According to world research, plants not only decorate our planet and life. They, just like people, are endowed with feelings, memory and even intelligence! Interesting Facts about plants allows us to learn about their abilities, such as the sense of time, communication with each other, fear due to an impending threat. They can also discern the mood, intentions and character of people, ask for help, and interact with other living beings even at a distance.
- 1. The oldest lichen, which is found in Antarctica, is more than ten thousand years old. Alaskan lichens are not much younger, they are nine thousand years old. By the way, they grow very slowly. Therefore, over the course of a century, they grow only three and a half millimeters.
- 2. The oldest or most ancient plants on Earth are seaweed. Their age is more than one thousand million years.
- 3. In some parts of the world they grow very interesting plant, which is called “gorlyanka”. Amazing appearance its fruit resembles dishes from which you can assemble an entire service.
- 4. The largest water lily was recorded in the Amazon. Its leaves, which reach two meters, can even support a child.
- 5. Wintering horsetail grows in the middle latitudes of Russia. This plant is extremely tough, and its stem can even scratch steel. It's all about the outer cells of the plant, which accumulate silica.
- 6. Interesting facts about plants concern not only their unusual appearance. For example, amorphophallus is recognized as the most smelly plant. It sounds very bad smell rotten fish. By the way, this “aroma” has become the hallmark of the island of Sumatra.
- 7. The island of Jamaica is famous for another plant. It's about about the Selenicereus cactus, whose hundred-meter-long stems with spines entwine trees. The interesting thing is that once every couple of months, at night, white flowers with a diameter of 35 centimeters bloom on them. They have a very strong vanilla aroma, which attracts natural pollinators - bats. It's a pity that these flowers begin to fade after a few hours.
- 8. Arabidopsis is the very first plant that, in space conditions, in the absence of gravity, not only blossomed, but also produced seeds.
- 9. In the south of China you can find a variety of bamboo, psyllid, which grows at the fastest speed. Every day the plant grows by forty centimeters, that is, almost two centimeters per hour. This plant it only takes a couple of months to reach thirty meters in height and half a meter in diameter.
- 10. Hevea is a plant from which rubber is obtained. Knowing this, the Indians South America they dipped shoe soles in its juice to obtain rubber galoshes.
- 11. Each seed of the ceratonia plant always weighs exactly 0.2 g. Due to this, in ancient times, ceratonia seeds were used as weights. This measure was soon called the carat.
Did you know that the tallest trees are over 100 meters tall? Have you heard anything about plants that can “kill” and “eat” animals? In this article you will learn a lot of surprising, interesting and even shocking things about the life of plants.
1. Velvichia is amazing (Welwitschia mirabilis).
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This desert dwarf tree can be up to 2000 years old. From the short stump-like trunk of the plant, two huge leaves extend in both directions, which, as they grow, tear longitudinally into ribbons, and the tips dry out. These giant leaves are as old as the tree. The leaves continually grow from the base and the tips die back. In some cases, the length of the leaves can reach 8 meters and the width 1.8 meters.
The genus Amorphophallus, as well as the genus Rafflesia, is famous for its “subtle aroma” of decaying flesh. The smell coming from the flower is terrible. Few people are able to admire the amorphophallus without a gas mask. The flower of most representatives of this genus is huge in size (Especially the species shown in the photo Amorphophallus titanum) and can reach a height of 2.5 meters with a diameter of 1.5 meters. In many eastern countries, the tubers of this plant are used in the preparation of various culinary dishes and medicines.
(Opuntia bigelovii)
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Opuntia Bigelow is probably one of the most amazing species of the Opuntia genus of the Cactus family. The photo above was taken in California national park Joshua-Tree. In the photograph, the entire desert landscape to the horizon is covered with amazing fluffy cacti, up to two meters high. In the rays of the setting sun the landscape looks fantastic. The person here has the impression that he, as part of a space expedition, landed on another planet covered with unknown life forms.
5. Carnegia gianta (Carnegiea gigantea)
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Carnegia gigantea (Saguaro) is another amazing plant of the Cactus family. The most amazing feature of this cactus is its gigantic size. The height of individual plants is about 14 meters, and the diameter is more than 3 meters! Moreover, the age of individual cacti reaches 150 years.
(Nepenthes)
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Most plants from this genus can be called, without exaggeration, “predators”, which obtain the necessary missing nutrients by “digesting” captured insects. The plant has modified leaves that resemble pitchers in shape. Inner surface The pitcher is lined with cells that secrete nectar, which serves to attract insects, as well as “hair cells” that make the release of an insect caught “in the net” impossible. The surface of the “neck” of the jug is very slippery, so there is practically no chance for an insect walking along the neck not to slip down. The insect falls into the water (in some species the jug can contain up to 2 liters of water) and drowns. Next, enzymes are produced that completely “digest” the insect. Sometimes not only insects are trapped, but even mice, rats, birds.
The Venus flytrap is an even more amazing “killer plant” that takes more active actions to kill their prey. The modified “jaw” leaves of this plant encroach on the life of not only insects, but also the life of .
You can “enjoy” the rest of the amazing “combat feats” of the Venus flytrap in the video.
(Ficus benghalensis)
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At first glance, it may seem that the photo above depicts a forest. In fact, it is one single tree. Ficus Bengal forms powerful branches to support which shoots grow, which, falling down to the ground, take root, forming powerful columns-trunks.
9. Sequoia evergreen (Sequoia sempervirens)
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Sequoia evergreen is the most tall tree of our planet. Our temperate forests are mere grass compared to the forest of these mighty giants. The height of many trees exceeds 110 meters, and their age is more than 3500 years! Previously, houses were hollowed out in sequoia trunks and even tunnels were cut through which they passed car roads. In windy weather, many visitors to the forest of giants feel uneasy from the noisy “grinding” and swaying of the mighty sequoia trunks. Grows in California.
There are a huge number of all kinds of plants on our planet, and when you see them, you can only wonder how nature could come up with something like that. An incredible number of species and subspecies of plants, many of which are striking in their qualities - from survival and adaptability, to color and size. In this rating of the most unusual plants, we will show the full scope of natural creativity.
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Romanesco is one of the cultivated varieties of cabbage, belonging to the same varietal group as cauliflower. According to some reports, it is a hybrid of cauliflower and broccoli. This type of cabbage has long been grown in the vicinity of Rome. According to some sources, it was first mentioned in historical documents in Italy in the sixteenth century. The vegetable appeared on international markets in the 90s of the 20th century. Compared to cauliflower and broccoli, Romanesco is more delicate in texture and has a milder, creamier, nuttier flavor without a bitter note.
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Euphorbia obese is a perennial succulent plant in the family Euphorbiaceae that resembles a rock or green-brown football in appearance, without spines or leaves, but sometimes forms “branches” or suckers in the form of strange-looking sets of spheres. It can grow up to 20-30 cm in height and up to 9-10 cm in diameter. Milkweed is a bisexual plant, with male flowers on one plant and female flowers on the other. For fruit set, cross-pollination is necessary, which is usually done.
The fruit looks like a slightly triangular three-nut, up to 7 mm in diameter, containing one seed in each nest. When ripe, it explodes and scatters small, round, speckled-gray seeds 2 millimeters in diameter, the pedicels fall off after scattering the seeds. They grow at an altitude of 300-900 meters above sea level in the small region of Kendreu, in the Great Karoo, in rocky and hilly terrain , in bright sun or partial shade. The plants are very well hidden among the stones, their colors blend with environment so good that sometimes they are hard to notice.
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Takka is a plant of the Takkov family, growing in a wide variety of environmental conditions and numbering 10 species. They live in open and heavily shaded areas, in savannas, bush thickets and rain forests. Young parts of plants, as a rule, are covered with tiny hairs, which disappear as they grow older. The size of the plants is usually small, from 40 to 100 centimeters, but some species sometimes reach a height of 3 meters. Although taka is becoming increasingly widespread as indoor plant, it should be borne in mind that it is not easy to successfully maintain taka in rooms due to the special demands of the plant on the conditions of its maintenance. The Tacaceae family is represented by one genus, Takka, which has about 10 plant species.
— Takka pinnately grows in tropical Asia, Australia, and the tropics of Africa. Leaves are up to 40-60 cm wide, from 70 cm to 3 meters long. A flower with two spathes, large, reaching 20 cm in width; the color of the spathe is light green.
— Takka Chantrier grows in tropical forests South-East Asia. Evergreen tropical, herbaceous plant, reaching 90-120 cm in height. The flowers are framed by dark burgundy, almost black, bracts similar to the wingspan bat or butterflies with long, thread-like antennae.
— Takka allifolia grows in India. The leaves are wide, glossy, up to 35 cm wide, up to 70 cm long. A flower with two spathes, large, reaching 20 cm in width, the color of the spathes is white, white tone purple streaks are scattered. The flowers are black, purple or dark purple, located under the covers.
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Venus flytrap - species carnivorous plants from the monotypic genus Dionea of the Sundew family. It is a small herbaceous plant with a rosette of 4-7 leaves that grow from a short underground stem. Leaves range in size from three to seven centimeters, depending on the time of year, long trap leaves usually form after flowering. It feeds on insects and spiders. It grows in a humid temperate climate on the Atlantic coast of the United States. It is a species cultivated in ornamental gardening. Can be grown as a houseplant. Grows in soils lacking nitrogen, such as swamps. Lack of nitrogen causes traps to appear: insects serve as a source of nitrogen necessary for protein synthesis. The Venus flytrap belongs to a small group of plants capable of rapid movements.
Once the prey is trapped, the edges of the sheets close together, forming a “stomach” in which the digestion process takes place. Digestion is catalyzed by enzymes secreted by glands in the lobes. Digestion takes approximately 10 days, after which all that remains of the prey is an empty chitinous shell. After this, the trap opens and is ready to catch new prey. During the life of the trap, an average of three insects fall into it.
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Dragon tree is a plant of the genus Dracaena, native to the tropics and subtropics of Africa and the islands of Southeast Asia. Grown as ornamental plant. An old Indian legend tells that long ago, in the Arabian Sea on the island of Socotra, there lived a bloodthirsty dragon who attacked elephants and drank their blood. But one day an old and strong elephant fell on the dragon and crushed it. Their blood mixed and wet the ground around them. In this place, trees grew called dracaenas, which means “female dragon.” The indigenous population of the Canary Islands considered the tree sacred, and its resin was used for medicinal purposes. The resin was discovered in prehistoric burial caves and was used for embalming at the time.
On its thick branches grow tufts of very sharp leaves. A thick branched trunk up to 20 meters high, a diameter at the base up to 4 m, and has secondary growth in thickness. Each branching branch ends in a dense bunch of densely arranged grayish-green, leathery, linear-xiphoid leaves 45-60 centimeters long and 2-4 centimeters wide in the middle of the plate, somewhat tapering towards the base and pointed towards the apex, with prominent veins. The flowers are large, bisexual, with a corolla-shaped, separate-leaved perianth, in bunches of 4-8 pieces. Some trees live up to 7-9 thousand years.
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The Gidnor genus includes 5 species growing in the tropical regions of Africa, Arabia and Madagascar, it is not very common, so you won’t find it just walking through the desert. This plant looks more like a mushroom until it unusual flower will not open. In fact, the flower is named after the mushroom hydnor, which means mushroom in Greek. Hydnoraceae flowers are quite large, solitary, almost sessile, bisexual, petalless. And what we usually see on the surface of the soil is what we call a flower.
These features of color and structure, as well as the putrid smell of flowers, serve to attract beetles that feed on carrion. Beetles, climbing into flowers, crawl into them, especially in their lower part, where the reproductive organs are located, contributing to their pollination. Often, female beetles not only find food in flowers, but also lay eggs there.
Residents of Africa willingly use the fruits of Hydnora for food, as do some animals. In Madagascar, Hydnora fruits are considered one of the best local fruits. Thus, humans are the carriers of Hydnora seeds. In Madagascar, locals use Hydnora flowers and roots to treat heart disease.
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Baobab is a species of tree from the genus Adansonia of the Malvaceae family, characteristic of the dry savannas of tropical Africa. The lifespan of baobabs is controversial - they do not have growth rings from which age can be reliably calculated. Conducted by method radiocarbon dating calculations have shown more than 5,500 years for a tree with a diameter of 4.5 meters, although more conservative estimates of baobabs live about 1,000 years.
In winter and during dry periods, the tree begins to use up its moisture reserves, decreasing in volume, and shedding its leaves. From October to December the baobab tree blooms. The baobab flowers are large - up to 20 cm in diameter, white with five petals and purple stamens, on hanging pedicels. They open in the late afternoon and live only one night, attracting the bats that pollinate them with their aroma. In the morning, the flowers wither, acquiring an unpleasant putrid odor, and fall off.
Next, oblong edible fruits develop, which resemble cucumbers or melons, covered with a thick, hairy peel. Inside the fruits are filled with sourish mealy pulp with black seeds. The baobab dies in a peculiar way: it seems to crumble and gradually settles, leaving behind only a pile of fiber. However, baobabs are extremely tenacious. They quickly restore stripped bark; continue to bloom and bear fruit. A cut down or felled tree is capable of putting out new roots.
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Victoria Amazonica is a large herbaceous tropical plant of the water lily family, the largest water lily in the world and one of the world's most popular greenhouse plants. Victoria amazonica was named after Queen of England Victoria. Victoria Amazonis is common in the Amazon River basin in Brazil and Bolivia, and is also found in the rivers of Guyana that flow into the Caribbean Sea.
The huge leaves of the water lily reach 2.5 meters and, with an evenly distributed load, can support a weight of up to 50 kilograms. The tuberous rhizome is usually deeply recessed into the muddy bottom. The top surface is green with a waxy layer that repels excess water, and also has small holes for removing water. The lower part is purple-red in color with a network of ribs studded with spines for protection from herbivorous fish; air bubbles accumulate between the ribs, helping the leaf to float. In one season, each tuber can produce up to 50 leaves, which, growing, cover a large surface of the reservoir, covering sunlight and thereby limiting the growth of other plants.
Victoria Amazonian flowers are underwater and bloom only once a year for 2-3 days. Flowers bloom only at night, and with the onset of dawn they sink under water. During flowering, the flowers placed above the water have a diameter of 20-30 centimeters when opened. On the first day the petals are white, on the second they turn pinkish, and on the third they become purple or dark crimson. In the wild, the plant can live up to 5 years.
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Sequoia is a monotypic genus woody plants, Cypress family. Grows on the Pacific Coast North America. Individual specimens of sequoia reach a height of more than 110 meters - these are the tallest trees on Earth. The maximum age is more than three and a half thousand years. This tree is better known as the “mahogany tree,” while the related species Sequoiadendron is known as the “giant sequoia.”
Their diameter at the level of the human chest is about 10 meters. The largest tree in the world is “General Sherman”. Its height is 83.8 meters. In 2002, the volume of wood was 1487 m³. It is believed to be 2300-2700 years old. The tallest tree in the world is Hyperion, its height is 115 meters.
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Nepenthes is the only genus of plants in the monotypic family Nepentheaceae, which includes about 120 species. Most species are native to tropical Asia, especially on the island of Kalimantan. Named after the herb of oblivion from ancient Greek mythology - nepenthes. Species of the genus are mostly shrubby or subshrub vines growing in humid habitats. Their long thin herbaceous or slightly woody stems climb the trunks and large branches of neighboring trees tens of meters in height, extending their narrow terminal racemes or paniculate inflorescences to the sunlight.
U different types Nepenthes pitchers vary in size, shape and color. Their length varies from 2.5 to 30 centimeters, and in some species it can reach up to 50 cm. More often, the jugs are painted in bright colors: red, matte white with a spotted pattern or light green with spots. The flowers are small and inconspicuous, actinomorphic and petalless, with four imbricated sepals. The fruit is in the form of a leathery capsule, divided internal partitions into separate chambers, in each of which seeds with a fleshy endosperm and a straight cylindrical small embryo are attached to a column.
It is curious that large nepenthes, in addition to eating insects, also use the droppings of tupaya animals, which climb onto the plant like a toilet to feast on sweet nectar. In this way, the plant forms a symbiotic relationship with the animal, using its droppings as fertilizer.
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This mushroom, a member of the Agaricus mushrooms, looks like chewed gum, oozing blood and smelling like strawberries. However, you should not eat it, because it is one of the most poisonous mushrooms on earth, and even just licking it can guarantee serious poisoning. The mushroom became famous in 1812, and it was then that it was considered inedible. The surface of the fruiting bodies is white, velvety, with small depressions, becoming beige or brown with age. On the surface of young specimens, drops of poisonous blood-red liquid protrude through the pores. The word “tooth” in the name is for a reason. The fungus has sharp formations along the edges that appear with age.
In addition to its external qualities, this mushroom has good antibacterial properties and contains chemical substances which thin the blood. It is quite possible that this mushroom will soon become a replacement for penicillin. main feature This fungus is that it can feed on both soil juices and insects, which are attracted by the red liquid of the fungus. The diameter of the cap of the bloody tooth is 5-10 centimeters, the length of the stem is 2-3 centimeters. The bloody tooth grows in the coniferous forests of Australia, Europe and North America.
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The top three among the most unusual plants in the world is closed by a large tropical plant of the genus Amorphophallus of the Araceae family, discovered in 1878 in Sumatra. One of the most known species genus, has one of the largest inflorescences in the world. The aerial part of this plant is a short and thick stem; at the base there is a single large leaf, with smaller ones higher up. The leaf is up to 3 meters long and up to 1 meter in diameter. Petiole length 2-5 meters, thickness 10 cm. Matte green, with white transverse stripes. Underground part plants - a giant tuber weighing up to 50 kilograms.
The aroma of the flower resembles a mixture of the smells of rotten eggs and rotten fish, and in appearance the flower resembles a decaying piece of meat. It is this smell that attracts wildlife to plant pollinating insects. Flowering continues for two weeks. Interestingly, the cob heats up to 40°C. During this time, the tuber is severely depleted due to excessive consumption of nutrients. Therefore, it needs another rest period of up to 4 weeks to accumulate strength for leaf development. If there are few nutrients, then the tuber “sleeps” after flowering until next spring. The lifespan of this plant is 40 years, but it blooms only three or four times during this time.
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Velvichia amazing - a relict tree - is one species, one genus, one family, one order of Velvichiev. Velvichia grows in the south of Angola and Namibia. The plant is rarely found further than a hundred kilometers from the coast, this approximately corresponds to the limit reached by fogs, which are the main source of moisture for Velvichia. Its appearance cannot be called grass, bush, or tree. The scientific world learned about Velvichia in the 19th century.
From a distance it seems that Velvichia has a lot of long leaves, but in fact there are only two of them, and they grow throughout its plant life, adding 8-15 centimeters per year. IN scientific works a giant was described with leaves more than 6 meters long and about 2 meters wide. And its life expectancy is so long that it’s hard to believe. Although Velvichia is considered a tree, it does not have annual rings, like those on tree trunks. Scientists have determined the age of the largest Velvichia radiocarbon dating– it turned out that some specimens are about 2000 years old!
Instead of social plant life, Velvichia prefers a solitary existence, that is, it does not grow in a group. Velvichia's flowers look like small cones, and each female cone contains only one seed, and each seed is equipped with wide wings. As for pollination, botanists have differing opinions. Some believe that pollination is carried out by insects, while others are more inclined to the action of the wind. Welwitschia is protected by the Namibian Nature Conservation Act. Collecting its seeds is prohibited without special permission. The entire territory where Velvichia grows was turned into a National Park.
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It turns out that after someone’s touch, the leaves of this plant fold and then straighten again!
This happens due to the fact that during external irritation, chemical substances are released, including potassium ions, which affect the leaf cells, resulting in an outflow of water. Falls internal pressure in the cells, the petiole and petals on the leaves curl up.
- 2) What word does the name “cabbage” come from?
- Translated from the ancient Roman word “kaput” means “head”. Even the ancient Egyptians served cabbage at the end of dinner as a sweet dish.
- Cabbage juice is known to improve digestion. This plant contains a lot of anti-scorbutic vitamin C.
- 3) One hectare of forest produces more than 6 tons of wood every year.
- 4) The name “agave” comes from the word agauos, which means “amazing”.
- Mexico was named after this plant. Translated, this means “place of agave” (from the word “metl” - “agave”) by the ancient Aztecs who inhabited Mexico.
- It turns out that cacti are edible and have very tender, pleasant-tasting pulp. The only drawback This delicacy has spines that are very difficult to remove.
However, Luther Burbank managed to develop a cactus that has no thorns and also grows quickly. This is a prickly pear. The fruits of this cactus are smooth and aromatic, with a taste that competes well with oranges.
- The pulp of the prickly pear cactus is used to make marshmallow, the so-called “tuna cheese,” and the juice is used to make wine, syrup and molasses.
- Unripe prickly pear fruits are boiled with meat, and ripe ones are dried and then delicious muffins with a honey aroma are prepared from them.
- Different cacti have different tastes and flesh colors. The taste of the cactus can resemble raspberries and pears, melon and strawberries, gooseberries and oranges, and the color of the pulp has various shades of yellow and orange, green and pink, purple and even black.
- One cactus stem holds up to fifty fruits, and about twenty tons of valuable crop are collected from one hectare.
- From apical buds date palm“palm cheese” is obtained by fermentation
- The heart of a young date palm is a delicious but expensive delicacy because its extraction leads to the death of the tree.
- At the site of cutting the inflorescence or stem of a date palm, up to three liters of juice per day are released. And if the cut is renewed, the juice can be collected for at least three months, which will be an average of 270 liters. Once upon a time, sugar or lakbi wine was made from the juice.
- The juice of fresh dates is used to make date honey or wine.
- Date pits are a good substitute for coffee if you roast and grind them.
- Arabs feed dates to their animals, and even dogs.
- The date harvest from one palm tree ranges from 100 to 250 kilograms.
- The harvested dates are laid out on the ground to dry and then buried in sand for storage. Dates can remain in the oven for two years.
- Pressed dates are called “bread of the desert” - “adjue”, and are taken with you on the road.
- The coconut nut is somewhat similar to the face of a monkey, and the word for monkey in Portuguese is “coco”.
- Potatoes were previously bred as a flower and were cultivated in flower beds in front of palaces.
- Carrots have been known as an edible root vegetable for four thousand years.
- In China and Japan, carrots up to a meter long are grown.
- IN ancient world parsley meant sadness and was woven into wreaths as a symbol of grief.
- The onion turns brown when fried due to the sugar contained in its juice.
- Chewing a piece of onion for three minutes will kill all the bacteria in your mouth.
- Young sunflower inflorescences were once eaten in England from vegetable oil and vinegar.
- The forked tendrils on the branches of the grapes make rotational movements, completing a full rotation in two hours. And the very top of a young grape branch, according to the observations of Charles Darwin, makes a revolution in four hours.
Plants are among the most common organisms on earth. They surround us literally everywhere in the world. That is why we have prepared for you the most interesting facts about plants.
Squirting cucumber
Have you ever heard of a plant called crazy cucumber? It belongs to the pumpkin family and grows near the Black and Mediterranean Seas.
This plant received its unusual name due to the bizarre way of dispersing seeds. As soon as anything touches the mad cucumber, the fruit immediately breaks off the stem, and a huge number of seeds are thrown out of its hole.
An interesting fact is that the stream from the seeds is so strong that it can cover a distance of more than 10 meters.
Milk pacifier
Did you know that in Brazil there is a unique tree called the “milk pacifier”? If you make a small cut on the surface of the trunk, vegetable milk will begin to ooze from under the bark.
Milk pacifier
At one time, this plant can produce about 3-4 liters of milk, which can be eaten. However, it must be boiled first.
"Chicken mushroom"
An interesting fact is that there is a mushroom on earth that tastes like chicken meat. It is a gray-yellow tinder fungus that grows in clusters. The diameter of his hat can reach 40 cm.
Interestingly, in some cities in Germany and North America this mushroom is considered a real delicacy.
A plant worth its weight in gold
Amazingly, the plant, called ceratonia, has absolutely identical seeds, weighing 0.2 grams. In ancient times, these seeds were used in jewelry as weights. Today this unit of weight is called a carat.
Eucalyptus
Rainbow eucalyptus growing on the island of Mindanao is one of the most amazing plants in the world. Since the bark of eucalyptus trees is constantly renewed, each time it changes its color.
Initially, it has bright green colors, and as it ages, it acquires purple, blue and even orange-pink shades. When the plant ceases to exist, the bark turns brownish-crimson.
Baobab
Surely even children know the baobab tree, which grows in African countries (see). This is the thickest tree on earth.
Giant baobab Its height is about 20 m, and the diameter of the trunk is as much as 10 m. However, there are baobabs on the planet, the circumference of which is 50 meters! These amazing trees can live from 1000 to 6000 years.
Leonardo's measurements
The great Italian scientist and painter came up with one interesting rule regarding plants. According to him, the square of the diameter of the trunk of any tree equal to the sum squares of all diameters of branches located at the same height.
Modern research has confirmed this rule, although there are some discrepancies. It’s just that the degree in this formula is not always equal to 2, but can fluctuate in value from 1.8 to 2.3.
The world's largest flower
We have already talked about this in.
Rafflesia Arnoldi The diameter of the flower is about 1 meter, and the weight can reach 7 kilograms. Rafflesia Arnoldi smells like rotten meat. Thanks to this stench, forest flies land on plant buds and pollinate them.
Mutant tree
Have you ever heard of the Pirangi cashew tree growing in Brazil? This plant is notable for the fact that it is located on an area equal to 2 hectares.
They say that it was planted by a fisherman in 1888. Of course, he didn't know that Pirangi had a genetic mutation that would make him a real celebrity.
An interesting fact is that as soon as the branches of this tree touch the surface of the earth, they immediately begin to take new roots.
Short interesting facts about plants
As you know, bamboo is the fastest growing tree in the world. Surprisingly, within a day its height can increase to almost one meter.
Marine plants are considered the most ancient plants on the planet. According to scientists, they have existed for about 1 billion years.
Another unusual plant is the rattan palm. The uniqueness of the palm lies in its thick climbing stems, the length of which can reach 300 m.
Another unusual plant grows in South America - Yareta. It grows 3000-4000 meters above sea level. And although the plant appears very large from the outside, it actually consists of many individual sprouts. Yareta is often used as a cooking fuel.
The fruits of the Keppel tree have an exceptionally fragrant odor. As soon as a person eats one of these fruits, the aroma of violets begins to emanate from it. Perfume lovers should take note!
Keppel tree And this interesting fact will be especially interesting to schoolchildren: more than 150,000 pencils can be made from one tree.
In the forests of Asia there is a genus of carnivorous plants from the Nepentaceae family. They can digest rodents, toads and even birds. What a plant!
On the water surface of the Amazon you can see amazing plants from the water lily family called Victoria. Their leaves reach 3 m in diameter and can support a weight of up to 30 kg. That is, a child can easily be on such a plant without fear of drowning in the water.
In the same Brazil there is a tree Copaifera langsdorffii, the juice of which can be used as diesel fuel. Every year such a plant can produce from 40 to 50 liters of fuel.
An unusual monument dedicated to moths has been erected in Australia. The fact is that at the beginning of the 20th century it began to spread at an alarming rate. Australians managed to get rid of such a scourge only with the help of the Argentine cactus moth.
An interesting fact is that borscht got its name from a plant called Siberian hogweed. It’s just that earlier this plant was one of the ingredients of the dish. Later, Siberian hogweed was no longer used for cooking, but the word “borsch” was firmly entrenched in the lexicon.
The oldest tree on the planet is the Methuselah pine (see), growing in California. According to scientists, its age is almost 5000 years.
The oldest root system is located in, which continues to grow to this day. According to some estimates, it is about 9000 years old.
- sequoia evergreen. Its height is 115.61 meters.
The loneliest tree on earth grows in Bahrain. It is located on the very high point deserts. Root system This plant goes tens of meters deep, thanks to which the tree receives a sufficient amount of moisture. Many tourists come to Bahrain to see this natural wonder.
By the way, pay attention to the “” section. You might find it interesting.
Poisonous plants
There are about 10,000 species of poisonous plants in the world. Since ancient times, humanity has been trying to use their poison to hunt animals or for military purposes.
In New Zealand there is a nettle tree whose poison can kill even an adult horse. It instantly injects itself under the skin of its victim.
Sometimes films mention the poison curare, which was used by the Indians of South America. It contains components from chilibuha plants (strikhnos and chondodedron).
The Indians simply dipped arrow tips into such poison, thanks to which they were able to inflict mortal wounds on their enemies.
The natives living in Central America used poison from the seeds of strophanthus. This poison instantly killed even the largest animals.
Usually, poisonous plants common in tropical countries. For example, in the Antilles and in the so-called “tree of death”, Marcinella, grows. It is so poisonous that if a person stands near the tree for even a little while, he will become seriously poisoned.
However, poisonous plants also grow in the temperate zone. The most dangerous of them are considered to be the nightshade family, namely belladonna, datura and henbane.
Plants from the umbrella family, for example, dog parsley, poisonous weed and spotted hemlock, also pose a serious danger.
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