7 Extremely Weird Plants

When thinking of weird plants, the obvious first thought is the bug-eating Venus flytrap— which of course is a very strange plant. But there are other plants out there that are just as odd and intriguing, and a lot less common. Interestingly, most also share one important and useful trait—they stink.

Venus Flytrap (aka dionaea muscipula)

This plant is considered a carnivore because it digests it prey after trapping it. This all happens within a split second after the fly, spider, or bug lands on the plant. The many strands of this hair-like substance act as an alarm to the plant as soon as its prey lands. The Venus flytrap is native to the wetlands on the East Coast of the United States and are often sold as houseplants.

Adansonia Grandidieri

Indigenous to Madagascar and part of the Baobabs family of trees is the massive tree known as Adansonia Grandidieri. These enormous trees with stocky, cylindrical trunks can reach up to 100 feet in height and almost 40 feet in width. The tree is listed as endangered because of how useful it is to locals: Its fruit is rich in vitamin-C, the seed oil is excellent for cooking, and the bark is perfect for making rope.

Hydnora Africana

With smells described as horrible as rotting meat or dung-like odor, and roots that feed on other shrubbery, this parasitic African plant grows mostly underground. Is is said to attract beetles, which it temporarily traps using them to help spread pollen. When its flower is open, it resembles a giant mouth with wispy teeth.

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