~' Dhivehi Vindhu `~ For the People ~ From the Pleople

10 rare plants in the world

Amorphophallus titanum (or titan arum). One of the most spectacular plants to be found in the wet tropics zone of the Princess of Wales Conservatory is the titan arum. With its huge flowering structure (inflorescence) rising up to 3m above the ground and its single immense leaf, it certainly is a giant among plants, as its name suggests. Coupled with its characteristic foul stench, and the rarity of flowerings, this plant has always hit the headlines.

Dracuunculus vulgaris, dragon arum, centre stem with dark purple flower erect stem surrounded by large green leaves with white lines.

Nepenthes Tanax. Nepenthes, sometimes called Tropical Pitcher Plants, is a carnivorous species found throughout Asia. Animals that crawl inside the plant fall into a watery trap and drown. There's even a pitcher plant in India named Nepenthes Tanax that is known to eat rats.

Aigrette. White Egrets are storklike birds that are found in southern Europe and Asia. This flower got its name because of its resemblance to the magnificent bird in flight.

The Venus Flytrap is one of the few plants that is capable of rapid movements. The plant waits for its dinner to approach, then snaps shut when an insect enters the trap.

Drosera capensis, commonly known as the Cape sundew, is a carnerous plant that lives in South Africa. Not to be outdone by the Venus Flytrap, it is covered in sticky tentacles that trap insects as it crushes its prey. This peculiar plant is native to Cape Province, South Africa.

Rafflesia arnoldii is a member of the genus Rafflesia, noted for producing the largest individual flower on earth. There are some plants with larger flowering organs, the Titan Arum and Talipot palm, but these are technically clusters of many flowers. It occurs only in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo in the Indonesia Archipelago.

Tacca chantrieri, often referred to as the bat flower, thrives in warm temperatures. The spooky plant is mainly found in Southeast Asia.

Strangler fig. True to its name, the strangler fig gathers sunlight by wrapping itself around a tree as it grows toward the upper canopy. The roots also squeeze the trunk, cutting off the trees' flow of nutrients.

Lunaria annua is a plant found throughout Europe. It is often called Annual honesty due to its translucent seed pods. In Southeast Asia, the plant is referred to as the money plant because of its resemblance to silver dollars.