Here are ten plants that are pretty cool. This is pretty heavily biased, so please take my rankings with a grain of salt.

10) Japanese Blood Grass

Known scientifically as Imperata cylindrica, this plant is actually an invasive species. The tips of the grass are red, thus giving it the name of blood grass. It’s actually considered to be one of the top ten worst weeds in the world.

I quite like the whole look it has going on, but I don’t jive with invasive species so it’s going to stay at the lowest spot on this list. It’s also a severe fire hazard, which isn’t good, obviously. I don’t know why it’s even on here honestly but I’m not going to rewrite this so it stays.

9) Bird Of Paradise Flower

Bird plant. Plant but it looks like a bird. I love birds! Unfortunately though it is toxic to animals and young children, so if you have pets it probably isn’t the best idea to get one. I was also somewhat disappointed by its appearance, I was expecting something that looked a bit more like a bird.

This plant is a natural air purifier, and has been used in medicinal practices for inflammation. It symbolizes freedom and joy. They’re typically used as indoor decoration.

8) Living Stones

Living Stones also known as Lithops are a succulent plant that are camouflaged as rocks. They’re native to South Africa and typically propagate through seed. They’re classified as endangered due to poaching and habitat degradation.

They look fairly cool, but compared to the other plants on this list I don’t think it should be as high as the others are. Maybe if the shapes had a bit more variety I would be inclined to put it higher, though I will say the colors can be quite nice.

7) Dancing Plant

It’s a plant, it dances, what more could you possibly want? Scientifically known as the Codariocalyx motorius, the dancing plant is a part of the pea family. It moves rapidly in daylight at temperatures above 72 degrees Fahrenheit. The dancing plant can be found in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, and a few other countries.

Though it’s not visibly very fast, In comparison to other plants it moves more. I was hoping it would be a bit faster but I still think the concept is quite cool! I wish it would actually dance, but alas, that is sadly not possible.

6) Corpse Flower

Named the Corpse flower due to its odor of death, this flower is a large natural phenomenon. In my personal opinion it’s a bit overrated. Sure it smells funky, but there are a lot of other cool plants that do the exact same. What about the Corpse Flower makes it better than, for example, the Dragon Arum? It is a very well known interesting plant though so it deserves some credit. 

The Corpse Flower is native to western Sumatra in Indonesia. It typically grows in rainforests, although it can also be found in the U.S Botanic Gardens. 

5) Welwitschia Mirabilis

Mostly found in the Namib Desert, the Welwitschia Mirabilis is a monotypic genus. “The Big Welwitschia” (the largest recorded plant of the species) is around 4.5 feet tall and close to 13 feet wide. They can live for up to a thousand years, and are the last of the Welwitschiaceae family.

It’s most known for its long floppy leaves. Though biologically it’s quite interesting, it does also look a bit like a pile of seaweed. It is edible though, so that’s a point in its favor. All in all, solid plants but could be better in my opinion.

4) Ghost Plant

This plant has a ghostly white appearance due to its lack of chlorophyll. That means that unlike other plants it doesn’t gain energy from sunlight, but rather a method known as myco-heterotrophy. Native American tribes would use it for medical purposes. The plants are actually known to be a pain suppressant and have been used for children who experience epileptic seizures as well as children with chorea.

Not only does the ghost plant literally not need sunlight, but it also actually has medicinal properties! I just think it’s really neat how it’s been used throughout history, and the visuals aren’t a downside either!

3) Monkey Face Orchid

This one is 100% a nepotism pick, it honestly probably should not be this high up but I don’t care. It has the face of a monkey, it is silly, and I love it so much. It’s a bit creepy looking but who cares, to quote a friend; “All good things should be at least a little bit disturbing.”

The monkey face orchid is essentially just an orchid, except it looks like a monkey’s face. (I don’t really have any research on this one, it’s just based on vibes alone.)

2) The Dragon’s Blood Tree

The Dracaena cinnabari that’s found in Yemen is named after its blood-red sap. The trees are typically adapted to mountain tops and other such areas. It’s currently a vulnerable species as due to increased population, its habitat in Socotra is becoming more scarce. 

This tree has a fair bit of mythology surrounding it, which I think is really cool. How often do you find a tree that actually bleeds? It’s kind of scary at first, but knowing that it’s just resin and the trees are not actually alive can hopefully put your mind at ease! At any rate it’s a good plant, and I think it deserves its place in the top three.

1) Strychnos Electri

The Strychnos Electri is a fossilized flower dated from 15-30 million years ago from the Asterid family, and produces the known poisons Strychnine and Curare. It was discovered 30 years ago in the Dominican republic. All of the flowers are poisonous at some level, likely to prevent them from being eaten by herbivores.

This one is like my all time favorite, I discovered it whilst researching for this article and it’s taken over my thoughts since then. It’s a fossilized flower from 30 MILLION YEARS AGO and also poisonous! That is genuinely so cool I’m not kidding. I think it deserves first place, but there’s also room for disagreeing!