Extinct plant species. Rare and endangered plant species. Endangered Plants: Essay: Biology
Nature is beautiful in its versatility. Diverse rare plants hidden in all corners of the vast planet. It is impossible to pluck them as a gift to someone, it will not be possible to buy them in a flower shop, because they are practically never found and are protected by law. It is only in our power to save unique species and leave them to live not only as references on the pages of school textbooks and reference books.
We will describe the most unique plant species in the world in this article.
Middlemist red
Originally exported from China in 1854, this flower is the rarest, as only two specimens remain in the world - in Great Britain and New Zealand. He was destroyed in his homeland. The gardener who miraculously took him to Europe did not even suspect what gift he would make to humanity in the future.
The last time a plant of this species bloomed in 2010. In shape, it resembles a bowl with neat rows of pale pink petals inside.
Franklin Tree
A beautiful snow-white plant was discovered in 1765 by two botanists from Philadelphia - William and John Bartram. He was named after Benjamin Franklin, good friend father William.
Alatamaha Franklinia (the second name of the species) was listed as rare in the nineteenth century. It was very difficult to breed him because of his rather whimsical nature. Three years ago, this plant bloomed for the first time in two hundred years.
The plant is native to China. It was first discovered in 1907 in Hubei province. Basically, today this species grows in botanical gardens. Rarely it is found in mountainous areas - at an altitude of up to a thousand meters above sea level.
Its unique feature is the color of the petals. During flowering, they are white, and later become intense red.
lady's slipper
The flower got its name due to its shape, which resembles a lady's (Venus) slipper. This is the reason for its popularity, which led to the inclusion of the species in the list of the rarest throughout Europe and the world. The population drops especially during the tourist season, as people pluck the plant in order to bring it home and plant it at home.
An interesting feature of the flower is known to many - thanks to the unearthly appearance, the trap hidden inside is not visible at all. This is what gullible flying insects, usually bees, come across. They sit on a smooth, shiny "shoe", the lip of the plant, and easily roll down. To get out, they need to leave their pollen - only at this price can they climb through a special hole.
Jade flower (Strongylodon macrocyssus)
This creeper-shaped plant immediately attracts attention due to its unusual shape. One more interesting feature- color. It's not just about the beautiful turquoise and shades of blue, but also in the fact that Strongylodon tends to glow at night. Due to this, it is pollinated by bats, which are attracted by the unusual brightness of the petals.
At home, the plant does not take root well, but in the botanical gardens it was possible to grow a few specimens. The main reason for the extinction of this flower is massive deforestation.
Cosmos chocolate
The Mexican flower of velvet color is bred almost artificially. At one time, in his homeland, he was considered almost a weed, and when they realized it, it was already too late - there was only one bush of this species left, from which it was possible to get some seeds for the whole world. This amazing plant that really has a chocolate flavor.
In nature, it grows poorly, as it has a rather capricious disposition due to its homeland of Mexico, where it is always warm. In addition, it is very difficult to care for a flower on your own:
- good is needed frequent watering, you can not leave the soil dried;
- you need to find a semi-dark place, but at the same time make sure that the plant gets enough sunlight;
- when frosts come, it is recommended to transplant chocolate space to a warm place, otherwise the tubers may die.
parrot beak
A bright fiery plant native to the Canary Islands has long been bred only artificially. This is due to pollinators - earlier they were nectary birds, which died out, and it was not possible to replace them with other species due to incompatibility. Since then, the flower has not grown in wild nature. The inhabitants of Europe settled him in their greenhouses.
Gibraltar Smolevka
This is a mountain plant. In appearance, it is the simplest of those on this list. Its flowers will not surprise you with their pretentiousness or bright color, the stems will not be the tallest in the world. Nevertheless, climbers still fell in love with the Gibraltar tar, carefully collected the seeds and gave them to specialists. A little later, scientists transferred the plant to the botanical gardens.
From a distance it may seem that these are ordinary thickets of wild flowers. But get closer, and you will see a delicate lilac shade of petals in the shape of an elongated heart.
ghost orchid
A fragile, pale flower balances on a thin stem that is swayed by a stormy wind. The only hope is the tree on which the plant is located. These "ghost flowers" appear unexpectedly, bloom several times, and then disappear again. This feature gave the plant its name.
The birthplace of the flower is Florida, where it was first seen. Being extremely whimsical, plants can long time to be underground, to appear only when it is really warm.
wild lupine
This unusual blue plant is native to the Mediterranean and Africa. Its petals tend upward. The flower is sensitive to climate change, which is why it began to die out after industry began to spread around the world, and people completely forgot about ecology. In addition, the plant is of industrial interest to humans:
- its seeds contain up to 50% protein;
- there is also an oil similar to olive oil;
- the flower is an excellent food for fish and animals.
cokyo
This tree with a thousand fiery flowers can only be found in Hawaii. The fate of this plant is tragic. It was discovered too late, in 1860 - then only three copies remained. The battle for life continued until 1950, when the last kokio disappeared. However, by a lucky chance, one branch was saved and grafted onto other trees. Thus, new types of cocio were formed.
Finally managed to save one of the most capricious plants which now pleases many tourists. Its main difference is the many bright petals, red, orange and yellow.
Green pitchers, motionless frozen over the swampy areas of Australia - this is what this predatory plant looks like, the most unusual and strange of all mixotrophs. It stores a pleasantly smelling liquid at the bottom, thanks to which not only insects, but also mammals get inside! For example, a plant is able to absorb mice, which are so intoxicated by nectar that they lose their minds and fall into the depths. 
This discovery was made after people complained about the unpleasant smell emanating from one such jug. As a result, a skeleton of a rat was found inside. Unfortunately, the plant is distributed only in a few parts of the planet, and therefore is rare.
magnolia macrophylla
Delicate snow buds require careful handling, which is why they grow in places where it is very difficult to disturb them - for example, in gorges along rivers. The plant needs moist soil. It is not afraid of frost, despite its thin leaves and the need for protection.
The flower has added to the list of endangered plant species. Plucking large-leaved magnolia is prohibited by law - it is illegal and fraught with punishment.
Kadupul
This one amazing flower it is even impossible to break it - he lives only one night. It is this feature of it that makes people from all over the world come to the homeland of the plant, to Sri Lanka, in order to have time to take photos as a keepsake.
There is a legend: at midnight, when the kadupul blooms, the mythical Nagas, demigods with the body of a snake, take this flower to give it to the Buddha later.
Only by joint efforts is it possible to save endangered species and prevent the perishing of those plants, which are now abundant. Remember the sad example: chocolate space was considered a weed, and now they are trying to recreate it bit by bit ... It is better to learn from the sad experience of past generations and not repeat the same terrible mistakes.
Every year the world is getting closer to an ecological catastrophe. It is in the power of each of us to push back the most terrible date, becoming a little kinder to others. You should not pick an innocent plant just for a bouquet - better try to increase its population, because then it will be able to please you not for three days, but for a whole year, being alive and beautiful.
Flowers are the decoration of our life. They, like the bright jewels of nature, make our planet exceptional. But unfortunately, many of the beautiful plants are on the verge of extinction. rare flowers, some of which have survived only in a few copies, are listed in the Red Book. Mankind is trying to prevent their extinction, which, at times, is provoked by itself. It is not known who will win this fight...
Photo: baklol.comBeautiful lianas, during the flowering period, releasing flowers, painted in the color of a sea wave, the British poetically called the "jade vine". Its scientific term is Strongylodon largecarpus. Without exaggeration, we can say that not a single plant in the world has such an unusual color.
In the wild, the habitat of the jade vine is gradually decreasing. First of all, the person is to blame for this: the deterioration of the ecological situation leads to a reduction in the natural pollinators of the plant. Its pollen is carried by bats, which used to large quantities lived in the Philippine Islands. The jade vine lures such creatures with its unusual color, which is perfectly visible in the dark. The turquoise flowers seem to luminesce at night.
Some argue that the cultivation of this plant is not carried out. However, this statement is fundamentally wrong: back in the middle of the last century, rare flowers were exported from natural place habitat, and are now grown on the islands of Java and in Singapore. The British also do not lag behind their comrades from Asian countries: in the London botanical garden part of the territory is reserved specifically for the cultivation of these plants.
Participates this close relative beans and in scientific experiments. Based on it, scientists still hope to grow a blue rose.
Photo: ylfrettub.com "Flower from Heaven" is a legendary Buddhist plant. A myth is associated with its flowering: it is believed that the appearance of the flowering Yutan Poluo means: a new Buddha has come into the world - a great sage called to change the world for the better. The birth of a new luminary of humanity occurs once in 3,000 years, as well as flowering this plant. Such a person in our world would really not hurt now ...
For the first time, they started talking about the flower in 1997, when it grew on a golden statue depicting the main Buddhist prophet. This case was the first among many: since then, microscopic white flowers on a thin stem have appeared in different places. There is a widely known story about how a farmer who was cleaning pipes discovered Yutan Poluo in them. Later, scientists found out: the plant grows on any hard surfaces, absolutely not needing soil.
Another feature of Yutan Poluo is its smell. Despite its small size, the flower exudes an unusual fragrance reminiscent of sandalwood.
Photo: picstopin.com The bright red inflorescences of this plant look very unusual. At first glance, they look like human lips painted with scarlet lipstick. Such a similarity is noticeable, however, only in the first phase of flowering: then the “lips” are decorated with white inflorescences, and then with bright blue fruits.
This plant can be found only in three countries: Costa Rica, Colombia and Panama. It chose the tropical jungle as its habitat. The disappearance of the plant is connected precisely with the habitat - deforestation in these countries is practically not controlled, which leads to the disappearance of representatives of the flora and fauna living in a humid and warm place.
Photo: litsait.ru One day, John Middlemit, a gardener from Great Britain, while traveling through the Middle Kingdom, noticed an unusual flower. It was very similar to a rose, but there were still differences. The flower was called Camellia. It turns out that he had various shades: pink, white and even purple. But it was the bright red Camellia that fascinated the gardener - he took the amazing plant to his homeland.
Years passed. In China, you will no longer meet red camellias - they all disappeared for one reason or another. However, in London - a gloomy and rainy corner of the planet - the unique flowers brought by Middlemit were preserved. True, officially only two copies. But perhaps the number of flowers is still not so small: a gardener who arrived from China in 1804 distributed seeds to many people. Perhaps somewhere in the depths of private gardens and parks you can also find a beautiful and insanely rare plant.
Photo: twitter.com Small white flowers on a sunny day will not attract much attention from people. But everything changes dramatically during the period rainy weather: moisture falling on the petals makes them completely transparent!
You can meet a similar plant mainly in China or Japan. It also grows on the territory of Russia, but only on Far East. The flower is unique and rare: Gray's double leaf has long been listed in the Red Book.
Rare flowers are precious pearls of nature. And people who consider themselves the crown of creation must make every effort to save endangered plant species.
That's all we have. We are very glad that you have looked at our site and spent some time enriching yourself with new knowledge.
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During the existence of mankind from the face of the earth has already disappeared great amount plant species. One of the reasons for this phenomenon is natural disasters, but today it is more appropriate to explain this problem by anthropogenic activity. Most susceptible to extinction rare species flora, that is, relics, and their distribution depends on the boundaries of a particular area. To draw the attention of the public, a Red Book is being created, in which information about endangered species is entered. Also government bodies different countries ensures the protection of endangered plants.
Reasons for the extinction of plants
The disappearance of flora occurs due to economic activity of people:
- grazing;
- draining swamps;
- plowing of steppes and meadows;
- collection of herbs and flowers for sale.
Not last value have, flooding of coastal areas, environmental pollution, as well. As a result of natural disasters, plants die in large numbers overnight, which leads to global changes in the ecosystem.
Disappeared species of flora
It is difficult to determine how many hundreds of plant species have disappeared from the planet. Over the past 500 years, according to experts from the World Conservation Union, 844 species of flora have disappeared forever. One of them is sigillaria, tree plants, which reached a height of 25 meters, had thick trunks, grew in swampy areas. They grew in groups, forming entire forest zones.
Grows in the Pacific Islands interesting view- strebloriz from the genus Legumes, had an interesting flowering. Disappeared is the Crean violet, herbaceous plant, which grew up to 12 centimeters and had purple flowers.
Also, the species of lepidodendron, which was covered with dense foliage, disappeared from tree-like plants. Of the aquatic species, it is worth mentioning nematophyte algae, which were found in various reservoirs.
Lepidodendron
So for the world is actual problem reduction in biodiversity. If action is not taken, many species of flora will soon disappear. At the moment, rare and endangered species are listed in the Red Book, and after reading the list, you can find out which plants should not be plucked. Some species on the planet are almost never found, and they can only be found in hard-to-reach places. We must protect nature and prevent the extinction of plants.
On our planet there is a huge number of all kinds of plants, seeing which one can only be surprised at how nature could come up with something like this. An incredible number of species and subspecies of plants, many of which amaze with their qualities - from survival and adaptability, to colors and sizes. In this ranking of the most unusual plants, we will show the full scope of natural creativity.
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Romanesco is one of cultivars 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 reports, it was first mentioned in historical documents in Italy in the sixteenth century. The vegetable appeared on international markets in the 90s of the XX century. Compared to cauliflower and broccoli, Romanesco is more delicate in texture and has a milder creamy nutty flavor without a bitter note.
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Euphorbia obesum is a perennial succulent plant in the Euphorbiaceae family that resembles a stone or a green-brown soccer ball in appearance, without spines or leaves, but sometimes forms "branches" or suckers in strange-looking sets of spheres. It can grow up to 20-30 cm in height and up to 9-10 cm in diameter. Euphorbia obese is a bisexual plant, it has male flowers on one plant, and females on another. For fruit set, cross-pollination is necessary, which is usually performed.
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 mm in diameter, the pedicels fall off after seeding. in full sun or partial shade. Plants are very well hidden among the stones, their color blends with environment so good that sometimes it's hard to see them.
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Tacca is a plant of the Tacca family, growing in a wide variety of environmental conditions and numbering 10 species. They settle in open and heavily shaded areas, in savannas, in thickets of bushes and in rain forests. Young parts of plants, as a rule, are pubescent with tiny hairs that disappear as they grow older. Plant sizes are usually small, from 40 to 100 centimeters, but some species sometimes reach a height of 3 meters. Although takka is becoming more widespread as indoor plant, it should be borne in mind that it is not easy to successfully maintain tacca in rooms due to the special demands of the plant on the conditions of detention. The Tacca family is represented by one genus Tacca, numbering about 10 plant species.
- Takka pinnatifida grows in tropical Asia, Australia, and in the tropics of Africa. Leaves up to 40-60 cm wide, from 70 cm long to 3 meters long. A flower with two bedspreads, large, reaching 20 cm wide, the color covered is light green.
— Tacca Chantrier grows in tropical forests South-East Asia. Evergreen tropical herbaceous plant, reaching 90-120 cm in height. The flowers are edged with maroon, almost black, wing-span-like bracts. bat or butterflies with long, threadlike antennae.
- Whole-leaved takka grows in India. The leaves are wide, glossy, up to 35 cm wide, up to 70 cm long. A flower with two bedspreads, large, up to 20 cm wide, the color is white, white tone scattered purple strokes. The flowers are black, purple or dark purple, located under the bedspreads.
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Venus flytrap - view carnivorous plants from the monotypic genus Dionea of the Rosyankovye family. It is a small herbaceous plant with a rosette of 4-7 leaves that grow from a short underground stem. Leaves are three to seven centimeters in size, depending on the time of year, long trap leaves usually form after flowering. 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 horticulture. Can be grown as a houseplant. Grows in soils with a lack of nitrogen, such as swamps. Lack of nitrogen is the reason for the appearance of traps: insects serve as a source of nitrogen necessary for protein synthesis. The Venus flytrap belongs to a small group of plants capable of fast movements.
After the prey is trapped and the edges of the sheets close, forming a "stomach" in which the digestion process takes place. Digestion is catalyzed by enzymes that are secreted by glands in the lobes. Digestion takes approximately 10 days, after which only an empty chitinous shell remains of the prey. After that, the trap opens and is ready to capture new prey. During the life of the trap, an average of three insects fall into it.
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The dragon tree is a plant of the genus Dracaena that grows in the tropics and subtropics of Africa and on the islands of Southeast Asia. Grown as an ornamental plant. An old Indian legend tells that a long time 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, one old and strong elephant fell on the dragon and crushed it. Their blood mixed and wetted the ground around. At this place, trees have grown, called dracaena, which means “female dragon”. Indigenous people The Canary Islands considered the tree sacred, and its resin was used for medicinal purposes. The resin was found in prehistoric burial caves and was used for embalming at that time.
On its thick branches grow bunches of very sharp leaves. Thick branched trunk up to 20 meters high, diameter at the base up to 4 m, has a secondary growth in thickness. Each branch of branching ends with 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 dividing perianth, in bunches of 4-8 pieces. Some trees live up to 7-9 thousand years.
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The genus Gidnora includes 5 species growing in the tropical regions of Africa, Arabia and Madagascar, it is not very common, so just walking in the desert, you will not find it. This plant is more like a mushroom until its unusual flower opens. In fact, the flower is named after the hydnor mushroom, which means mushroom in Greek. Hydnoraceae flowers are rather 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.
The inhabitants of Africa - willingly use the fruits of hydnora for food, like some animals. In Madagascar, the hydnora fruit is considered one of the best local fruits. Thus, the peddlers of hydnora seeds are the most and humans. In Madagascar, the flowers and roots of Hydnora are used by locals to treat heart disease.
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Baobab is a species of trees from the genus Adansonia of the Malvaceae family, characteristic of the dry savannahs of tropical Africa. The lifespan of baobabs is controversial - they do not have growth rings, which can be used to reliably calculate age. Radiocarbon dating has shown more than 5,500 years for a tree 4.5 meters in diameter, although baobabs are more conservatively estimated to live for about 1,000 years.
In winter and during the dry period, the tree begins to consume moisture reserves, decreasing in volume, sheds foliage. Baobab blossoms from October to December. 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 scent of bats that pollinate them. In the morning, the flowers wither, acquiring an unpleasant putrefactive odor, and fall off.
Next develop oblong edible fruits, which resemble cucumbers or melons, covered with a thick furry peel. Inside the fruits are filled with sour mealy pulp with black seeds. The baobab dies in a peculiar way: it seems to crumble and gradually settle, leaving behind only a pile of fiber. However, baobabs are extremely tenacious. They quickly restore the stripped bark; continue to bloom and bear fruit. A cut down or fallen tree is able to take on 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 most popular greenhouse plants in the world. Victoria amazonica was named after English queen Victoria. Victoria Amazonian is common in the Amazon in Brazil and Bolivia, it is also found in the rivers of Guyana that flow into the Caribbean Sea.
Huge water lily leaves reach 2.5 meters and, with a uniformly distributed load, can withstand weight up to 50 kilograms. The tuberous rhizome is usually deeply recessed into the muddy bottom. The upper surface is green with a repellent wax layer. excess water, also has small holes for removing water. The lower part is purplish red with a mesh of ribs studded with spikes to protect against herbivorous fish, air bubbles accumulate between the ribs to help the leaf float. In one season, each tuber can produce up to 50 leaves, which, growing, cover a large surface of the reservoir, blocking sunlight and thereby limiting the growth of other plants.
Victoria Amazonian flowers are under water and bloom only once a year for 2-3 days. Flowers bloom only at night, and with the onset of dawn they fall under water. During flowering, flowers placed above the water, in the open state, have a diameter of 20-30 centimeters. On the first day, the color of the petals is white, on the second they are pinkish, on the third they turn purple or dark crimson. In the wild, the plant can live up to 5 years.
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Sequoia is a monotypic genus of woody plants of the Cypress family. It grows on the Pacific coast of 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", while plants of the related species sequoiadendron are known as "giant sequoias".
Their diameter at the level of the human chest is about 10 meters. The largest tree in the world "General Sherman". Its height is 83.8 meters. In 2002, the volume of wood was 1487 m³. It is believed that he is 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 of the monotypic Nepentaceae family, which includes about 120 species. Most species grow in tropical Asia, especially on the island of Kalimantan. Named after the herb of oblivion from ancient Greek mythology- nepenfa. Species of the genus are mostly shrub or semi-shrub lianas growing in humid habitats. Their long thin herbaceous or slightly lignified stems climb the trunks and large branches of neighboring trees to tens of meters in height, carrying their narrow terminal racemose or paniculate inflorescences to sunlight.
At 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, jugs are painted in bright colours: red, matt white with spotted pattern or light green with spots. The flowers are small and inconspicuous, actinomorphic and petalless, with four imbricate sepals. The fruit is in the form of a leathery box, divided by internal partitions into separate chambers, in each of which seeds with a fleshy endosperm and a straight cylindrical small embryo are attached to the 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 on a toilet bowl 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 fungus, belonging to Agaricus mushrooms, looks like chewed chewing gum, oozing blood and smelling of strawberries. However, you should not eat it, because it is one of the most poisonous mushrooms on the ground, and even just licking it can be guaranteed to get serious poisoning. The mushroom gained fame in 1812, and then it was recognized as inedible. The surface of the fruit bodies is white, velvety, with small depressions, becoming beige or brown with age. On the surface of young specimens, drops of a poisonous blood-red liquid protrude through the pores. The word “tooth” in the title is not just that. 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 chemicals that thin the blood. It is possible that soon this mushroom will become a replacement for penicillin. main feature of this fungus is that it can feed on both soil juices and insects, which are lured by the red liquid of the fungus. The diameter of the cap of a bloody tooth is 5-10 centimeters, the length of the stem is 2-3 centimeters. The bloody tooth grows in coniferous forests 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 aroid 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 sheet, above are smaller ones. Leaf length up to 3 meters, and up to 1 meter in diameter. Petiole length 2-5 meters, thickness 10 cm. Matte green, with white transverse stripes. The underground part of the plant is a giant tuber weighing up to 50 kilograms.
The aroma of the flower resembles a mixture of rotten eggs and rotten fish, and in appearance the flower resembles a decomposing piece of meat. It is this smell that attracts pollinating insects to the plant in the wild. Flowering continues for two weeks. Interestingly, the cob is heated up to 40 ° C. The tuber during this time is greatly depleted due to the overexpenditure of nutrients. Therefore, he needs another rest period of up to 4 weeks in order to accumulate strength for leaf development. If there are few nutrients, then the tuber “sleeps” after flowering until next spring. The life expectancy of this plant is 40 years, but during this time it blooms only three or four times.
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Velvichia is amazing - a relic tree - is one species, one genus, one family, one order of the Velvichievs. Velvichia grows in southern 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 Welwitschia. Her appearance you can’t call it grass, bush, or tree. The scientific world learned about Velvichia in the 19th century.
From afar, it seems that Velvichia has many 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 a leaf length of more than 6 meters and a width of about 2. And its life expectancy is so long that it is hard to believe. Although Velvichia is considered a tree, it does not have annual rings, as on tree trunks. Scientists have determined the age of the largest Velvichii by radiocarbon dating - it turned out that some specimens are about 2000 years old!
Instead of a social plant life, Velvichia prefers a lonely existence, that is, it does not grow in a group. Velvichia flowers look like small cones, with only one seed in each female cone, and each seed is equipped with wide wings. As for pollination, the opinions of botanists differ here. Some believe that pollination is carried out by insects, while others are more inclined to the action of the wind. Velvichia is protected by the Namibian Conservation Act. The collection of its seeds is prohibited without special permission. The entire territory where Velvichia grows has been turned into a National Park.
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Some representatives of the flora continue to fight, but are on the verge of extinction - these are Cladophora spherical, Naya algae the thinnest, Yellow water lily, Lily saranka, Dolomite bell and many others. Human activity leads to devastating consequences, as a result of which the Barguzin Wormwood, Norwegian Astragalus, Chiy, Volga Potentilla, Common Heather, Creeping Gudayera, Krasheninnikov's Plantain and other rare species were completely wiped off the face of the Earth.
Terrifying statistics
According to statistics, about 1 percent of tropical rainforests disappear every year. At the same time, almost 70 species of plants and animals die out on the planet every day, which is about 3 species per hour. A tenth of the zone of the greatest biological diversity in shallow water - coral reefs - has already disappeared, and about 30 of it will be destroyed in the coming decades. Mostly corals die due to global changes climate, pollution and warming of water, uncontrolled fishing of reef fish and death of symbiotic organisms.plant protection
Under strict protection on the territory of the Russian Federation are such as Amur, Common yew, Lotus, Pitsunda pine, Boxwood, as well as many other types of herbs, shrubs and trees listed in the Red Book. They are extremely important, since the disappearance of food chains from the ecosystem leads to its complete destabilization.When one species disappears, population changes often occur in secondary species, which can have irreversible consequences. Each plant produces unique chemical compounds, and also stores in its DNA a unique genetic material that disappears without a trace with it. For example, the only source of artemisinin, the most effective drug for malaria, is the annual wormwood. Black, in which all the disappeared plants are collected, is alarm signal humanity from the planet.
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The natural conditions of the mountains are significantly different from the plains. In the mountains, the air is thinner, there is less vegetation, and moisture is not available everywhere. This determines the characteristic features of mountain animals and plants.
Snow Sheep - visiting card of the mountains
This is an animal with massive horns twisted into a ring, in the most inaccessible rocky places. They feed on sparse mountain vegetation, grasses and lichens, and sometimes dried grass. Often rams eat old dry mushrooms, in which insect larvae - this helps them meet their need for protein. By the way, despite the impressive horns, the researchers did not notice a single fight between male rams.Edelweiss is a beautiful mountain plant
Delicate edelweiss has become the central character of many legends, where he is bravery, eternal love and good luck. Edelweiss flowers in the highlands of Europe and Asia. The surface of the flower is covered with tiny villi that protect the plant from the scorching mountain sun and prevent excessive evaporation of moisture. Previously, it was almost impossible to get edelweiss, but now these beautiful flowers are successfully grown on Alpine rollercoaster in country houses.The popularity of edelweiss is so high that many businesses, restaurants and residential complexes are named after it.
Irbis - big mountain cat
Irbis, or snow leopard, is a predatory animal of the cat family. Irbis in the mountains of Central Asia. The beautiful dense skin of the leopard with long fur and leopard spots on a smoky background made the animal a popular object of hunting. As a result, the number of snow leopards has sharply decreased, and now the animal is listed in the Red Book. The leopard rarely makes contact with people and is rather secluded, so its behavior and habits are still little studied.Blue spruce - highlands tree
Blue spruces, which often appear in large parks and squares near the administration, are quite high in their natural environment. These trees grow in the mountain valleys of North America and often reach the mark of 3000 meters above sea level. Pale blue spruce needles fell in love with the discoverers, and they wanted to grow this beauty on the plain. However, the hotter surface climate negatively affected the seedlings. The solution was found by the Soviet scientist I. Kovtunenko. He grew spruces in a substrate of spruce and pine cones. This method quickly spread throughout the country and brought the biologist the Stalin Prize.One of the first blue firs that appeared in Russia are trees near the Kremlin wall.
Yak - Tibetan beast of burden
In highland Tibet, yaks are replaced. These strong, massive animals are used to transport goods and are also raised for meat. Tibetans also drink yak milk, and a linen is woven from thick shaggy wool. Also, these animals were popular among the nomads of the mountainous places of India, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Nepal, China. Wild yaks are not adapted to live near people, so their population is steadily declining. But domestic yaks remain - they are smaller and calmer.The ecological system is an unstable phenomenon: the species of living organisms are constantly changing, appearing and disappearing for many different reasons. But since the appearance of man on Earth, one more reason has been added to these reasons - human activity. She has caused the disappearance of dozens various kinds animals.
Study of extinct animals
It is impossible to say exactly how many species have disappeared from the face of the planet by. Representatives of the human race occupied a dominant place in nature already several tens of millennia ago, in prehistoric times, and scientists cannot say which species could have suffered from their activities at that time. More or less accurately, one can judge the influence of man on the state of the ecological system since 1500: from about that time, one can speak about the reliability of the existence of certain organisms that have already been preserved, since the observations of naturalists have been preserved. According to research, 884 species have disappeared since the beginning of the 16th century, of which several dozen have ceased to exist due to human fault.
Weird and unusual plants exist at all points the globe. But most of them, of course, are in the tropics, where the climate has a beneficial effect on the appearance unusual shapes life.
Instruction
In Namibia there is a plant called Velvichia. It looks and lives very unusually. Its life span is from 1.5 to 400 thousand years, and all this time on the surface of the earth this plant is represented by only two huge leaves that grow throughout life. Sometimes the length of the leaves reaches 8 meters. The main source of moisture for this outlandish plant is fog, it grows only there, fogs. Up to 5 years, Velvichia can exist without rain, due to only atmospheric moisture. locals shoots of the plant are baked in a fire and eaten.
The climate of the northern latitudes does not allow nature to experiment with plants, and therefore the inhabitants of the tropics are sometimes striking in their size. On the Mediterranean coast, for example, Dracunculus is often found - its flower is up to half a meter in diameter. The bulb, from which a fast-growing pedicel up to a meter in height emerges, is also very large. On the stem is a pair of carved leaves, shaped like deer antlers. Then a huge one appears, growing day by day, but at the moment of opening it can disappoint connoisseurs of beauty. Dracunculus is pollinated by dead-eating beetles, and it attracts them with the smell of rotten meat. Therefore, often the plant is planted not in front of the windows and not in the recreation area, but at a distance - in this way you can admire its splendor without suffering from aroma. This flower grows in Crete, Greece, Turkey and the Balkans. At home, it is not popular and is considered a weed. The plant is thermophilic, loves sunny places, but frosts down to -5 can endure without harm.
Eucalyptus trees mostly grow in Australia, being food for koalas. But the well-known eucalyptus on the Philippine island of Mindanao grew rainbow eucalyptus, which was later brought to South Florida. The cool climate did not suit the inhabitant of the tropics very well, and up to 70 meters, as in his homeland, he does not grow, but his bark is still painted in all the colors of the rainbow. The bark and leaves of the tree renew throughout the year, and the young bark has a bright green color. Aging and darkening, it takes on shades of purple, blue, burgundy, orange. Alternating on the trunk, layers of multi-colored bark resemble an artist's palette. His photos are often mistaken for the creations of artists. The plant is grown in decorative purposes, but useful qualities this tree has a lot. Pests do not damage these trees, and they almost do not get sick, and eucalyptus wood has a uniform, quite ordinary color, despite the colorful wrap.
Among the steppe and meadow flora, on wastelands and sandstones, most often you can find plantain lanceolate, large and medium. Its ubiquitous distribution is simply explained - one mature plant capable of dissipating about 60,000 tiny seeds easily picked up by the wind. Despite the huge reproduction rate, certain types of plantain are listed in the Red Book of Latvia and some regions of Russia. Not everyone knows that plantain serves as food for butterflies of many species of insects.
rich grass
Representatives of this species perennial herbs in varying degrees contain in their leaves:
- mucus-forming substances (approximately 44%);
- proteins;
- fatty oils;
- tannins;
- organic acids;
- saponins;
- carbohydrates;
- vitamin C;
- carotenoids;
- alkaloids;
- chlorophyll and choline;
- phytoncides and polysaccharides;
- flavonoids.
This is just a small list of the main chemical constituents. The mineral series is represented by calcium, potassium, boron, bromine, barium and copper.
medicine under your feet
The most pronounced medicinal properties have a large plantain, flea and Indian. In pharmacology, leaves, roots, seeds are used. Plantain extract is a part of many cosmetic products.
The healing properties of plantain are known even to children - to a fresh abrasion, cut, bruise, insect bite (bees, wasps, spiders) or to a broken nose, it is enough to attach a plantain leaf and after a few minutes you can forget about the problem.
In addition to anti-inflammatory and hemostatic properties, infusions and decoctions of plantain leaves have an enveloping, powerful expectorant and tonic effect, they perfectly reduce pressure and successfully heal wounds of various etymologies (eczema, erysipelas, snake bites); shown at various diseases gastrointestinal tract(colitis, ulcers, gastritis, catarrh, flatulence, etc.), mouth and eyes.
The infusion of seeds also has an expectorant, enveloping, carrying effect. It is taken for diabetes and infertility in men and women (associated with low hormonal levels).
Plantain juice is able to suppress pathogenic microflora (pseudomonal and staphylococcal bacilli), is indicated for disorders in the gastrointestinal tract and for the restoration of the cornea, and has proven itself in the treatment of toxicosis. Preserved with alcohol, it is especially effective in the treatment of tuberculosis and whooping cough.
Contraindications are hyperacidity, low blood clotting, individual intolerance. Long-term use drugs can cause the same effects.
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