Seeing them in bloom is a stroke of great luck: 7 plants that blossom extremely rarely

Kadupul

The kadupul flower – is a cactus flower that blooms extremely rarely, and on top of that does so only at night, withering by dawn. That is precisely why it is also called the «Queen of the Night». If the kadupul is cut, it will wilt within an hour. Therefore the only chance to see it bloom – is directly on the plant. The main place where the «Queen of the Night» grows – is Sri Lanka; the cactus can also be found in India, Japan, and China. The blooming buds of the kadupul are snow-white in color with delicate yellow stamens. In India, by the way, the «Queen of the Night» is called the «Lotus of Brahma» – the creator of the universe.   

Titan arum

The titan arum – is a tropical plant that lives only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It blooms for just two days once every few years. It is one of the largest and most endangered flowers in the world. Its width can reach more than one meter. Some compare the appearance of the titan arum to a piece of rotting meat. The inflorescence resembles a huge spadix, often of a yellow tint. Wrapped around it are leaves whose outer part is green and inner part – dark burgundy. In addition, during flowering the plant gives off the foul smell of rotten eggs and fish.

Mountain strobilanthes

Mountain strobilanthes, or Kurinji, – is a rare and beautiful plant that blooms once every 12 years. It is found in the Western Ghats, Southern India, and the Nilgiri Hills.  Since its discovery, the mountain strobilanthes has bloomed only 15 times. The locals even count their age by the number of bloomings, so precise is its cycle. Interestingly, some call the kurinji «harbingers of bloodshed»: when the plant bloomed in 2006, the execution of the president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, took place. Today the mountain strobilanthes is endangered. The development of agriculture and tourism prevents the plant from spreading to other lands.

Bamboo

Bamboo is considered one of the fastest-growing plants. Despite this, some of its species may begin flowering only after 50 years, and sometimes – after 130! Such a case was recorded at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London. Interestingly, identical subspecies of bamboo bloom at the same time regardless of geographical location and temperature. Scientists have still not been able to explain this peculiarity. However, the flowering of this plant is a misfortune for many. The thing is that at the same time bamboo begins to bear fruit, which draws huge swarms of rodents.

In Japan, black bamboo is preparing to bloom for the first time in 120 years. And there's nothing to celebrate about it

Corypha

The corypha – is a palm that grows in Southern and Eastern India, Thailand, the Andaman Islands, Sri Lanka, and some other countries. It is one of the largest palms in the world, reaching 25 meters in height. And the diameter of its stems can reach up to 1.5 meters. Because of this, the tree received its second name – the «shade palm». The remarkable plant lives up to 80 years and blooms only once – before its death. Then massive clusters of white flowers appear on the palm. And afterward yellow fruits grow on it, which, thanks to their seeds, allow other coryphas to grow.

Queen of the Andes

Puya raimondii, or Queen of the Andes, is found mainly in Bolivia and Peru, as well as in the high Andes mountains. The plant lives about a century and, like the corypha, blooms only once in its life. This is explained by the fact that the puya grows in a barren and harsh environment. The plant is also known for its large inflorescence. It holds more than 8 thousand flowers! The puya blooms in order to release its seeds and continue the line. However, after this the Queen of the Andes dies. And today this remarkable flower is on the verge of extinction. 

Udumbara

If the legends are to be believed, the remarkable plant udumbara blooms only once every 3000 years! Although over the last two decades its flowering has been spotted all over the world. It is a miniature little plant no more than one centimeter in size, so it's rather hard to notice. On the thin stem of the udumbara a small white bud is held. It is believed that this flower symbolizes the reincarnation of Buddha, for it was precisely found at a statue of the founder of Buddhism exactly 3024 lunar years after the birth of the religion. Surprisingly, the udumbara can seemingly grow without soil and without water. For example, in 2000 little flowers sprouted on the forehead of a gilded statue at a Buddhist temple.