Flowers are among nature’s most captivating creations, admired for their fleeting beauty, ecological importance, and evolutionary diversity. While many flowers are widely found across continents, some of the rare flowers in the world exist only in isolated regions, survive under extreme conditions, or are already extinct in the wild due to habitat loss and human activity. Thanks to the efforts of botanists and conservationists for some of these rare flowers in the world are still alive, either in select places in the wild or in botanical gardens.
People travel great distances for sighting of a rare bloom or to catch a glimpse of these unique flowers. From endangered orchids and night-blooming flowers to plants that survive only in botanical gardens, here are 18 unique blooms in the world, along with their scientific names & facts, where they grow, and the fascinating characteristics that make each one extraordinary.
Table of Contents
18 Rare Flowers On Earth: Endangered, Extinct & Unusual Blooms Explained
1. Juliet Rose – World’s Rarest & Expensive Rose
The Juliet Rose is not only considered to be one of the rare flowers in the world, but it’s also the rarest rose in the world. The Juliet Rose is a type of tea rose that has peach and apricot-colored petals. In full bloom, they open to reveal smaller blooms at the heart.
Why This Flower Is Rare: It took nearly 15 years for rose breeder David Austin to cultivate the flower.
Scientific Name: Rosa ‘Juliet’ (cultivar name; no formal botanical species)
Interesting Facts: It debuted in the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show in London in 2006.
Where To See Them: UK, US, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Ecuador, Taiwan.
2. Ghost Orchid – Florida’s Endangered Floral Species
Named after the shape of its petals, the Ghost Orchid is listed as one of the rare exotic flowers of the world. It requires high temperature and high humidity to grow, making it almost impossible to cultivate outside its natural habitat. The stem and flowers appear green in color with whitish petals.
Why This Flower Is Rare: They bloom only for three weeks between April and August.
Scientific Name: Dendrophylax Lindenii
Interesting Facts: Emits a soap-like fragrance when in bloom.
Where To See Them: Cuba, Florida and the Bahamas.
3. Fire Lily – Zimbabwe’s National Flower
Also known as the Flame Lily, this trumpet-shaped flower with red and orange-yellow-colored petals, makes it look like flames. It’s also considered an invasive species in countries like Australia, the Cook Islands, and French Polynesia.
Why This Flower Is Rare: Due to over-collection for its high medicinal value.
Scientific Name: Gloriosa Superba
Interesting Facts:
– It is toxic to humans and can also cause skin irritation.
– It can grow up to 12 feet tall.
– It’s used for medicinal purposes.
Where To See Them: Asia and tropical parts of Africa
Book Now: A Trip To The Valley of Flowers – UNESCO World Heritage Site, Uttarakhand
4. Chocolate Cosmos – Flower That Smells Like Fresh Chocolate
The Chocolate Cosmos has earned its place on the list of extinct flowers of the world as it has been extinct in the wild for years. It is reddish-brown in color and gives off a rich chocolate fragrance when it blooms, hence the name. Though extinct in the wild, the clones of the original flower still survive today.
Why This Flower Is Rare: Extinct in the wild and survives only through cloned plants.
Scientific Name: Cosmos Atrosanguineus
Interesting Facts:
– Blooms in the evening at the end of summer.
– Seedless and reproduced only via root division since 1902.
– Areas where these uncommon flowers grow are protected by law.
Where To See Them: Mexico
Also read: 11 beautiful places to see flowers in spring
5. Kadupul Flower – Queen Of The Night
The Kadupul Flower rarely blooms, and is therefore considered as one of the most mystical flowers on Earth. They are large, beautiful, snowy white and star-shaped flower that blooms only at night and withers away by daybreak.
Why This Flower Is Rare: Blooms for only a few hours at night and perishes by morning.
Scientific Name: Epiphyllum Oxypetalum
Interesting Facts:
– It is known as Gekka Bijin in Japan which means, “Beauty Under the Moon”.
– Very rare because of its unpredictable bloom.
Where To See Them: Sri Lanka, Mexico, and South America
6. Corpse Flower – The World’s Smelliest Flower
The Corpse Flower is known as one of the world’s rarest blooms because it blooms just once in a few decades. When it blooms it emits a foul odor, similar to that of rotten meat. This flower has no roots, leaves or even a stem. Moreover, it seems to have only one petal shaped like a cone, which is green on the outside and burgundy red on the inside.
Why This Flower Is Rare: Unpredictable blooming cycle.
Scientific Name: Amorphophallus Titanum
Interesting Facts:
– Technically, a corpse flower is a flowering plant with clusters of blooms.
– It grows up to 3.6 meters tall.
Where To See Them: Indonesia, specifically the island of Sumatra.
7. Jade Vine – Luminous Green Wonder
The Jade Vine is a claw-shaped flower that varies in color from blue to light green and hangs facing downward. These flowers are one of the most unique flowers in the world because deforestation has driven it close to extinction.
Why This Flower Is Rare: Hard to cultivate outside its natural environment.
Scientific Name: Strongylodon Macrobotrys
Interesting Facts:
– They reportedly have a luminous quality at twilight.
– Pollinated mainly by bats.
Where To See Them: Philippine rainforests
8. Middlemist’s Red – Possibly The Rarest Flower On Earth
The Middlemist Red is one of the rarest and most beautiful flowers in the world; so much so, that only two of its samples exist today. The flower was evidently wiped out of existence in its native China sometime after it was brought to the United Kingdom. Although it looks like a rose, the Middlemist’s red is actually a type of Camellia flower.
Why This Flower Is Rare: Difficult to cultivate outside controlled environments.
Scientific Name: Middlemist Camellia
Interesting Facts:
– Was brought to England by a botanist named John Middlemist in 1804.
– Since John Middlemist sold quite a few of them to the public, they could still exist unknowingly in private gardens.
Where To See Them: One in a botanical garden in New Zealand and the other in a greenhouse in London.
9. Franklin Tree Flower – Only Species Of The Franklinia Genus
The Franklin Tree Flower is listed among the rare flowers in the world as it has been extinct in the wild since the early 1800s. It’s a beautiful five-petalled white flower with clusters of golden yellow stamens in the centre. It is speculated that the plant went extinct in the wild due to a fungal disease.
Why This Flower Is Rare: The tree is extinct in the wild.
Scientific Name: Franklinia Alatamaha
Interesting Facts:
– All existing plants come from the seeds that were collected in the 1700s.
– It was first discovered in 1765.
Where To See Them: Altamaha River valley in Georgia, USA
10. Rothschild’s Slipper Orchid – Gold Of Kinabalu
The Rothschild’s Slipper Orchid is considered one of the rare flowers in the world as it takes years to bloom. It’s so rare that it’s now worth thousands of dollars on the black market. What makes it a unique flower among the orchid family is that two thin petals grow horizontally from the centre.
Why This Flower Is Rare: It takes about 15 years to bloom.
Scientific Name: Paphiopedilum Rothschildianum
Interesting Facts:
– It grows between altitudes of 1,640 and 3,930 feet above sea level.
– One stem is worth up to $5,000 on the black market.
Where To See Them: Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia.
11. Parrot’s Beak – Canary Island Beauty
Parrot’s Beaks are rare claw-shaped flowers that grow on trailing vines and are found in striking orange and red colors. Much like most of the flowers on this list, only a few members of this species of flower exist today. Though these flowers are believed to be extinct in the wild, they still can be cultivated in gardens, as well as indoors.
Why This Flower Is Rare: It is critically endangered in its native Canary Islands.
Scientific Name: Lotus Berthelotii
Interesting Facts:
– Winner of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society.
– It’s also known as Coral Gem, Pelican’s Beak, Cat Claw, Lotus Vine, and Pigeon Beak.
Where To See Them: South America and the Caribbean
12. Koki’o – Hawaii’s Island Hibiscus
The Koki’o, especially its immaculate species, is a rare breed found only in certain wet mountainous forest areas. They have large beautiful white flowers that give off a pleasant fragrance.
Why This Flower Is Rare: Severe habitat loss in Hawaii.
Scientific Name: Hibiscus Arnottianus
Interesting Facts:
– These flowers are easy to grow from fresh seeds but hybridise easily, causing the seedlings to differ from their parents.
– The plant is a shrub that grows up to 457 centimetres to 609 centimetres tall.
Where To See Them: Oahu and Moloka’i islands of Hawaii and Moloka’i Island.
13. Black Bat Flower – World’s Unusual Black Bloom
The Black Bat Flower is the most unique flower in the world because it has the rarest flower color, black. Measuring up to 30 centimetres in diameter, the flower resembles a bat, which is how it got its name. It has long droopy whisker-like stamens, which can measure up to 70 centimetres long.
Why This Flower Is Rare: Extremely limited native habitat and difficult growing conditions.
Scientific Name: Tacca Chantrieri
Interesting Facts:
– Member of the Yam family.
– It has a recently discovered relative known as the White Bat Flower.
– There is a superstition that the evil eye will start following you if you look at these bat-shaped flowers for too long.
Where To See Them: Southeast Asia including Thailand, Malaysia, and southern China.
14. Gibraltar Campion – Survivor Of The Cliffs
This species of rare and beautiful flower is only found in Gibraltar and was thought to be extinct in the wild. However, these beautiful flowers were found in the British Overseas Territory’s Upper Rock Nature Preserve in 1994. Since then, the Campions are artificially grown at the Almeda Gibraltar Botanic Gardens and in the Royal Botanic Gardens of London.
Why This Flower Is Rare: It grows only in Gibraltar.
Scientific Name: Silene Tomentosa
Interesting Facts:
– The flowers on this plant range in color from violet to bright pink.
– This mid-scented flower is protected under the Nature Protection Act of 1991 by the Law of Gibraltar.
– The Gibraltar Campion plant is capable to grow about 40 cm.
Where To See Them: Gibraltar, Britain
15. Youtan Poluo – The 3,000 Years Bloom
Youtan Poluo is a parasitic tiny flower which was actually found growing in Viet Linh on an aroid palm leaf. These rare white flowers measure no more than 1 millimetre in diameter and is commonly known as Udumbara.
Why This Flower Is Rare: Blooms once every 3,000 years.
Scientific Name: Not scientifically classified
Interesting Facts:
– This rare flower emits a mild yet noticeable sandalwood-like fragrance.
– According to the Buddhist scriptures, these flowers symbolize immortality.
– The looking of the Youtan Poluo flower is believed to mark the arrival of a future king or the reincarnation of the Buddha.
– The word ‘Udumabara’ in Sanskrit means, auspicious flowers descending from heaven.
Where To See Them: China and Taiwan
16. Cube-Shaped Pseudolithos – Cube Shaped But Not A Cube
As the name suggests, Pseudolithos Cubiformis is a species of succulent plant that grows into a nearly perfect shape like a cube. The stone like succulent grows from a single stem and are always leafless. However, it has flowers in red, yellow, or green color.
Why This Flower Is Rare: Due to its highly specific and demanding care requirements.
Scientific Name: Pseudolithos Cubiformis
Interesting Facts:
– It’s a single stem plant that can grow up to five inches tall.
Where To See Them: Somalia
17. Vulsa – Rarest Brugmansia Variety
Vulsa also known as Brugmansia Vulcanicola is the rarest Brugmansia variety of flower generally found in the mountains. It makes orangey-pink blossoms appear in waves through most of the year with each flower lasting for only one week.
Why This Flower Is Rare: Due to the difficulty of cultivation outside its native high-altitude habitat.
Scientific Name: Brugmansia Vulcanicola
Interesting Facts:
– Vulsa plants cannot tolerate an excessively hot climate.
– The orange flowers hang upside down from its green stem.
Where To See Them: mountains of Colombia
18. Purple Passionflower – The Christian Crucifixion Story
The wild purple flowers known for their exotic appeal blooms for only a day. When the Purple Passion-flowers are left to mature, the flowers transform into juicy and sweet passion fruit. It’s believed that the ten petals of the flower represent the Christian crucifixion story, hence the name passion flower.
Why This Flower Is Rare: Each flower blooms for just one day, limiting pollination and visibility.
Scientific Name: Passiflora Incarnata
Interesting Facts:
– It is the state flower of Tennessee.
– Some passion fruits are eaten as delicate dessert fruits.
Where To See Them: Southern Brazil, Paraguay, and northern Argentina
Also Read: 8 strange plants from around the world and where to find them
Final Words
Many of the rare flowers listed above are either extinct in the wild or in the process of being driven to extinction or surviving only due to conservation efforts. By letting such beautiful and unique flowers die, we are not only depriving the future generation of witnessing their beauty and mystique, but are also doing irreparable damage to the ecology and environment. While a few of the unique rare blooms are protected by law, most aren’t.
However, not all hope is lost. By promoting awareness about these rare and beautiful flowers, we can put in care and work towards saving them from further and more permanent extinction. Protecting rare flowers is not only a conservation priority but also essential for preserving global biodiversity and ecological balance.
FAQs About Rare Flowers
A flower is considered rare when it only bloom under specific conditions or found at specific destinations under the right ecological conditions or are only rarely found growing in the wild.
The Middlemist Red is the rarest flower in the world. Only two known examples of this flower are found in London and New Zealand.
No, there are no blue and black roses in nature. The color blue is not in the gene pool of roses, therefore naturally or in the cross-breeding process it would be impossible to get a blue rose. The blues and blacks that you see are either created by genetic modification or are painted or dyed blue.
Yes, many rare flowers are protected by national and international conservation laws. Picking, uprooting, or damaging them, particularly on federal or protected lands are strictly prohibited. Protection varies from country to country, with several species still facing threats from habitat loss and illegal collection.
