From corpse flowers to blood grass: 7 plants that look supernatural but are real

The plant world is full of wonders that often seem too strange to be real. Some species have evolved unique shapes, colours, and behaviours that challenge our expectations of what a plant should look like. From ghost-white blooms to giant flowers with eerie scents, these plants blur the lines between fantasy and reality, showcasing nature’s most astonishing creativity.

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The corpse flower (Titan arum) boasts the world's largest unbranched inflorescence, towering over 10 feet with a reddish-brown spadix emitting a rotting flesh odour to lure flies. It grows from a massive underground corm, with huge leaves dominating its cycle, blooming rarely after years of storage; not parasitic.

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Also known as Indian pipe, this "ghost plant" does not have chlorophyll in it, so it doesn't undergo photosynthesis, unlike other green plants. But instead, it gets nutrients from a symbiotic relationship with fungi. Because of this, this plant appears otherworldly with its pale white, nodding stems and urn-shaped flowers that turn black when mature.

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This plant takes its name from a pair of bright white berries contrasted with dark purple spots to create a resemblance of hanging eyeballs. Such a plant grows in the woodlands of North America, and this eerie sight especially stands out in contrast with red stalks. However, it is important to note these berries are poisonous to human consumption.

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The cobra lily closely resembles a hooded serpent, with curved leaves that look like a cobra poised to strike. This carnivorous plant uses its twisted, tubular leaves to trap insects, which are gradually broken down with the help of bacteria inside the pitcher, allowing the plant to absorb nutrients and survive in nutrient-poor soils.

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The bat flower with dark purple to black flowers and "whiskers" indeed has a gothic fairy tale appearance, as if it were a creature in a dark fairy tale. Native to Southeast Asia, this unusual flower has bracts and whiskers evoking bat wings poised on its stem.

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This ornamental grass looks like streaks of crimson fire rising from the earth, with vibrant red-tipped blades that evoke an almost mystical aura. Though more common in gardens, its bold colour gives it a surreal, otherworldly look that seems pulled from a dreamscape.The garden cultivar 'Rubra' is sterile and non-invasive.

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As indicated by its name, because of flowers with a heart-shaped appearance which seem to have drops of ‘bleeding’ petal flesh, the bleeding heart plant provides a dramatic and enchanting visual effect. The bleeding heart plants flowers in a way that gives a delicate magic to flower planters.

Nature always has a way of growing things that appear more fantasy than reality. Of course, these seven plants, ranging from the pale ghost plant to the giant corpse flower and bat flower, push our very definition of a plant in a way that reminds us of the wonders of biodiversity on earth, where nature holds magic in a way characteristic of fiction.

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