Five of the World's Rarest Flowers
Here is our list of some of the rarest flowers in the world. Sadly, much as we’d love to add some to our product family, you won't be finding any of these beauties in a Flowercard anytime soon!
Campion : In 1992 the campion was thought to be extinct. But it wasn't, it was hiding away high up on the cliffs of Gibraltar. Amid the region's rocky outcrops this perennial plant, from the caryophyllaceae family, grows to about 40cm and has pretty, double-lobed flowers that bloom in the evening in hues of pink and pale violet. The plant itself doesn't live very long and, thankfully, it is now a protected species under Gibraltar law. A few specimens are kept in the botanical gardens in both Gibraltar and London's Kew Gardens, but it remains an extremely rare flower.
Udumbara or Youtan Poluo: You may have to wait 3,000 years to see this minute flower, earning it a place in our list of the world's rarest flowers. It measures a tiny one millimetre in length and, given how extraordinarily infrequently it appears, for hundreds of years, people thought that it was actually a myth. It only exists in China where it was recently found blossoming inside some steel pipes, as well as on a Buddha statue at a temple in Seoul.
Middlemist Red Camellia: This gorgeous flower was imported into the UK from China more than two centuries ago by a gardener called, John Middlemist in 1804 – hence the name. While it doesn't flourish in China these days it is known to be growing in New Zealand as well as in a specialist greenhouse in the UK. However, there's a slim chance that it could be growing in your garden! The reason for this is that it used to be sold to the public when it first arrived in the UK – and it is thought that a few specimens could still exist in English gardens without the owner even knowing it's there.
Rothschild’s Slipper Orchid: This is another very shy flower that can take up to fifteen years to show itself, but when it does the Rothschild's Slipper Orchid is a spectacular display of long, stripey, red petals. You'd have to travel to the rainforests in Borneo to find it in the wild and even then it only grows between about 1,600 and 4,000 feet above sea level. Very occasionally they are sold on the black market for up to £3,500 per stem but as they're so rare, picking them only threatens their fragile existence further.
Ghost Orchid: This bizarre looking flower can be found growing naturally in only three places in the world, Florida, Cuba, and the Bahamas. It's a rare and endangered species due to over picking and the destruction of its habitat. It grows in the cypress swamps where a particular type of fungus provides the nutrient system that the plant needs to survive. The flowers themselves are a delicate display of elegant, long white petals. It clings to trees on a mass of green roots and is pollinated by the sphinx moth during the night time.
