Rarely seen Buddhist Udumbara flowers, which blossom every 3,000 years, were found under a washing machine in Lushan Mountain, Jiangxi province, China Photo: REX

The Udumbara flowers were found in the home of a Chinese nun in Lushan Mountain, Jiangxi province, China.

The rare Youtan Poluo or Udumbara flower, which according to Buddhist legend only blooms every 3,000 years, measures just 1mm in diameter.

Miao Wei, 50, was cleaning when she discovered the cluster of white flowers under the washing machine.

At first she thought the barely-there stems were worm eggs, however, the next day she discovered that the stems had grown 18 white tiny flowers on top and smelled "fragrant".

Local temples believe the mini blooms are specimens of the miraculous Youtan Poluo flower - called "Udumbara" or "Udambara" in Sanskrit, meaning "an auspicious flower from heaven."

not to forget that the flower produces seeds every 6000 years and a beautiful smell every 12000 years

Seems more like some kind of interesting fungus to me....

From what I read on the internet it is a small, nearly inconspicuous flower that is hard to notice. It seems to grow on other plants, and needs moist conditions. It only lasts a few days at best.

For a plant that supposedly appears only once every 3000 years, it seems to have been seen at least 3 or 4 times in the last 5 years. It was seen in Korea, in California, and twice in China...including this last appearence.

I personally think it is simply that it is so small, and lasts for such a short time, that most people just don't notice it. So I expect that it is more common than not, but it just isn't noticed.

not to forget that the flower produces seeds every 6000 years and a beautiful smell every 12000 years

Can't wait..I didn't realise washing machines were that ancient!

wet rot !

Is there a FUNGUS ...... AMONG us???????

Looks a little like the floating seeds from the tree of souls in Avatar

how can it be a 3000yo buddhist flower. buddhism is only 2500 years old.

how can it be a 3000yo buddhist flower. buddhism is only 2500 years old.

Unseen flowers

The flowers of the udumbara are enclosed within its fruit, as in all figs (see "Fig pollination and fig fruit"). Because the flower is hidden inside the fruit, a legend developed to explain the absence (and supposed rarity) of the visual flower: in Buddhist mythology, the flower was said to bloom only once every 3,000 years, and thus came to symbolize events of rare occurrence.[1] Allusions to this symbolism can be found in texts such as Theravada Buddhism's Uraga Sutta (Sn 1.1, v. 5)[4] and Mahayana Buddhism's "Lotus Sutra,"

Thich Nhat Hanh places the flower in the context of enlightenment:

To see a fully awakened person, a Buddha, is so rare that it is like seeing an udumbara flower. In the Tu Hieu Monastery in Hue, there is a scroll which says: "The udumbara flower, although fallen from the stem, is still fragrant." Just as the fragrance of the udumbara flower cannot be destroyed, our capacity for enlightenment is always present. The Buddha taught that everyone is a Buddha, everyone is an udumbara flower.[17]