Whatever you’re looking for out there in this big world, it must be on the internet. Even if you don’t even know the thing yourself, and in that case, the chances are you end up on Reddit.
It’s basically an online home of detectives who will use their joint effort to come up with a solid explanation for what is an object that you have no clue about. Known as r/Whatisthisthing, this community has 2M members and they help others with not necessarily the “why” but with the “what.” Read our previous posts about it here, here and here.
And then, there’s this similarly awesome corner of Reddit with a botanical twist of hard-to-identify objects. Welcome to r/Whatsthisplant, a community of people created to identify plants that visitors submit. And let me tell you, this is one hell of a floral encyclopedia you never knew you needed. Scroll down through the best posts of mysterious plants explained and be sure to hit upvote on your favorite ones!
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What's This Curly Cactus?
Cereus forbesii cv Spiralis
To find out more about the incredible world of rare plants, we reached out to Marc Hachadourian, the Director Of Glasshouse Horticulture and Senior Curator Of Orchids at The New York Botanical Garden who shared some very interesting insights.
“Even after nearly 30 years of study and practice in horticulture I am always learning about new plants and encountering species or varieties I did not even know existed,” Hachadourian told us. “Whether in my travels abroad to see plants in their natural habitats or visiting other botanical gardens, there are always new plants that I have never seen before.”
What Are These Flowers?
They are salvia but the cat is wildly distracting
What Is This Whimsical Little Vine In Atlanta?
Ampelopsis brevipedunculata, “porcelain berry” or “Amur peppervine”
For Hachadourian, “one of the most wonderful aspects of working with plants is this thrill of discovering and learning something new or exciting. Even though I regularly help people identify plants there are still many plants out there I don’t know.” He added that sometimes it takes a significant amount of time researching, consulting with other experts, and digging through images and texts to get an identification for an unknown plant.
What Is This Alien Looking Flower?
Puya bromeliad
What Kind Of Tree Is This?
Wisteria
Vines love to creep under houses..porches. Not practical if you have an ex buried in the garden. So I’ve heard.
What Flower Is This? Found On Facebook With No Context
Geum Reptans rose
The Director Of Glasshouse Horticulture at The New York Botanical Garden said that when it comes to new varieties of plants for our homes and gardens, they are developed differently. “Some plants are chance mutations – one-of-a-kind changes that create a form, color, or type of growth never before seen. These plants can be dwarf or miniature forms, variegated plants with colored or patterned foliage, or leaf or flower shapes different from the norm.”
Meanwhile, other plants are created through hybridization, where breeders combine varieties of plants hoping to create something new and different. “These hybrids might be a color that doesn’t exist naturally or a form or type that would be considered an ideal standard for a particular plant, like a rose with a strong fragrance or an unusual color of orchid. With advances in science, new varieties can also be created in the laboratory by manipulating genes even between unrelated plant species to develop new types of plants that were once only imaginable,” Hachadourian explained.
Found This Growing Voluntarily Over My Dog's Grave
Spring beauty (Claytonia virginica)
That flower is a fitting symbol of the beautiful memories you no doubt have of your dog
Found In Ventura, Ca. Anyone Know What This Is?
Geraldton Carnationweed, Carnation Spurge (Euphorbia terracina)
What’s This Trippy Fella Called?
Cercis canadensis The Rising Sun Eastern Redbud
Hachadourian told us that at the New York Botanical Garden, they cultivate many rare plants indoors and out in their collections. “There has been much talk in the media about ‘rare plants’ lately, especially plants currently selling for high prices between collectors worldwide. I do not like to assign dollar values to our plants because it is impossible to calculate the actual value of a historic scientific collection, a naturally rare species, or a 200-year-old oak tree when it comes to rare plants.”
According to him, “each plant has its own intrinsic value for science, education, history, beauty, or conservation, worth far more than any monetary amount calculated for a living thing. The term ‘rare’ is frequently overused and misapplied to increase the perceived monetary value of a plant.”
What Is This Satisfying Succulent?
Ice plant (Corpuscularia lehmannii)
Beautiful Picture My Friend Sent Me To Identify
Santa Rita prickly pear
Moreover, Hachadourian said that when communicating about their collections, he has tried “to avoid using ‘rare’ unless the statement is defined (ex. rare in cultivation, rare in collections) or for wild plants, the words threatened or endangered are terms used to qualify a plant’s risk of extinction.”
Hachadourian continued: “We cultivate a wide range of plants that could be sold for high monetary values but are less ‘rare’ than endangered or threatened species in our collections. In our glasshouse collections, rare plants include the miniature water lily Nymphaea thermarum, which until recently was considered extinct in the wild, or Osa pulchra, a beautiful flowering tree only known from a couple of dozen plants in its native habitat. Our outdoor collections have ancient oaks over 250 years old or specimens of the pumpkin ash (Fraxinus profunda), a critically endangered species naturally found in our old-growth forest.”
He concluded that “as a botanical garden, part of our larger mission is to educate and communicate the true value of plant biodiversity beyond the financial value of buying or selling a ‘rare’ plant.”
What Is This Beautiful Tree?
Rainbow Eucalyptus
I remember the first time I saw this on campus I was so amazed. We were doing out dendrology unit and had to go around finding the trees listed. The picture, while awesome, doesn't do it justice, it is very vibrant in person.
Found Online But I'm Curious To Know Which Plant Makes These Leaves
Jack's Giant or Thailand Giant
Would Like Know What Plant Makes These Flowers
Camellia japonica 'pink perfection'
Seen In Santa Monica, Ca. I Couldn’t Get Any Closer But It Looks Gorgeous!!
Bougainvillea
Very General White Flowers. All Help Is Appreciated!
Saxifraga Arendsii
From The Japanese Garden In Singapore
Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)
What's This Bush?
Cotinus, aka smoke bush
My Friends Parents Have A Red Rose Bush Where On One Particular Branch It Blooms These Beauties
Chimera Rose
So I Found These Little Fluffballs. Not Sure What They're Called! Location: Somewhere In Nunavut
Cotton grass, aka tundra cotton
What's This Majestic Tree? (Must Be A Zillion Years Old?!)
Sterculia apetala
Found In Holland, Mi. It's Adorable Whatever It Is!
Chinese lanterns
Moved To A New House This Winter And This Beauty Is Welcoming The Spring. Portland, Oregon
Pink Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida var. rubra
My Sister's Boyfriend Gave Her This Flower
Ornamental cabbage
This Beautiful Two Toned Rose In My Garden. I Have Never Seen This Before
Rose Joseph's Coat
Found In Florida, Appears To Be From Whoville, What Is This Tree?
Ponytail palm, Beaucarnea recurvata
Translucent Blue And Green Succulent (That I Have Never Seen Before)
Haworthia cooperi, Cooper's Haworthia
Tree In India
Fishtail Palm
Saw This Beauty Dropping My Kid Off On The First Day Is School. What Is This Tree Called. She’s Stunning
Golden dewdrop, Duranta erecta
Can Anyone Tell Me What Is The Name Of This Beautiful Birdlike Plant?
Cyanotis tuberosa, Greater Cat Ears or Dew Grass
Random Plant That Has Shown Up In My Garden For The First Time
Crocus
Wildflower On A Countryside Trail In Daylesford, Australia
Forget me nots
Don't pick them >:( (well, I guess it's not the end of the world, but still)
What Is This Plant? My Friend Ate One Of The Red Pods And I'm Concerned
Possibly cycad seed pod. I think your friend should go see a doctor.
What Are These Beach Flowers? Ignore The Elephant Seal
Ice plant
u can't just tell us to ignore the elephant seal and expect us to comply "OMG IT"S HUGE AND SOOOOOOO CUTE...JUST LOOK AT ITS SMOOSHED FACE"
Ignore the Elephant Seal??? Ignore. The Elephant Seal. The massive and strangely adorable Elephant Seal...just ignore it?
This plant is also known as Pig Face. It's native to Australia and was eaten by the indigenous people and also used for burns, similar to aloe Vera.
Strangely the name Pig Face somehow is more suitable for another object in this picture, which we are supposed to ignore :)
Load More Replies...I did not authorise the publication of this picture of me first thing in the morning.
I’m perfectly capable of looking at the flowers and the seal at the same time, and appreciating both.
Don't recall the name, but it grows all round the coast of South Africa, very hardy succulent, with beautiful large yellow flowers, also pink. When the flower dies, it develops a fruit, which is picked by locals, the common name is Sour Figs, which are dried for a while. Has an acquired taste.
I wish I had a picture of an iceplant that I've only seen twice in my life; once in So Cal and it used to grow in Morro Bay CA before some fool paved over it. The 'leaves' were shaped like these and it had red ovals as flowers. The trippy part was that the whole plant was covered with what looked like tiny glass beads like they uses as reflectors on roads. I have and maybe you have seen the imitation version of this plant. Anyone know if there's any surviving now or what it was?
Do not ignore the elephant seal when he's looking for love. Real aggressive at that time.
Carpobrotus aequilterus, AKA chilean pigface, angled pigface or sea fig.
Apparently It's A Fern!
Cyrtomium falcatum rochefordianum
What Is This Plant Object Found In Commercial Chickpea Can?
Cocklebur (Xanthium), which is toxic.
Left On Our Balcony By Previous Tenants - I Love The Colours! Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Desert rose. Adenium obesum
My So’s Mother Has This Magnificent Plant, But She Couldn’t Identify It. Can Anyone Help
Fiddle Leaf Fig
I Guess I Don't Really Care What It Is Just Saw This On My Hike And Thought It Looked Cool!
Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa)
What Plant Is This, Street In Jerez, Spain
Those are common grape vines, Vitis vinifera.
Unusual Cacti
Crested Mexican Fencepost Cactus, Pachycereus marginatus f. cristata
First Time Seeing This, Any Ideas?
Boophone haemanthoides, Namaqua Century Plant
I’m Obsessed With The Color Of This Tree. Would Love To Know What It Is For When I Become A Homeowner!
Orange Azalea cultivar
This Flower In South Australia?? Please And Thanks!
Gazania
This Is Robert, My Dad's Other Pride And Joy. He Was Grown From A Cutting My Dad Made When He Moved In About 3 Years Ago
Tropic Snow Dieffenbachia
This Albino Plant In My Backyard. What Is It? And Have You Ever Seen An Albino Plant Before?
Nandina
Found In A Park In Qatar (Image From Google Street View)
Toborochi Tree
Help
Spiral Aloe, Aloe polyphylla
Had This Little Cactus Since He Was Just One Arm. He’s So Happy Now He Has The Most Beautiful Flower I’ve Ever Seen! What Is He?
Life Saver plant, Huernia zebrina
Wild Flower Found In The Mountain Area Of Central Chile
Chilean nasturtium
That's very different to the nasturtium I know about. Just googled and this one is edible as well as the one used in salads.
Who Is She???
Sedum Cherry Tart
Twisty Trees In Golden Gate Park
Leptospermum laevigatum, the coastal tea tree
Bright Purple Berries I Saw In Someone’s Front Yard. Se Pennsylvania 7a
Beautyberry, Callicarpa.
I broke my good spade trying to dig mine out at the weekend. It looks kind of meh until its berries show. All the berries fell off mine…..again.I’d warned her it was her last chance. (Going to a friend)
Seen At Huntington Botanical Gardens And I Was Sort Of Hypnotized By The Geometry
Colletia paradoxa, The Anchor Plant
A Flower I Took From My Great Grandpas House After He Died, Just Started Flowering Again
Gladiolus
What's The Name Of This Unusual Cactus?
Crusted Mammilaria mystax
No Idea What It Is, Vietnam
Ghost’s foot (Trevesia burckii)
Found In Rockville Md, Deep Orange Color
Cytisus 'Lena' (Broom)
This Dude At A Calloway’s
Air plant, part of a group of plants called epiphytes
My Aunt Sent Me This Picture, Any Clue What It Is?
Anelsonia eurycarpa, Daggerpod
My School's Greenhouse Is A Goldmine
Tillandsia Duratii
Found A Squash(?) Growing In Our Apartment Garden Area. Husband For Scale
It's known as various names such as Opo, Bottle Gourd and Calabash, Lagenaria siceraria.
This Cactus I Have That Bloomed Last Year And Now This Year
Easter Lily Cactus - Echinopsis oxygona
Brought This Cactus A Couple Of Months Ago… Is This Normal? The Flower Is Hairy And Is Killing It By Its Size
Stapelia grandiflora
Purple And Blue, Six Petals
Crocus
The second picture where I recognized the plant Ok, the other one was also crocus 😅 Thanks, crocus! You are always lovely to see after ❄️
Found This Beautifully Designed Plant In My University In Malaysia. Would Like To Know What Is It And What's The Process Used To Make It This Way
Ficus benjamima
Thin shoots have been braided/woven to this shape. Then side shoots and leaves have been removed for a few years until the stems are a bit thicker and the plant mainly shoots new leaves from the top. Ficuses and willows are the easiest to form like this but you can use all kinds of trees or bushes with smooth stems and few side branches.
My Grandson Wants To Know What This Plant Is - Hope You Can Help, Thanks
Echium candicans, Pride of Maderia
Can Someone Identify This Tree From The Biome At The Eden Project?? (Glasshouse UK)
African Corkwood Tree
can anyone tell me anything about the Eden project? super interested!!!
Didn’t Know My San Pedro Cactus Had Flowers
That’s a Cereus Peruvianus, Peruvian Apple cactus, not a San Pedro
What Are These? The Devils Testicles? I Stepped On One With My Bare Heel And My Life Flashed Before My Eyes
Sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua seed pods.
Found In A Walk In Keystone Colorado
Sugar pine cone
I Don't Know The Name Of This Plant But I Absolutely Love It
Monstera Standleyana
Biggest Leaf I've Ever Seen! Lancaster, Pa, USA
Princess Tree - Paulownia tomentosa
… also invasive. I guess as far north as PA it would be “potentially invasive”.
The app PlantNet is a great resource. Take a picture and it will tell you what the plant is!
thank you Mother Nature for all this beauty. Evolution is such a bless
This was a really interesting post, some plants i knew, some I didn't, all are fascinating and beautiful!
I have quite a few of these in my yard, and it makes me appreciate my garden even more.
I wish I still had the picture, one year a single stalk grew out of a small hillside in my yard. On that stalk was five or six completely different flowers. I don't know how to describe them other than orchid like. Orchids do not grow up here though it's too cold. I think I lost the picture when my hard drive died.
There's a tree in my grandparents neighborhood that grows it's seeds in hollow, lantern-like pods. It's always confused me but it looks so cool
These plant were absolutely stunning! Now I want to add to my garden and landscape. Awesome post.
Hardest thing is for native plant lovers to look at a post of an invasive species which has taken over an area and is appreciated only because it’s pretty. It appears few people growing up now give a s**t about how damaging a non-native can be to the entire ecosystem which co-evolved together. So sad
And what are the people taking photos and appreciating the beautiful flowers supposed to do?
Load More Replies...I want to know what happened to the friend who ate the pod, and the chickpea/cockleburr person.
The app PlantNet is a great resource. Take a picture and it will tell you what the plant is!
thank you Mother Nature for all this beauty. Evolution is such a bless
This was a really interesting post, some plants i knew, some I didn't, all are fascinating and beautiful!
I have quite a few of these in my yard, and it makes me appreciate my garden even more.
I wish I still had the picture, one year a single stalk grew out of a small hillside in my yard. On that stalk was five or six completely different flowers. I don't know how to describe them other than orchid like. Orchids do not grow up here though it's too cold. I think I lost the picture when my hard drive died.
There's a tree in my grandparents neighborhood that grows it's seeds in hollow, lantern-like pods. It's always confused me but it looks so cool
These plant were absolutely stunning! Now I want to add to my garden and landscape. Awesome post.
Hardest thing is for native plant lovers to look at a post of an invasive species which has taken over an area and is appreciated only because it’s pretty. It appears few people growing up now give a s**t about how damaging a non-native can be to the entire ecosystem which co-evolved together. So sad
And what are the people taking photos and appreciating the beautiful flowers supposed to do?
Load More Replies...I want to know what happened to the friend who ate the pod, and the chickpea/cockleburr person.