Interesting facts about plants in spring. The most amazing plants in the world. The amazing properties of plants. Facts about cones
According to world studies, plants not only decorate our planet and life. They, just like people, are endowed with feelings, memory and even intellect! Interesting Facts about plants allow you to know their abilities such as a sense of time, communication among themselves, fear due to an impending threat. They can also distinguish the mood, intentions and character of people, ask for help, interact with other living beings even at a distance.
The age of the oldest lichen, which is located in Antarctica, is more than ten thousand years. Lichens from Alaska are not much younger, they are nine thousand years old. By the way, they grow very slowly. Therefore, for a whole century they grow only by three and a half millimeters.
The oldest or most ancient plants on Earth are seaweeds. Their age is more than one thousand million years.
In some parts of the world, a very interesting plant is grown, which is called the gourd. The amazing appearance of its fruits resembles dishes from which you can assemble a whole service.
The largest of the water lilies has been recorded in the Amazon. Its leaves, which reach two meters, can withstand even a child.
Wintering horsetail grows in the middle latitudes of Russia. This plant is extremely tough, and even steel can be scratched with its stem. It's all about the outer cells of the plant, which accumulate silica.
Interesting facts about plants concern not only their unusual appearance. For example, amorphophallus is recognized as the most smelly plant. It gives off a very bad smell. rotten fish. By the way, this "aroma" has become the hallmark of the island of Sumatra.
The island of Jamaica is known for another representative of nature. We are talking about the cactus selenicereus, a hundred-meter stems with thorns that weave around trees. It is interesting that once every couple of months, at night, white flowers with a diameter of 35 centimeters bloom on them. They have very strong aroma vanilla, which attracts natural pollinators - bats. It is a pity that these flowers begin to wither after a few hours.
Arabidopsis is the very first plant that, in space, in the absence of gravity, not only blossomed, but also gave seeds. Life cycle this plant is only 40 days old. In 1982, an Arabidopsis specimen was grown aboard a Soviet space station Salyut-7.
In the south of China, you can find a variety of bamboo, leaf-growth, which grows at the highest rate. Every day the plant increases by forty centimeters, that is, almost two centimeters per hour. This plant it takes only a couple of months to reach a thirty-meter height and half a meter in diameter.
Hevea is a plant from which rubber is obtained. Knowing this, the Indians of South America dipped the soles of their shoes in its juice to obtain rubber galoshes.
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 a carat.
The leaves on the branch of the plant are always arranged in a strict order, and are spaced at a certain angle clockwise or counterclockwise from each other. Different plants have different angles, but, interestingly, it can always be described by a fraction, in which the numerator and denominator are numbers from the Fibonacci series. For example, for oak and apricot, this angle is 2/5, for beech - 1/3, or 120 °, for willow and almond - 5/13, for poplar and pear - 3/8, etc. This arrangement allows the leaves to receive moisture and sunlight most efficiently.
Interestingly, Arctic lupine seeds found off the Canadian Yukon coast in frozen soil are between 10,000 and 15,000 years old. The most amazing thing is that some of these seeds sprouted, and one of them even blossomed.
In Southwest Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, there is a plant that is called the "flower of laughter." Its seed the size of a pea can cause a person to laugh for no reason for about half an hour, after which the person falls asleep peacefully and calmly. Dentists give these “seeds of laughter” to patients with an allergy to novocaine.
In my life modern man depends on the use of 1500 kinds cultivated plants.
The longest roots are found in a wild ficus from South Africa. They reached 120 m.
Orchids are known as "energy thieves". These plants are best grown not at home, but in greenhouses. And if they grow at home, then in no case should they be placed in the bedroom, since orchids absorb energy most intensively at night and before dawn. Contact with orchids is strongly contraindicated for sick and weakened people.
Most small flower duckweed in the world. Her long time thought it was an algae, but then they found flowers in duckweed. Until now, they cannot understand how the number of these plants in the reservoir doubles per day. And in a few days duckweed covers the entire surface of the reservoir.
In India, a plant grows under the local name "trick the stomach." After eating 1-2 of its leaves, a person feels full for a whole week, although the leaves do not contain valuable nutrients. Overweight people take pills and infusions from the leaves of this plant, which can create the illusion of satiety.
The most nutritious fruit in the world is the avocado. It contains 741 calories per pound of edible mass. And the least nutritious vegetable, the cucumber, contains only 73 calories per pound of edible mass.
Do you know what the most tall tree can reach 100 meters or more, and some plants can kill and devour insects and even other, larger animals? It is about the most amazing plants growing on earth that will be discussed further.
A real plant relic growing in the south of Angola, as well as Nigeria. In appearance, it is a cross between a tree and grass. The whole feature of this plant is that Velvichia has only two leaves, although the effect of a thousand petals is created, and they grow as much as the plant itself grows, adding 8-15 cm every year.
A plant belonging to the water lily family. It is she who is the largest of all water lilies and was named after Queen Victoria of England. Amazing in this flower there are simply huge leaves of the plant - their diameter reaches about 2-2.5 m, it is able to withstand the weight of a small child, almost 50 kilograms.
Amazonian Victoria blooms - once a year, no longer than 3 days, throwing it under water - at night the bud floats to the surface and blooms, and with the onset of dawn it closes and sinks under water. In the flower itself, not only its size is amazing - it reaches 25-30 cm in diameter, but the fact that on the first day of flowering its petals are white, on the second day they are pink, and on the third day of flowering they become purple or dark raspberry color.
This is an amazing plant. Belongs to the cactus family. The plant itself during the flowering period resembles a shaggy bear, reaching a height of 2 meters - the desert is especially impressive at sunset, when the planet rather resembles the landscape of an alien settlement inhabited by unknown creatures.
A plant that vaguely resembles a mushroom, but until the moment when its flower opens. The flower itself is an incredibly large, monochromatic color, without petals, exuding a putrid smell, attracting flies. Often, flies find in this flower not only food for themselves, but also lay eggs and larvae in it - there is enough space for everyone, since it reaches about 15 cm in diameter.
A predator from the plant world that catches small insects and it is from them that it receives all the nutrients by digesting them. The flower itself resembles a jug - its surface is lined with special cells that secrete nectar that attracts insects.
But the role of predatory tentacles is performed by special hairs, which capture the insect, which has rashly flown inside the flower for aroma. Insects get into the water contained in the flower, and the plant itself secretes special enzymes - it is in such a natural broth that the insect is digested.
Venusa flycatcher
Another plant is a predator, to take more active measures to hunt for a potential victim and kill it. Modified by centuries of natural selection leaves - jaws can catch not only small flies and insects, but also snails and even small tadpoles, frogs and fish.
If you see this plant for the first time, it may seem from afar that you have a forest in front of you, but in reality it is just one plant. Ficus in its size reaches large sizes, throwing out a large number of branches - to maintain them, support-shoots are required, which gradually grow and reach the surface of the earth, and in such a natural way forming powerful columns - supports.
one of the highest and relic, long-lived trees on our planet Earth, since the height of many of them can reach 110 meters. An evergreen sequoia can grow for 3,500 thousand years. The forests familiar to many may seem like a simple field of grass compared to the forests of these titans.
The plant is known for its largest inflorescences in the world. The ground part of this plant is a shortened, but rather fleshy and thick stem, at its base there is one - a single leaf, above - smaller leaves.
Its leaves can reach a length of up to 3 meters, with an almost meter wide, its rhizome is a giant tuber in size, reaching almost 50 kilograms in weight. The flowers of the plant - well, very unsightly, because they rather resemble a piece of decaying meat, and the smell is not pleasing - it is the aroma of rotten fish and eggs.
Video: 10 most amazing plants in the world
Our planet is home to 300,000 plants, so it's no surprise that sometimes you can find truly bizarre and unique plants.
We all know roses, tulips and other commonly grown flowers, but did you know that there are rare orchids that look like monkey faces, dancing girls or flying ducks? Have you heard of a plant that eats mice? What about plants that smell like dead flesh or feces? In fact, the plant kingdom is very diverse and exciting with thousands of stunning plant species that you have most likely not even heard of.
To show you how diverse and unique the flora of our planet can be, in this list we will tell you about the most bizarre and unique plants in the world. From oddly shaped orchids and "living rocks" to snapdragons, Darth Vader's flower and vicious carnivorous plants capable of digesting small animals, here are some of the strangest and most unusual plants on the planet.
25. Prayer Abrus (Crab´s eye)
Abrus prayer is a slender, climbing perennial plant that wraps around trees, bushes and hedges. This plant is endemic to almost all of the tropics and is best known for its seeds, which are used as beads as well as in percussion instruments. It is worth remembering that these seeds are poisonous due to the fact that they contain abrin (Abrin).
24. Lithops from the Karas Mountains (Lithops karasmontana) 
'Lithops karasmontana' (which translates as living rock from the Karas Mountains) is a species of flowering plant in the Aizoaceae family endemic to Namibia and southern Africa. This unique looking plant escapes herbivore attacks by mimicking rock formations. When these plants are not in bloom, they are almost indistinguishable from rocks.
23. Radiant leader (White Egret flower)
The radiant leader is a species of orchid endemic to China, Japan, Korea and Russia. The flower resembles a white dove, but should not be confused with the white fringed orchid Platanthera praeclara, which is a North American species.
22. Rafflesia Arnold (Corpse flower)
Rafflesia Arnold, endemic to the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo, is notable for being the largest single flower on Earth (1 meter in diameter). The scientific name of this plant is Rafflesia arnoldii. The flower exudes a very strong stench, reminiscent of the smell of decaying flesh, due to which it is also called corpse flower.
21. Orchid "Dracula benedictii"
'Dracula benedictii' is a rare species of orchid found in the central and western Cordilleras of Colombia. This monkey face orchid was named after Benedict Roezl, the famous bohemian collector who discovered it.
20. "Nepenthes distillatoria"
A tropical carnivorous plant of the Nepenthes genus called 'Nepenthes distillatoria', found in Sri Lanka, is famous for its leaves that have turned into deep traps. They serve as a sort of mechanism to trap prey into a deep cavity filled with digestive fluid. The diet of the plant usually consists of insects, however, in some cases, frogs and even mice have been found in them.
19. Psychotria or Lips of a prostitute (Hooker's lips)
The Hooker's Lip plant, scientifically known as psychotria (Psychotria Elata), is a species of flowering plants from the madder family (Rubiaceae). This plant, endemic to parts of Central and South America, appears to have evolved into its current form in order to attract pollinators, including hummingbirds and butterflies.
18. Euphorbia fat (Baseball plant)
Euphorbia obese, endemic South Africa(especially in the Cape Province), is a subtropical succulent notable for its bizarre baseball-like shape. IN wild nature the plant is endangered due to over-harvesting and poaching, as well as its slow growth.
17. Orchid-ballerina (Ballerina orchid)
The ballerina orchid is a small, inconspicuous earthen orchid with long narrow flower petals that grows both singly and in groups. This type of orchid can only be found in a very small region in southwestern Australia. The ballerina orchid is on the verge of extinction. Despite the fact that this plant can live for many years, it blooms only for two weeks.
15. Kirkazon Salvadoran or flower Darth Vader (Darth Vader flower)
The Darth Vader flower, scientifically known as "Aristolochia Salvadorensis", is a species of Aristolochia, a numerous plant genus with over 500 species. The plant, reaching 30 centimeters in height, mainly grows as an annual plant. This means that it only exists for one season.
14. Fern rachis (Fiddlehead fern)
Fern rachis or fern snails are rolled young fern shoots that are harvested for use as a vegetable. Fern rachis have antioxidant activity, are high in iron and fiber, and are a source of fatty acids omega 3 and omega 6.
13. Tacca Chantrier (Black bat flower) 
The Tacca Chantrier plant, endemic to tropical regions of Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia and southern China, is a species of flowering plant in the Dioscoreaceae family. This plant growing in the undergrowth is especially notable for its unusual black flowers, which are shaped like a bat.
12. "Ceropegia haygarthii"
'Ceropegia haygarthii' is a robust climbing vine with very small flowers. unusual shape cream and reddish brown. The plant is one of the species of the kutrovye family and grows in Angola, South Africa and Mozambique.
11. Dancing Girls Orchid (Impatiens Bequaertii)
What looks like two dancing girls are actually very rare flowers of the species 'Impatiens Bequaertii', one of the 1000 species of the genus Impatiens, a flowering plant that is widespread throughout the northern hemisphere and the tropics.
10. Orchid "Babies in Diapers" (Swaddled babies orchid)
The 'Babies in Diapers' orchid, officially known as 'Anguola uniflora', is a small Anguloa native to South America, where it grows at altitudes between 1,400 and 2,500 meters above sea level. The orchid is famous for its large flowers, reminiscent of babies in diapers, which exude a rich aroma.
9. Snapdragon(Skull flower)
Snapdragon (Antirrhinum) is climbing plant, endemic to the rocky regions of Europe, the USA and North Africa. Once upon a time, people were afraid of it and believed that it had mystical powers due to the similarity of its dried flowers with skulls.
8. Phalaenopsis (Moth orchid)
Phalaenopsis, first discovered on a small island off the east coast of New Guinea in 1653, has a uniform texture that makes it easy to identify. Currently, this type of orchid can be found in the eastern and southeastern regions of Asia.
7. Single-flowered calceolaria (Darwin's slipper)
Calceolaria uniflora, scientifically known as "Calceolaria Uniflora" is a perennial plant of the genus Calceolaria (Calceolaria) with yellow, white and red-brown flowers. Calceolaria is a mountain plant, reaching a height of only 10 centimeters. This plant is endemic to the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, located in the south of South America.
6. Nepenthes Rajah (Nepenthes rajah)
Nepenthes Raja, endemic to parts of Borneo, is an insectivorous plant from the Nepentaceae family. It grows exclusively on serpentine substrates, particularly in areas where groundwater seeps through with loose and constantly moist soil. Due to the very limited and localized area of growth, this plant is classified as an endangered species.
5. Strongylodon large-handed (Jade vine)
Strongylodon largecarpus, also known as Emerald Strongylodon, is a species of perennial leguminous arboreal Strongylodon endemic to the rainforests of the Philippines. Being a close relative of common legumes, this plant has very long stems that reach 18 meters in length.
4. Double leaf (Skeleton flower)
Bifolia, scientifically known as "Diphylleia grayi", is a species of the barberry family (Berberidaceae). It is a small plant notable for its white petals that become when it rains. When dry, they turn white again.
3. Orchid "Flying Duck" (Flying duck orchid) 
The Flying Duck Orchid is a small orchid native to eastern and southern Australia. This terrestrial plant produces a marvelous flower resembling a duck in flight. The flower attracts insects such as male sawflies, which pollinate the flower in a process known as pseudocopulation.
2. Passion flower meat red (Maypop)
Meat red passion flower, also known as incarnate passionflower, red white passionflower, corporal passionflower or apricot liana is a fast growing perennial vine with climbing stems. The meat red passionflower is a member of the passionflower genus and produces large compound flowers with prominent stamens. This is one of the hardiest species of passionflower and is widely distributed in the southern United States.
1. Starfish flower
The starfish flower is one of the so-called corpse flowers. It is a strange looking plant that exudes a disgusting smell of rotting flesh. Despite the stench, this flower is very popular with gardeners and collectors who appreciate its unusual appearance and bright color.
Plants surround us everywhere: when we go to work, when we walk with a child, we go on a trip, and even at home every person has at least one living flower.
Today we will learn some interesting facts about plants.
1. There are more than 10 thousand poisonous plants on our planet. Mankind has long been trying to use these properties to hunt animals and defend against enemies. In fiction, curare poison is often mentioned, which was used by the Indians of South America, processing arrowheads with it. It consisted of a mixture of several extracts of chilibuha plants (strych-nose, chondodedron). And the natives in Central Africa used poison from the seeds of another poisonous plant - strophanthus. This terrible poison possessed incredible power and instantly killed the largest animals.
Mostly poisonous plants are found in the territory tropical countries. In the forests of the United States, as well as in the Antilles, a real "tree of death" grows - marcinella. It emits such toxic substances that are dangerous to humans: if you stand next to this tree for a while, you can earn severe poisoning.
But even in the temperate zone, many poisonous plants grow. The nightshade family is considered the most dangerous: belladonna, dope, henbane, as well as the umbrella family: dog parsley, poisonous landmarks, spotted hemlock. 
2. It turns out that on planet Earth there is an amazing mushroom that tastes like chicken. The gray-yellow tinder fungus grows in clusters, and the width of its hat reaches 40 cm. In some parts of Germany and North America, it is considered a delicacy. 
3. Surprisingly, the Ceratonia plant always produces extremely identical seeds that weigh 0.2 g. old times they were used by jewelers as weights, and now this measure is called a carat. 
4. Our planet is full of amazing plants. One of them is the rainbow eucalyptus from the island of Mindanao. It is famous for its extremely beautiful multi-colored bark. The bark of all eucalyptus trees peels off over time in the form of many narrow strips, and a new bark appears in place of the old, peeling bark. As it ages, it changes its color. The bark is initially bright green or dark green, turning blue, purple, and then pink-orange as it grows and ages. At the end of its existence, the bark acquires a brown-raspberry hue.
5. Probably, every person in his life heard about such a long-term and amazing tree like a baobab. It grows mostly in the African savannas. This is the thickest tree on the entire planet Earth. Its average height is about 18-25 m, and the circumference of the trunk at this height is more than 10 meters. There are even instances with a circumference of 50 m in girth! The life expectancy of a baobab ranges from a millennium to 5.5 thousand years.
6. Crazy cucumber is a plant belonging to the gourd family that lives on the banks of the Black and mediterranean seas. It got its name thanks to unusual way dispersal of seeds: a ripe cucumber fruit, even with a light touch, jumps off the stem and a mass of mucus with seeds is thrown out of the hole with force over a great distance of 12 meters. 
7. Bamboo is the fastest growing tree in the nature of our planet. It grows in South and East Asia and increases its height by 0.75-0.9 m/day per day.
8. oldest plant on Earth - seaweed. They have existed for about 1,000 million years.
9. The nature of our planet has created many amazing plants. One of them is a miracle tree called rattan palm. Its very thick climbing stems stretch for distances up to 300 meters.
11. Yareta is an unusual, strange plant that grows in Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina. Below 3000-4000 meters above sea level you will not find it. On the surface, this plant seems huge, however, in fact, it is a lot of individual sprouts. The locals use Yareta as fuel for cooking.
12. Lovelaces of India often use the unique keppel tree. Its fruits are extremely fragrant: it is worth trying them and a person begins to smell of violet all over.
13. Surprisingly, more than 160 thousand pencils can be made from a tree alone!
14. On our planet there is a very large carnivorous plant, which is able to digest mice, frogs and even birds. It belongs to the Nepentaceae family and grows in the forests of Asia.
15. Many years ago, Leonardo da Vinci came up with a curious rule that says that the square of the diameter of the trunk of any tree is equal to the sum of the squares of all the diameters of the branches, taken at the same height. Later, scientists confirmed this rule, but with one difference: the degree in this formula is not always equal to two, but ranges from 1.8 to 2.3.
16. On the water surface of the Amazon is found unusual plant Victoria, belonging to the family of water lilies. Its leaves reach three meters in diameter and they can support a weight of 25-30 kg!
18. The famous Piranji cashew tree is one of the most interesting sights of the planet Earth. It is located on an area of almost 2 hectares near the city of Natal in Brazil. This tree is already 177 years old. It was planted by a fisherman in 1888, who did not know that Pirangi had a genetic mutation. Unlike their counterparts, the branches of this tree, when they touch the ground, begin to take root and grow further.
19. The most dangerous stinging plant that can kill even a horse is the New Zealand nettle tree. It injects a mass of strong poisons including formic acid and histamine.
20. In the forests of Brazil, there is a tree called "milk teat". If you pierce it with a knife, vegetable milk will flow from the bark. A tree can produce 4 liters of milk at a time. It can be eaten, but first it must be boiled and diluted with water.
21. In tropical forests Brazil has a tree whose sap can be used along with diesel fuel. It is called Copaifera langsdorffii. This tree gives about 50 liters of fuel for the whole year. Large-scale cultivation of Copaifera langsdorffii is not profitable, but farmers can cover their costs by planting a garden of such a plant.
22. In Australia, there is an interesting monument dedicated to moths. The fact is that in the 20s of the last century, a cactus was widely spread here. The Argentine cactus moth was the only one able to cope with this weed.
23. The oldest tree on the planet is a pine, which is located in the United States. She is already 4.5 thousand years old.
24. The oldest root system, which is located in Sweden, is already 9 thousand years old and continues to grow and develop.
25. In Bahrain, there is a tree of life, which is also considered the loneliest tree on the planet. It is located on the highest point of the desert. Scientists believe that it root system stretched for tens of meters deep into the ground to aquifers. Nobody knows its exact age, but it is assumed that the tree is over 400 years old. Tourists come here in droves because locals consider this place the Garden of Eden.
26. It turns out that the name borscht was originally applied exclusively to the Siberian hogweed plant. It was the main ingredient in a certain soup. Later, borsch in this sense fell into disuse and they began to be called a whole class of first courses.
Plants are the most common living things on our planet. There are more than 375 thousand species. We have considered only a small fraction of all the amazing facts about plants, but nature is still full of many surprises.
Inga Korneshova article written specifically for the site 100facts.ru
Pines sterilize the air
The smallest flower in the world
Xerophyta - drought plant
Our planet never ceases to amaze with the diversity of plant and animal species that exist on it, sometimes with amazing abilities.
Selection of the most interesting facts about plants:
1. An amazing plant called Ceratonia of the legume family, which has long been cultivated in the Mediterranean, has a curious property - the size of its fruits is always the same (0.2 g), for which they were very much appreciated by jewelers in the old days, but now this measure is called carat. The scientific name of the genus, by the way, comes from the Greek κεράτιον ( сeratiοn), κέρας ( ceras) "Horn".
2. Among straight-stemmed trees, Australian eucalyptus trees can boast of the highest height, the height of which reaches 150 meters, and sometimes more. The telegraph pole, made from the wood of this tree, is able to withstand the strongest winds, and the root system of the eucalyptus sucks water out of the soil with such force that people use these natural pumps to drain swamps.
3. The record plant is also titanium arum, the flower of which is the largest and reaches a height of 2.27 meters. For the unbearable smell exuded by the plant, titanium arum was nicknamed the "corpse flower": its "aroma" resembles the smell rotten meat. However, for pollinators - flies and beetles - this smell and bright color are very attractive. Under natural conditions, the flower grows in the jungle about. Sumatra. Titan arum blooms every 20-40 years and blooms for only two days. Around the world, only about 150 cases of its flowering have been officially recorded. A few years ago, visitors to the British Botanical Gardens became happy witnesses of the flowering of this peculiar plant.
4. Another famous large flower is Rafflesia Arnold (Sumatra, Kalimantan, Philippines, etc.). Rafflesia Arnold blooms with single flowers, their diameter is 60-100 cm, and their weight is up to 8 kg. The flower emits an unpleasant smell, reminiscent of the smell of rotting meat, which attracts the main pollinators - flies.
5. In the Amazon basin, you can find a plant of the water lily family called Victoria. Its leaves on the surface of the water reach three meters in diameter and can withstand a weight of up to 30 kg.
6. One of the most interesting facts about plants is that the leaves on their trunks and branches are not arranged randomly, but in a certain sequence, having a certain angle of deviation relative to each other. The size of this angle varies depending on the plant itself. So, for an apricot, it is 2/5, for a pear - 3/8, for almonds - 5/13, etc. This arrangement of leaves in accordance with the size of the tree, leaves and growing environment provides them with optimal nutrition, access to light and full growth.
In India, a plant grows under the local name "trick the stomach." After eating 1-2 leaves of the Kalir-kanda plant, a person feels full for a whole week, although the leaves do not contain valuable nutrients. The property of the plant to create the illusion of satiety is used in the manufacture of tablets and infusions from the leaves, which are successfully used by overweight people.
One of unusual plants native to the savannas of the South American country of Paraguay. It is a stevia shrub whose leaves contain a substance resembling saccharin. It is over 300 times sweeter than sugar. This plant is already successfully cultivated in Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Laos, Spain and light hand Academician N. I. Vavilov in Russia. There are significant plantations of culture in the Belgorod region. With an extract made from stevia, Belgorod residents sweeten confectionery for diabetics.
SUGAR GRASS. It grows in Central America, mainly in Mexico. From its leaves and flowers, a sweet oily liquid was isolated, which is 1000 times sweeter than sugar. What is particularly valuable is that, in contrast to natural sugar, this substance is completely
harmless to diabetics and not conducive to obesity.
In the African savanna grows a herbaceous plant THOUMATOCUS DANNEL. The special substance talin, which is found in its red berries, is 2000 times sweeter than sugar.
An even sweeter plant is the DIOSCOREPHILLUM CUMMINISIA LIANA, which grows in the tropical forests of Nigeria and other countries. West Africa. Sugar, in comparison with its coral-red berries, due to the content of the substance monellin, seems devoid of taste. No wonder, because monellin is 3000 times sweeter than sugar!
And the champion among super-sweet plants is the KETEMF shrub, which grows in the rainforests of West Africa. The sweetest substance in the world, toumatin, was obtained from it. It is sweeter than sugar (hard to imagine) 100,000 times! This substance will be sweet even if toumatin is dissolved at a concentration of 10 g per ton of water!
Scientists believe that growing super-sweet plants could revolutionize the world's sugar industry.
In the tropical forests of West Africa, the SYNSEPALOUM DULCIFICUM shrub grows.
Its red berries, due to the content of miraculin, have an amazing property - to influence the taste sensations of a person. If you chew a few of these small berries before eating, miracles will begin to happen with taste: sour lemon will seem sweeter than orange, and sugar - bitter. This effect lasts for about an hour, and sometimes more, depending on the amount of fruit eaten.
Local people from Ghana to Zaire, where this plant grows, use its fruits to sweeten sour palm wine.
It is interesting that there are plants similar in action in the Transcaucasus, in the south of Tajikistan and in China. This tree is from the buckthorn family - ZIZIFUS, also known as unabi or Chinese date. Compotes, jams, marshmallows are prepared from them, and stored in dried form.
In 1784, dahlia tubers, never seen before, were brought from Mexico to Spain. The Spanish king ordered to zealously protect the secret of the existence of an overseas flower, until in 1805 the German naturalist Alexander Humboldt brought from South America the tubers of a Mexican plant “unknown” in Europe for 20 years!
Pines sterilize the air
One hectare of pine forest per day is capable of releasing about 5 kg of volatile phytocides into the atmosphere, destroying numerous microorganisms from the air. So in the forests with growing young coniferous trees, regardless geographical latitude and intimacy settlements, in comparison with other green areas, the air is practically sterile, containing only about 200 - 300 bacteria per 1 cubic meter.
In terms of vitamin C content, walnuts are 8 times higher than black currants and 50 times higher than citrus fruits. The B vitamins contained in them contribute to the decomposition of pyruvic acid, which accumulates in the muscles and causes fatigue. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus claimed that the priests of Ancient Babylon forbade ordinary people eat walnuts, because it was believed that they have a beneficial effect on mental activity, and this is useless to commoners.
The smallest flower in the world
Do you know which plant has the smallest flower in the world? At the duckweed! For a long time it was believed that this was an algae, but then flowers were found in duckweed. But it is still unknown how the number of these plants in the reservoir doubles in a day - in a few days the duckweed covers the entire surface of the reservoir.
Xerophyta - drought plant
The hairy xerophyta Xerophyta viscosa was named Xerophyta by Antoine Laurent de Jussier (1748-1836), which means "drought plant". This rare herbaceous perennial lives on the stony soils of the Natal province in South Africa, on the peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains, has filamentous curved leaves 60 cm long, and flowers 5-6 cm in diameter appear on the plant from November to April. Often this plant is referred to by the alien name of Vellozia viscosa, but Vellozia is a completely different species. Xerophyta is able to live without water in extreme conditions. temperature conditions very long time. University of Cape Town researchers are using xerophyte genes to code for drought-tolerant weeds sanguinalis Digitaria and Thaliana Arbidopsis, and will subsequently use xerophyte genes for crop plants to improve stress tolerance.
The largest root system is in plants of arid regions, deserts and semi-deserts.
Their roots reach deep into the earth to reach nearby underground water sources, or extend far out to exploit what little rain falls in the desert.
Consider a few examples of the length of the roots of desert plants.
Central Asian shrub mimosa -7 m;
Alfalfa - over 15 m;
Camel thorn - more than 20 m.
What plant holds the record for the largest root? It turns out that this is an apple tree growing on the porous soils of Nebraska in America. Its roots penetrated to a depth of 1068 m! And if you take the whole root, and even add all your own small roots to it (you get the total length of the root), then its length will be calculated not in meters, but in kilometers. For example, in a 4-month-old winter rye plant, it is 619 km. One of the Finnish botanists in 1954 calculated the total length of the roots of a hundred-year-old pine - about 50 km.
DID YOU KNOW?..
That carrots, beets, radishes are also roots, only roots that have changed their appearance because reserve nutrients have been deposited in them. What caused the roots to grow so wide? Otherwise, these roots are called root crops. By the way, root crops are the heaviest roots. In November 1978, the Nedelya newspaper reported, for example, on a giant fodder beet grown by a Tajik farmer. She weighs over 20 kg!
TRUNK
Most large plants are trees of the genus Eucalyptus found in Australia. They can reach 130 m in height with a trunk thickness of 10 m (compare: the height of a 10-storey building is 30 m).
In size, mammoth trees - sequoias - are slightly inferior to eucalyptus trees. The maximum height of these giants of the American continent is judged by measurements made in the last century on a fallen trunk. unique tree in national park sequoia (USA). This tree, called the "father of the forests", had a height of 120 m from the base to the top. Now botanists consider the maximum height of evergreen sequoia specimens to be 110 m 33 cm. It was with such accuracy that a specimen was measured in Humboldt Sequoia Park in California. It was discovered in 1964 and received given name"Howard Libby".
Brown algae successfully compete with land plants in terms of size. Some authors estimate its maximum length at 300 m, others more modestly at only 70 m. It is possible that such algae, wriggling in the water depth, were mistaken by sailors of the past for a giant sea serpent, often mentioned in sea legends. The largest trunk in the world was at the European chestnut. This tree grows on Mount Etna in Sicily and was measured in 1845 to be 64 m in girth (about 20.4 m in diameter).
SHEET
In Southeast Asia, on the island of Sri Lanka, palm trees from the genus Corypha grow. The blades of the fan-shaped leaves of Corypha reach 8 m in length and 6 m in width. One such sheet can cover half of the volleyball court. They make beautiful and durable umbrellas, painted fans. Corypha is also famous for its inflorescences - they are the largest in the world - 14 m long and 12 m wide.
The Brazilian palm Raffia Tedigera has even larger leaves. On a petiole 4-5 m long, a giant “feather” is swaying, more than 20 m long and almost 12 m wide. If you put such a leaf vertically on the ground, it will rise above the 6-story House. A strong fiber is extracted from the stem of raffia, which is used to make brushes and hats.
DID YOU KNOW?..
That the spines of a cactus are its leaves? She became famous for her big leaves and Victoria Amazonskaya - a relative of our white water lily (water lily). It is precisely because of the unusual
leaves and grow this aquatic plant in many botanical gardens different countries. The Victoria leaf will withstand not only a small child, but also a schoolboy. He will feel on it just like in a real boat. And some leaves do not go under water with a load of about 50 kg. Moreover, the Victoria sheet does not sink, even when its entire surface is covered with an even layer of sand up to 80 kg. That's how much a grown man weighs! round leaves Victorias are usually no more than 2 m in diameter, but still - giants!
The flowers of Victoria are also famous. When its buds open, it is announced on the local radio. It is in the evening that its snow-white flower opens. It is very large, it can be up to 40 cm and smells good. By morning, its petals turn pink and close. A closed flower falls into the water. By the next evening, it reopens. Now its petals are already painted in lilac-pink tones. During the second night, it gradually darkens, and by morning it closes again and goes under water again. Now forever! Few manage to see such a short living flower of Victoria!
The amazing Velvichia, growing in the deserts of Africa, has only two leaves in its entire life. Its leaves reach a length of 2-3 m. A giant specimen with leaves 6 m 20 cm long and 1 m 80 cm wide is described! Velvichia is famous and interesting for its stem, similar to a stump. The stem can reach 1 m, and according to other sources - 4 m in diameter. This stem gradually grows in thickness over tens and even hundreds of years.
FLOWER
Another giant is Amorphophallus titanic, growing in tropical rainforests. He reached an extraordinary height - 2 m 42 cm! Because of the disgusting smell, the workers caring for him worked in gas masks and changed clothes after work.
And now about the smallest flowers. IN central Europe there is a naked hernia. This plant has a height of only 5-15 cm, and the flower is only 1 mm! But the smallest flowers of duckweed and rootless wolfia (an aquatic plant) are less than 0.5 mm. Despite their microscopic size, duckweed and Wolffia cover areas of water bodies with a solid green carpet.
FRUIT
The Seychelles palm has a large fruit. Also in ancient times the inhabitants of the western coast of India found unusual nuts brought by the wind (waves), as if sharply drawn in two. They were called Maldives nuts and even for a long time it was believed that these are the fruits of underwater palms that grow on the bottom of the sea. And in 1743, the Seychelles were discovered, and on them - palm trees that give these mysterious nuts. Their size is amazing: diameter 45 cm, weight up to 25 kg.