Strange plants that can add a unique touch to any room or garden

Plants underpin all aspects of our everyday life, from the food that we eat, to the clothes that we wear, and from the materials we use to the air that we breathe. Although trendier than ever as home decor, we often take their presence and unique beauty for granted. Thankfully, public gardens around the world play a key role in discovering new species as well as preserving them in our gardens and conserving them in their wild habitats. A lot can be learned from weird and strange plants, so Jon Peter, curator and manager of plant records at the Royal Botanical Gardens, stopped by The Goods to show off some of these bizarre beauties.

Prehistoric plants

The Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)

We still live with a number of plants from long before our time. In fact, some prehistoric species have been around for 280 million years and have survived several mass extinctions. One very cool – and surprising – example is the Dawn Redwood. It was initially only known from fossil records and was thought to be extinct in the wild until the mid-1940s when it was actually discovered alive and well in China. From those trees, seed was collected and then distributed to Public Gardens around the world and nowadays, it's a very common tree found in our landscapes today. Back in 1952 the Royal Botanical Gardens had a ceremonial planting to acknowledge this unique tree as this was one of the first of its kind to be planted in Canada. Here's a look at that moment from the archives:

Fern and Sago Cycas (Microsorium and Cycas revoluta)

Cycads and ferns and a handful of other species are also living fossils from the days of dinosaurs and earlier. These prehistoric species look odd compared to most vegetation we see today and Jon Peter reminded us that we have so much more to learn about them and from these prehistoric plants.

Survival strategists

These plants all have unique methods for ensuring their survival, like these living stones (Lithops sp.), the tiny plants in the small pots. These little guys are carefully camouflaged so that predators have a harder time finding them. Here are some other survival strategies plants rely on.

Mother of Millions (Kalanchoe daigremontiana)

This succulent is native to Madagascar. This species does not flower and produce seed every year, but when it does, the mother plant will die (monocarpic). The strange aspect of this plant is that it is 'vivaparous' which means 'live bearing,' referring to the 'plantlets' or baby plants that form along the margins of the leaves. This asexual reproduction technique is very successful at replicating the mother plant and continuing its survival.

Carrion Flower (Stapelia gigante)

Native to southeastern Africa, this species is a member of the Milkweed family, not the cactus family as it may appear. This perennial grows with succulent stems that are green to purplish in colour. The flowers are star-shaped and have a putrid smell to attract many species of flies and other carrion insects. Sometimes the flies are so confused that they actually lay their eggs in the flowers, thinking that it will be a food source for their hatching larvae.   

Endangered species

These species are at risk of disappearing, and human activity is mostly to blame. Jon shared a glimpse at a couple of these at-risk plants.

Feather Cactus (Mammillaria plumosa)

Native to northeastern Mexico, this cactus grows in clusters in the fissures of limestone rock and is thought to be one of the friendliest of the cactus family because the spines are feathery and soft! Its white colour and the density of feathered spines offer this species protection against the strong sun of the desert landscape. Unfortunately this species is 'near threatened' in its restricted native range because it is over-collected for the ornamental trade. If you are trying to acquire this plant to grow on your windowsill, be sure that it was not illegally collected from wild populations by sourcing it from reputable nurseries.

Cardboard Cycad (Zamia furfuracea)

This cycads population has been reduced to a small portion of one state of Mexico. This species has also been over-collected for sale on black markets but its decline can also be attributed to climate change and habitat destruction. We have to realize that everything we do as humans can have adverse effects on these ecosystems. Evolution is still happening but unfortunately it is having a difficult time keeping up with human timelines. Jon advocates for building awareness and offering further education on amazing plants like these ones with the hope that it allow us to enjoy these species for generations to come.