Middlemist Red Camellia

The Middlemist’s red, scientifically identified as an unspecified camellia, is known as the rarest flower on earth, with it believed to be only two specimens of this species to exist.

The Middlemist’s red belongs to the camellia genus and was imported from China as a luxury item in 1804, but was wiped from its native country. The credit for bringing the flower to Chiswick, West London, goes to a nurseryman from Shepherd’s Bush named John Middlemist, who the flower was named after.

Currently, the flower is found in only two locations: a garden in New Zealand, (Treaty House) and a greenhouse in the UK (Chiswick House & Gardens). It has flowered for more than two centuries.