What does the rarest and most expensive flower in the world look like

Among the flowers there are some rarities that collectors and gardeners dream about. But, oddly enough, the rarest and most expensive flowering plant that you can only dream of is not a rare wild orchid from the Amazon jungle, but a garden camellia, however, is not quite ordinary.

The red camellia of Middlemist, which is sometimes romantically called the spring rose, was first described by the Englishman John Middlemist, who discovered it in 1804 in China. This camellia is called red for some reason, but its flowers are a rich pink color. At the beginning of the 19th century, this rare and expensive plant could only be seen in the gardens of the richest aristocrats.

Somehow, Middlemist was able to get some red camellia seedlings and brought them to London. He generously donated rare seedlings to the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew and there they began to propagate the overseas plant. But after a while it turned out that almost all the red camellias had disappeared somewhere and only one copy was preserved.

By 1823, there was only one place left in the UK where the red camellia of Middlemist grew – this is the Chiswick House & Gardens villa. But the most amazing thing is not even in the disappearance of plants in England, but in the fact that they did not exist at home, in China. Today, according to official data, there are only two red camellias left in the world – one in England and one in New Zealand.

How it turned out to be rare on secluded islands in the ocean is also a question that has no answer. According to the preserved information, in New Zealand, the red camellia was planted in 1833 at the Treaty House estate in Waitangi. Now this place, along with the Chiswick House & Gardens Villa, are the only places in the world where everyone can admire the flowers of the Middlemist camellia.

Although many experts in the field of botany believe that the British owners of a rare plant sell its sprouts for a lot of money, they simply do not advertise it so as not to lose the status of the owners of the rarity. They even call specific names of buyers. For example, there is information that one seedling was purchased by an anonymous owner of an apartment in Sky Gardens by Rafal, a high-rise building in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

Biologist Geraldine King, who looks after the garden of Chiswick House & Gardens, once told reporters that in the 19th century, the trade in red camellias was quite brisk. For example, one of the owners of the estate, the Duke of Devonshire, 180 years ago sold a lot of appendages at quite reasonable prices. Perhaps it was then that one of the Middlemist camellias was brought to New Zealand?

Yes, not only flowers can be rare, but also cucumbers. Take a look at these 10 varieties that you will probably never find in our supermarkets and markets.