9 flowers with weird reproductive systems you need to know about

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Humans are pretty weird. Animals have their own sexual fantasies, too. But did you know that the plant kingdom is also full of weird reproductive systems? From pseudosexuality to hermaphroditism, there’s everything…

Jack on the Podium

This flower looks cool, but its design makes pollination pretty scary. Determined bees scurry under the upper petals. However, the closed top makes the interior dark and confusing—the bees have to crawl around to find an exit, thus covering themselves in pollen.

Thankfully, there is a small hole at the bottom that allows them to escape. They do the same thing when they find a female flower, but there is no escape – they usually die inside.

Nepenthes rockii

Two words…animal toilet.

this Nepenthes lowii That’s what we call a “pitcher plant.” The general idea is to trap the insect inside the plant so it gets covered in pollen.

But the problem is, there aren’t many buzzing friends or other nutrients in the mountains of Borneo. The solution? The top petal grows upward and oozes a sweet, gooey substance. Animals (like tree shrews) sit on the lip to eat… and the pitcher part catches their poop. It’s delicious.

Bee Orchid

Time for some sexual deception, or, in the case of flowers, Fake matingDespite their delicate appearance, orchids are amazing plants that have grown all over the world thanks to their crazy reproductive adaptability.

One example is the bee orchid, which is particularly interesting (and hilarious). While many flowers offer nectar as a reward for pollination, this one has evolved to make one of its petals look, smell, and even feel like a female bee. So when an eager male bee comes to visit, it tries to keep busy. The poor creature eventually gets frustrated and moves on to the next flower (getting teased again, but taking away the sticky pollen it got from the orchid earlier).

Skunk Cabbage

Any plant that grows in a harsh climate needs some kind of advantage. Skunk cabbage has a unique advantage for withstanding snow (and anyone who knows northern climates knows how drastically snow can change).

The trick? Thermogenesis – This means that it can generate its own heat, thus melting the surrounding snow. As for the name, it lives up to its name. When the flower is in bloom or crushed, it emits an unpleasant odor.

African Hydno

Why grow in the sun when you can spend your entire life underground, getting nutrients from other plants?

Yes, the “jackal food” extends its underground tendrils to grab onto the host plant and suck out nutrients. Another thing it does is extend its stinking petals out of the ground to attract carrion insects.

Corpse Flower

Even if you’re not a plant lover, you’ve probably heard of the corpse flower. This badass stinks! Some even resemble dead bodies, with mottled, sickly petals or leaves (and oozing nauseating stuff).

Why? Carrion insects (which feed on dead things) smell the sickening odor, come running, do their pollination work, and then get on with the pollination process.

Yareta, Atacama Desert

Deserts aren’t always hot. They can also be dry and cold. They’re unforgiving places for both plants and animals. So it’s to be expected that any organism that grows there will have some pretty cool survival tricks.

Yareta is like a plant straight out of a science fiction novel – big, green and bulbous. It’s technically an evergreen, and its shape is meant to retain heat and moisture. It’s also very slow growing. Plus, its tiny flowers are monoecious.

penguin

The petals of a buttercup may look lovely – it’s the leaves you have to worry about. They secrete a sticky substance that traps insects… and then dissolves them. These nutrients are part of what keeps this plant alive.

Lycianthus Black

I remember being in my emo/goth/whatever phase when I wanted everything to be black. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t get any black flowers that weren’t in silk form. It turned out I just had to go to Mexico, where they grew these droopy, wilted flowers.

Oddly enough, it absorbs both ultraviolet light and visible light. This means that birds or insects are not attracted to this color. Scientists still don’t know how it is transmitted, so it’s a rather mysterious addition to the “weird reproductive system” category.

What other plants have such bizarre reproductive systems that we should know more about? She’s in the comments!