An exotic plant is not found in its natural territory.
Exotic is a concept that refers to any pilgrim of a different nationality than the observer or to foreign objects or individuals , especially when it is something or someone that arrives from a distant territory. The term has its origin in the Latin exoticus , which in turn comes from a Greek word.
In the context of biology , the idea of exotic is often used to describe the species , group, community, subspecies or lower taxon of both fauna and flora that can survive and reproduce without needing to be in its natural territory . That is, the place that the plant or animal in question occupies naturally, without direct introduction or care by man. Exotic fauna, in general, tends to become an environmental and economic problem by threatening natural biodiversity .
The exotic at a cultural level
Exotic, both for human culture and for nature, encompasses everything that comes from a strange place . It must be taken into account that strangeness depends on the person who is considering the question. For example: a kimono can be an exotic garment in Brazil , but something very common in Japan . The kimono, therefore, is not exotic in itself, but this characteristic is acquired according to the cultural matrix that considers it.
In this sense, it is worth mentioning that human beings tend to feel especially attracted to what is different, the unknown , and this feeling, almost rooted in our species, can become two very opposite attitudes: rejection , due to fear of straying from the path established by the closed portion of society in which one has been raised, or an urgent need to get closer .
This almost instinctive attraction to the foreign is responsible for the success of Japanese series in the West and of American music in the East, for the desire of whites to tan their skin and for the taste of Germans for people with dark eyes and hair. The positive result is almost as absurd as the negative one, since in both cases the differences are exaggerated and no attention is paid to the true meaning that these characteristics had in the first place.
The consideration of what is exotic depends on each person's culture.
Other examples
Returning to the examples mentioned above, anime, for example, is one of the most present elements in current Japanese culture and, although it is very important for the Japanese, it represents a very normal form of artistic expression for them. The same occurs with R&B (Rhythm and Blues) in the United States , which in recent decades has generated an uncontrolled fanaticism in some Eastern countries, especially for the music of Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson . Is foreign music more valuable than national music or vice versa? Is it necessary to magnify the imported and place it above the native music?
Of course, these questions have very simple answers, things that nobody wants to hear because they take away the twisted meaning that human beings give to life: nobody is worth more than another person, no skin color is better than another, nationalism is a mistake, you should not consume something without first understanding it. In this way, the word exotic confers on the noun in question an added value that overshadows its essence and leaves only a small portion of its true meaning in the light, contaminated by the inevitable and imprecise translations.
The exotic as extravagant
Exotic can also be used to refer to something that is extravagant or shocking . This extension of the meaning takes into account that something that originates in an unknown and distant place is often misunderstood: "The newcomer surprised by wearing an exotic suit at the meeting."
An exotic dancer , finally, performs in a cabaret or nightclub, dedicating herself to sensual dances.