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Rare 'Parrot' Flowers Look Just Like The Tropical Bird

I find it so fascinating when nature creates things that seem to resemble other beautiful things also found in nature. What if I told you there was a flower so rare that it actually closely resembles a bird?

I'm talking about the "parrot" flower. It's been given this nickname because, when you look at it, you'll see that it actually looks just like a parrot. It's so amazing to see!

The scientific name of this unique parrot flower is actually "Impatiens psittacina."

It's native to Southeast Asia and can mostly be found in the tropical forests of Thailand.

This plant is also known as "parrot balsam" because it belongs to the balsam family.

The first person to describe this unique flower was the botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker.

As this plant is so rare, Thailand has declared it a protected species so it cannot be exported anywhere else.

Apparently it also exists in other Southeast Asian countries.

This bloom has dazzled so many people mainly because of its resemblance to a flying cockatoo.

Isn't it quite uncanny? I can't get over how similar they look.

Perhaps the reason why this flower only grows in Southeast Asia is because it needs an extremely hot and wet climate.

This climate is typically found in Thailand, Myanmar, and India.

Another reason why this plant is virtually impossible to grow in other parts of the world is due to the unknown nature of its pollination.

This has baffled gardeners.

Some believe that perhaps one of its pollinators could be a small bat, or some kind of a small bird with a tongue long enough to reach inside the flower.

It's one of nature's mysteries for now.

As beautiful as this flower is, the whole plant is another story.

It can grow into an unsightly, wide-leaf bush that can reach as tall as six-feet high. At least the flowers are pretty!

Who knew that such beauty even existed in nature?

That is indeed the mystery of the planet. I would love to see this flower in person to truly appreciate it.