26 Unique Flowers Will Surprise You

Trevesia burckii (Snow Flake Tree or Ghost's Foot): The ghost's foot (Trevesia burckii) can be found throughout the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, ranging from Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia as well as Sumatra, Borneo and Singapore, where it is critically endangered in the wild. This slow-growing, understorey tree can grow up to 10m in height and is a member of the Araliaceae family, which includes familiar plants such as the common ivy (Hedera helix), the dwarf umbrella tree (Schefflera arboricola), the Ming aralia (Polyscias fruticosa), and the medicinal ginseng species (Panax spp.). The unique hand-shaped or palmately-lobed leaves of this tree have inspired a number of common names for this plant. Malayan natives gave descriptive monikers such as tapak badak (rhinoceros' foot), tapak itik (duck's foot) and tapak rimau (tiger's foot) due to the resemblance of the leaves to the animal's footprints. The plant has also been called the 'snowflake tree' although this name is more associated with T. palmata, a related species with a more detailed leaf shape and a silvery new growth — new leaves in T. burckii are copper in colour.