Spooky Plants: Elephant's Trunks, Pitcher Plants, and Corpse Flowers

This week’s Halloween theme is Ugly Plant Life. We’ve all seen something out in nature that just isn’t aesthetically pleasing, and quite possibly a little frightening. Here are 3 of the creepiest, ugliest and down right odd plants that we could find.

Elephant’s Trunk (Pachypodium namaquanum)

This plant can be found on the Northern Cape of Namibia. It has a thick trunk which is tightly covered in spikes. During the winter months there is a “crown” of leaves, and surprisingly, this pokey plant has velvet-like flowers that appear August to October.

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Albany Pitcher Plant (Cephalotus follicularis)

This plant is found in the swamps of southwestern Australia. The “body” of the plant is shaped like a pitcher and filled with liquid, with a red or purple “mouth” and tiny teeth on the pitcher lid. The lid opens and closes, trapping insects inside. Little Shop of Horrors, anyone?

(photo credit)

(photo credit)

Corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanium)

This is one flower you don’t want to stop and smell. The corpse flower can live for 40 years, blooming only once every four to six years. Known as the world’s tallest plant at 5ft high and 4ft wide, this flower is anything but pretty. The corpse flower’s three-day bloom smells of rotting flesh and attracts beetles for pollination.

(photo credit)