Some of the world's most endangered plants are the rafflesia flower, the green pitcher plant, and the hart's tongue fern. There are many other endangered plants and trees apart from these that need to be conserved. Most endangered plants become that way because of deforestation and general habitat deconstruction, which typically occurs when forests are leveled to make way for homes and businesses. Conservation efforts to save these endangered plant species might include cloning and growth in protected locations. In spite of these efforts, many plants may not survive extinction if the primary reason behind their endangerment is not addressed and resolved.
The rafflesia flower is native to the rain forests of Indonesia. Rafflesia flowers are typically considered to be very unusual looking plants and might grow up to 3 feet (1 m) in width. Rafflesia flowers are normally a bright red color once they bloom, and they do not usually live for more than a week after blooming. These flowers live off of a host plant, which is called the tetrastigma vine. If this vine disappears for good as the deconstruction of the rain forest continues, so will the rafflesia flower, because it gets all of its nourishment from the tetrastigma vine.
Native to Georgia and South Carolina in the southern United States, the pitcher plant is another of the world's most endangered plants. Pitcher plants grow naturally in swamps and bogs, but these areas are becoming fewer and fewer. As a result, the pitcher plant is becoming very hard to find. Pitcher plants are similar to Venus fly traps and other carnivorous plant species, because they feed off of insects. Conservation efforts are being made to protect these plants, but they normally cannot survive unless they are in an environment with high humidity, lots of sunlight, and access to insects.
The hart's tongue fern, which is native to most areas in eastern North America, is rapidly disappearing. These plants have unique requirements for survival, and for this reason they tend to be hard to find. Hart's tongue ferns typically thrive in shady gorges and limestone sinkholes of hardwood forests. There are not many places throughout North America that perfectly meet these requirements, and because of this, even the smallest amount of deforestation can threaten this plant. As of 2010, the hart's tongue fern is not on the list of endangered plants, but it is considered threatened and will likely make the list soon as deforestation of its natural habitat continues.
