (Lecanopteris mirabilis) - Condominums for ants
Photo Credit: PlatyceriumTatsuta
The slug-like rhizomes of this ant fern look real creepy but are homes for ants. Beauty is indeed in the eyes of the beholder.
Rafflesia arnoldii - you do not want to lean over and try to smell this - The largest flower in the planet
The huge cavernous mouth of the rafflesia looks like it is about to swallow anything that crosses its path. Fortunately, the likelihood of that happening is slim because this bizarre flower is hard to locate in the jungles of Southeast Asia. It is a parasite and has no leaves, stems or roots aside for the visible flower and the rest of the plant exists only as filaments living off its unfortunate host (the Testrastigma vine). The putrid odor of the rafflesia attracts flies which pollinates this endangered oddity.
Bleeding Tooth (Hydnellum peckii) - Bloody sweat Dracula would love
This hideous fungus does not resemble any tooth I have seen, but the oozing red gel will remind you to go see your dentist soon. It is also known as Strawberries and Cream, the Red Juice tooth, the Devil's tooth and Bleeding Hydnellum. The bloody-looking substance is known to prevent blood clot and has antibacterial properties.
Octopus Stinkhorn (Clathrus archerii) - Watch where you step
This tentacled reddish monstrosity erupting from an egg looks like something out of a horror movie. It is none other than the Octopus Stinkhorn indigenous to Tasmania and Australia. This multi-armed oddity of nature smells putrid and attracts pollinators like flies and carrion beetles. The eggs taste like radish. In a life and death situation would you dare take a bite out of this?
Take a quick poll
Do think these plants are creepy? Would you want any of these in your garden?
Bat-face Cuphea llavea 'Georgia Scarlet' - Low maintenace and drought-tolerant
You will get non-stop blooms from this unusual but gorgeous bat-faced Cuphea plant. The flowers resemble bat faces with scarlet petals and little purple mouse ears. The stems are woody, arches gracefully and unfazed by summer's heat.
The flower of the bat face Mexican Heather plant is long-lasting and makes a great indoor or outdoor plant. The blooms attract hummingbirds and last till the freezing temperatures arrive. The cuphea is a popular choice for a low maintenance, drought-tolerant and heat-loving plant.
Leave your thoughts on these creepy plants here. - Can you think of creepier plants?
These are all part of nature. I like your lens.
Great lens and nicely done with special pics. Blessed and have a great holiday season and extra special 2013. Hugs
I think these plants and flowers are beautiful creations...look at their details they serve a purpose...I just wish they smelled better. Great variety of these plants, I've seen and smelled my share.
Interesting and informative lens:
~d-artist Squid Angel Blessing~
I've always been interested in fungi and carnivorous plants so I really enjoyed this lens. Thanks so much for sharing all these fascinating plants.
At www.sarracenia.com you can find where to visit wild carnivorous plant populations in the USA and one site in Canada. I have been to the Darlingtonia Wayside in Oregon (wow!). Florence, Oregon--Darlingtonia californica (cobra lily), Drosera rotundifolia (sundews). A few km north of Florence, look for the Darlingtonia wayside sign. The plants are an approximately two minute walk from the parking site, along a wheelchair accessible path. Drosera rotundifolia (sundews) also grow on the Sphagnum. By the way, the neighbors across the street have "shoot to kill" orders for anyone seen running off with poached plants. I don't know the legitimacy of the latter claim. It is such a great idea to put these plants together.
There are some really unusual plants on this page! Most of these I have not heard of, but very interesting.
Great plants to have growing around Halloween, but a little too scary for me.... :)
I'm always intrigued by unusual plants and even have a web page about the ghost plants (also known as Indian pipe plants). You have a great selection here.
Interesting. I had a Venus Flytrap when I was a kid. I always thought plants that ate meat were very strange. Blessed.
I have never even heard of not one of these plants! Excellent lens, and thanks for sharing. I never knew there was a plant that grew that later choked the tree, amazing!
Fantastic lens. I'm blown away! A great idea well presented, lovely photographs and good information. Thank you.
Great idea for a lens. Those who have these in their gardens probably won't have to spend too much time thinking about Halloween deocr! They are awesome.
Very cool plants.
This lens is so cool. I've seen a few before but most are new to me. That bleeding fungus is a little gross but I'd love to have a garden full of the rest...well, expect maybe the corpse flower, I've heard that really does smell awful.
Wow!! I had never seen or heard of these creepy plants and trees before! They are amazing!
This is such a cool lens. The plants that creep me out the most are the Rafflesia arnoldii and the bleeding fungus one. Thanks for sharing this!
Some really cool ones here - though a couple definitely gave me the willies. Thanks for sharing! Blessed by a SquidAngel!
These really are on the creepy side. Love it! Blessed!
Fantastic lens with wonderful photos! We have some very unusual plants in Hawaii too so I really found these spooky plants quite interesting and very well presented. *Squid Angel Blessed* and added to "My Squid Angel Blessings for 2012" in the "Home & Garden » Gardening » Exotic Plants" neighborhood. I though it is better suited there than in " Landscaping » Other Landscaping. I will change it if you prefer.
Fascinating plants! I would love to try growing some eyeball plants, but they were all cool!
Amazing creepy lens about plants, very creative and nicely done.
Nice lens! Love the pictures!
Cool lens.
Great lens!
wow, great plants. They are definitely the spice in natures evolutionary soup.
These are very interesting plants!
I like the Bat Plant. Nice collection of interesting plants.
I just love this lens and collection of Spooky Plants. Congrats on the Purple Star! Well deserved -- Cheers!
Awesome lens. Also "Spooky Plants" sounds like a cool band name.
Yikes! Dracula simia. ... Cool Lens.
Congratulations on your lens being included on the "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night" monsterboard!
Very well done! I enjoyed this...
Very amazing! This is my first time to see plants like these! I like it. They did not appear spooky to me...LOL! They're beautiful. Just beautiful!
This is an exceptionally creative, unique and visually appealing lens. Very well done!
These plants are amazing! Some seem to have been designed just for Halloween - like the dead man's fingers, ghost plant and the dracula simia! Best of all, the bat plant - beautiful for the corpse bride's bouquet.
I have seen a couple of these plants and never really thought of them as spooky. But now that you've compiled them, I am convinced that these are quite eerie.
wow, some very interesting creations by nature - a few i never saw before
Amazing! They really are creepy! Great lens!!!
Wow, some of those are indeed creepy! And weird!
Great lens, way to think outside the box for Halloween
Nicely done. Blessed by a Squid Angel :)
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