Africa is filled with unique and mystical flowers that you won’t find anywhere else. There are flowers of different colors, shapes, sizes, etc. Form their appearance; you can immediately tell that they are not any regular flowers you’ll find in the market.
It is a shame that these rare flowers often go underappreciated by most people. So that more of you are educated and aware of these rare African flowers, we have come up with a list of 6 of these beautiful flowers!
African Flowers That Are Rare to Find
We do not just want to provide a bullet point list of the names of these flowers, which is why we have also attached a brief but informative description of each of these flowers.
African Violets
Scientific Name: Saintpaulia
Scientific Classifications:
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Gesneriaceae
Genus: Streptocarpus
Section: S. Saintpaulia
Amongst all the flowers on our list, this is the most appreciated one as they are kept as houseplants sometimes. However, we still think it deserves more recognition. This flowering plant is a perennial and grows well in both the wild and in houses. The petals of these flowers can vary between any shade of violet.
What’s more interesting is that it can even become white in the wild. The leaves of this flower are slightly hairy and fleshy. They grow well in tropical weather and are native to Kenya as well as Tanzania. It grows the best in places with indirect sunlight and moist but well-drained soil.
Ethiopian Roses
Scientific Name: Rosa abyssinica
Scientific Classifications:
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Rosa
Species: R. abyssinica
If you want to get one of the most luxurious-looking roses, then your eyes should be set on Ethiopian roses. They look very elegant and have velvety petals. You can get the classic red color with this rose, but there are plenty of other colors that this flower grows as.
This flower is grown in Northwestern Africa, but now it is being grown more in some regions in Asia as well. What sets this rose apart is its size. They are huge! To put it into numbers, the bud can grow as large as 15 cm in diameter. Hence, when it blooms, it looks stunning. We must also add that the Ethiopian rose’s scent also has much more depth than that of regular roses.
Blue Water Lily
Scientific Name: Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea
Scientific Classifications:
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Order: Nymphaeales
Family: Nymphaeaceae
Genus: Nymphaea
Species: N. nouchali
Variety: N. n. var. caerulea
Blue water lily, also known as Egyptian lotus, Nymphae carulea, or blue Egyptian lotus, among many other names, is an aquatic flower plant that grows in freshwater bodies. This flower is found abundantly in the Eastern regions of Africa. It has a tuberous rhizome which allows the plant to survive through some tough conditions.
These flowers have a diameter of about 8 to 12 cm and come in many colors, including white, blue, pink, or even mauve. The most common color that this flower grows in is a light blue or mauve. The yellow center in the middle of the 14 to 20 colorful petals makes the flower look even more beautiful.
Fire Lily
Scientific Name: Gloriosa superba
Scientific Classifications:
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Colchicaceae
Genus: Gloriosa
By looking at the Fire lily, we can see why it was given this name. With petals that have a gradient from orange to red, this flower looks a lot like a fire. It grows on straight stems with a height of about 20 cm. The actual reason behind this flower’s name is because it grows after the wildfires in the summer ends.
This plant is native to South Africa; sometimes, it can grow in clusters. The flowers have a funnel shape, and they have large deep green leaves right below them, which can cause a dense. Several hybrids of this flower have been created, and they have varying traits.
Bird of Paradise Flower
Scientific Name: Strelitzia reginae
Scientific Classifications:
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Strelitziaceae
Genus: Strelitzia
Species: Strelitzia reginae
Seeing the bird of paradise flower puts into perspective how magnificent mother nature is. Named because of its uncanny resemblance with the forest bird species called birds of paradise, this flower is native to South Africa. It is also known as Strelitzia reginae and comes from the Strelitziaceae family.
The flower has two pointy petals and five stamens, and it is colored orange and blue. Two-edged petals form a boat-like flower bract that looks like a bird’s body, and the stamens look like its wings. The leaves of this plant feel a lot like leather and are oblong.
It also has underground stems, better known as rhizomes, which can grow up to 5 feet in height. Overall, this flower species has many rare features, and it is difficult to get hold of one of these stunning flowers.
Related Posts:
What Flowers Can You Find in the Ocean?
Underwater Flowers in Ocean & Freshwater
Leucophyllum Compacta: Overview, Uses & Care
Resources:
http://www.flowers.org.uk/plants/plants-by-name/a-c/african-violet/
https://www.selinawamucii.com/produce/flowers/ethiopia-fresh-cut-roses/
https://www.kew.org/plants/fire-lily
https://www.southernliving.com/plants/fire-lily
https://www.britannica.com/plant/bird-of-paradise-flower