FLOWERS

GIBRALTAR CAMPION

This magnificent flower is considered one of the rarest and is

found on the high cliffs of Gibraltar. The plant was believed to

be extinct outside Gibraltar since the late 1970’s and by 1992

all traces had vanished and it was officially declared extinct.

However, in 1994 a hiker on the cliffs of Gibraltar found a single

specimen and its egg was transferred and propagated in

the Millennium seed bank and now this plant grows in the

Alameda Gibraltar Botanic Gardens and the Royal

Botanic Gardens in London.

GHOST ORCHID

The ghost orchid is perhaps the most revered orchid in the

United States, if not the world.  Its locations and stories are like

smoke on the wind. The ghost orchid was discovered by

Jean Jules Linden in Cuba in 1844, and the plant was

discovered in the subtropical peninsula of Florida

about fifty years later.

FLAME LILY

Flame lily, also known as Gloriosa superba, is a climber with

spectacular red and yellow flowers, but all parts of the plant,

especially the tubers, are extremely poisonous and

can be fatal if eaten.

CORPSE FLOWER

Carrion flowers, also known as corpse flowers, are flowers that

emit an odour that smells like rotting flesh, hence its nickname:

“corpse.” Corpse flowers attract mostly scavenging flies and

beetles as pollinators. Some species may trap the insects

temporarily to ensure the gathering and transfer of pollen.

CHOCOLATE COSMOS

Believe it or not, this flower is exactly what its name says—a

chocolate-scented flower. The chocolate cosmos is a tender

perennial native to Mexico.

SAFFRON CROCUS

The saffron crocus, unknown in the wild, descends from Crocus

cartwrightianus, which originated in Crete, Greece, and is an

extremely rare flower that produces an even rarer (and expensive)

spice named saffron. Despite being first cultivated in Greece it

was slowly propagated throughout much of Eurasia and was

later brought to parts of North Africa, North America, and Oceania.

BLACK BAT FLOWER

The Black bat flower is a species of flowering plant in the yam

family Dioscoreaceae. It is an unusual plant in that it has black flowers.

These flowers are somewhat bat-shaped, are up to twelve inches

across, and have long “whiskers” that can grow up to twenty-eight inches.

BLEEDING HEART

The bleeding heart is an attractive mounded foliage plant with

arching stems of delicate, heart-shaped flowers in spring.

It thrives in moist woodland gardens along with ferns and

other shade-lovers. This flower’s colours include yellow, pink,

red, and white. It blooms in spring and may bloom

sporadically throughout the summer in cool areas.