Plants appear to us as something green and boring. But this is nothing but pure water bias - plants from this list are ready to compete in diversity and uniqueness with the animal world, they just need to be given a chance.

15. Rainbow trees


Imagine walking through a forest of 60-meter trees in all colors of the rainbow. Do you think this is possible only in a fairy-tale film? But no - Eucalyptus deglupta, or rainbow eucalyptus actually exists and is found in the forests of the Philippines. These trees grow so fast that the bark peels off in stripes, revealing a bright green layer that changes color to yellow, orange, red, purple and brown as it ages.

14. Snapdragon seed pods


Snapdragon has been widely used by botanists as a model in many genetic studies. For example, Gregor Mendel and Charles Darwin used snapdragon to study heredity. Distinctive feature plants - his seed pods, each of which looks like a screaming skull.

13. Jaboticaba


Jaboticaba is fruit tree with unique fruit formation. Unlike most trees, whose fruits grow on branches, jaboticaba forms its black fruits right on the trunk. It looks like they are oozing from the bark. Although the jaboticaba fruit is popular in Brazil, due to its short shelf life, it rarely makes it to other places. The fruit can be eaten fresh, as well as in the form of jam, wine or liquor.

11. Amorphophallus titanic

This flower is the tallest in the world - its height can reach three meters. The yellow ear in the center contains small white flowers. Once they are ready to spread pollen, the ear begins to generate heat, which helps diffuse a fetid odor reminiscent of a decaying corpse. As in the case of the cadaveric lily, the scent attracts the flies, which do the pollination.

10. Elephant yam


Amorphophallus pion-leaved, or elephant yam, is a close relative of Amorphophallus titanic. It used to be the only way to differentiate different kinds this group was to smell them and find out what kind of stench they exude. The tubers that gave the plant the name "yams" are the third most popular source of carbohydrates in Indonesia after rice and corn. And the word "Amorphophallus" in the name indicates the shape of the flower - literally it translates as "shapeless penis".

9. Raven thickened


The thick-legged raven also bears the cheerful name "doll's eyes". It is quite obvious that the creepy "eyes" are poisonous. Just a handful of these berries can cause instant death. Of course, only a desperate brave man can dare to eat the berries that are looking at him ...

8. Bitter cucumber

Momordica harantia, or bitter cucumber, is a herbaceous vine growing all over the world. Its fruits, empty inside, have a warty surface. They are usually eaten while still green because the yellowing fruit becomes more bitter as it ripens. However, when fully ripe fruit is revealed, a sweet, bright red heart can be found inside.

7. The naked man


Orchis italica, also called the Naked Man Orchid, can be found almost everywhere in the Mediterranean region. They are very popular among orchid lovers because ... well, at least because the petals look like naked men, which is not clear here. The plant has about 40 varieties, so you can choose a naked man of almost any color and size.

6. Predatory pitchers

Animals eat plants. This is the natural order of things. However, some plants go against the system and kick back. Pitchers trap insects, spiders and even small mammals and reptiles, and then drown them. Their modified leaves retain fluid that contains digestive enzymes and chemical substances... As soon as the victim hits the jug, it slides down the waxed slippery walls that prevent it from getting out. After unsuccessful attempts to get out, the victim plunges into the liquid, drowns, and the plant digests it to provide itself with nutrients that are not in the soil.

5. Blooming stones


You, of course, know very well that flowering stones do not exist in nature. But it is them that are reminiscent of the amazing plants of the genus Lithops. They can be found in the rocky and sandy deserts of South Africa. Plants have adapted to resemble the stones around them. This shape allows them to survive in regions with low rainfall, as the small surface area inhibits evaporation. Lithops are popular houseplants and are often marketed as "living stones".

4. African Hydnora

3. Albino sequoia

Ask your child to draw a tree and you will get a brown trunk and green leaves. Everyone knows that trees are green. Everything except the albino sequoia. These trees are incapable of producing chlorophyll, and without chlorophyll they cannot absorb sunlight and produce your own nutrients. For other trees, this would be a death sentence, but redwoods have the ability to share roots among themselves. When the albino sequoia germinates, it needs to attach itself to the root system of another tree in order to extract food.

2. Red tumbleweed

Bassia broom grows in Eurasia, but somehow it got to the USA, where it got the nickname "Mexican fire weed" or more prosaic "burning bush". Usually tumbleweeds, after dying off, turn yellow or brown, but bass takes on a bright red hue. Whole bassi fields can be found in Japan, where their black seeds are called "caviar of the earth."

1. Plant-kiss


Sublime Psychotria is known under the unflattering name of the "sponge whore". One glance at the flower is enough to understand where this name came from. The plant is found in the jungles of Central America, but, despite its seductive appearance, it is gradually becoming extinct due to the loss of habitat. Sponges like this would look great on Batman's rival, Poison Ivy. Especially when you consider that the flower produces a hallucinogenic substance. Oddly enough, the "sponges" themselves are not a plant flower. The flower protrudes from the "mouth", all covered with yellow, viscous mucus. As they say, beauty is on the surface ...

The largest root system- in plants in arid regions, deserts and semi-deserts.

Their roots penetrate deep into the ground to get to the nearest underground water sources, or extend far in breadth to use the small amount of precipitation that falls in the desert.

Consider a few examples of the length of the roots of desert plants.

Central Asian shrub mimosa -7 m;

Sowing alfalfa - over 15 m;

Camel thorn - more than 20 m.

Which plant holds the record for the largest root? It turns out to be an apple tree growing in the porous soils of Nebraska in America. Its roots have penetrated to a depth of 1068 m! And if you take the whole root and even add to it all your own small roots (you get the total length of the root), then its length will be calculated not in meters, but in kilometers. For example, in a 4-month-old winter rye plant, it is 619 km. One of the Finnish botanists in 1954 calculated the total length of the roots of a century-old pine tree - about 50 km.

DID YOU KNOW?..

That carrots, beets, radishes are also roots, only roots that have changed their appearance because reserve nutrients have been deposited in them. What caused the roots to grow so wide? Otherwise, these roots are called root crops. By the way, root vegetables are the heaviest roots. In November 1978, the Nedelya newspaper reported, for example, a giant fodder beet grown by a Tajik farmer. Its weight is more than 20 kg!

TRUNK

The largest plants are the eucalyptus trees found in Australia. They can reach 130 m in height with a trunk thickness of 10 m (compare: the height of a 10-storey building is 30 m).

In terms of size, eucalyptus trees are slightly inferior to mammoth trees - sequoias. The maximum height of these giants of the American continent is judged by measurements made in the last century on the fallen trunk of a unique tree in Sequoia National Park (USA). This tree, called the "father of forests", had 120 m from the base to the top. Now botanists consider the maximum height of living specimens of evergreen sequoia to be 110 m 33 cm. It was with such accuracy that a specimen was measured in Humboldt Sequoia Park in California. It was discovered in 1964 and got its own name "Howard Libby".

WITH terrestrial plants successfully argues for the largest brown algae. Some authors estimate its maximum length at 300 m, others more modestly - only 70 m. It is possible that such algae, wriggling in the depths of water, were mistaken by navigators of the past for a giant sea snake, often mentioned in sea legends. The largest trunk in the world was found in a European chestnut. This tree grows on Mount Etna in Sicily, according to measurements in 1845, it had 64 m in girth (about 20, 4 m in diameter).

SHEET

In southeast Asia, on the island of Sri Lanka, palm trees from the genus Corypha grow. Plates of fan-shaped leaves of Coryphae reach 8 m in length and 6 m in width. One such sheet can cover half of the volleyball court. They make beautiful and durable umbrellas, painted fans. The corypha is also famous for its inflorescences - they are the largest in the world - 14 m long and 12 m wide.

The Brazilian palm Rafia Teedigera has even larger leaves. A giant "feather" more than 20 m long and almost 12 m wide sways on a petiole 4-5 m long. If you put such a sheet vertically on the ground, it will rise above the 6-storey building. A strong fiber is obtained from the raffia petiole, which is used to make brushes and hats.

DID YOU KNOW?..

That the spines of a cactus are its leaves? Victoria Amazonskaya, a relative of our white water lily (water lily), also became famous for its large leaves. It is because of the unusual

leaves and grow it aquatic plant in many botanical gardens different countries... Victoria's sheet will bear on itself not only a small child, but also a schoolchild. He will feel on it just like in a real boat. And some leaves do not go under water with a load of about 50 kg. Moreover, the Victoria leaf does not sink, even when its entire surface is covered with an even layer of sand up to 80 kg. This is how much an adult tall man weighs! Victoria's round leaves are usually no more than 2 m in diameter, but still giants!

Victoria flowers are also famous. When its buds bloom, it is reported on the local radio. It is in the evening that her snow-white flower opens. It is very large, it can be up to 40 cm and smells good. By morning, its petals turn pink and close. The closed flower is lowered into the water. By the next evening, it opens a second time. Now its petals are already painted in lilac-pink tones. During the second night, it gradually darkens, and by morning it closes again and again goes under water. Now forever! Few manage to see so little living Victoria flower!

The amazing Velvichia, growing in the deserts of Africa, has only two leaves in its entire life. Its leaves reach a length of 2-3 m. A giant specimen with leaves 6 m 20 cm long and 1 m 80 cm wide is described! Velvichia is famous and interesting for its stump-like stem. The stem can reach 1 m, and according to other sources - 4 m in diameter. This stem gradually grows in thickness over tens and even hundreds of years.

FLOWER

Another giant is Amorphophallus titanic, growing in rain rainforest... He reached an extraordinary height - 2 m 42 cm! Due to the disgusting smell, the workers caring for him worked in gas masks and changed clothes after work.

And now about the smallest flowers. In central Europe, there is a naked hernia. This plant is only 5-15 cm high and the flower is only 1 mm! But the most smallest flowers in duckweed and rootless wolfia (aquatic plant) - less than 0.5 mm. Despite their microscopic size, duckweed and wolfia cover parts of water bodies with a solid green carpet.

FRUIT

Large fruit near the Seychelles palm. Even in ancient times, the inhabitants of the western coast of India found unusual nuts brought by the wind (waves), as if sharply pulled in two. They were called Maldives nuts and were even considered for a long time to be the fruits of underwater palms that grow at the bottom of the sea. And so in 1743 were opened Seychelles, and on them - palms that give these mysterious nuts. Their size is striking: diameter 45 cm, weight up to 25 kg.

There are other plants with very large fruits. For example, these are seedlings of a breadfruit, each weighing up to 25 kg. Three or four of these trees can feed a person for a year, and ten - a large family. The fruits are baked, boiled, dried, eaten raw. They taste like potatoes.

The largest fruits of the well-known plants are pumpkins. For example, in 1970 in England a pumpkin weighing almost 92 kg 750 was grown. And in 1987 on personal plot a pumpkin with a diameter of 12 m and a weight of 34 kg has grown!

"ShkolaLa" welcomes its young readers and their parents. In an effort to continue to help you in your studies, we have prepared new material for the project "Interesting Plants of the World".

Lives around us a large number of unique flowers and trees, blades of grass and shrubs that are striking in size and beauty, properties and abilities.

Having collected the facts about the unusual representatives of the flora, we tried to make the top five of the most attractive, from our point of view, "green inhabitants" of the planet.

Lesson plan:

Fly lover

Our top ten is opened by a plant - the hero of all kinds of cartoons called Venus flytrap. You can't even call it a flower, since it is a real predator, because the flycatcher is far from eating organic matter from the soil, as we used to read in the botany textbook about plants.

The Venus flytrap has various gape and curious spider bugs on the menu.

The thing is that the plant has traps, which consist of leaves, all together forming a flower rosette. They smell tempting, drawing attention to themselves. Trap leaves are only three to seven centimeters long, but so sensitive that as soon as an unlucky fly or a naive spider touches their surface, two leaves collapse like a box in less than a second!

An insect caught in a flower is doomed to death. The edges of the trap grow together and turn into a digestive organ for 10 days. Moreover, the more the "lunch" resists inside, the more actively the Venus flytrap begins to digest it. For his short life each such leaf is capable of eating about three insects.

The most unusual plant in the world settles in the owner with the help of a tiny seed. Scientists are amazed how this seed manages to penetrate into hardwood in order to form a bud in a year and a half, from which a bud appears after nine months.

Rafflesia is classified as one of the most, thanks to one of the largest single flowers on Earth.

In diameter, it reaches one meter, and can weigh as much as 10 kilograms!

At the same time, such beauty smells well, completely ugly! Rafflesia, consisting of five fleshy petals in the form of Bolshukhan pancakes of red color with white warts, emits the smell of rotting meat.

If we humans are repelled by this, then for dung flies it is akin to expensive perfumery. They flock with pleasure to a specific smell, pollinating the plant. It is a pity that it is not possible to observe such beauty by plugging your nose for long - rafflesia blooms only for three to four days

Frying pan for birds

This is what the local inhabitants of the shores of the countries of Brazil and Bolivia call the world's largest water lily, which is scientifically called Victoria of the Amazon.

Green water lily saucers grow up to 2 - 2.5 meters in diameter and calmly hold a weight of up to 50, or even more, kilograms.

In order not to sink under the weight of the accumulated water, the clever water lily pierced its huge leaves with weirs - small holes through which excess water leaves the surface.

An unusual plant and unusual flowers. They are placed under water and only once a year come to the surface during flowering, which lasts only two to three days. At the same time, modest people, about 30 centimeters in size, appear at night in their full glory, and at dawn they hide from prying eyes again under the water.

On the first night, you can observe white flowers on the water, on the next night, the Victoria Amazonian flower blooms in a pink tint, and on the last day it flaunts crimson or purple

Candy shop

What child does not dream of a mountain of sweets ?! Does it happen that candy grows on trees? It turns out that it happens! Moreover, you can see the sweet tree not only in other countries, but even in Russia! You can easily find it in the Crimea and the Caucasus. It grows in China, Korea and Japan.

Back in the 17th century, a candy tree correct name which - sweet fasting, was grown in pharmaceutical gardens, since it was a source of many valuable substances for medicine and health. The candy tree was known in Tibet and India and was rightfully considered a remedy for thousands of diseases. To the Greeks and Romans, magic caramels brought strength and vigor.

The fabulous plant is covered with oblong fruits, the taste of which is somewhat reminiscent of a caramel barberry.

Moreover, you can eat the same caramels without leaving the tree itself from its branches. Jams and preserves, syrups and juices are made from the sweet fruits of govenia.

In addition to the beneficial properties and delicious bright red caramels, Govenia also has an external beauty. When the warmth of spring comes, it blooms with golden flowers, from which a magical aroma emanates. The tree is no less beautiful in autumn - it is covered with purple and yellow leaves.

Modest girl

Who of you has not seen a flower and bright yellow lumps, which we call mimosa, on the March 8 holiday of March. And we do not even think that it has nothing to do with the genus of mimosa, because in fact it is a sprig of silver acacia.

But among the hundreds of species of real mimosas, there is a shy representative.

Why is it called that? The plant got such a name by no coincidence. It really shrinks from shame, one has only to touch its feathery petals. Mimosa, embarrassed by awkwardness, folds them, lowering the twigs.

If for some time, about five to ten minutes, no irritants appear around the flower, the mimosa, as if emboldened, dismisses its leaves again. The plant cannot hide the petals from the hands of others for a long time, therefore, with persistent irritation from energy depletion, the flower may die.

The touchy mimosa can be seen in tropical Brazil, where it is perceived as a weed, as well as in Central America. It also exists in other warm countries. Today, bashful mimosa can also be grown as a houseplant, which throughout the summer will delight with pink or purple flowers that form an inflorescence like a ball.

Here we have such an unusual five today!

Of course, there are many other unique plants in nature, for which there will not be enough space in this article to describe. Perhaps we will come back to this topic and continue our list. After all, the planet still has:

And on the ShkolaLa blog you will find:

And many other interesting TOPs)

That's all for today!

Until new interesting meetings!

Evgenia Klimkovich.

Nature is inexhaustible for fantasy. A huge number of amazing creatures live on Earth: from funny to terrifying. There are some of the most unusual plants in the world. Let's talk about them today.

Amorphophallus titanum (Amorphophallus titanum)

The second name is Corpse lily. The most unusual plant in the world makes it not only the gigantic size of the flower, but also the terrible smell that it exudes. It's good that it takes only two days to smell the aroma of rotten meat and fish - this is the flowering period of this amazing plant. Another feature of it is rare flowering. The "cadaveric lily" lives for a long time, up to 40 years, and during this time flowers appear on it only 3-4 times. A plant can reach a height of up to 3 meters, and its weight large flower is about 75 kilograms.

The homeland of the Titanic Amorphophallus is the forests of Sumatra, where it is now practically exterminated. The plant can be seen in many botanical gardens around the world.

Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)

Only the lazy did not write about this amazing predator plant. But no matter how much is said about him, the Venus flytrap amazes with its absolute foreignness. She can easily be imagined as an inhabitant of some distant and dangerous planet inhabited by predatory plants. Venus flytrap leaves are the perfect trap for small insects... As soon as the unlucky victim touches the leaf, it slams shut. And the more actively the insect resists, the more it stimulates the growth of plant cells. The edges of the leaf trap grow together and turn into a "stomach", where the digestion process takes place within 10 days. After that, the trap is again ready to capture the next victim.

This unusual predator can be “tamed” - the Venus flytrap is successfully grown at home. Here it is important to follow the rules of care, and then you can observe the amazing carnivorous plant yourself.

Wolfia (Wolffia angusta)

It belongs to the most unusual plants in the world because of its tiny size. It is an aquatic plant of the duckweed subfamily. The size of a wolf is negligible - about a millimeter. It blooms very rarely. Meanwhile, in terms of the amount of protein, the plant is not inferior to legumes and can be used for human food.

Passionflower (Passíflora)

it beautiful plant also seems to come from other worlds. Unusual flower guided missionaries who saw him in South Africa, to the allegory of the savior's crown of thorns. Hence the second name of one of the most unusual plants in the world - passion flower (passion of Christ).

Passionflower is a lignified climbing liana, numbering more than 500 species.

Victoria amozonica

This is the most amazing and unusual water lily in the world. The diameter of the leaves of the plant reaches two meters. They are so large that they can support up to 80 kg. The flowers of this water lily are very beautiful, and Victoria amazonian is the most popular and unusual plant in greenhouses and botanical gardens.

Many amazing plants in the world have been known for a long time. But there are completely unusual representatives of the flora, which few people know about. Meanwhile, they really amaze with their appearance.

Nepenthes

Another predator plant that surprises with its unusual appearance. It grows mainly in Asia. Climbing high on neighboring trees, this bushy liana, along with ordinary leaves, has special traps, taking the form of a jug up to half a meter long. They are painted in bright colours to attract the attention of insects. The upper edge of the jug contains fragrant nectar. The insect, attracted by the smell and color of the plant, crawls into the jug and rolls down on its smooth surface. At the bottom there is a liquid consisting of digestive enzymes and acids - real gastric juice. Inner surface The trapping leaf is lined with wax scales that prevent the victim from getting out of the trap. Like the Venus flytrap, the nepentes digests the insect for several days. It is one of the most unusual and impressive plants in the world.

An inedible mushroom native to Europe, North America and Australia. Outwardly it looks like a small piece of cake covered with strawberry syrup. It is not eaten because of its strong bitter taste. In addition to its amazing appearance, the mushroom has and beneficial features- its pulp is antibacterial and contains blood thinners. Only looks unusual young plant, the snow-white pulp of which exudes drops of a reddish liquid.

The black raven, or doll eyes, is not an unusual plant for the faint of heart. The fruits that appear on it in the second half of summer really most of all resemble doll eyes planted on a branch. The homeland of the white crow is the mountainous regions of North America. A plant, but it does not pose a mortal danger.

Porcupine Tomato

Porcupine Tomato is one of the most unusual plants in the world with huge thorns. This is a Madagascar one and a half meter weed, decorated with beautiful purple flowers... But plucking them is very difficult, since the leaves of the plant protect the long poisonous thorns. orange... It was named a tomato for its fruits that look like small tomatoes.

During evolution, many unusual plants in the world have learned to take the form of other living creatures. Platypus orchid flowers, for example, are very similar to tiny two centimeter ducks. In this way, the plant attracts insects for pollination - male sawflies.

Lithops or living stones (Lithops)

Among indoor plants, you can find the most amazing and unusual specimens. This is confirmed by living stones that will decorate and diversify the room. They belong to succulents and therefore are rather unpretentious. The main thing is to observe proper care for them, and one day it will be possible to admire how lithops, which look like small stones, will bloom. This usually occurs in the third year of the plant's life.

If in the 18th century, when this unusual plant was first described, they knew about airplanes, it would have been named that way. It belongs to succulents and forms a dense interlacing of filamentous shoots. The plant feels great at home and is used for interior decoration.

The flora of our planet is so rich and diverse that it never ceases to amaze even scientists. This rating contains 10 of the most unusual plants in the world, capable of turning over ideas about botany with their appearance. It seems that being a botanist is very honorable, since these scientists can surprise the whole world with their discoveries.

10. Spooky handshake

Due to its unusual shape flowers, chirantodendron is called "the hand of the devil". The homeland of this tree is Mexico, which was inhabited by the Aztecs several centuries ago. They used chirantodendron flowers in their magic rituals, and all because of their similarity with a five-fingered brush. The color of the petals only adds color, because at the ends of the so-called fingers, red sharp claws are clearly visible. During the flowering period, the tree is very abundantly covered with "palms" that sway eerily in the wind.

9. Blooms and smells

For Europeans, this plant is very unusual, but people living in the tropics and subtropics do not consider amorphophallus to be anything unusual. A plant develops from a tuber the size of a medium grapefruit. And for local residents, it is of gastronomic interest. In Japanese cuisine, amorphophallus tubers are added to soups, stewed with vegetables. And the dried pieces are ground into flour, from which noodles are subsequently made. But having become acquainted with amorphophallus during the flowering period, not every tourist then dares to eat it. The amorphophallus flower reaches 2.5 m in height. This huge and incredibly beautiful flower, like the famous rafflesia, exudes an unreal stench. The smell of rotting meat attracts insects that pollinate the plant. And the larvae of some species of moth amorphophallus can have a snack, replenishing the supply nutrients... This plant proves by its example that appearance is deceiving. And because of bad smell there are few people who want to admire it live beautiful flower... The rest make a choice in favor of high-quality photographs.

8. Dragon's blood

If the bark of the dragon tree is damaged, a red tarry liquid similar to blood will emerge at this place. Because of this feature, the aborigines considered the tree sacred for many years. Modern scientists are not in awe of the sap of dragon trees, but they study them with great interest. These unusual plants are found on the African continent and on the southern islands of Asia. They grow rather slowly, but there are specimens of impressive size, the trunk girth of which can reach 15 m. Specimens of a very respectable age can boast of such dimensions. Experts say that the dragon tree can live up to 9,000 years, but without complex research, the age of the plant cannot be determined, since it does not form tree rings.

7. Living stones of the desert

Translated from ancient Greek, this plant is called "having the appearance of a stone." Many amateur flower growers also call these unusual indoor plants live pebbles. Lithops are native to the African desert, but when proper care feel good in an ordinary city apartment. Lithops are two fleshy leaves that are separated by a gap. A pair of leaves lives for one year, then it is replaced by a new pair, the dividing gap of which will be located strictly perpendicular to the previous one. Such life cycle due to the arid climate characteristic of these plants. Old, watery leaves serve as a source of moisture and nutrients for new ones. While developing, lithops can "throw out" another pair of leaves nearby from one root. Over time, they grow into small flocks.

6. An entrenched supermarket

The baobab is considered an unofficial symbol of the African savannah, a very recognizable silhouette of this unusual tree. Baobabs have peculiar proportions, their trunk is too wide in relation to the height of the tree. And all because in it the plant accumulates and stores nutrients and water. The reserves are enough for the entire period of drought, however, at this time the tree decreases in volume and even sheds foliage. Locals have learned to use baobabs to the fullest. They joke that if a baobab grows nearby, then you don't need to go to the market. So, nets and mats are weaved from the bark, the fruits are eaten, shampoo is made of them, faces are painted with rhizome juice, and wood ash saves natives from many diseases. The tree itself can serve as a good home. The fact is that wet wood under the influence of fungal infections is often destroyed, and the baobab becomes hollow inside. However, this does not prevent the mega-hardy tree from continuing to grow and bear fruit. According to the results of recent studies, it was concluded that baobabs live for more than one thousand years. So such empty trees can shelter up to 40 people inside. But when the baobab dies, it crumbles into small pieces, and leaves behind only a mountain of rotten wood.

5. Foggy prospects

There are unusual plant species in the world that need specific weather conditions for a comfortable life. One of these exotic plants is the amazing Velvichia. This plant can be found in the stony desert soils of Namibia and Angola, where it only rains 2 months a year. The rest of the time the sun kills all living things. At the same time, the Welwitschia manages to survive. And all because the main source of moisture for this plant is thick fog, due to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. The plant absorbs moisture from the air with its huge leaves. True, there are only two of them, but the length of each reaches 8 meters, and the width is up to 2 m. To shade the rhizome, the plant divides its wide leaves into narrow parts in the form of belts. The latter die off over time, but their shadow allows the plant to survive in extreme conditions. Due to the withered foliage, the plant seems to be dead, in fact, its life potential is amazing. Velvichia is often mistaken for grass, but in fact it is a tree, and quite ancient. With the help of carbon analysis, it was found that the age of individual specimens is more than 1,500 years.

4. You don't need a reason to dance

An unusual shrub, Desmodium gyrans, grows in Asia. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that the leaves of the plant are constantly in motion. This happens provided the plant is getting enough moisture and light. Only then can you observe how some leaves literally dance on a branch. Scientists explain such movements by jumps in water pressure inside the leaf cells. But, despite the scientific findings, from the outside it looks like magic. It is striking that the cyclical movement of the leaves resembles the heart rate of a person. As a result of research, an Indian scientist was able to establish this. Well, a person should remember that he is as much a part of nature as the exotic Desmodium gyrans. But the bush dancing is worth a look.

3. Water lily for Thumbelina

Some unusual plant species enjoy special attention from residents of those countries where they grow. So, the Amazonian Victoria flaunts on the coat of arms of Guyana, a small South American state. And there is something to be proud of, because this is the largest water lily in the world, the leaves of which reach 2 m in diameter. Such a leaf can withstand not only the fabulous Thumbelina, but also a person or an animal weighing up to 50 kg. The flowers of the plant, which appear once a year for 3 days, require special attention. Delicate flowers with a diameter of 30 cm on the first day have a snow-white color. At night, they are closed and submerged under the water to appear on the morning of the second day in a pale pink color. On the third day, they change color to crimson or purple, and by the evening they go under water for the last time. So, for three days water lilies appear on the surface of the water in all their glory, but their wilting is hidden from the eyes of the audience.

2. Fly for lunch

The Venus flytrap is a rare species of predatory plants. Its leaves of a special shape are able to slam shut sharply, keeping the insect inside. Once the food is inside, the leaf begins to secrete an enzyme for the insect to digest. On average, one leaf spends up to 10 days for the complete digestion of organic matter. After that, only the chitinous membrane remains of the fly. During its life, the leaf manages to "eat" up to three insects. This predatory behavior of a plant is dictated by its growing environment. Under natural conditions, this plant can most often be found in humid climates on marshy soils. Similar conditions are found in the United States on the Atlantic coast. Swampy soil is poor in nitrogen, eating insects, the flycatcher makes up for the lack of nutrients. Today, she is fashionably breeding unusual indoor plants, and the Venus flytrap may well become one of them.

1. Timid beauty

Mimosa bashful, perhaps, overshadowed all the most unusual plants in the world. This herbaceous plant reacts instantly to the slightest touch. One has only to touch it, as all the mimosa leaves, as if embarrassed, curl up, and the twigs nod. True, after 5-10 minutes of rest, the plant again regains itself initial appearance... In nature, this exotic plant can be found in Central America, but as a houseplant, the shy mimosa grows all over the world. However, you need to see it with your own eyes.