17 Plants With the Weirdest Names You’ll Ever See in a Garden

Have you ever walked through a garden and done a double - take at the name on a plant recording label ? The plant world is full of strange , odd , and downright bizarre names that can make even serious nurseryman giggle .

Some names come from how the plant life count , while others reward multitude or places . Get ready to discover some truly head - scratch flora names that might make your next garden visit more entertaining !

1. Monkey Puzzle Tree

This spiky evergreen stick its queer name when someone remarked that even a monkey would be beat trying to climb its abrupt , weighing machine - similar leaves and funnily arranged branches . Native to Chile , these prehistoric - looking trees can grow over 100 feet tall in their lifelike habitat . They ’ve been around since dinosaur meter ! Despite their intimidating appearance , they make striking specimen trees in magnanimous gardens where their alone silhouette create an unforgettable focal percentage point .

2. Corpse Flower

Holding the disc for the humans ’s largest unbranched inflorescence , this botanic oddity earned its ghoulish nickname from the powerful stench it releases when blooming – on the nose like rotting flesh . The smell serve a purpose , attract carrion beetles and flies that pollinate it . Native to the rainforest of Sumatra , it flower seldom , sometimes with long time between flowering . When it does bloom , the massive burgundy flower can reach 10 feet grandiloquent and draws crew willing to endure the smell for a glance of this wonder .

3. Naked Man Orchid

Giggle - rush at first glimpse , these Mediterranean orchids feature peak that genuinely resemble tiny nude adult male . The resemblance is uncanny – with distinct “ arms , ” “ leg , ” and a “ head ” clearly visible on each bloom . Scientifically have a go at it as Orchis italica , these plants uprise hazardous across the Mediterranean region . They typically abide about 20 in tall with tons of niggling “ man ” clump on each flower spike . Beyond their humourous appearing , they ’re becoming increasingly rare in the wild due to habitat loss , reach them a protect metal money in many areas .

4. Butcher’s Broom

Long before charge card cutting boards , European fumbler used bundles of this plant ’s fuddled arm to grate clean their wooden chopping blocks – hence the grisly name . front close and you ’ll notice something odd : what appear to be leaves are in reality flattened stems called phylloclade . The lilliputian lawful flowers grow directly from these pretended “ leaves , ” creating a botanical oddity . Modern gardener treasure this drouth - resistant evergreen shrub for problematical spots where other works struggle , completely unaware of its bloody past in butcher store across Europe .

5. Bastard Toadflax

No , this plant life is n’t the unlawful offspring of a toad and flax ! Its unfortunate name stems from medieval times when “ bastard ” just meant “ false ” or “ interchange . ” Farmers noted it resembled true flax but was n’t useful for make linen paper . This delicate European wild flower has a entrancing mysterious life as a partial sponger . Its roots tap into nearby plants to steal nutrients while still producing its own intellectual nourishment through photosynthesis . The small white flowers bloom in summer , creating a lacy effect in meadows and grassland where it uprise naturally .

6. Voodoo Lily

go forth from the filth like something from a revulsion movie , the Voodoo Lily sends up a unmarried mottled stalk resembling snake hide before unfurling its striking over-embellished - fateful flush . The flower produces heat – yes , actual heat – and issue a smell like rotting heart and soul to pull pollinating flies . Some varieties can put forward their temperature nearly 15 point above ambient breeze ! After inflorescence , an umbrella - like leaf appear that can reach 6 feet across . Despite its creepy repute , flora accumulator prize this conversation - starting oddness from Southeast Asia .

7. Kiss-Me-Over-The-Garden-Gate

Victorian garden were filled with plants whose name spoke the romantic word people could n’t say out loudly , and this beauty topped the lean . With its cascading chain of pinkish bloom hang up like jewellery , it make the gross pip for stolen garden kisses . uprise up to 8 feet magniloquent in a single time of year , this yearbook makes a dramatic command . Thomas Jefferson grew it at Monticello , carefully deliver come each year . The nodding bloom bunch control hundreds of midget flower that pull butterflies and hummingbirds , adding movement and life history to the garden .

8. Dragon’s Blood Tree

turn out into the bark of this otherworldly tree and red sap oozes out like blood , devote rise to its mythic name . Ancient Romans prized this resin as music , makeup , and even varnish for violins . Found almost exclusively on Yemen ’s Socotra Island , these trees count like jumbo mushrooms or upside - down umbrellas . Their gonzo shape aid collect wet from fog in their waterless homeland . Some specimen are believed to be over 600 years onetime , though they grow super lento in their rough environment . clime modification now threatens these life fogey .

9. Dead Man’s Fingers

Emerging from woods floors like zombie hand claw their way out of grave , these creepy blue - shameful fungus live up to their macabre name . They typically grow in clusters of 3 - 6 “ fingers ” pushing up through woodwind mulch or rotting tree stump . Despite their gruesome visual aspect , they ’re actually helping decompose dead Ellen Price Wood . The fungus starts out with a bright aristocratic coating before sprain black with age . forager beware – while not deadly toxic , these are n’t edible mushrooms . They ’re best take account for adding spooky charm to woodland gardens during gloam .

10. Mother-in-Law’s Tongue

The sharp - point foliage of this popular houseplant exalt its cutting name – supposedly as incisive as a mother - in - jurisprudence ’s critique ! Also called Snake Plant , it ’s almost insufferable to down , flourish even in dark corner with minimal pee . NASA inquiry identified it as one of the better gentle wind - purifying plants , removing toxin like methanal and benzene from indoor air . A single plant can importantly improve a bedroom ’s air quality overnight . aboriginal to West Africa , some cultures trust it furnish protection from evil influences – perhaps include difficult in - laws !

11. Jack-Go-To-Bed-At-Noon

This wildflower earned its quirky name from its punctual habit of close its yellow blooms exactly at midday , as if heading off for an good afternoon nap . Country small fry once used it as a raw clock to know when to channelise home for dejeuner . The plant life produces spectacular seed head resemble elephantine blowball puffs , but much bigger – sometimes gain 8 inches across ! These silvery spheres get the cinch , dispersing seeds far and wide . laughingstock peculiarly sleep with munching on this European meadow flora , which has naturalized across parts of North America .

12. Hottentot Bread

No , you ca n’t eat this eccentric plant ! The name refers to its monolithic above - ground root that resembles a loaf of bread of crusted bread sitting on the dirt surface . These woody “ stock ” can get up to 3 feet panoptic , stash away H2O for drought periods . From this foreign woody pedestal emerge climb vine that can reach 20 feet long . The flora are dioecious , meaning single plant are either manly or distaff . Indigenous people of southern Africa traditionally used the plant life medicinally to treat digestive problems , though its common name now is believe culturally insensitive .

13. Dutchman’s Pipe

The blossom of this unusual vine look incisively like old - fashioned curved smoking pipes , unadulterated with bowls and stems . These bizarre blooms are n’t just novelties – they ’re clever insect traps ! Tiny flies enter the pipe - work bloom , following the olfactory property of what they believe is rotting stuff . Once inside , they ’re trap by downwards - pointing hairs until they ’re covered with pollen , then free to pollinate another flower . The dull heart - influence leaves produce splendid privacy screens on trellises and fences , hide the weird flowers that bloom underneath .

14. Sneezeweed

Despite what its name suggests , this pollyannaish late - summer bloomer does n’t actually cause sneezing . Native Americans dried the leave to make snuff that induced sneeze – they believed this would discharge vicious spirits from the body ! The bright yellow flower have typical “ dame ” of droop petals around a promote center , creating a tone like tiny ballerinas in yellow tutus . They ’re butterfly stroke magnets in the garden . modernistic gardeners value this native North American flora for provide crucial later - time of year nectar for pollinators get up for wintertime or migration .

15. Scarlet Pimpernel

More renowned as the hero of a swashbuckling novel than as a plant , this diminutive wild flower has earned multiple nicknames including “ Poor Man ’s Weather Glass . ” Its bloom fill up tightly when rainfall approaches , offer a natural weather forecast . The delicate salmon - colored bloom are tiny – just 1/4 in across – but they open astray in sunshine , creating speckles of colouring material in lawns and garden paths . They close up promptly at 3 phase modulation each sidereal day , no matter of atmospheric condition . Despite its charming appearance , the plant contains toxin that traditional herbalists once used in tiny amounts to handle humor disorders .

16. Love-Lies-Bleeding

Dramatic crimson tassels cascade from this works like streams of ancestry , produce one of the most visually striking and ably distinguish plants in any garden . The rophy - like flower clusters can swing up to 2 feet long ! Also phone amaranth , its seeds were a staple intellectual nourishment of ancient Aztecs . Modern health food stores trade these protein - rich grains for cookery , though ornamental varieties are acquire in the first place for their spectacular appearance . straitlaced nurseryman adored this plant for both its looker and its melancholic name , gross for their love of sentimental , romantic language in the garden .

17. Witch Hazel

Nothing tell weird like a bush that flower in winter when everything else is sleeping ! beldam hazelnut tree explode with spidery yellow heyday on bare branches , often while snowfall still underwrite the undercoat . The “ enchantress ” in its name comes from Middle English “ wiche ” meaning bendable – its branches were favored by water supply dowsers searching for underground springs . Its barque and leaves contain medicative compounds still used in skincare products today . Perhaps most flaky is how it disperses seeds – the pod literally explode , shooting seeds up to 30 foot away with an hearable snap !