- Oh, these aren't your
mama's dandelions, uh-uh. The world is filled
with all kinds of rare, exotic, amazing and wonderful things. You might not think of
plants as being something that deserves to be on that
list, but as it turns out, there are several plants in this world that you will likely never
see or even hear about because they are so exotic and rare. That is, of course, until this video! Seriously, if you've never
thought of plants as amazing, this might just change your perspective. Here are the 10 rarest
exotic plants on Earth. (gentle music) Number 10 is the Golf Ball. Mamalaria herrera, more
commonly known as the Golf Ball, is named appropriately because
it resembles a golf ball. These cool looking plants
can be found in Mexico, specifically within an area that is less than one kilometer
squared and requires hot, dry climates to thrive. Illegal collecting by nearby
businesses and even children are the biggest threats to the golf ball, as it's considered a unique
ornament and is desired for homes and gardens by
people visiting the area. It's estimated that
over the last 20 years, the number of Golf Ball plants
has plummeted by over 95%. In 2011, it was reported that
less than 430 mature plants were surviving by themselves in the wild, a number that is no
doubt much smaller today. Okay, picking this rare
exotic plant is dumb. You should all just stop it, however, it's not as dumb as actually
trying to play with it. I found a golf ball growing
out of the ground, guys. (laughing) Oh, it exploded. Number nine is
Attenborough's Pitcher Plant. Named after naturalist and broadcaster Sir David
Frederick Attenborough, Attenborough's Pitcher
Plant also gets its label from its appearance, which
resembles a bell shaped pitcher of liquid, complete with a lid. Officially known as
nepenthes attenboroughiii, these carnivorous plants
are exposed to the elements, so they're usually
found full of rainwater, in addition to whatever they've happened to catch and feed on. Ah, I'm just a plant. Come on, mates, I'm hungry. They can only be found in the Philippines, going undiscovered until
2009 and are considered to be a critically endangered species. Research into the Attenborough
Pitcher Plant's habitat reveals that there are only
around 300 different plants, a number affected by their value in Japanese and Taiwanese markets. Number eight is Poke-Me-Boy Tree. While it may have a humorous name, the Poke-Me-Boy Tree's
current status is actually no laughing matter. That's because there are so
few of them left to joke about. Is that because they're
ticklish, poke, poke? I'm sorry, I'll stop. Also known as vaculia anegadensis, this plant could easily
be wiped out if something isn't done to positively
affect climate change. The Poke-Me-Boy Tree is
exclusively found just eight meters above sea level on two of
the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea. A member of the legume family, these spiney, shrub-like plants
are considered critically endangered due to the
small areas they're found being taken up by development projects, such as real estate
and hotel construction. Oh, you found one of
them rare plants, huh? Yeah, but we gotta put a pool in. But the biggest risk could
actually be a rise in sea levels which, if it passes eight
meters, could drown these plants. Number seven is the Suicide Palm. A truly interesting species of plant, the tahina spectabilis, gets its nickname, the Suicide Palm, due to its lifecycle. Found only in northwestern Madagascar, these giant palm trees
live for around 50 years and then flower, dropping
seeds and dying in the process. Suicide Palms' numbers
are being threatened due to the increased frequency of fire, which has transformed much of
the plants' natural habitat and by livestock grazing around them, which further removes such
habitat and destroys seeds before they can even begin growing. It's been estimated that
only around 90 Suicide Palms exist today, but it's
possible that that number could be as small as 30, meaning that these fascinating plants are on the verge of extinction. I'm no scientist, but if you're gonna name
it the Suicide Palm, isn't that its job to sort
of disappear after awhile. It's not named the Live Forever Plant. Number six is the Jellyfish Tree. Officially called
medusagyne oppositafolia, the Jellyfish Tree gets
its name from the shape of its fruit after it bursts
open and spreads seeds. A tropical plant, this tree
can only be found at four sites off the east coast of Africa, with every specimen within
two kilometers of the ocean. It can grow up to 10 meters
tall and has a dark colored bark with deep fissures in it. Once considered to be completely extinct, a handful of them were
actually found in the 1970s. Still, they're considered
to be critically endangered as only one of the sites
where they've been found is repopulating while the other
three have only been aging. It's estimated that only
86 mature Jellyfish Trees exist today and that
number is shrinking faster than it's growing. I think there's a direct
correlation between how cool a plant looks and how
quickly it goes extinct. You never see shrubs disappearing. Number five is the Western
Underground Orchid. The rhizanthella gardneri, or
Western Underground Orchid, is such a rare plant that
its precises locations ae actually kept secret
from the public in an effort to keep their numbers
from decreasing any faster than the rate that they already are. Native to the wester Australia outback, these beautiful orchids
are actually classified as a parasite. Hmm, sounds like the same
classification of some of the women in Hollywood. It spends its entire life
cycle submerged under the soil, surviving by leaching
nutrients from a fungus that grows on the roots
of broom bush instead of through photosynthesis
as normal orchids do. Considered to be critically endangered, these mysterious plants are truly bizarre, making them desirable to many. To date, it's estimated
that there are only around 50 of them in five locations, under the soils in Australia. Okay, hold up, if these
things are underground, how do we really know
that they're disappearing? There could be many, kind
of like Ninja Turtles. Number four is the Ascension
Island Parsley Fern. Unique to Ascension Island, a volcanic land mass in
the South Atlantic Ocean, the Ascension Island Parsley
Fern can only be found on the steep slopes of Green Mountian. First recorded in 1842,
these small ferns feature yellow-green leaves that resemble parsley. Much of the plant life on
Ascension Island was destroyed, either by humans directly
destroying its habitat or through the introduction
of invasive animal species such as goats, sheeps, rabbits
and rats that were brought in by Portuguese explorers
and ate much of it. But for the plants on Green Mountian, life was also strongly
affected by the introduction of outside plant species to
the area by British botanist looking to change the soils and climate. As of 2003, the parsley fern
is considered extinct outside of the preservation area. Man, I've said it before,
leave it up to the goats to always be causing
(goat braying) trouble. Number three is the Parrot's Beak. Found only in the Canary
Islands, the lotus bertheloti, also known as Parrot's Beak,
Coral gem and lotus vine flower is a perennial flower that is cultivated for its ornamental look. The species has leaves that are divided into three to five leaflets, each of which are one centimeter
to two centimeters long and covered in tiny hairs
that appear silver in color. Covered in tiny hairs, huh? Hmm, I might belong to this species. The flowers range in color
from orange-red to bright red and are shaped like a pea flower. Many consider the Parrot's
Beak to be extinct in the wild as none have been found occurring naturally for several years. Back in 1884, the species
was already labeled as an exceedingly rare
species and its beauty had many collecting them for
their gardens or arrangements, making its numbers decline even faster. Number two is the Venda Cycad. The encephalartos hirsutus or Venda Cycad is a plant species native to South Africa. Found at altitudes ranging
from 1,287 to 1,609 kilometers above sea level, these fern
like plants were last spotted in 2004 by helicopter
surveyors who reported only finding around 219 plants, well below the 400 to
500 that were estimated to be in existence. However, in 2006, ground
rangers from the Limpopo Provincial Government failed
to locate a single Venda Cycad, drawing questions as to
what happened to them or if they're even still around. The Venda Cycad is classified
as a critically endangered plant species and many
believe it's already extinct, claiming other variations
found are either man made or of different Cycad subspecies. Man, these things are rare, kind of like the baldus santororis. One of a kind; pray for me. And number one is the Wood's Cycad. The encaphalartos woodii, also
known as the Wood's Cycad, is the rarest plant on the
planet that we know of. Unique to the forests of South Africa, these species are actually
extinct in nature, only existing in man made
facilities and cloned in order to reproduce. First discovered in 1895, the
Wood's Cycad is a palm tree that can reach as high as six meters. Its trunk has a diameter
of 30 to 50 centimeters and it's topped with dark green leaves. Due to the fact that the
Wood's Cycad is diecious, meaning it requires both
male and female plants to form a new one and a
female plant has never been found in the wild, this plant only exists
in protected gardens. Only one naturally occurring male version of the species exists and was relocated to save the plant true extinction. Wait, one of these things needs
a male and a female partner? (laughing) These plants be getting freaky. So those are the 10 rarest
exotic plants on Earth. If you guys enjoyed this, remember to give it a big thumbs up. Also be sure to subscribe to
my channel if you haven't yet and click the bell beside
the subscribe button so that you can enable notifications so you never miss a thing, because I release new videos all the. Thank you for watching and
I'll see you in the next one. Peace.
