Plants. How many of them on Earth! They surround us everywhere: both on land and in sea depths. Thanks to plants, we breathe, because under the influence sun rays Green spaces convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. Botanical scientists in the process of studying various kinds revealed many interesting facts about plants.
The most unusual facts about plant life
1. Grows on planet Earth unusual plant- ceratonia. Surprisingly, it always produces seeds weighing exactly 0.2 g. In ancient times, ceratonia seeds were used by jewelers as miniature weights, and now this measure is called a carat.
2. On the island of Mindanao, rainbow eucalyptus trees grow with colorful bright bark. The fact is that the bark from these trees leaves in the form of many narrow strips, and a new one forms in place of the old bark. Initially, it has a bright green color, and as it grows and ages, it becomes blue, purple and even pink-orange.
3. The thickest long-lived trees live in the African savannahs. These are the famous baobabs. With a relatively low height of 18-25 m, the circumference of their trunk can be more than 10 m. And there are record holders with a trunk girth of 50 m. Their life expectancy is from a thousand to more than five thousand years.
4. Most ancient plant on the ground - seaweed.
5. The fastest growing tree in nature is bamboo from South and East Asia. It stretches 75-90 cm per day.
6. Interesting from the life of animals and plants: there are more than 10 thousand on the planet poisonous plants. For example, the Indians processed arrowheads with curare poison and so went to hunt wild animals. And the natives in Africa, in order to defeat a large animal on the spot, used poison from the seeds of strophanthus.
7. There are seemingly harmless plants that are actually carnivorous. They are able to "eat" insects and some arthropods. These plants secrete digestive juice, with the help of which they dissolve their prey, thereby obtaining nutrients. Such predators include: sarracenia, nepenthes, genlisea, darlingtonia, butterwort, sundew, venus flytrap and many others.
8. In the Amazon River, you can find an unusual plant of the water lily family - Victoria. Its leaves reach three meters in diameter. On their surface, they can withstand weights up to 30 kg.
10. Many centenarians among conifers. And the oldest tree on the planet is a pine tree, which is 4.5 thousand years old. It grows in the USA.
11. Interesting data about gymnosperms are known to scientists, of which there are more than 800 species on earth. Gymnosperm trees often reach gigantic sizes. So, sequoia with its average height of about 100 m can reach 18-20 m in diameter and weigh about 1000 tons.
12. Yew - unique tree. It has several tops. When one of the tops reaches a certain size, it dies off, and the other top continues to grow.
14. There are more than 250 thousand species of angiosperms (flowering) plants on earth. They grow from the snowy Arctic to tropical forests. Angiosperms can be found not only in places familiar to us (garden, park), but also in water (water lilies), sandy deserts and steppes (saxaul, camel thorn).
Among flowering plants, orchids stand out. The smallest orchid in the world has flowers only 2 mm in diameter. The world's largest orchid is the tiger orchid. Its inflorescences can reach a length of up to 3 m. And there is also a type of orchid that we eat. This is flat leaf vanilla.
15. Spore plants are also of interest. The most large group of this plant species are ferns. There are more than 300 genera and 10 thousand species. Fern plants appeared over 350 million years ago. They grow everywhere: in the forest, on trunks and branches large trees, in a swamp, in crevices of rocks, in rivers and lakes, along roadsides and even on the walls of city houses.
In New Zealand, a black tree fern grows, which reaches 20 m in height and has a girth of about 50 cm. And Japanese scientists have found that the fern removes radiation from the body.
16. Second most popular spore plants are mosses, one of the most ancient plants. It is believed that mosses appeared on earth after algae and were the first plants to come to land.
17. Cultivated plants are of great value to humans, because we use their fruits for food. Some fascinating information about cultivated plants is also known. For example, in ancient times it was believed that the orange helps to cure the plague. For this reason, juicy fruits were simply sky-high and were available only to the nobility. And the familiar strawberry is the only berry in which the seeds are located on the outside, and not inside.
18. Cultivated plants include cereals, and sometimes they are used not only for food. For example, in ancient China rice was used as a lie detector. The accused had to take a mouthful of rice and then spit it out. If the cereal remained dry, i.e. everything dried up in the defendant's mouth, then he was found guilty.
19. Do not forget about indoor plants. Plants and flowers in the house not only decorate the area and create comfort, but can also affect the mood and health of those who grow them. For example, aloe has medicinal properties, but a fat woman, or in another way " Money Tree”, attracts positive energy to the house and attracts financial well-being.
20. For children, chlorophytum is well suited, which will remove all harmful impurities from the air of the nursery and saturate it with oxygen. In order for peace to reign in the family, you can plant a ficus. And cacti take on negative energy.
21. And in our country you can find plants that are unique in nature. For example, in the vastness of Russia, a weed called hairy peas grows. It is harmful to winter crops, but its seeds can be eaten. They taste like lentil seeds.
22. Wintering horsetail grows in the middle latitudes of Russia. Its stems are so hard that they can scratch steel.
23. The most common tree in Russian forests is larch. This species makes up about 40% of all forest trees. One of the hardiest plants, larch can withstand temperatures down to -60 degrees.
24. One of the most durable species trees, the Far Eastern birch is considered, it is also “iron birch” or “Schmidt birch”. The strength of its wood is 1.5 times that of cast iron.
25. For children, information about the plants of Russia will be interesting. On the shores of the Black Sea, you can see a plant from the pumpkin family called "mad cucumber". The plant got such a funny name because unusual way dispersal of seeds: a ripe fruit, it is worth touching it lightly, jumps away from the stem, and mucus with seeds is thrown out of the hole at a distance of 1-2 m.
It is impossible to tell all the most interesting things about all the plants on earth, because there are more than 390,000 species in total, and a lot of unique information is known about each. Plants form one of the biological kingdoms, along with animals, fungi, bacteria and viruses. And for a person this kingdom is the most friendly and useful.
You will not believe! Two leaves satisfy hunger.
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.
What can be sweeter than sugar?
The leaves of the Paraguayan stevia shrub are more than 300 times sweeter than sugar, while the leaves of the Mexican sugar grass are 1,000 times sweeter. The red berries of the plant "Toumatokus dannelii" from the African savannah are 2,000 times sweeter than sugar, and the red berries of "Dioscorephyllum cumminisia" from the forests of Nigeria and other West African countries are 3,000 times sweeter. In West Africa, the sweetest plant grows - the bush "ketemf", containing the substance toumatin, which is 100,000 times sweeter than sugar!
Fight for survival
Three year old scientific work biologists of the University of Turin showed that some of the plants - lima beans, corn and others, can "realize" the threat to life. Caterpillar saliva that enters the plant, it begins to release a volatile substance similar to the scent of lavender to attract wasps. Wasps protect plants in this way: they sting caterpillars and lay their eggs in their body, which leads to the death of caterpillars.
Unknown dahlia
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 tubers from South America for 20 years of a Mexican plant “unknown” in Europe!
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 of the geographical latitude and proximity of settlements, in comparison with other green areas, the air is practically sterile, contains only about 200 - 300 bacteria per 1 cubic meter.
Not for every mind
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 There is 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 most small 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 per day - in a few days 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 in the stony soils of Natal province in South Africa, on the peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains, has thread-like 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 their stress tolerance.
Chilean nightshade can kill instantly
A plant of the nightshade family of the genus Vestia, consisting of only one species - vestia fruitful Vestia foetida lives only on the coast of the islands of Chile and New Zealand. This evergreen shrub reaches a height of 1.5 meters, and from April to June, the branches of the message are covered with pale yellow tubular flowers 3-4 centimeters long, similar to fuchsia flowers. If the message sheet is rubbed, it publishes bad smell. The genus was named after a professor from Graz, L.C. De West (1776-1840). 20 grams of seeds of this plant costs about 120 euros. In goats that accidentally ate fetal news in the pasture, this nightshade causes liver necrosis with a fatal outcome.
It turns out that after someone touches the leaves of this plant, they fold, and then straighten again!
This happens due to the fact that, with external irritation, chemical substances, including potassium ions, which act on the cells of the leaves, as a result of which there is an outflow of water. The internal pressure in the cells drops and the petiole with the petals on the leaves curl up.
- 2) From what word did 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 antiscorbutic 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. In translation, this means "place of agave" (from the word of the ancient Aztecs who inhabited Mexico, "metl" - "agave").
- It turns out that cacti are edible and have very tender, pleasant-tasting flesh. The only drawback of this delicacy is the thorns, which are very difficult to remove.
However, Luther Burbank managed to develop a cactus that does not have thorns, and besides, it grows quickly. This is prickly pear. The fruits of this cactus are smooth and fragrant, the taste of which is a good competition to oranges.
- The pulp of the prickly pear cactus is used to make marshmallows, 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 mature ones are dried and then delicious muffins with honey flavor are made from them.
- Different cacti have different taste and flesh color. To taste, the cactus can resemble raspberries and pears, melons 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 stalk of a cactus holds up to fifty fruits, and about twenty tons of valuable crops are harvested from one hectare.
- From the apical buds date palm by fermentation get "palm cheese"
- The core of a young date palm is an exquisite but expensive delicacy, because its extraction leads to the death of the tree.
- At the site of a cut inflorescence or stem of a date palm, up to three liters of juice per day are released. And if the cut is renewed, then the juice can be collected for at least three months, which will average 270 liters. The juice was once used to make sugar or lakbi wine.
- The juice of fresh dates is used to make date honey or wine.
- Date pits can completely replace coffee if they are roasted and ground.
- Arabs feed their animals, and even dogs, with dates.
- The harvest of dates from one palm tree is 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 lie in the pitch for two years.
- Pressed dates are called the bread of the desert" - "adzhue", and they take with them on the road.
- The coconut nut is somewhat similar to the muzzle of a monkey, and the monkey in Portuguese is “coco”.
- Potatoes used to be bred as a flower and cultivated in flowerbeds in front of palaces.
- The carrot has been known as an edible root vegetable for four thousand years.
- In China and Japan, carrots up to a meter long are cultivated.
- IN ancient world parsley meant sadness, and it was woven into wreaths as a symbol of grief.
- Onions become ruddy when fried due to the sugar contained in their juice.
- If you chew on a piece of onion for three minutes, it will kill all the bacteria in your mouth.
- Young sunflower inflorescences were once eaten in England with vegetable oil and vinegar.
- The bifurcated tendrils on the branches of the grape make rotational movements, making a complete revolution in two hours. And the very top of a young branch of grapes, according to the observations of Charles Darwin, makes a revolution in four hours.
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We bring to your attention a selection of the most interesting facts about plants.
Seaweeds are considered to be the most ancient plants on Earth.
Amorphophallus is the most smelly plant, it emits the smell of rotten fish.
Arabidopsis is the name of a plant that has borne fruit in space.
Most fast growing plant- bamboo. There is a variety of bamboo that grows about 40 cm per day.
Cordyceps lopsided is perhaps one of the the most interesting and unusual mushrooms on our planet. The thing is that for reproduction, these fungi require the body of an ant. Having bitten into the ant, the fungus changes its behavior, the ant leaves the colony, and then climbs onto a big tree and attached to it. All this is necessary in order to make it more convenient for the fungus to spread its spores. After the death of an ant, its body serves as a refuge for the fungus.
the most interesting and the most common carnivorous plant is Dioneus flycatcher. Special glands on the bud of the plant secrete a specific nectar that perfectly attracts small insects. After the insect has climbed into the “mouth” of the Dionea flytrap, its flaps close and the plant begins to actively produce real gastric juice. Usually, the whole process of digesting prey takes several days for the plant, after which the valves open and the process repeats again.
