suggestions for weird or exotic houseplants

Hi all:

I'm getting ready to order some seeds from a couple of different foreign sources for some exotic houseplants. I'm in western Canada and it's hard to find neat houseplants where I live. So I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for anything I should add to my list. (I'll check and see if it's available.) It's easy to bring in seeds. Less easy to bring in the actual plants.

My preferences are for the weird and wonderful. Bonus points if it flowers. I'll consider anything except nothing from Cactaceae. There's a superstition in my family about them.

 

Thanks Eileen. I'll look them up. I did have the "elephant's foot" Amorphophallus on my list. I'm hoping it's not too stinky.

 

Holy basil or cuban cilantro. both are fuzzy leafed and fragrant. The cuban oregano smells fabulous. Put it outside for the Summer and it is gorgeous. The holy basil is flowering for me right now, but mine is sitting in the greenhouse being severely neglected... not sure if it normally flowers much or not, but the flower is insignificant.

 

venus flytraps, and they do have seeds-


along with other stunning color varieties. they grow much better under glass, btw. for the carnivorous plants, i prefer the nepenthes pitcher plants in hanging baskets, also from seeds:


you can grow some bromeliads from seeds, even tillandsia - make a log:


right now i'm fascinated with the idea of growing a strangler fig bonsai - you'd have to buy a regular bonsai then plant the strangler fig seed on it and let it grow from there. most likely impossible....but on the subject, you can grow bonsai from seeds, too

 

Sprouting an avocado pit, or growing a pineapple top can be fun, and found in produce section @ grocery store.

Sweet potatoes from the store will make lovely, plain green vines, growing fast enough to make a $.75 investment into a fun annual (as far north as you are.) You can dig the potato back up & store for winter if desired. (Same would apply to the ornamental ones sold with the annuals for their differently colored foliage.)

Edited to add, you might enjoy Medinilla magnifica, which I think makes seeds. This bloom stalk I found today also reminded me that Queen's tears (Billbergia nutans) makes a fine house plant, and is definitely exotic looking. It's hard to think of which plants one has that are unusual "on purpose." But occurred to me later when outside, (for summer, during the weather they like,) looking at them. The Billbergia is sharing space with another, bigger plant. The Billbergia leaves are the the thinner ones.



There are other great pics here:
http://www.gardenstew.com/plantstew/9001950

 

What interesting plants have you found so far, Seawitch?

 

I did like my bromilaid, though you have to constantly water it as it's a rainforest plant, but it needs very little light