A tree that grows in the Everglades and along the Caribbean coast of Florida is recognized as the world's most dangerous tree, carrying the frightful name of manchineel. People also refer to the manchineel as Poison Guava, and they must be aware that every part of this tree is poisonous. The Carib Indians used its sap to coat their arrows, which they employed for poisoning; merely standing beneath the tree in the rain can cause deadly skin burns. The poisoned smoke that emanates from its lethal wood can lead to blindness, and the fruit of the tree, misnamed beach apples, emits a sweet scent but ultimately causes internal swelling, ulcers, and bleeding.
Methuselah
The oldest living tree in the world, which is a bristlecone pine found in the White Mountains of eastern California, holds the name Methuselah in honor of the biblical patriarch. This remarkable tree has been confirmed to be 4,850 years old, although a cousin tree in Nevada, which was cut down in 1963, was determined to have lived for 5,200 years, making it the oldest tree known to man.
Monster flower
For plants that are native to Indonesia's rainforests, the two "corpse flowers" are impressively large. Rafflesia arnoldii acts as a parasitic plant, but it spends its entire life hibernating inside its host vine until the enormous blossom, which boasts a diameter of over one metre and a weight of 11kg (24 lbs), finally appears, making it the largest blossom of any plant known to science. To attract carrion flies, which serve as the plant's primary pollinators, it emits a foul odour that simulates decay.
Loneliest tree
The rarest tree in the world sits on the Antarctic Peninsula, and the governor of New Zealand sowed the seeds in 1901; it is a Sitka spruce, a tree that originates from the Northern Hemisphere—and it stands as the only tree for an impressive distance of 222 kilometers (138 miles). Until that time, a green acacia in the desert of the Niger held the record; called the Tree of Tnr, people cut it down after a drunk driver crashed into it, as it was the only tree for a remarkable stretch of 400 km (250 miles).
Tall and stately
Queen of the Andes, Puya raimondii, proudly holds yet another double world record. Native to the towering mountains of Bolivia and Peru, the rare flowering plant also claims the world record for the tallest flower spike of any species – reaching heights of up to 12 metres (39.4ft) above the ground while displaying thousands of striking white flowers. The flowers uniquely possess the longest maturation period of any plant – taking between 80 and 150 years to finally come to bloom, which is yet another reason for the plant's critically endangered population status.
Tall and stinky
World's biggest flower smells the worst. The world's tallest is also the world's smelliest. In 2018, a titan arum (Amorphophallus titanium) at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London, flowered. The plant native to the rainforests of Sumatra in Indonesia is also known as the corpse flower because it stinks of rotting flesh, which it emits for a short time to lure fly pollinators and can be detected up to 800 metres (half a mile) away.
Titanic tree
Measuring up to 800 years in age, the world's tallest tree currently stands 116 metres (more than 380 feet) at its highest point. A researcher discovered the record-breaking sequoia and named it Hyperion after one of the Titans from Greek legend, but conservationists worry that such exotic names could attract unnecessary and damaging curiosity. They are keeping its whereabouts in California's Redwood National Park under wraps.
Quick shoot
Bamboo (technically a grass) is the world's fastest-growing plant. Incredibly, bamboo canes can grow as high as trees, with some varieties growing up to 91 centimetres (35 inches) in a single day. Researchers are still uncovering the biology that allows bamboo to reach such incredible heights and has made it one of the most versatile plants in the world today.
Sleeper seeds
At this point, the official record for the oldest viable seed still belongs to the remarkable 2,000-year-old date palm seeds that researchers found in an Israeli archaeological site. However, a dedicated team of Russian scientists went back even further in history by uncovering the discovery of fascinating 32,000-year-old seeds frozen in the Siberian permafrost, and they successfully managed to grow them. The Silene stenophylla seeds, which were buried meticulously by an ice age squirrel amid the remains of woolly mammoths and rhinoceroses, not only sprouted but also beautifully flowered and developed new seeds.
FAQ's
1. What is the tallest tree in the world?
Hyperion, a Coast Redwood in California, holds this record, standing at an incredible height of over 380 feet.
2. Which plant is the oldest living individual?
Methuselah, a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, holds the record at over 4,800 years old, growing in the White Mountains of California.
3. What has the largest flower in the world?
The Rafflesia arnoldii (corpse flower) holds this record, growing up to 3 feet across and weighing around 15 pounds with a distinct rotting odor.
4. Which plant grows the fastest?
Certain bamboo species hold the world record for rapid growth, capable of shooting up by an astonishing 35 inches in just 24 hours.
5. What plant produces the heaviest seed?
The coco de mer palm produces the world's largest and heaviest seed, which can weigh up to 40 pounds and take years to mature.
