Halloween is a time where the strange and unusual become more commonplace.

Living in the Desert Southwest, I see many strange and unusual plants that make their home here.

And so, in celebration of Halloween, here are some plants that I find ‘strange and unusual’.

It’s hard to imagine that the Floss Silk tree that produces beautiful, tropical flowers also has such a thorny trunk.

More then one type of skeleton can be found in this desert landscape, such as the skeleton from a Saguaro cactus.

Ocotillo have fascinating shapes, topped with vermillion-colored flowers that are irresistible to hummingbirds.

The needles of this Prickly Pear cactus appear blood-red in the sunlight.

No, it isn’t smoke in the sky…it is a Smoke tree.

The common name of this cactus, ‘Teddy Bear Cholla’ belies their prickly nature.  Many people claim that they appear to ‘jump’ out and attach themselves to whatever or whoever comes too close.

This Octopus Agave is sending up its flowering stalk, which looks like a snake rising up.  This flowering stalk  grows up to 1 foot a day.

‘Firesticks’ is an aptly named Euphorbia species, don’t you think?

I call this the ‘Pink Afro’ tree.  But, the more commonly used name is Chinese Lantern.

Lastly, here is a plant whose beauty can fool you into thinking it is somewhat fragile.

My neighbor’s Cat Claw Vine has tiny cat-claw shaped stems that grip onto any surface (including the other side of the wall into my garden
This is one tough plant.

I hope you enjoyed seeing a small sampling of the strange and unusual plants from where I live in Arizona.

What are some of the strangest plants you have ever seen?  Please share them with us…

**For more ‘strange and unusual’ plants – check out the following blog posts:

“Strange and Unusual Plants Ready for Halloween”

“Spooky Nature: Ghost Orchids, Bat Flowers and More”

 

Tagged as: Fall, Flower Photography, Nature events, Southwest, Trees and Shrubs