Unique Plants With Large and Beautiful Flowers

Some plants are unique in appearance. They also bear unique flowers. Here are some unique plant species with equally unique flowers.

Frithia pulchra

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Frithia pulchra is a peculiar looking plant species that bears a beautiful purple flower. This leafless plan is native to South Africa and its natural habitat is temperate grassland.

Huernia plowesii

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Huernia plowesii is a leafless species of plant that bear large and beautifully spotted flowers. It is native to Namibia and its natural habitat is rocky areas.

Parachute Plant

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One plant that bears one of the most unusual flowers is the Parachute Plant or Ceropegia sandersonii. This plant is native to Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland. It is also known as Fountain Flower and Umbrella Plant.  The flower of Parachute Plants serve as a biological myiophilous pitfall-trap, that traps flies when they descent into the corolla tube. Small hairs that are pointed downwards prevent the insect from escaping. Once trapped, the victim is thoroughly pollinated and only released when the flower is left off and the hairs weaken.

Hoya serpens

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Hoya serpens is a small trailing vine found in the Himalayas and surrounding areas. The leaves of this unique plant are dark green and hairy and the flowers produced are extremely fuzzy with a light green corolla and a white corona. In addition, the flowers produce a sweet fragrance.

Hoya cinnamomfolia

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Hoya cinnamomifolia is a unique plant that bears unique flower. This vine that comes from the island of Java is one of the larger members of the Hoya genus with typically one leaf per node. The flowers produced come in umbels of up to 30 and have a lime green corolla and bright burgundy corona.

Lantern Flower

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Lantern Flower or Ceropegia distinctia has flowers that look like a fountain of wax. This unusual plant is grown as ornamental houseplant and can be propagated by seed and cuttings. It is known also for various common names like Parasol Flower, Parachute Flower, Bushman’s Pipe, String of Hearts, Snake Creeper, Wine-glass Vine, Rosary Vine, and Necklace Vine.

Hoya mindorensis

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Hoya mindorensis, is another unique plant with a distinctively colorful and uniquely-shaped flower. This beautiful plant is native to the Philippines, specifically in the island province of Mindoro.

Paintbrush Lily

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Paintbrush, which is scientifically named Scadoxus puniceus, is a unique plant species from South Africa. It can also be found in Ethiopia and Tanzania. This plant preferred habitat is in cool, moist leaf litter and thus is found in shady places, such as ravines and forests.

Echinopsis oxygona

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The Echinopsis oxygona reminds me of the oldest type of musical instrument. This unique plant that bears large trumpet-like flower is native to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. Its features include: many robust spines, spherical shape, and a large flower, with sharply pointed lavender petals, and a fine faint scent.

Cardoncillo

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Cardoncillo or Ceropegia dichotoma is a flowering plant native to the Canary Islands. It bears uniquely-shaped flowers.

See also 

• Ornamental Plants That Bear Flowers All Year Round
• Succulent Plant With the Most Beautiful Flowers 
• The Beautiful Flowers of Baguio City 
• Amazingly Unique and Beautiful Flowers 
• 16 Flowers with the Most Repulsive Scents in the World 
• World’s Most Colorful, Unique and Prettiest Passion Flowers 
• Top 15 World’s Most Beautiful Orchids 
• Top 10 Most Beautiful Garlic and Onion Flowers 
• World’s Brightest and Prettiest Garden Flowers 
• Wonders of nature: Lovely Flowering Leafless Plants 
• Botanical Wonders: Extremely Unique Leafless Flowering Plants  

The Best Selling Razor of All Time

How many times do you shave? What brand of shave do you used?

A razor is a male thing but not exclusively for men only. A large percentage of females also use this gadget. What brand is your razor? Is it the best selling razor in the world? If it’s is the best-selling, it must be the best.

Check this out!

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The best selling razor in the world is Gillette. The product is well remembered worldwide for its popular slogan "The Best a Man Can Get". Gillette is originally owned by Gillette Company which was founded in 1895 by King Camp Gillette. It is now presently own by Procter & Gamble.

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The Most Amazing and Wonderful Plateaus in the World

Definition, types of plateau, importance and notable examples

A plateau is an area of highland usually consisting relatively flat terrain. It is also called a tableland or high plain. Some types of plateau include dissected plateau and volcanic plateau. The former is formed by erosion processes of glaciers on mountain ranges and the latter by volcanic activities.

Trivia:

The largest and highest plateau in the world is the Tibetan Plateau.

The second-largest current plateau in the world is the Antarctic Plateau.

The third-largest plateau in the world is the Andean Plateau in South America.

Here are 14 notable examples of plateau from around the world.

1.) Kukenan Tepui – Venezuela

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Kukenan Tepuy is a fine example and remarkable plateau in the Gran Sabana National Park, Venezuela. This landform has a height of 2,680 meters.

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It is also known as Matawi Tepui and is the source of the Kukenán River. It is considered the "place of the dead" by the local Pemon Indians. It is located next to Mount Roraima in Venezuela.

2.) Island in the Sky – USA

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The beautiful Island in the Sky is a very fine example of plateau. It is part of the popular Canyonland’s National Park in Utah, United States.

3.) Bogota Plateau – Colombia

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The city of Bogota, the capital of Colombia, is situated in a high plateau which is more than 2,600 meters high above sea level.

4.) Columbia Plateau – USA

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This plateau was built up by lava that spread outwards from cracks and weak areas in the crust. It is located in the northwestern part of the United States.

5.) Monte Roraima – South America

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Mount Roraima is a notable plateau in South America. It is the highest of the Pakaraima chain of tepui plateau in the continent. Its 31 km² summit area is defended by 400-meter-tall cliffs on all sides. The mountain includes the triple border point ofBrazil, Guyana and Venezuela. The tabletop mountains of the park are considered some of the oldest geological formations on Earth. It is also known as Roraima Tepui or Cerro Roraima.

6.) Altiplano Plateau – South America

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The Altiplano is a plateau in west-central South America. The name is Spanish for high plain. It is where the Andes are at their widest where the most extensive area of high plateau on Earth can be found outside of Tibet. Lake Titicaca is the plateau’s best known geographical feature.

7.) Tibetan Plateau – Tibet

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Tibetan Plateau is the largest and highest plateau in the world and is called the “roof of the world”. It has an area of 2.5 million km² and is located about 5,000 meters above sea level.

8.) Antarctic Plateau – Antarctica

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The Antarctic Plateau is a large area of Central Antarctica, which extends over a diameter of about 1,000 kilometres and which includes the region of the South Pole. This plateau is at an average elevation of about 3,000 meters. It is sometimes referred to as the Polar Plateau.

9.) Colorado Plateau – USA

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The Colorado Plateau is the largest plateau in the North American continent. It covers an area of about 337,000 km² and is located in the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. It is also called the Colorado Plateau Province.

10.) Table Mountain – South Africa

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One of the most popular tourist spots in South Africa is the Table Mountain, a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town. This significant tourist attraction used cableway to get to the top. Hiking is another alternative to get to the top.

11.) Auyantepui – Venezuela

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Auyantepui, which means “Devil’s Mountain”, is a popular table-top mountain in Venezuela. It is one of the largest tepuis with an area of 700 km² and Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world, drops from a cleft near the summit. Auyantepui is a giant among the large plateaus. It encompasses 650 km² and its peak is 2,535 meters high.

12.) Table Mountains – California

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The Table Mountains is consists of the North Table Mountain and South Table Mountain, two plateaus located outside the city of Oroville, California. They are named for their flat surface, like a table top.

13.) Table Mountains – Poland

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The Table Mountains are a 42 km long mountain range located in the Czech Republic and Poland. This plateau, which is shared by two countries, is a popular tourist attraction.

14.) Cerro Negro – Argentina

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Cerro Negro is a notable plateau in South America. It is one of a few mesas located near Zapala, Argentina. Zapala is near the Laguna Blanca National Park.

See also 

• The World’s Most Beautiful Heathland
• The Most Remarkable and CaptivatingTundras in the World
• The World’s Most Beautiful and Important Savannas
• The Most Beautiful and SignificantMeadows in the World
• World’s Most Beautiful and Unique Valleys
• The World’s Most Attractive Atolls
• The World’s Most Captivating Oases: Most Beautiful Paradises in the Midst of the Most Barren Landscapes
• World’s Most Spectacular Sand Dunes(Blow Wind Blow: Build Me a Castle of My Dream)
• World’s Most Amazing Cliffs and Fascinating Dunes

The Coolest and Most Remarkable Electric Cars in the World

Electric cars will soon be one of the cars of the future. They will significantly reduce city pollution because these cars have “zero tail pipe emission”. Electric cars are plug-in battery powered automobile which are propelled by electric motors.

Here are the coolest-looking designs of electric cars in the world.

1.) Tesla Roadster

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The luxurious and elegant looking Tesla Roadster is one of the most beautifully designed battery electric vehicle sports car in the world. It is one of the only three crash-tested and highway-certified electric cars in the world. This amazing car was the first highway-capable all-electric vehicle in serial production available in the United States. Tesla Motors had produced more than 1,200 Roadsters sold in at least 28 countries as of July 2010.

 This car is the first production automobile to use lithium-ion battery cells and the first production BEV (all-electric) to travel more than 320 km per charge. The world distance record of 501 km for a production electric car on a single charge was set by a Roadster on October 27, 2009.The Roadster has a base price of US$109,000 in the U.S. and a base price of £86,950 in the UK and €84,000 in continental Europe.

2.) Renault Fluence

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The Renault Fluence Z.E. is a cool-looking electric car unveiled by Renault at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. This awesome-looking car was announced to be at €21,300, significantly lower than the Nissan Leaf at around €33,000 and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV at around €35,000 because Renault will rent the batteries. It can attain a speed of up to 135 km/h. Sales of the Fluence Z.E. are scheduled for 2011 in Denmark, Israel and in the rest of Europe. It is the only Fluence to be sold in Europe.

3.) Eliica

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One of the coolest-looking electric cars in the world is the Eliica. The name means Electric Lithium-Ion Car). This battery electric vehicle is 5.1 meters in length and can accelerate from 0–100 km/h in four seconds. It can attain a top speed of 370 km/h making it the fastest electric powered car in the world. The team's goal is to exceed 400 km/h, breaking the record set by today's street-legal gasoline-powered vehicles.

4.) Nissan Leaf

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The Nissan LEAF is a five-door mid-size hatchback electric car. LEAF stands for “Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family” car. It was introduced in Japan and in the US in 2010 and is the first mass-produced electric car for sale from a major manufacturer. It can attain a speed of 117 km/h.

5.) Citroen C ZERO

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The cute-looking and uniquely designed Citroën C-ZERO is amazingly cool as a city car. This supermini car by is 100% electric powered. The C-ZERO is the French version of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric vehicle. This car is designed to facilitate urban mobility: small size, quick charging and sufficient range for daily commutes

6.) Mitsubishi I MiEV

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The Mitsubishi i MiEV is one of the only three crash-tested and highway-certified electric cars in the world. MiEV is an acronym for Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle. This five-door hatchback electric car is produced by Mitsubishi Motors.

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It can attain a speed of 160 km on the Japanese test cycle and 121 km on the US cycle. This amazing car was launched for fleet customers in Japan in July 2009, and on April 1, 2010 for the wider public. Initial price in the Japanese market was $43,000. In Hong Kong, sale started in May 2010 at a price of US$50,631.

7.) Think City

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The Think City is a small two-seater or 2+2-seater highway capable electric car, with a top speed of 110 km/h and an in-town range of 160 km/h on a full charge. It is a available with both a Zebra Sodium battery and a Lithium-ion battery which both travel 160 km/h on a full charge.

It is previously mass produce in Norway and was restarted in Finland and currently being sold in European countries such as Austria, Finland, France, Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Switzerland. As of 2010 it is one of the only three crash-tested and highway-certified electric cars in the world. The other two are Mitsubishi I MiEV and Tesla Roadster.

See also

• The Most Sophisticated and Latest Models of Luxury Cars
• The Most Sophisticated Cars in the World: Record Title Holder Cars
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Interesting Facts and Former Names of Countries of the World

Here’s a list of the former names and meaning of the names of selected countries of the world plus some interesting facts.

1.      The former name of Thailand is Siam, named after a 19^th century king. Thailand means “land of the free”. It is the only Southeast Asian country to have never been colonized.

2.      Iraq is formerly known as Mesopotamia.

3.      The former name of Sri Lanka is Ceylon. It was under European rule for about 450 years. In 1972 the name was change to Sri Lanka.

4.      San Marino was named after Marinus, a Christian stonemason who founded the place in 301 CE.

5.      Malawi means “flaming water” and is named for the sun setting on Lake Malawi, Africa’s 3^rd largest lake.

6.      The Philippines was named after Philip II of Spain. Two of its oldest names were Ma-I and Maniola.

7.      Jamaica’s name comes from the Arawak Indian word “Xaymaca” which means “land of springs”.

8.      Costa Rica which means “rich coast” is the world’s greenest country.

9.      Myanmar in Southeast Asia is formerly known as Burma.

10.  Gaul is the old name of France and Helle is the old name of Greece.

11.  China’s ancient name is Cathay. China was taken from Chin dynasty.

12.  Bolivia was named after Simon Bolivar, the liberator of many South American countries.

13.  Asia Minor is the present day Turkey while Malaysia is formerly known as Malaya.

14. Czechoslovakia got its name from the agglomeration of the Czech and Slovak peoples in 1918.  This country dissolved into the Czeck and Slovak Republics in 1993.

15. Yugoslavia means "Land of the South Slavs". It was originally Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, created by joining Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro. It became Yugoslavia in 1929. It subsequently split into its constituent states in the years 1992-2006.

16. Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined to become what is now known as Tanzania.

17. Egypt and Syria were briefly joined as the United Arab Republic.

18.  Malaya merged with Singapore and the northern Borneo territories of Sabah and Sarawak to become Malaysia in 1963.

19.  Bangladesh in South Asia is formerly known as East Pakistan from 1955 to 1971. It was also known as East Bengal.

20.  The name of Belarus is Byelorussia until 1991. It is also called White Russia.

21.  The name of Belize until 1973 is British Honduras.

22.  Benin is known as Dahomey until 1975.

23.  Botswana in Africa is formerly known as Bechuanaland.

24.  The former name of Burkina Faso is Upper Volta. Its present name was adopted in 1984. Burkina Faso means “land of honest men”.

25.  Cambodia is known as Khmer Republic from 1971 to1975 and Kampuchea from 1975 to 1991.

26.  Colombia was known as New Granada until 1819.

27.  The former name of the Republic of the Congo is Middle Congo.

28.  Democratic Republic of the Congo was formerly known as Zaire between 1971 and 1997. It was previously called Belgian Republic.

29.  Until 1977, Djibouti is formerly known as French Somaliland.

30.  East Timor, which is known as Timor-Leste since its independence in 2002, is known as Portuguese Timor until 1975.

31.  Until 1968, Equatorial Guinea is called Spanish Guinea

32.  Ethiopia in Africa is historically known as Abyssinia.

33.  Ghana, an African country, is called Gold Coast until 1957.

34.  Until 1958, Guinea in Africa is called French Guinea.

35.  Guinea-Bissau is known as Portuguese Guinea until 1974.

36.  Until 1966, Guyana is called British Guiana.

37.  Indonesia, until 1945, is called Netherlands East Indies

38.  Although Iran is locally known as Iran since before the Sassanids (3rd to 7th centuries AD), it also called Persia until officially named Iran in 1935.

39.  Until 1948, Israel is part of the British Mandate of Palestine. It was previously renamed by the Romans to Palestine from Kingdom of Israel and Judea.

40.  Before 1937, Ireland is known as Irish Free State and was at one time referred to in English as Eire.

41.  The former name of Jordan is Transjordan.

42.  Kiribati is known as the Gilbert Island before independence in 1979.

43.  Lesotho, an African country, is previously called Basutoland.

44.  Until 1964, Malawi is called Nyasaland.

45.  Mali, in Africa  is known until 1960 as French Sudan.

46.  Mexico, in North America, is known until 1821 as New Spain.

47.  Moldova is known until 1991 as Moldovia.

48.  The former name of Namibia is South-West Africa.

49.  Until 1997, Samoa in Oceania is called Western Samoa.

50.  Serbia and Montenegro is from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 2003. Split into two nations, Serbia and Montenegro, in 2006.

51.  The former name of Singapore, a Southeast Asian country, is Temasik.

52.  Until 1972, Sri Lanka in South Asia is called Ceylon.

53.  Before 1956, Sudan is called Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.

54.  Suriname, in South America, is formerly known as Dutch Guiana.

55.  Taiwan or Republic of Taiwan is known historically as Formosa, Tungning, and by other names.

56.  The Republic of Tajikistan is known as Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic until 1991.

57.  Thailand, in Southeast Asia, is known as Siam until 1949.

58.  The former name of Togo before 1960 is French Togoland.

59.  Tuvalu is known as the Ellice Islands before independence in 1978.

60.  Vanuatu became independent from New Hebrides in 1980.

61.  Ukraine is previously known as Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic until 1991.

62.  The Republic of Uzbekistan is known as Uzbek Socialist Republic until 1991.

63.  Western Sahara, in Africa, is formerly known as Spanish Sahara.

64.  Zambia, in Africa,  is formerly known as Northern Rhodesia until 1964

65.  Zimbabwe is formerly known as Southern Rhodesia. It assumed the current name in 1980.

See also

• CountriesWith Unusual and Unique and Interesting Capitals
• Amazing Facts About Places in the World
• 50 Interesting Facts About Countries of the World
• 99Interesting and Random Facts About Places in the World