Flowers are often a source of joy and comfort. While walking in a garden, getting a bouquet, or on a hillside, blooms have a way of instantly making you feel good. In fact, research shows that simply looking at flowers can trigger the release of happy hormones like dopamine and serotonin, helping you feel more joyful and relaxed.
Interestingly, it’s the color that works its magic. Color psychology plays a role in how flowers affect you emotionally. For instance, soft blues bring a sense of calm and peace, and purples spark creativity and wonder.
However, once in a while, you spot a bloom so striking in its color or unique in its shape that it makes you think: “Is that even real?” Some flowers look like they belong to a fantasy novel or some other mesmerizing world. Here is a list of 14 flowers with out-of-this-world hues and patterns.
How Did We Choose?
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With so many amazing flowers on Earth, picking the 14 flowers to share is just the tip of the iceberg. This list was hand-picked to show a variety of classics and unique flowers you may have never heard of.
To create this list, we collected data from botanical websites, gardening guides, and articles, such as Neurolaunch, NIH.gov, and Gardenia.com. We chose flowers with unique colors and features that make their shades stand out.
1. Pompon Dahlia
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Dahlia flowers top the list with over 40 species and every shade you can imagine. One type is the Pompon, which is infinitely gorgeous with its perfectly round petals that feel like colorful pompoms. These blooms come in a wide range of shades, including vibrant pinks, purples, softer pastels, and whites.
Their textured and organized appearance makes them a favorite if you want to spruce up your garden or add a flair to a bouquet. Apart from being incredibly stunning, Pompon Dahlia attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies, supporting your garden’s ecosystem.
2. Jade Vine
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Native to the Philippines, Jade Vine is a climbing plant that produces claw-shaped flowers that cascade in long bunches. With its exotic look and glowing turquoise color, this flower looks like something out of a fairytale. The color is so rare that it looks digitally enhanced, but it’s real and naturally vivid.
Because of its scenic look, Jade Vine makes a perfect ornamental plant and can also be used as a canopy on pergolas or trellises. It’s a great conversation starter in gardens, too, if you live in zones 10 or 11 where it can grow.
Fun fact: In the wild, it’s pollinated by bats. They are drawn to its color and shape, which means it is as fascinating at night as it is in daylight.
3. Bleeding Heart
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With its little red or pink hearts and white drops hanging from each one, the bleeding heart flower looks too perfect to be real. The flower is native to Asia and blooms in early spring in the cool, shady spots. The heart-shaped petals add a soft, romantic feel to any garden. It’s the kind of flower that gets noticed.
Even though it looks delicate, the Bleeding Heart is perennial and comes back every fall or spring in zones 3 to 9. However, a quick heads-up: the flower is toxic to people and pets when ingested and can irritate the skin, so it’s best to take precautions while handling the plant.
4. Ghost Orchid
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The Ghost Orchid is one of the most mysterious and otherworldly-looking flowers out there. Its white petals seem to float in the air without visible leaves, like little flower phantoms. It grows in the warm forests of Florida, Cuba, and the Bahamas. It is rare, hard to find, and grows under special conditions, so spotting one feels like a treasure.
The Ghost Orchid has no leaves and lives with the help of fungi in the soil. At night, it gives off a sweet scent to attract moths for pollination.
5. Passion Flower
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The Passion Flower has a wild mix of purple, blue, and white hues and a shape that almost looks like a spinning wheel, leaving you in awe. It grows on vines in warm, sunny places and is perfect for climbing over fences or trellises in a garden.
Besides looking amazing, the passion flower is also known for its calming properties and is sometimes used in herbal teas. It is also great for pollinators, and its pretty colors attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and bats.
6. Hooker’s Lips
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Yes, that’s really its name, and once you see it, you will know why. The Hooker’s Lips` flower looks exactly like a pair of bright red lips puckered up. The plant is a total attention grabber and is found in rainforests of Costa Rica and Central and South America. Thus, you’ll need to do some traveling to see this beauty, as it is nearly impossible to find in the U.S.
The lips are actually bracts (colorful leaf-like parts) that protect the tiny flowers inside. It’s loved by hummingbirds and butterflies, too. However, the beautiful plant is endangered now because of deforestation and loss of habitat.
7. Monkey Face Orchid
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The Monkey Face Orchid looks like a tiny monkey’s face, with a nose, eyes, and a little fuzzy mouth. It comes in the shades of brown, orange, and red, giving it’s lifelike look. The flower grows in the forests of Ecuador and Peru, where the cool, misty air helps it thrive.
While you won’t see it often in gardens, because it’s rare and tricky to grow, orchid lovers still find a way to grow this little wonder flower. It smells like ripe oranges when it blooms. A flower that looks like a monkey and smells like fruit is a real show stealer.
8. Japanese Cobra Lily
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The Japanese Cobra Lily is an exotic flower with a hooded shape that curls over like a cobra ready to strike. That’s what gives it its name and a mysterious vibe. With deep purple, green, and white stripes, it looks dramatic, especially when it pops up in shady garden corners.
While it looks fierce, the flower is a favorite among gardeners who like something rare, bold, and unusual. Plus, it’s easy to grow in cooler, shady spots. But it’s toxic if eaten, so best admire it from a distance.
9. Bird of Paradise
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With its bright orange and blue petals, the Bird of Paradise flower looks like a bird is frozen mid-flight. The contrast of orange, deep indigo, pink buds, and lush green leaves makes it feel unreal and straight out of a sci-fi jungle.
These plants can produce a lot of long-lasting blooms throughout the year in ideal conditions. And even when it’s not blooming, its banana-like leaves still make a statement. The flower is pollinated by sunbirds who land on the beak and open the flower as they feed.
10. Bat Flower
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You get a bat flower when nature goes a little gothic. It has deep purple to almost black petals and long, whisker-like strings, making this flower look like a bat in full flight. It’s one of the most unusual flowers out there and can make a garden or patio feel exotic.
Native to Southeast Asia, this flower grows best in very warm, humid environments with filtered light. When it’s happy, it can bloom multiple times a year. And though it looks spooky, it’s completely safe to touch.
11. Chocolate Cosmos
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The Chocolate Cosmos has velvety petals in deep shades of burgundy and dark reddish-brown. They are so rich that they almost look black in certain light. The interesting part is that the flower does smell like chocolate.
This flower loves full sun and well-drained soil. It’s perfect for adding a touch of luxury to any garden. However, the flower is so special and rare that the original wild plant is now extinct; what we grow today is from cultivated clones. The flower is still primarily thriving in gardens in Mexico.
12. Happy Alien
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True to its name, the Happy Alien flower looks like something from another planet. These bright orange flowers, with yellow and white patterns, are native to the cool, mountainous regions of South America.
It’s pollinated by birds, which are attracted to its unusual shape and colors. Despite its cute look, it’s a tough plant that adds fun to any garden and outdoor setting (although you’re more likely to find it in the wild of Chile and Argentina).
13. Green Rose
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Instead of white, red, or pink petals, this rare heirloom beauty consists entirely of soft green sepals. It doesn’t have the usual flashy color, but its subtle, leaf-like petals give it a cool, vintage charm that makes it stand out among other roses.
Believed to have originated in China, the Green Rose is a variety of the China rose and has been cultivated since the 18th century. It’s easy to grow and blooms repeatedly, it’s a great choice for gardeners who love roses, but want something a little different.
14. Fire Lily
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The Fire Lily, with its bright red-orange petals and elegant curved shape, looks like fire and gives a stunning look to any space. Native to Africa and Asia, this flower also happens to be the national flower of Zimbabwe.
While it’s astounding to look at, all parts of the plant are highly toxic if ingested. However, with the right care, like well-drained soil and warm weather, the Fire Lily can add a bold and unique touch to your garden.
Flowers Are Nature’s Crayons
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Flowers are proof of how colorful and mesmerizing nature can be. Next time, when you are gardening or visiting a floral fair, look out for these unique flowers. They will make you stop, smile, and wonder.
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