Tạp chí Amazing World of Plants _Tell Me Why

Tạp chí Amazing World of Plants _Tell Me Why

TELLMEWHY November 2015 j Volume: 9 , No: 11 FROM THE HOUSE OF MAGIC POT, THE WEEK MAHOIWAA YEARBOoK YAH!THA THE MAlAYAIA MAHOIWAA DAILY

PLANT WONDERS 'Poor plants, they cannot even walk', people generally say But are plants really so 'poor' and helpless? Definitely not Many plants are blessed with survival skills that surpass those of even the cleverest of animals

For instance, there are plants that are adept at hunting, and oth­ ers that have ingenious ways to defend themselves.The pitcher plant is a well-known plant that hunts insects by trapping them in its leaves

Look at the all-too-familiar, 'touch-me-not' Touch it, and the plant droops, and withdraws like a shy child In fact, it is cleverly defending itself by playing dead! There are plants that are good at camouflage and adaptation too, like living stones and baobabs This issue of Tell Me Why will give you an insight into the fantas­ tic world of plant wonders

OLD IS GOLD Which is the oldest liv­

ing tree?

Bristlecone pine trees

dot the rocky landscape

of the White Mountains

in California

There must be some­

thing special about

these mountains, for the

two oldest trees in the

world have been found

there

Bristlecone Pine

The oldest living tree till 201 3, was

4845 years old! It was a bristlecone pine, which was lovingly named Methuselah The exact location of this tree was kept a secret, for its own protection

Then researchers found an

even older tree in the same

mountains It is also a bristle­

cone pine, and it is believed to

be 5062 years old !

In Sicily, the Tree of One

Hundred Horses is an enor­

mous chestnut near the Mount

Etna volcano It is thought to

be about 4,000 years old

Its unusual name comes

from an old legend where

1 00 drenched knights and

their wet steeds sought ref­

uge from a thunderstorm

beneath the tree's protective

branches

How do bristlecone pines help

us understand climate chang­es?

Bristlecone pines are incred­ibly dense and resinous trees The wood of these trees grows very, very slowly, and becomes extremely hard over time Many bristlecone pines may live for two or three thousand years Like all trees, bristlecone pines have growth rings that give us a picture of the climate during its lifetime

Once the tree is in its third or fourth millennium, it will die Even when they are dead, these trees still tend to remain standing, and instead of rotting, the wood hardens even more The patterns in the growth of their rings give us a peek into ancient climatic records The changes in bristlecone growth patterns are giving researchers clues about climate changes

Hello sir, How old are you?

In spring and summer, these plants produce yellow flowers But what makes the creosote bush truly unique, is its leaves

The leaves are small, and are coated with natural oils and wax to conserve water through slower evaporation

During dry periods, creosote leaves fold in half to cut their expo­sure to the sun If there is a severe drought, the creosote bush sheds its leaves entirely, and remains somewhat dormant until the rains arrive These leaves have a distinc­tive pungent smell that grows

Tell Me Why

stronger as soon as the

summer rains start

Creosote bushes pro­

duce a large number of

seeds at each flowering

It takes decades for creo­

sote bushes to grow

Even a thirty centimetre

high plant is probably at

least ten years old

Clone Kids

Plants that repro­

duce through their

roots produce

clones of them­

selves These clones

are genetically

identical to the par­

ent plant Huge col­

onies of clones are

thus produced by a

single plant

King Clone Creosote

What is special about the King Clone creosote ring?

Plants reproduce in different ways In the case of tne creosote bush, it reproduces by sprouting new plants from its roots

The new plants are clones of the parent plant, and grow in a circle around it These circles are called creosote rings The rings grow big­ger and bigger as each year pass­

es, and new plants are added to the ring

The oldest creosote ring on earth

is called the 'King Clone' creosote ring It is located in the Mojave Desert in California, and is still alive

In fact, it is one of the oldest living organisms on earth The King Clone creosote ring is estimated to be

1 1 ,700 years old, and has an aver­age diameter of 1 3.5 metres

It is not a perfect circle- in some places, the diameter even reaches

an amazing 20.4 metres!

In the 1 770s, the first plant hunter from the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens in London visited the Eastern Cape region of South Afri-

ca

His name was Francis Masson, and he brought back a huge cycad to the conservatory of the Kew Garderns

It has a tall, stout stem, topped with a dense, upright crown of bright­green palm-like leaves The leaves are up to 2.5 metres in length The plant

is called the Eastern Cape Giant Cycad, and is stililiv­ing, making it the oldest potted plant in the world

One of the fastest growing plants is the bamboo Some varieties can grow

an incredible one metre a day!

Tell Me Why

Veg World Which is your favourite vegetable? Well, you have a choice of from over the 2000 different varieties of plants that we use as food!

What is remarkable about the

pando?

The pando is a clonal colony

of quaking aspen trees This

massive colony grew from a

single tree, and is spread over

1 00 acres

It is located in Fishlake

National Forest in Utah, USA

There are around 47,000 trees

that share a giant underground

root system

The pando is estimated to

have originated at least

80,000 years ago The trees col lectively weigh 6,61 5 tonnes, making the pando the heaviest living organism

on the planet, as well This colony of quaking aspen trees

is also known as the 'trem­bling giant'

The name is apt, because the quaking aspen has leaves that stir even in the gentlest breeze to produce a fluttering sound

Pando

The effect of tens of thousands

of trees, fluttering their leaves

together can be unnerving as it

invokes the feeling of an ancient

giant that is trembling

Lupinus Arcticus

a scientist, Dick Harrington, along with his colleagues, decided to see whether the seeds were still able to Why are plant seeds called time grow into plants

travellers?

T he seeds of a plant generally

survive long after the plant has

died Some seeds can grow into

plants even after thousands of

years

In 1 954, Harold Schmidt, an

engineer, discovered some seeds

in burrows about six metres below

the surface of the frozen ground of

the Canadian Arctic

He told a number of local people

about his find, and put the seeds

in a dry place Twelve years later,

1 0

Please keep these for the next century

Tell Me Why

The seeds were put on

wet filter paper, and within

48 hours, they germinated!

Six young plants were even­

tually transferred to pots,

and all of them grew into

healthy Lupinus arcticus

specimens

It is estimated that these

seeds were at least 1 0,000

years old They had trav­

elled through time in a fro­

zen state, to sprout

thousands of years later!

What is special about the

silene stenophylla?

The silene stenophylla is

a flowering plant found in

Siberia In 2007, more than

600,000 frozen mature and

immature seeds of this

plant were found buried in

squirrel burrows near the

banks of the river Kolyma

It is believed that they

were buried by arctic ground

squirrels during the Ice Age

Using special dating tech­

niques, it was determined

that the seeds were around

31 ,800 years old

Scientists were also able

to thaw and germinate

Silene Stenophylla

some of the seeds After more than 30,000 years, a siline steno­phylla put forth pretty white flow­

ers, and bore fruit

This makes it the most ancient, viable, multi-cellular, living organ­ism on Earth

Irritant

If you touch the plant known as poi­ son ivy, you will develop severe Itch­ ing, and a bad rash This is because poison ivy contains a skin irritant called urushiol

Why does Herod the Great's

ancient palace have a special

place in plant records?

J udean date palms have been

widely cultivated throughout the

Middle East for thousands of

years

12

Today

I wil l taste these 2000 year old seeds

During excavations at the site of Herod the G reat's palace in Israel in the early

1 960's, archaeologists unearthed a small stockpile

of seeds stowed in a clay jar dating back 2,000 years For the next four decades, the ancient seeds were kept

in a drawer at Tel Aviv's Bar­lIan University But then, in

2005, a botanical research­

er Elaine Solowey, decided

to plant one seed and see what, if anything, would sprout

Amazingly, this seed that was thousands of years old, did indeed sprout - and pro­duced a sapling

The sapling has become a tree, which continues to grow and thrive to this day The seed has been recog­nised as the oldest known tree seed to germinate

Tell Me Why

Hello

Mr Fossil Tree

Why is Ginkgo biloba called a living

fossil?

GinkgO biloba is native to China It

is known as a 'living fossil,' because it

appears to be the same as a plant

species dating back 270 million years

in the fossil record

This exceptionally hardy species survived three mass extinction events over the past quarter of a billion years

Amazingly, it was found to be the only sur­vlvmg plant species near the epicentre of the August 6th , 1 945 Hiroshima atomic bomb blast

In September 1 945, the area around the blast centre was exam­ined; and six Gingko biloba trees were found standing

They budded shortly after the blast, without major deformations, and are still alive to this day Ginkgo has a repu­tation for longevity, with some plants living to over 1 ,000 years In addition, it appears that extracts from this plant can be very effective in slowing the ageing pro­cess in human beings

as well

Ginkgo Biloba

Why are wild tropical orchids

called perching plants?

We know that plants need soil

to grow However, there are some

plants that have adapted them­

selves to survive without soil

They are called perching plants

Also known as epiphytes, these

plants perch on the branches, or

limbs of other trees They are not

parasites, for they do not harm the

host plants - they simply use the

host to support themselves

Orchids are the most common

among perching plants Thou­

sands of them can be found in the

1 4

Orchid

tropical rainforests, clamped to tree trunks and branches that are high above the ground

Some have long aerial roots that search out water from a nearby source Oth­ers grow roots into the air that absorb moisture directly from the humid atmosphere

Orchids are truly remark­able plants that need just two things to survive -water and light

Tell Me Why

Why are giant brome­

liads very interesting?

perching plants, giant

bromeliads are the

Giant bromeliads are

found in the rain for­

ests of America, and

these huge plants look

a bit like immense

shuttlecocks The flow­

ers are bright and

showy These epi­

phytes have a remark­

able way of getting

water and food Their

long, curved leaves

overlap at the base,

forming a tight little

bowl - a perfect water

tank!

The leaves act as

gutters to collect rain,

and the tank holds the

water The largest bro­

meliads hold up to 5

litres of water Many

animals drink from the

Don't worry dear I'm a humble plant

bromeliad water tanks Many others actually live in the water held by bro­meliads!

In fact, scientists have found more than 250 different animal species in the tanks of bromeliads!

Giant Bromeliads

Epibiont

Epibionts are

organisms that

live on the sur­

face of other liv­

ing organisms,

without causing

them any harm

They are not

plants like epi­

phytes are

Why is the stag horn

fern unique?

The long, antler like

leaves of the stag horn

fern give the plant its

name

Stag horn ferns are

also epiphytes They

are found in Northern

Australia and New

Guinea They are

unique in that unlike

Staghorn Fern

16

other ferns, most stag horn ferns have two kinds of leaves, or fronds

One of these is the sterile leaf, which

is shield or dish shaped It is called sterile, because it does not produce spores Each sterile leaf, as it grows, clasps the support on which it is found Initially green, they turn brown, and become parchment-like with age Besides holding the plant in place, the spaces between the layers of sterile leaves accumulate water and dead decaying vegetation

The other leaf type is the fertile leaf

It remains green at maturity, to carry

on photosynthesis that provides nutri­tion for the plant This type of leaf is called fertile, because it produces spores, found mostly at the ends of the antlers

Spanish Moss

What is Spanish moss?

Spanish moss is neither Spanish , nor a moss It is a flowering plant with slender, wiry, long branching stems

This trailing plant that hangs from trees in hot climates is also known as graybeard, long moss, and Florida moss

It is a humidity-loving plant that is most often found by swamps, rivers, and other water bodies

Spanish moss does not hav� roots, and thus does not require soil Rather than using roots to remain grounded to a host, this plant hangs from trees by the stems It gets its nutrients from rainfall and dust

Its flowers are tiny The tan­gled webs of Spanish moss create the perfect hiding place for insects, and other small creatures such as reptiles Nests of this soft material are also attractive to bats

This is not our relatives' nest It's Spanish moss

Medusa's head - Close up

These stems grow hori­zontally from a short, cen­tral, swollen woody stem The plant gets its name from a character in Greek mythology called Medu­

sa

She was one of three sisters in Greek mythology known as the gorgons In many myths, she appeared

as a horribly ugly woman with hair made of snakes, although occasionally she was described as being beautiful

In both forms, however, Medusa's appearance was deadly, for any per­son who gazed directly at her would turn to stone The plant Medusa's head has no such effect It

is simply a sprawling, suc­culent shrub that can reach up to a metre in width

Tell Me Why

Why is buddleia also called

the butterfly bush?

The buddleia is also known

as the butterfly bush Its seeds

are blown by the wind, and

these tiny seeds can sprout even in the damp cracks of walls and rooftops

The plant then sends long roots deep into the walls For this reason, it is a common sight, even in cities and towns

It is called the butterfly bush not because it is as beautiful

as a butterfly, but because its flowers act as a magnet for butterflies

Its narrow branches support clusters of blossoms to which butterflies flock The bush, which originally came from China, is popular with garden­ers all over the world for it can also be grown as a hedge

Buddleia

Why does the mistletoe need birds to

survive?

The mistletoe plant grows on a tree

Its roots invade the bark of the tree

These roots absorb the tree's nutrients,

including water

Sometimes, mistletoe can harm a

tree, and cause deformities in a tree's

branches, but usually it doesn't kill its

host If the host dies, the mistletoe dies

too

Mistletoe has green, leathery leaves,

with waxy berries that are either red or

white The plant's flowers can be a wide

variety of colours, from bright red to yel­

low, to green The berries are eaten by

birds that eventually leave their drop­

pings on the branches of trees The

droppings contain seeds that sprout

roots into the tree branch

The seeds are sticky because of the

juice inside the berry This stickiness

helps the seeds stay on the tree

20

arasites Some plants grow on other plants, and are known as para­ sitic plants Unlike epiphytes that use the host plant only for support, parasit­

ic plants feed off the host plant

Tell Me Why

Why are broom rapes

a threat to farming?

The broom rape is a

parasitic plant that is

found on the roots of

other plants

It produces very little

chlorophyll, and

doesn't need to, as it

doesn't make its own

food Instead, it gets

This plant is like an iceberg Only one-third of

it is visible

all the nutrients that it needs

from the roots of the host

plant, using suckers

The plants have scales in

place of leaves, and these may

be yellowish, brownish, pur­

plish, or white in colour Broom­

rapes live underground, and

only come appear above the

ground when it is time for them

to flower and reproduce

The flowers are irregularly

shaped and each flower pro­

duces numerous tiny seeds

Many species of broom rape

are a threat to farming,

because they can destroy

crops by sucking out all the

nutrients from the roots of the

host plant This causes heavy

losses to farmers

Broomrape

How did the yellow rattle

get its name?

T he yellow rattle is a

semi-parasitic plant It is

commonly found in mead­

ows and grassy places

The plant gets part of its

water and nutrient require­

ments by parasitising the

roots of grasses and oth­

er herbs

The yellow rattle gets its

name from its bright

yel-22

Dang rous

The broomrape is a

dangerous plant If

you eat any part of

it, you can suffer

The majority of seed ripens in mid

to late July, and the rattling of the fruit within the capsule was said to indicate that the meadow was ready

to be cut for hay

Hence, the yellow rattle is also known as hay rattle In the past this plant was a serious pest for farmers, as it weakens grasses, and as a result could reduce hay yields

At the same time by suppressing the growth of grass, it helps other wild flowers to bloom

Tell Me Why

Castilleja Why is the castilleja an interesting plant?

Castilleja, or the Indian paintbrush, is a very pretty wildflower

During summer, it sports magnificently col­oured blooms that are not actually flowers at all Rather, they are leafy bracts that surround the actual flower, which is inconspicuous, and greenish white in colour

Castilleja is a parasitic plant that has special­ised roots These roots are used to drill into the roots of other plants to steal water and nutri­ents

Castilleja is also very dangerous to humans It stores selenium in its leaves, and if the roots or green parts of the plant are eaten, it can prove

fatal

This plant was named after the Spanish bota­nist Domingo Castillejo

Dodders

What is unusual about the dodder?

H ave you seen a plant with no

leaves, and no roots? Well, there is

such a plant, and it is called the dod­

der

The dodder is a parasitic plant that

lives above the ground It grows from a

24

seed that sprouts like any other plant After sprouting, the stem of the dodder seedling at once seeks out a host plant

to latch on to O nce it finds a host plant, it twines itself around the host It will then shed its roots, and start growing

Dodder ranges in severity based on its species and the spe­cies of the host, the time of attack, and whether any viruses are also present in the host plant

Dodder is parasitic

on a very wide variety

of plants, including a number of agricultural and horticultural crop species

Tell Me Why

Annual Plant The dodder is an annual plant Its life span is only one year Once the weath­

er turns cold, it will wither and die

How do dodders get food?

A dodder cannot survive

o n its own An adult plant

has no leaves to carry out

photosynthesis, nor roots

to seek out nutrients

It has no chlorophyll with

which it can manufacture

food So, the dodder is

completely dependent on t he host plant for its survival

It gets its food t hrough its stem The dodder's seed germinates, forming an anchoring root , and

t hen sends up a slender stem

The stem grows in a spiral fash­ion, until it reaches a host plant It

t hen twines itself t ightly around the stem of t he host plant The stem

has tiny bumps called Why is the rafflesia a spectacular para­haustoria, which pen- sitic plant?

etrate the host

Water and nutrients

are drawn into the

dodder through the

haustoria from the

host

Meanwhile, the root

of the dodder rots

away after stem con­

tact has been made

with a host plant As

the dodder grows, it

sends out new hausto­

ria, and establishes

itself very firmly on the

host plant

The rafflesia arnoldii is a parasitic plant that lives inside the host plant for months

So, it is rarely seen, as it gets all its nutrients from the host, which is a vine

It makes a dramatic entry into the out­side world only at its flowering season

That smells like something tasty

American

Cancer Root Plant

This is the time

when flowers first bud

through the woody

vine, and then open

into breathtaking

magnificence

The rafflesia pro­

duces the largest sin­

gle flowers in the

world The flowers

can take up to ten

months to develop

from the first visible

bud to the open

bloom, which may last

no more than a few

days The leathery

petals can be up to a

metre in width

Although spectacu­

larly beautiful,

raffle-sia flowers are

unfortunately, very

stinky They smell of

rotting flesh ! Raffle­

sias are found most

commonly in Suma­

tra, and also in prima­

ry rain forests

The Rafflesia plant

spends most of its life

It is a fully parasitic plant It grows only on the roots of certain trees like oaks This plant connects to the roots of other plants through specialized roots known as haustoria

The haustoria sucks

out all the nutrients

and water needed by

the plant from the

roots of the host tree

American cancer root

plants do not have

any chlorophyll, nor

do they carry out pho­

tosynthesis

This means they do

not manufacture any

food on their own, and

are completely

dependent on the

host for survival

The plant remains

underground for some

time Then, strange,

cone shaped flowers

will appear above the

ground The Ameri­

can cancer root plant

is also known as the

squawroot

What are the features

of the Thurber's stem

sucker?

Thurber's stem

sucker, as the name

suggests, is a plant

that sucks the nutri­

ents it needs from the

28

stems of other plants It is a tiny para­sitic plant that lives inside the stem tis­sue of its host plant It is only about 6 millimetres in length, and has no roots, leaves, or chlorophyll to make its own food

This parasitic plant breaks out of the stem of its host, only when it flowers The flowers themselves are so small that most people would walk right by a plant with dozens of blooms, and never notice it

Look, Your stick bloomed

Thurber's stemsucker is commonly found in the deserts of Northwestern America

Each individual plant produces only male or female flowers Scientists are still unsure how pollination of these tee­

ny weeny flowers takes place and how its seeds are spread

Tell Me Why

Witches' Broom Witches' broom has nothing to do with witches It is a term used to describe thick tightly growing clusters of small branches that resemble a broom

Mistletoes (green)

What is unusual about the seeds of the dwarf mistletoe?

T he dwarf mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows on conifer trees It does not make its own food, but sucks out whatever nutrients it needs from the stem of the conifer tree on w hich it is growing This plant spreads through its seeds The berry like fruit ripens in late summer The seeds are neither dispersed

by the droppings of birds, nor

by the wind

Instead, they have a more unusual form of dispersal The fruits of the dwarf mistle­toe burst open when fully ripe, and the bullet like seeds are shot out like little rockets on to new host trees

The seeds can travel at speeds of about 90 kilome­tres per hour, which is impos­sible for any other plants

a parasitic plant that attach­

es itself to the roots of wild rock roses

It is seen mainly in the Mediterranean region The plant has no green leaves, and is a bright red in col­our, until the flowers, which are yellow, open

The flowers are produced

at ground level, around the roots of the host plant They, in turn, produce red berries that contain thou­sands of tiny seeds

Tell Me Why

Red Bartsia

This plant has medicinal

uses too It is used in tradition­

al medicine to treat dysentery,

and also to treat tumors of the

Since it grows in areas where the soil is not very fertile, it is partly parasitic This means that though it produces some

of the food it needs, it also gets extra nutrients from the roots

of nearby grasses

As its name suggests, the whole plant is tinged with red and leafy flower spikes that appear from June to Septem­ber

These plants produce 1 400 seeds a year, which are equipped with coarse hairs that stick to clothing, fur, and vehicles, enabling them to travel long distances

This wildflower is a native of Europe and Asia, but is now found in America too

An interesting fact about this plant is that its pollination is carried out by ants This is considered as its unique char­acteristics

Venus Fly trap

32

Why is the Venus flytrap an amazing plant?

Some plants can attract, trap, kill, and digest insects or other small animals

Such plants are known as carnivorous plants- and the Venus flytrap is one of them

It looks quite different from normal plants­and is quite different too Its leaves are designed in such a way, that an insect landing on a leaf is instantly trapped to pro­vide a tasty meal for the plant

Once the meal has been digested - and this may take up to ten days- the leaf will open again, and be ready to trap its next prey

Tell Me Why

Why is Western Australia's

Nuytsia floribunda called the

Christmas tree ?

Western Australia's Christ­

mas tree is different from the

evergreen pine trees that are

generally associated with

Christmas

This tree is about 1 0 metres

tall The plant is at least partly a

root parasite Its roots attach

themselves to the roots of other

plants that are up to 1 50 metres

away, and steal water and nutri­

ents from those plants

This plant was named the

Christmas tree by the local

inhabitants because it bursts

into bloom just before Christ­

mas

As Australia is in the southern

hemisphere, the seasons are

reversed, and Christmas comes

during summer

Nuytsia Floribunda During the summer months, the tree is covered with bunches of spectacular gold­

en flowers This tree is also the world's largest species of mistletoe , and mistletoe is always associated with Christmas

Yes, I'm the real Xmas tree

Fly and Trap

If a very small

prey manages to

escape from the

Venus flytrap's

trap, the plant

senses it The

trap will open

again after 1 2

hours Similarly,

if an object that

lands in the trap

is not edible, the

trap will open

after 1 2 hours

The plant will

then spit the

object out

How does the leaf of

the Venus flytrap

work?

The leaf of the Venus

flytrap acts as a trap

for insects Each leaf

opens into two halves

34

that resemble the jaws of a trap Near the crease where the two leaf 'jaws' join, there are a series of tiny hairs

If an unwary insect walks across these hairs, touching two or more 0 them in succession, the leaf will close quickly enough to prevent its escape However, at least two or more hairs must be touched in succession for the leaf to close This prevents the leaf

Venus Fly trap Traps a Fly

from closing every time a drop of rain falls on it Once the leaf closes, the insect is unable to escape through the hair-like teeth at the edge of the leaf

Glands on the leaf surface secrete several enzymes that help to decom­pose the insect The insect is slowly digested, and absorbed by the leaf Once the insect has been digested, the leaf re-opens for another victim

Tell M�Whv

Why are pitcher plants

extraordinary?

Pitcher plants look like

goblets, and are found

mainly in southeast Asia

These meat eating

plant grow pitchers at the

tips of their leaves The

pitchers contain a juice

that attracts insects

When an unsuspecting

insect lands on the mouth

of the pitcher, it will slip

and fall inside, because

the rim and walls are very

slippery

Unable to climb back,

the fallen insect flails

helplessly in the fluid until

it loses energy

Pitcher Plant The liquid in the cup is no ordinary liquid It actually contains chemicals that are similar to those found in human stomach These chemicals slowly dissolve the prey completely,

so that the plant can digest it Such an event is an everyday hap­pening for these pretty pitcher plants Amaz ingly, the larger ones can even digest frogs, and other

36

Sundew Plant

Origin of the

Name

The sundew has

flowers that can be

white, orange, pink,

red or even purple

These flowers have

tentacles that have

a sticky gel on their

tips When sunlight

falls on these drop­

lets of gel, they glit­

ter like dew This is

why the plant is

called sundew

How does the sundew plant catch its prey?

Sundew plants are found mostly

in Alaska and New Zealand Their flowers have sticky tentacles that look as if they are covered with rain­drops or dew, but are actually a type

of glue The shining droplets attract insects

In addition to its sticky tentacles, the sundew plant has longer, touch­sensitive tentacles too The longer tentacles can snap forward, hurling insects towards the glue-like drop­lets The sticky tentacles then slow­

ly bend to move the prey to spoon-shaped leaves that release digestive juices The insect's body starts to break down, and is digest­

ed by the plant

Sundews are the most ruthless killers of the plant world

Tell Me Why

How does the bladder­

wort set a trap for its

prey?

Bladderworts are float­

ing plants with erect

stems and flowers, but

no roots Their leaf

branches are not on the

su rface, but underwater

These leaf branches are

inflated with air, and this

allows the plant to float

The underwater leaves

have small oval traps

called bladders Each

bladder has a valve that

is equipped with tiny

Bladderwort

hairs The valve remains closed, except when an insect touches it It will then snap open, and capture the insect Once the prey is inside the trap, the valve will snap shut After the prey has been digest­

ed, the trap is reset, and the plant waits for its next victim

Who discovered the Pinguicula

gigantea?

T he Pinguicula gigantea is a tropi­

cal plant that is native to Mexico

It is a very unusual plant, with

huge leaves and small flowers The

plant was discovered by Alfred Lau,

and described by the botanist Hans

Luhrs

This meat eating plant has sticky

mucilage covering the entire leaf, on

both sides This means that it can

catch insects on both the top and

bottom surfaces of its leaves

During wet summers, the plants

produce large, carnivorous leaves

to ensnare prey During the dry win­

ters, the plants produce small, suc­

culent, rosettes of small leaves In

this form, they wait out the drought,

growing again with the return of the

summer rains

Pitcher Perfect Sarracenia is a pitcher plant It produces pitchers

at the end of the flowering period

in spring The pitchers remain

on the plant till late autumn

Pinguicula

What are the features of trumpet

pitchers?

Some types of sarracenia are

also known as trumpet pitchers

They have hollow, tubular leaves

that are traps to catch insects

Trumpet Pitcher Plant

to keep out rain water, and prevent prey from flying out

In many cases, especially

in pitcher plants that hold water, bacteria may aid in digesting prey It is also known that several species

of mites and fly larvae live inside the trumpet leaves of pitcher plants, without them­selves being harmed

Their function is to help break down prey for diges­tion Trumpet pitchers are unique, and found mainly in North America

Insects fall in, die, and sink to the L I ",",,"" -�-� bottom to be digested

These pitcher plants have

hoods, or caps The purpose of

the hood on most pitcher plants is

Why do North American pitcher plants

stink?

As the liquid inside the cup of a pitc'her

plant attracts insects, you would think that it

has a sweet smell

Actually, the reverse is true It stinks! The

liquid half fills the pitcher, and the plant

secretes a digestive enzyme into it

This enzyme, as well as the bacteria, pro­

tozoa, algae and fungi growing in this liquid

produce an odour of decay An insect buzz­

ing past notices the smell and investigates,

hoping for a good meal

Unfortunately for the insect, it finds no rot­

ting meat, only a smelly liquid in which it

drowns After some weeks, the pitcher will

be full of the decaying corpses of insects that

are in the process of being digested, which