Incredible plants. Amazing nearby: the most unusual plants in the world
Did you know that the height of the tallest trees exceeds 100 meters? Have you heard anything about plants that are able to "kill" and "eat" animals? In this article, you will learn a lot of amazing, interesting and even shocking things from the life of plants.
1. Velvichia is amazing (Welwitschia mirabilis).
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This desert dwarf tree can be up to 2,000 years old. From the short stump-like trunk of the plant, two huge leaves extend in both directions, which, as they grow, are longitudinally torn into ribbons, and the tips dry out. The age of these giant leaves is equal to the age of the tree. Leaves constantly grow from the base, and the tips die off. In some cases, the length of the leaves can reach 8 meters, and the width is 1.8 meters.
The genus Amorphophallus, like the genus Rafflesia, is famous for its "delicate aroma" of decaying flesh. The smell emanating from the flower is terrible. Few are able to admire amorphophallus without a gas mask. The flower of most representatives of this genus is huge in size (Especially in the species shown in the photo Amorphophallus titanum) and can reach a height of 2.5 meters with a diameter of 1.5 meters. In many eastern countries, the tubers of this plant are used in the preparation of various culinary dishes and medicines.
(Opuntia bigelovii)
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Opuntia Bigelow is probably one of the most amazing species of the Opuntia genus of the Cactus family. The photo above was taken in California's Joshua Tree National Park. In the photo, the entire desert landscape to the horizon is covered with amazing fluffy cacti, up to two meters high. In the rays of the setting sun, the landscape looks fantastic. The person who is here has the impression that he, as part of a space expedition, landed on another planet covered with unknown life forms.
5. Carnegia giant (Carnegiea gigantea)
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Carnegia giant (Saguaro) is another amazing plant of the Cactus family. The most amazing feature of this cactus is its gigantic size. The height of individual plants is about 14 meters, and the diameter is more than 3 meters! At the same time, the age of individual cacti reaches 150 years.
(Nepenthes)
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Most plants from this genus can be called "predators" without exaggeration, which obtain the necessary missing nutrients by "digesting" the caught insects. The plant has modified leaves that are shaped like jugs. The inner surface of the pitcher is lined with cells that produce nectar, which serves to attract insects, as well as "hair cells" that make it impossible to release an insect that has fallen into the net. The surface of the "neck" of the jug is very slippery, so there is practically no chance for an insect walking along the neck not to slip down. The insect falls into the water (in some species, a jug can contain up to 2 liters of water) and drowns. Further, enzymes are produced that completely “digest” the insect. Sometimes not only insects are trapped, but even mice, rats, birds.
The Venus flytrap is an even more amazing "killer plant" that takes more active steps to kill its prey. Modified leaves - "jaws" of this plant encroach on the life of not only insects, but also on life.
You can "enjoy" the rest of the amazing "combat feats" of the Venus flytrap on the video.
(Ficus benghalensis)
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At first glance, it may seem that the photo above depicts a forest. In fact, it is one single tree. Ficus Bengal forms powerful branches to support which shoots grow, which, going down to the ground, take root, forming powerful columns-trunks.
9. Evergreen Sequoia (Sequoia sempervirens)
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The evergreen sequoia is the tallest tree on our planet. Our temperate forests are grass compared to the forest of these mighty giants. The height of many trees exceeds 110 meters, and the age is more than 3500 years! Previously, houses were hollowed out in the trunks of sequoias and even tunnels were cut through which highways passed. In windy weather, many visitors to the forest of giants feel uneasy from the noisy “grinding” and swaying of the mighty sequoia trunks. Grows in California.
(Puya raimondii)
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Puya Raymonda of the Bromeliad family, native to the Bolivian and Peruvian Andes, has the largest inflorescence with a diameter of 2.5 meters and a height of about 12 meters, consisting of approximately 10,000 simple flowers. It is a pity that this amazing plant blooms only when it reaches the age of 150, and then dies.
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duckbill orchid
small herbaceous plant, who lives in Australia, has learned to make her flowers look like small, 2 centimeters long ducks.
Pollia condensata: not yet nano, but already high technology
Pollia condensata lives in the deep forests of Africa - a small, unremarkable plant. Its fruits are notable: their blue color is 10 times more intense than any color created with pigment. But that's not all - the color does not fade with time, does not collapse from the absorption of light. The bright blue berries of this plant do not fade long years and even decades after collection.
Chinese mushroom "immortality" Lingzhi: two millennia at the top of the ranking
Among the mushrooms that regularly fall into the baskets of avid lovers of "silent hunting", there are many that help doctors in the fight against various human ailments. But, none of them can even closely compare with the unique mushroom known in China under the name lingzhi (Ganoderma lusidum), which has been on the first line in the list of unique medicinal plants for more than two thousand years. Lingzhi is an incredibly capricious mushroom. In the wild, it has always been extremely difficult to find it, because it germinates from tough, rough spores only under certain conditions. This tree fungus lives exclusively on wild plums. But not everyone likes him. The famous ancient physician Ibn Sina claimed that lingzhi takes root only on 10 plums out of 10,000 that were infested with spores. Its medicinal properties were incredibly valued, and the complexity of the search turned the successful collector of medicinal plants, who attacked the lingzhi mycelium only once, into a real rich man.
Rambutan: Paradise is closer than you think
The inhabitants of Asia claim that if you eat at least one fruit of this tree, then life will become noticeably longer. The local population knows for sure that only rambutan is able to acquaint ordinary mortals with the taste of the food of the gods - ambrosia, and the garden of its trees is a place where every righteous person can get acquainted with the place of his future life- paradise. The evergreen rambutan grows up to 6 meters. Its flat, small, petalless flowers are grouped in erect panicles. There is nothing heavenly in the discreet appearance of this native of the Malay Archipelago in Southeast Asia, but during the flowering period, the fragrant sweet nectar of unprepossessing inflorescences exudes such an amazing smell that a myriad crowd of suffering people gather around to break into paradise. These are mainly butterflies, flies and other insects - they guarantee timely pollination.
Dracunculus: a common Mediterranean miracle
In the northern latitudes, climatic conditions leave very few opportunities for experimentation, but in the warm climes of nature's fantasy there is where to turn around. What kind of creatures do not come out of her workshop! Particularly impressive are the plants, whose size simply staggers the northerners. These include the inhabitant of the Mediterranean coast with the intriguing name Dracunculus vulgaris. It all begins in early spring, when a pedicel appears from a huge bulb, quickly reaching a height of about a meter with two dissected forked leaves. By the end of May, a flower opens on it, the length of which reaches 50 cm.
Parachute flower: the forerunner of the airborne paratroopers
Carl Linnaeus, describing this graceful plant in 1753, wanted to give it the name "parachute flower". But the parachute had not yet been invented, so the scientist decided not to get ahead of events, and christened this representative of the African flora simply and without any frills - Ceropegia Woodii. And only in the 20th century, when parachutes ceased to be a curiosity, justice prevailed. This herbaceous evergreen belongs to succulents. It is distinguished by the presence of numerous intertwined thin, thread-like light green creeping shoots.
Rainbow Eucalyptus: abstract paintings in the Australian forests
At the mention of eucalyptus, even a not very advanced connoisseur of geography will immediately imagine distant Australia. And a funny, like a teddy bear animal - a koala, with an appetite gobbles up green juicy leaves. But this tree, known for its outstanding growth, has a relative whose favorite pastime is to dress up beautifully. A relative is known under the name rainbow eucalyptus. In this unusual plant, the bark is painted in all the colors of the rainbow, which makes it look like a native beauty dressed in colorful festive dresses. The multi-colored tree comes from the Philippine island of Mindanao.
Mutinus canine. strange appearance
He leads a secluded life, tries to hide, as rarely as possible to catch anyone's eye. Most often hidden in secluded places in the forest. It is understandable. It is difficult to imagine a different behavior of someone whose appearance is surprisingly similar to a certain intimate part of the body of a small dog. Of course, the appearance is not chosen, but few people like it when they constantly point the finger at it. A mushroom with such an unusual appearance has a name that was probably inspired by its appearance: Mutinus canine.
Amazing "living stones" lithops
Lithops- These are single-stemmed plants that have two clearly marked fleshy leaves, unusually similar to sandstone treated by wind and rain. The leaves sit on a very short stalk, smoothly turning into a taproot that goes deep into the ground in search of moisture. In autumn, yellow, pink or white flowers hatch between the leaves, resembling bright tassels, comparable in size to stone-like leaves.
Zhiryanka is a terrible swamp predator that hunts even during the day
Plant zhiryanka nothing outwardly remarkable. Its green leaves form a rosette. But woe to the insect that weakened its vigilance and wished to rest on the smooth surface of beautifully gleaming leaves!
Aldrovanda vesicularis
plant with beautiful name Aldrovanda vesicularis loves to settle in shallow, stagnant waters of ponds and lakes, rich in decaying bottom sediments. It loves warm summers and clean nature. You can meet Aldrovanda everywhere except Antarctica and the far north.
Govenia sweet: lollipops on the branches
In the common people, it is known as a candy tree, and scientists gave it a name. Govenia sweet or Hovenia dulcis.
Doll's Eye: alien plant
white crow, as a rule, it grows in the mountains of North America (in the east).
Porcupine tomato - an amazing weed with thorns
Porcupine tomato, which the British call Porcupine Tomato, lives in Madagascar
Mimosa bashful - a shy plant
This type of mimosa received its unusual name for an unusual feature: if you touch the plant, then it, as if embarrassed and feeling awkward from the touch, folds its palmate-pinnate leaves and lowers the petiole. After a short time, if there are no new irritants, the leaves unfold again, returning the plant to its original form. Such an interesting ability is harmful: the touchy mimosa cannot hide its leaves for a long time; with prolonged irritation, it dies from energy exhaustion. The leaves also fold at night.
Cedar-Apple Rust Fungus: even seasoned mushroom pickers are shocked
This monster is called cedar-apple rotting mushroom". However, mushroom pickers do not pay attention to Cedar-Apple Rust Fungus(this is his English pseudonym) as their interests are not affected.
Mysterious finds in China: the fruits of the runic flower
In nature, many plants and animals have learned to disguise themselves as other species for safety reasons. But what is found in the soil in different provinces of China defies reasonable explanation. Many are increasingly inclined to think about extraterrestrial origin or involvement in the finds of unknown civilizations.
The frightening forms of the fruits of the "Chinese runic flower" are surprisingly similar to small potato men.
Gidnora: a little-known African predator
Its homeland is the eastern regions of Africa. It is also common in Madagascar. Although common - not entirely true. It's just so hard to find him. Only a few travelers, while walking through the African deserts of the southern and eastern outskirts of the continent, had a chance to see this monster.
TO ragged tooth (Hydnellum peckii): pretty killer mushroom
For amazing appearance this fungus has received a lot of names - strawberries with cream, tooth juice, bleeding or devil's tooth.
Rafflesia Arnoldi or "corpse lily"
Rafflesia Arnoldi is a huge flower, blood-red in color, consisting of five thick fleshy petals. They are dotted with white growths that look like warts.
Velvichia is amazing - a tree or a bush?
Welwitschia amazing (Welwitschia mirabilis) is unlike any specimen known to scientists. It grows in the barren deserts of South West Africa, more precisely in the coastal desert of Namibia.
Velvichia is a trunk that looks like a huge stump or stump of a tree, mostly hidden in the ground, crowned with two leathery immortal leaves. The unusual huge leaves of this plant, reaching up to 6 meters in length, are immortal in the truest sense of the word! After all, they live up to two thousand years - this is the longest life expectancy of Velvichia.
Amorphophallus titanic: flower giant
Amorphophallus titanic lives for about forty years, but blooms only a few times during the entire period of its life. There is a huge tuber of a plant in the ground, the weight of which, in some cases, reaches fifty kilograms. A green stem develops from the tuber, in the upper part of which there is one large leaf and several small ones. And crowns the composition unusual flower titanic size. Every year, old leaves die off, and new green leaves grow in their place. On the stem of the amorphophallus, female flowers first open, and after a few days male flowers, the flowering period lasts only two days. The temperature of the top of the flower is close to the temperature human body, thanks to this property, this unusual plant attracts a huge number of insects that pollinate it.
Desmodium rotatus: a dancing plant
Desmodium rotating or telegraph plant, as it is also called, is a shrub that reaches 1.2 meters in height, has oblong leaves resembling an ellipse, and the upper leaves of the plant are slightly drooping and much larger than the side ones. The flowers are small and clustered in racemes.
In strong light, the side leaves of the plant begin to rotate along a strictly defined trajectory. In 30 seconds, the lateral leaves of the desmodium describe a complete ellipse with their tips, their rotation is jerky and slightly resembles a message transmitted by Morse code, which is probably why the desmodium is called a telegraph plant.
Satin (satin wood): chic, shine, beauty!
Satin, it is satin wood- a representative of the Rutov family. It grows on the island of Sri Lanka and in southern India, in forests with low air humidity. The tree trunk reaches a height of only 3 meters, and a width of just over 30 cm. It is covered with thin, shiny bark, similar to satin fabric, hence the name of the plant.
ShkolaLa welcomes its young readers and their parents. In an effort to continue to help you in your studies, we have prepared new material for the project "Interesting Plants of the World".
Around us lives a large number of unique flowers and trees, blades of grass and shrubs that amaze with their size and beauty, properties and abilities.
Having collected facts about unusual representatives of the flora, we tried to compile the top five most attractive, from our point of view, "green inhabitants" of the planet.
Lesson plan:
fly lover
Our top ten is opened by a plant - the hero of various cartoons called the Venus flytrap. You can’t even call it a flower, since it is a real predator, because the flycatcher feeds on far from organic substances from the soil, as we used to read in a botany textbook about plants.
The menu of the Venus flytrap includes various gaping and curious spider bugs.
The thing is that the plant has traps, which consist of leaves, all together forming a flower rosette. They smell tempting, attracting attention. The trap leaves are only three to seven centimeters long, but so sensitive that as soon as an unlucky fly or a naive spider touches their surface, two leaves slam shut like a box in less than a second!
An insect caught in a flower is doomed to death. The edges of the trap grow together and turn into a digestive organ for 10 days. Moreover, the more “lunch” resists inside, the more actively the Venus flytrap begins to digest it. During its short life, each such leaf is able to eat about three insects.
The most unusual plant in the world settles in the host with the help of a tiny seed. Scientists are amazed at how this seed manages to penetrate hardwood in order to form a bud in a year and a half, from which a bud appears nine months later.
Rafflesia is considered to be the most-most thanks to one of the largest single flowers on Earth.
In diameter, it reaches one meter, and can weigh as much as 10 kilograms!
At the same time, such beauty smells well, quite ugly! Consisting of five fleshy petals in the form of Bolshukhansky red pancakes with white warts, rafflesia radiates the smell of rotting meat.
If we humans are repulsed by this, then for dung flies it is akin to expensive perfumes. They are happy to flock to a specific smell, pollinating the plant. It is a pity that you can not observe such beauty by plugging your nose for long - rafflesia blooms only for three to four days
Bird pan
This is what the locals of the coasts - the countries of Brazil and Bolivia - call the world's largest water lily, which is scientifically called the Victoria Amazon.
Green water lily saucers grow up to 2 - 2.5 meters in diameter and calmly hold weight up to 50 or even more kilograms.
In order not to sink under the weight of accumulated water, the smart water lily perforated its huge leaves with weirs - small holes through which excess water escapes from the surface.
In an unusual plant and unusual flowers. They are located under water and only once a year come to the surface during flowering, which lasts only two to three days. At the same time, modest creatures about 30 centimeters in size appear at night in their full glory, and at dawn they hide from prying eyes again under water.
On the first night, white flowers can be observed on the water, the next night, the Victoria Amazonian flower blooms with a pink tint, and on the last day it flaunts crimson or purple.
candy shop
What child does not dream of a mountain of sweets?! Does it happen that candies grow on trees? It turns out it happens! Moreover, you can see a sweet tree not only in other countries, but even in Russia! You can easily find it in the Crimea and the Caucasus. It grows in China, Korea and Japan.
Back in the 17th century, the candy tree, the correct name of which is sweet govenia, was grown in apothecary gardens, as it was a source of many valuable substances for medicine and health. The candy tree was known in Tibet and India and was rightfully considered a remedy for a thousand diseases. For the Greeks and Romans, magic caramels brought strength and vigor.
The fabulous plant is covered with oblong fruits, the taste of which is somewhat reminiscent of caramel barberry.
Moreover, you can eat those very caramels without directly departing from the tree itself from its branches. Confitures and jams, syrups and juices are made from the sweet fruits of govenia.
except useful properties and delicious bright red caramels, govenia has more outer beauty. With the onset of spring heat, it blooms with golden flowers, from which a magical aroma emanates. The tree is no less beautiful in autumn - it is covered with purple and yellow leaves.
Modest girl
Who among you did not see a flower with bright yellow lumps on the March holiday on March 8, which we call mimosa. And we don’t even think that it has nothing to do with the mimosa genus, because in fact it is a sprig of silver acacia.
But among the hundreds of species of real mimosas, there is a bashful representative.
Why is she called that? The plant got such a name not by chance. It really shrinks from shame, one has only to touch its feathery petals. Mimosa shy from awkwardness folds them, lowering the branches.
If for some time, five to ten minutes, no irritants appear around the flower, the mimosa, as if emboldened, opens its leaves again. The plant cannot hide the petals from the hands of others for a long time, therefore, with strong irritation from energy depletion, the flower may die.
The touchy mimosa can be seen in tropical Brazil, where it is perceived as a weed, as well as in Central America. There is it in other warm countries. Today, bashful mimosa can be grown and how indoor plant, which throughout the summer will delight with pink or purple flowers, forming an inflorescence like a ball.
Here we have such an unusual five today!
Of course, there are many other unique plants in nature that there is not enough space to describe in this article. Perhaps we will return to this topic and continue our list. After all, the planet still has:
And on the ShkolaLa blog you will find:
And many other interesting TOPs)
That's all for today!
Until new interesting meetings!
Evgenia Klimkovich.
How amazing is our planet Earth with all its natural diversity! Just think - in Everyday life we are surrounded by more than 320 thousand species of plants. But these are only those that are described by the science of botany, which every day discovers more and more new species. All this wealth, which gives oxygen to the planet, is scattered around the globe. And in this article from all over the world are collected the most interesting and rare plants in the world.
This wonderful plant belongs to the Lyubka family and is considered the rarest in the world. Now wild steppe orchids can be found only in five US states, as well as in the countries of the Midwest.
According to the Endangered Species Coalition, there are only 172 varieties of the population of such an orchid in the world, and four of them consist of only a thousand copies.
The western steppe orchid is a wetland plant, and its habitats are prairie potholes and ancient glacier retreats that left their traces about 20 thousand years ago.
The plant is endangered due to global warming, frequent fires, and the fact that it is simply trampled by livestock.
Rafflesia
The full name of this plant is Rafflesia Arnoldi, or Rafflesia arnoldii. This tropical plant is considered the most big flower in the world. In fact, the whole plant is a flower, since it does not have roots, stems and leaves in the usual sense. The pungent smell of decaying flesh emanates from Rafflesia, which is why the plant is called the corpse flower. But it's not for nothing - the smell of rotting meat attracts flies that bathe in the finger and then carry it to another plant to cross-pollinate.
Interestingly, rafflesia often blooms along elephant trails, and the reason for this is the way the seeds are dispersed.
The plant bears fruit in balls of pollen, which elephants step on and carry the pollen from the ball further on their feet.
Amorphophallus titanic
Amorphophallus, or Amorphophallus titanum, has the highest height among flowers and the second largest flower in the world after rafflesia. Like its giant sister, this plant exudes a foul smell of rotting flesh to attract flies to aid in flower pollination. Like rafflesia, amorphophallus was common in Indonesia, but people have almost destroyed this species in its natural environment. Now this amazing plant is grown, as a rule, in greenhouse conditions in botanical gardens.
dragon tree
Dragon tree, or Dracaena dragon ( Dracaena draco), got its name from the red juice secreted from the plant, which in ancient times was considered the blood of a dragon. Legend has it that once upon a time bloodthirsty dragons eating elephants lived on earth. But once a big elephant crushed the most powerful dragon, and a dragon tree grew from the blood of the killed mythical creature. Moreover, the leaves of this tree are so hard that brushes can be made from them, and a person can fit in the hollow of a particularly old tree.
Interestingly, dragon dracaena does not form growth rings, so it is sometimes impossible to determine the age of a tree from a cut.
However, it is known that some trees of this species can live up to 7-9 thousand years.
In ancient times, "dragon juice" was used for medicinal purposes and for embalming, and in the Middle Ages it was popular among alchemists.
The "dragon" grows in the tropical and subtropical zones of Africa, as well as on the islands in southeast Asia. The tree can also be found in the Canary Islands, but due to the collection of red resin, it has become very rare.
gidnora africanus
AND bright color, and the putrid odor of decay coming from the plant serve to attract insects that aid in pollination.
Moreover, the scavenger beetles themselves often lay their eggs inside the flower of the plant.
By the way, in places of growth, the fruit of hydnora is actively used for food, and its rhizome is used to treat diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
Selenicereus grandiflora
Selenicereus grandiflorus) is a truly luxurious and incredible plant. Another name for this exotic plant of the cactus family is the Queen of the Night, and for a reason. The fact is that the flowers of this cactus bloom only once a year, and flowering lasts one night. But it is such a beautiful and unique sight that the botanical gardens arrange a special night entrance for visitors who want to see with their own eyes how these wonderful fragrant flowers bloom.
Selenicereus lives in the West Indies, Mexico and the southeastern United States. Despite the fact that the process of growing this cactus is complicated (shoots reach several meters in length), experienced gardeners and exotic lovers sometimes grow selenicereus at home.
pseudolithos) is another unusual plant that looks very exotic at home. In appearance, it looks more like a bumpy stone covered with dense snake scales. Even its name in translation means "false stone". The inflorescences grow in clusters on the surface of this ovoid trunk.
Over time, the purple-brown flowers form into pods that burst when ripe. A bursting pod releases 30 to 80 seeds, each with small parachute hairs.
You can find pseudolithos in natural habitats in Somalia, on the territory of Yemen and Oman.
Carnivorous plant nepenthes ( Nepenthes) outwardly resembles a green bush with multi-colored spotted jugs (another name is a pitcher). But the attractive appearance of these water lilies is deceptive and is designed to attract insects that the plant feeds on. Such an amazing plant lives in Madagascar, Seychelles, New Guinea, Australia and the island of Borneo. Unlike the predatory Venus flytrap, Nepenthes is rarely bred at home - this exotic plant requiring meticulous care.
In the tropical forests of Asia, there is a plant of the genus Nepentaceae, capable of absorbing not only insects, but also frogs and small rodents.
And if domestic nepenthes does not exceed 60 cm, then wild predatory nepenthes from tropical forests can grow up to 20 m.
Velvichia amazing
Velvichia can do without water for up to 5 years, feeding on atmospheric moisture.
The largest known velvichia has a height of 1.4 m, and its age is approximately 1.5 thousand years.
Many plants in modern world are under the threat of extinction, which in no small measure is “favored” by human activity. It was not in vain that the Soviet literary critic Kornely Zelinsky said: “Human behavior in nature is also a mirror of his soul.” Let's take care of the house in which we live in order to preserve all this amazing diversity of our planet.
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At least once in our lives, we have all come across strange or unusual plants. In general, acquaintance with such representatives of the plant world begins in childhood, when we see a cactus and do not understand what it is. We are told that it is a plant. But after all, there are no leaves, no stem, nothing that the child considers to belong to a normal plant. Here are some of the unusual plants that look more like they came from other planets.
Velvichia amazing (Welwitschia mirabilis).
This desert dwarf tree can live up to 2000 years. The trunk of the plant is short and stump-like, a pair of leaves extends from it in two directions. As they grow, they are torn into longitudinal ribbons, and their tips dry out. The age of these giant leaves is equal to the age of the tree itself. Despite the dying off of the tips, the leaves from the base are constantly growing at a rate of 8-15 cm per year. Sometimes the length of the leaves can reach 8 meters, and their width - 1.8 meters. Velvichia grows in the south of Angola, in a rocky desert. Usually a plant can be found no more than a hundred kilometers from the coast - it vitally needs fogs that provide moisture. The plant itself is extremely ascetic, the leaves twisted in a turban help the precious water to get to the roots.
Rafflesia (Rafflesia).
Amorphophallus (Amorphophallus).
This genus, like Rafflesia, is famous for its aroma of decaying flesh. The flower has a terrible smell, few people can stand next to it without special protective equipment. Most representatives of the genus have a huge flower, so, in some plants of the species Amorphophallus titanum, it can reach a height of 2.5 meters with a diameter of 1.5 meters. This, by the way, is one of the largest inflorescences in the world. Amorphophallus grows in the tropics and subtropics, in flat places. Interestingly, in many countries of the East, plant tubers are widely used in cooking. So, in China, Amorphophallus has been cultivated for 1500 years as a cholesterol-lowering dietary product. In Japanese cuisine, tubers are used in soups and stews.
Opuntia Bigelow (Opuntia bigelovii).
This is one of the most amazing species from the genus Opuntia of the Cactus family. Usually in the area where this species grows, you can see a large number of fluffy two-meter cacti. When the sun goes down, it looks just fantastic. A person who is here may get the impression that he visited another planet as part of a space expedition, while there are unknown life forms around. Prickly pear is valuable for its fruits, it is also used as a hedge and as animal feed.
Giant carnegia (Carnegiea gigantea).
This is another one of the amazing plants of the Cactus family. The most amazing thing about it is its size. Growing in Arizona, Mexico and California, carnegia can reach a height of as much as 14 meters, while its diameter is up to 3 meters. Individual cacti live up to a century and a half.
Nepenthes (Nepenthes).
Almost all plants of this genus can be safely called predators, as they receive the necessary nutrients by digesting the caught insects. Most species grow in the tropics of Asia, mainly on the island of Kalimantan. The plant's leaves are shaped like water lilies. To attract insects, there are special cells on the inner surface of the jug that secrete alluring nectar, there are also hair cells that serve to hold the caught victim. The trap is very sophisticated - the surface on the neck of the jug is very slippery, so the victims slide down, where they fall into the water and drown. Separate types contain up to 2 liters of water in a water lily. Enzymes are produced by the plant to process insects, sometimes even mice, rats and small birds fall into the trap.
Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula).
This killer plant is even more amazing, as it takes much more active action to capture prey. The leaves of the plant are peculiar jaws that slam shut, captivating not only insects, but even snails and frogs. Digestion of food takes about 10 days, on average, during the life of a plant, 3 insects fall into its jaws. The flycatcher grows in the temperate zone, on the Atlantic coast of the United States.
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Ficus Bengal (Ficus benghalensis).
Many in the photographs see not one plant, but their whole forest, although this is erroneous. The fact is that this ficus is characterized by a special form of life - a banyan tree. Ficus forms powerful branches, from which shoots or “aerial” roots grow downward. Most of them dry up before reaching the ground, while the more successful ones take root, forming new columns-trunks. This plant grows in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. As a result, the tree can grow so much that it will take several hectares.
Evergreen Sequoia (Sequoia sempervirens).
This California tree is known for being the tallest tree on Earth. Compared to it, our temperate forests are just grass. This is not surprising, because the age of some reaches 3500 years, and the height exceeds 110 meters. The diameter of the largest sequoia was more than 11 meters. Some of the most remarkable trees even have their own names, once houses were hollowed out in the trunks of such trees and tunnels for roads were cut through. When a strong wind blows, being in a forest with sequoias can become unpleasant - not everyone can withstand the swaying of gigantic trunks and the noisy rattle from them.
Puya Raymond (Puya raimondii).
This plant grows in the Peruvian and Bolivian Alps. It is known for having the largest inflorescence, which reaches a height of 12 meters and a diameter of up to 2.5 meters. It consists of 10 thousand simple flowers. Puya blooms only once in a lifetime, reaching its 150th anniversary, after which the plant dies.
Ongaonga (Urtica ferox) or the New Zealand nettle tree.
This plant has a tree-like trunk, and its spines are unusually dangerous. They contain formic acid and histamine. Nettle tree can reach 5 meters in height, the slightest touch to it leads to the appearance of a painful burn. There are known cases of death from the poison of a tree of horses, dogs and at least one person. Interestingly, the plant is the main food of the Red Admiral butterfly larvae.
Ginkgo (Gínkgo biloba)- a relic plant that grows in China. The species originated 16 million years ago, so this plant is the oldest of those that grow on the planet. Another name for ginkgo is "silver apricot". In shape, these are trees with falling leaves, the height of plants can reach 30 meters. Some trees can live up to 2500 years. Medicines are prepared from ginkgo leaves. Recently it has become fashionable to use compounds from the leaves, although the medical effect of them is far from obvious.
Cedar-Apple Rotting Mushroom(CEDAR-APPLE RUST FUNGUS). Cedar-apple rotting fungus is a fungal infection that transforms apple and cedar fruits beyond recognition. Horror films can be made about this abomination: infected fruits turn into disgusting monsters in just a few months. Here's how it happens: from a tiny spore of a fungus, an impressive spherical body develops - from 3.5 to 5 centimeters in diameter, when wet, this abomination exfoliates, forming vile antennae.
bloody tooth(HYDNELLUM PECKII). This cute fungus looks like chewed gum, oozing blood and smelling like strawberries. But do not try to eat it, because it will be the last "delicacy" that you will taste in your life.
The smallest flower in the world has petals that do not exceed 2.1 mm in diameter and are so transparent that you can see through them. This flower is orchid(belongs to the genus Platystele), discovered in the roots of an orchid of another species by the famous American botanist Lou Jost.
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