What are the origins of this fun-filled festive custom?
Notable for its distinctly shaped red bracts that resemble full, pouting lips, this tropical plant is identified by several nicknames, including hot lips, flower lips, and girlfriend's kiss. It's found in the rainforests of Central and South America.
One of the most extraordinarily designed flowers of the natural world, the hanging lobster claw hosts numerous birds; in particular, hummingbird species. The plant is also found in parts of Central and South America.
Widespread across central and southern Europe, as well as North Africa and the Middle East, the bee orchid appears as if it's being pollinated by said insect, such is the color and design of its petals.
Are those a pair of parrots in mid-flight? Well, no, but you can see why the parrot flower is so named. An endangered species of balsam from Southeast Asia, the parrot flower is so scarce that sighting one is a rare treat.
A species of orchid native to Mediterranean regions, this flower is also known as the hanging man orchid. And if you use your imagination, the flower does indeed resemble a male figure, with dotted eyes, a broad smile, and even a phallus-like appendage!
The delightfully named swaddled babies orchid is so called because the flowers resemble that of a tiny infant swathed in blankets. These particular orchids hail from South America.
The monkey orchid is so named for obvious reasons—the arrangement of column, petals, and lip strongly resembles a tiny primate's face. This rare flower is native to Ecuador, but is also found in some regions of Colombia and Peru.
Its Latin classification, Gloriosa superba, says it all. This is one of nature's true beauties, an exquisite species of flowering plant widely distributed across many parts of the world.
The cannonball tree is possessed of beautiful, fragrant flowers and large, interesting fruits. The blooms have six petals and are typically brightly colored, ranging from shades of pink and red near the bases to yellowish toward the tips. The plant is native to the tropical forests of Central and South America.
At first glance, these flowers resemble gangs of diabolical spiders hiding at ankle height and ready to pounce on unsuspecting passersby. Native across much of Australia, Sturt's desert pea is one of the nation's most iconic plant species.
This orchid species features a remarkable flower, resembling a duck in flight. The plant is endemic to eastern and southern Australia.
The flowers of this perennial plant are often referred to as lady's slippers. But they're also called chamber maids and sometimes even Darwin's slipper: the species was originally discovered by Charles Darwin in the early 1800s. The lady's slipper grows in abundance in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in South America.
The dove orchard is one of the rarest flowers on this list. In fact, it's in danger of extinction, and all because of its beauty. This species of orchid, endemic to parts of Central and South America, produces flowers with an intense marble white color, as well as purple spots that, if you peer closely, look like they have a small dove with open wings perched inside. And the bird is significant. In the Bible, the Holy Ghost takes the form of a dove. This is why the flower is also known as the Holy Ghost orchid.
Another orchid named for flowers that resemble birds in flight, the white egret orchid is arguably the most fanciful of the species. It's found "flying" in China, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and Russia.
Also known as the Catherine-wheel pincushion, this delicate-looking bloom is an endemic species limited to the southwest of the Western Cape province of South Africa.
Not for nothing is the corpse flower named. This parasitic flowering plant endemic to Sabah in Borneo emits a quite dreadful smell akin to rotting food. These so-called carrion plant species mimic the smell of dead meat to attract flies in areas where other pollinating insects are scarce.
So named for its popular use as a houseplant in temperate regions, the silver vase is native to Brazil.
Resembling a vivid rosette, the passion flower is noted for its intricate petals with prominent styles and stamens. They call this species clock flower in India and Japan, but its name actually derives from the fact that many see in the styles a cross shape.
Without doubt one of the world's weirdest flowers, the beehive ginger is so called because of its beehive-like shape and the fact that it's related to the ginger plant. The cups, or bracts, embedded in the plant's body collect water and nourish flowers with small, purple petals and yellow spots. The cups of water, meanwhile, give off a wonderful scent of ginger. The species is native to Southeast Asia.
Appearing as if woven from fine silk, the snake gourd flower is actually a vegetable. Its bitter taste is not to everyone's liking though, and, in fact, the fruit from the flower is used more in a variety of medical applications. Snake gourd is found across Southeast Asia, in parts of Africa, and in northern Australia.
Native to Central America and Mexico, the bat-faced cuphea is named for its interesting little bat-faced blooms of deep purple and bright red. The nectar-rich flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
Known locally as the corpse flower, this monster of a flowering plant is endemic to rainforests on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. As with the aforementioned corpse flower, titan arum gives off a putrid odor like that of a decomposing carcass.
The moth orchid is named for its supposed resemblance to a moth in flight. The flower is native to Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Australia. In Indonesia, it's also known as the moon orchid.
The sinister-sounding vampire lily is another flowering plant species characterized by a very unpleasant smell reminiscent of rotting meat. It is native to the Balkans, extending as far as Greece, Crete, and the Aegean Islands.
The devil's hand is named on account of its distinctive red flowers, which resemble open human hands. In fact, the scientific name means "five-fingered hand-flower tree." The species is native to Guatemala and southern Mexico.
This delicate and intricate-looking flower is one of the world's largest and most interesting plant species. Look closely and you can recognize the outline of little bat faces hidden within the clusters of black flowers. The plant can grow to anywhere between 11 and 35 inches (60 and 90 cm) tall, and is native to tropical and subtropical rainforests in hilly regions of South Asia.
A popular tropical flower species, the bird of paradise is named because of a resemblance of its flowers to exotic birds-of-paradise species. It's native to South Africa, where it's also known as a crane flower.
Another carrion plant with a disgusting scent but which is striking in appearance, the star flower is native to South Africa. Its flowers can range from deep reds, crimsons, and purples to lighter pinks, mauves, and yellow.
The spider chrysanthemum is a favorite flower of florists and gardeners alike, their very distinctive form prized in bouquets and other floral arrangements.
Sources: (National Geographic) (Kew Gardens)
The world's weirdest flowers
Blooms that simply blow your mind!
LIFESTYLE Nature
Nature is full of surprises, and the world of flowers is one that sprouts with some truly weird and wonderful blooms. So varied are flowers that while one can give off an odor akin to rotting flesh, another can resemble a bird in flight. So, is your favorite flower on this list of the world's weirdest flowers? Click through and take your pick!