Face the most rare plants on the planet

We often hear of endangered animals without knowing that in the plant world there are also species that are in serious danger and need to be preserved.

Here are nine of the most endangered plant species currently listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list. They are threatened by habitat destruction, illegal exploitation, hunting and competition with invading species.

1. Attenborough pitcher tree

Appearing on top of Mount Victoria, Palawan, Philippines, this endemic plant only has a few hundred individuals left, difficult to access.

Warm pitchers are carnivorous plants, trapping animals with a container of liquid called 'warm'. Attenborough pitcher plant is one of the largest of the warm family. Its pitcher is 30cm high, can trap insects and mice.

This species was discovered only in 2007 when a group of botanists, under the advice of two Kito missionaries, went to Mount Victoria. It was named after English naturalist David Attenborough .

2. Suicide brush

It lives for about 50 years, blooms only once and dies shortly after.

This is a giant palm only found in remote areas in northwest Madagascar.

The flowers of the palm blossom into a bunch, immediately after hatching, the birds and the insects will come to collect the bile, contributing to speeding up the pollination process. Flowers after pollination can develop fruits.

Palm Tahina accumulates all the stored nutrients for the flowering process. So after the flowers turn into fruits, they will fall down because of exhausting nutrients and then die. They usually bloom after 30-50 years

The plant was discovered in 2005 by a cashew grower and was officially described in 2008. Suicide brushes reach a height of 18m and a giant canopy, with a diameter of up to 5m. These palm trees can be seen on Google Earth. Only about 90 individuals remain in nature.

3. Western Australian Cymbidium Rhizanthella gardneri

This special orchid often spends his entire life underground. It even blooms in the ground. At the end of May to early June, each tree blooms more than 100 flowers from cream to red and radiates a strong aroma.

It only lives parasites on the Broom bushes in western Australia. Due to lack of chlorophyll, plants cannot synthesize energy from sunlight like most plants. Instead, it attracts nutrients from the roots of shrubs by binding to parasitic fungi.

It is thought that there are only less than 50 of these cymbidiums available.

4. Mammillaria herrerae cacti

This species is also known as the 'golf ball' tree, found only on mountains in Queretaro, Mexico. A golf ball is a type of cactus with small white spines and a golf ball-like shape.

Its beautiful pink flowers have been popular among gardeners, many wild cacti have been illegally collected. As a result, the number of these plants will decrease by more than 95% after 20 years.

5. Van tu Venda cycad (Encephalartos hirsutus)

This plant is available only in Limpopo, South Africa . It was first described in science in 1996.

Like golf ball cacti, it is threatened by illegal gathering for ornamental plants, the number of individuals has dropped significantly. There is an unconfirmed report that Venda cycad has become extinct in nature.

6. Jellyfish Jellyfish (Medusagyne oppositifolia)

This plant is thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in the 1970s. It is called Jellyfish jellyfish by the fruit of this tree when it hatches like a jellyfish.

The only remaining individuals of the Medusagynaceae jellyfish are found on Mahe Island in Seychelles. Only about 86 jellyfish plants mature in the wild and some individuals no longer reproduce.

7. Poké-me-boy (Acacia anegadensis)

A prickly shrub found only on the Anegada and Fallen Jerusalem islands of the British Virgin Islands. These islands are low so the trees can be flooded when sea level rises.

The number of trees has not been determined but this species is currently known to only occur in areas less than 10 km ² . To increase the chances of survival, mature poke-me-boy plants are being grown in the JR O'Neal Botanical Garden in Tortola and the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England.

8. Ascension Island Fern (Anogramma ascensionis)

This small fern is like a miniature parsley. It is found only in Ascension, a volcanic island in the south Atlantic Ocean.

For more than 50 years, it was thought to be extinct, only until 2009, when a group of botanists accidentally discovered 4 ferns. They grow up on a cliff at the top of Green, Ascension Island in drought and harsh conditions.

For conservation, the researchers stayed there for several weeks, using vines down the cliff to water and weed. As soon as the plant started spawning, the team cut these spores and took them to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew to propagate seeds.

However, this fern species is very rare, only about 40 adults mature in the natural environment.

9. Coral tree (Erythrina schliebenii)

Coral trees with bright red flowers and thorny stems live only in remote forested areas in southeastern Tanzania.

Although it was declared extinct in 1998, the coral tree was discovered in 2001 in a small forest flap. However, this forest flap was devastated for biofuel development and the species was again extinct. It was rediscovered the next time in 2011.

There are less than 50 individuals mature in nature, in a single location and not protected.

Reference: BBC.