Flowers are beautiful or ugly

June 21, 2009 7:15 PM

Extraordinarily Weird But Beautiful Flowers, Apparently there are also ugly flowers.
posted by twoleftfeet (15 comments total)

Ooh, fun post. I really like the weirdly beautiful flowers. The Pink Puya is wonderfully strange.

Adding the passion flower, Aristolochia brasiliensis, banana flower, anthurium, the world's largest flower, jack in the pulpit, cock's comb and Centaurea Montana into the weird but beautiful mix.
posted by nickyskye at 8:00 PM on June 21 [3 favorites]

also giving the thumbs up to the pink puya...wonder if i could plant one here...hmmm.
i have a passionflower vine framing my front porch and i love it! it has a relationship with the gulf fritillary, so i am never at a loss for orange butterflies, weird brown pupas, and purple and orange striped caterpillars.
posted by sexyrobot at 8:14 PM on June 21

Ooh cool sexyrobot. The passionflower is awesome.
posted by nickyskye at 8:16 PM on June 21

I wouldn't want to have to pick The 15 Most Beautiful Flowers In The World, but damn, backlit bluebells do something good with my soul.
posted by twoleftfeet at 8:23 PM on June 21

And don't forget Pretty Flowers.
posted by UbuRoivas at 8:31 PM on June 21

Bummer. SW Missouri flowers are so dull.

*kicks gravel w/hands in pockets*
posted by sourwookie at 8:45 PM on June 21

A few more weird ones that florists often carry: Gloriosa, anigozanthos (kangaroo paw), pincushion protea, and cobra lily.

Cock's comb (celosia) is one of my favorites. Braaaains!
posted by Balonious Assault at 9:20 PM on June 21 [1 favorite]

SW Missouri flowers are so dull.

About a month ago, I went to a park in central Missouri, and there were some very bizarre flowers that I had never seen before growing along the creeks. They were beautiful, so I'm sure I would have remembered seeing them before.

I've yet to figure out what they were, but the point is, I had to go out of the way to see them. It's possible there are beautiful flowers around you that you just haven't discovered yet.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 10:19 PM on June 21

Jack-In-The-Pulpit perhaps? Probably the most exotic looking flower around these parts. Ususally found near streams and creeks.
posted by sourwookie at 10:32 PM on June 21

I've always thought alliums were weird but beautiful. I have some in my garden, but not as big as the ones in the linked photo!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:13 PM on June 21

Yessss...miiiine, too.... Braaaaaaains!
posted by Kronos_to_Earth at 11:22 PM on June 21 [1 favorite]

Protea always reminds me of vegetation from another planet.
posted by newleaf at 11:43 PM on June 21 [1 favorite]

BAH! Dead yellow roses are a personal favorite of mine! I've had two special someone's give me them over the years, completely unconnected. So maybe its just me...
posted by strixus at 1:06 AM on June 22

Yeah newleaf, those Protea look like they came from some other but very happy planet. Jetsons' flowers?
posted by nickyskye at 3:43 AM on June 22

The golden shrimp plant is my favorite weird-but-beautiful flower. They grow pretty well here in North Carolina, but they really like it even hotter.
posted by feathermeat at 10:22 AM on June 22