The Exotic Birds of Paradise

The unusually beautiful shape and brilliant colors of Birds of Paradise have made these flowers not just a designer's favorite, but also a popular symbol of paradise.

One of the most colorful exotic flowers in the world, the Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia), also known as Crane flowers got its name from its spectacular flower shape which resembles a brightly colored bird in flight. Birds of Paradise are native to South Africa. The plant usually reaches a height of 1.5 meters (5 feet.)

The plant's foliage resembles small banana leaves with long petioles. The boat-shaped bracts, or modified leaves, ares green with red borders and are arranged strictly in two ranks to form a fan-like crown of evergreen foliage. The leaf blades are 15.5 cm (6 inches) wide and 45.72 cm (18 inches long.) Flower have two erect, pointed petals and five stamens. The Birds of Paradise bloom from September through May. The genus Strelitzia contains five species namely:

Strelitzia reginae

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Strelitzia reginae is a tufted, evergreen, stemless perennial herb indigenous to South Africa. The plant can reach 2 meters (6.6 ft) tall, with large, strong leaves 25–70 cm (9.8–27.6 in) long arranged in two ranks, making a fan-shaped crown. The inflorescence stalk is 700 mm tall bearing 4-6 orange sepals and blue/purple petals flowers.

White Bird of Paradise

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White Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia alba) is the rarest of three large banana-like Strelitzia species occurring in southern Africa. This frost-sensitive, clump-forming perennial Bird of Paradise plant can reach 10 meters (32. 8 feet) tall, with leaves measuring 2 meters (6.5 feet) by 0.6 meters (1.96 feet.) As the name suggests, the flowers are completely white less the blue color found in other species. The 30 cm (0.9 ft (11.81 in) long boat-shaped bract encloses from five to ten flowers which appear in sequence.

Mountain Strelitzia

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Mountain Strelitzia (Strelitzia caudata), another banana-like Strelitzia species is widespread in southern Africa. The plant is unbranched and multi-stemmed, measuring up to 6 meters (19.6 feet) tall. The flowering part of the plant consists of a single purplish, boat-shaped spathe bearing several flowers.

Giant White Bird of Paradise

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Giant White Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia nicolai) are banana-like plants with erect woody stems reaching a height of 6 meters (20 feet) and the clumps formed can spread as far as 3.5 meters (11 feet). The 1.8 meters (5 feet 11 in) long leaves are gray-green and arranged in fans atop the trunks. The flowers have white sepals with blue petals and consist of five purplish blue, boat-shape sheaths. The entire flower can be as much as 18 cm (7.1 in) high by 45 cm (18 in) long.

Rush-leaved Strelitzia or Narrow-leaved Bird of Paradise

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Rush-leaved Strelitzia or Narrow-leaved Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia juncea) is a striking Bird of Paradise species with upright cylindrical leaves without a leaf blade. The plant can reach 1 to2 meters (3.2 to 6.56 ft) in height and producing large orange or yellow flowers. The inflorescence consists of a boat-shaped spathe bearing five flowers on average. The plant is instantly recognizable for its narrow, reed-like leaves.

Top 10 Rarest Flowers In The World

“Flowers whisper ‘Beauty!’ to the world, even as they fade, wilt and fall.” This quote stands true indisputably.

Flowers are the most beautiful gifts that nature has given us. These lovely blooms come in all colors, shapes, sizes, and species, but sometimes what makes a flower truly special is its scarcity.

A flower which can’t be found in every florist or garden is as precious as a rare diamond, just like the ones found on this list of the world’s rarest blooms.

10. Kadupul Flower (Epiphyllum oxypetalum)

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The Kadupul plant is a species of cactus family, which grows in the forks of large trees. Found in the forests of Sri Lanka, the beautiful flower’s rarity is due to the short amount of time that it blooms for.

The fragrant white flowers bloom only from 10 pm to midnight and wither before the dawn. Because of this, the Kadapul flower is in the list of the World's Top 10 most expensive flowers. Another reason why is it expensive is that the flower cannot be picked without causing damage to it.

9. Gibraltar Campion (Silene tomentosa)

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In 1992, the Gibraltar Campion was declared extinct due to the destruction of its habitat, but this rare species of flowering plant have been ‘brought back from the dead’ in 1994. A climber at cliffs of Gibratal found a single specimen still exist in inhospitable environments in the Upper Rock Nature Reserve on the Rock of Gibraltar.

Since then, strenuous efforts have been made to continue its propagation. Today, specimens are now grown at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London, as well as in the Almeda Gibraltar Botanic Gardens.

8. Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii)

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Not only rare, but fascinating! The Ghost orchid is a rare plant native to concealed swamps of Florida and Cuba. What makes it rare? Because it is near-impossible to propagate outside its natural environments. Why fascinating? The plant has no leaves! and without leaves, ghost orchid can’t make its own food. It needs a specific fungus in close contact with its root system to feed it.

The plant was said to be extinct for almost 20 years but resurfaced recently. Ghost orchids produce only one flower at a time, but in rare cases, they can also produce up to 10 flowers. The flowers emit perfumed odors and bloom between the months of June and August.

7. Chocolcate Cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus)

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Chocolate cosmos is one of the most beautiful and rare flowers native to Mexico. As the name suggests, It emits a fragrant chocolate scent while on blooming. Chocolate cosmos bears a deep red or brown colored flowers. Unfortunately, this intriguing flower is now extinct in the wild at the turn of the 20th century. The only example to be found is a single clone that has been reproduced in captivity.

6. Parrot’s Beak (Lotus berthelotii)

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Native to Canary Islands, Parrot’s beak is one of the most beautiful flowers in this world. The flower resembles a lobster claw in shades of orange, red, and yellow. It blooms best in spring season. Sad to say, only a few members of the species exist in the world. The gradual decline of parrot’s beak flowers' appearance started since 1884. The existing members of a parrot’s beak in Canary Island are protected by law.

5. Youtan Poluo

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Youtan Poluo, also known as Udumbara flower was believed to be a myth, until Mr. Ding, a Chinese farmer, found tiny white buds growing inside a set of steel pipes. Recently, it was again found growing under the washing machine of a Chinese nun named Miao Wei. What the nun discovered were 28 pieces of minuscule, white sweet-smelling flowers measuring mere 1 mm in diameter.

As per Buddhist legend, the flower blooms once every 3000 years - making it incredibly rare! Now this rare flower might be seen in China, Korea, Taiwan and US in extremely rare times.

4. Yellow and Purple Lady Slippers (Cypripedium calceolus)

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Once found across Europe and the UK, the yellow and purple lady slippers is an extremely rare flower in the wild. In the 1970's there was only one plant left found growing in one particular spot in Yorkshire Dales; a golf course.

good thing Kew Gardens, managed to save the British genetic stock and breed from it. The plant populations are still very small, thus they are kept in highly-guarded secret locations.

3. Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus titanum)

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The Corpse Flower is not only one of the rarest flowers in the world, but also one of the strangest. It emits a very stinky smell to attract its pollinators -- carrion beetles. Corpse flowers can be only found in low lying rain forest areas in Sumatra in western Indonesia.

The corpse flower was first discovered in 1878 by an Italian botanist in Sumatra. It is named for the stinky smell it emits to attract its pollinators -- flies and carrion beetles. The flower only blooms for a brief 2-4 days. Seeing (and smelling) this endangered flower is a once in a lifetime experience that you will not want to miss.

2. Jade Vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys)

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Jade Vine, also known as turquoise vine or emerald vine, is rare flower found only in the rain forest of the Philippines. The unusual sea green petals and navy-purple buds of this flower makes it of the most eye-catching flowers on our list. These claws shaped flowers in numbers of 75 or more drooping from a vine can grow up to 3 meters. These rare flowers are now hardly seen in the wild and is now considered an endangered species due to the destruction of its habitat.

1. Middlemist Red (Middlemist camellia)

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Middlemist Red is probably the rarest flower in the world and definitely the rarest one on our list. Middlemist rsembles a rose flower in deep pink color. Once indigenous to several regions in China, there are only two known examples in existence; one in New Zealand garden and one in green house garden of United Kingdom. At Chiswick House in West London you can see the stunning Middlemist Red – brought to UK in 1804 by John Middlemist.