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Weird PlantsPlants of the Day
Unit 8STS Biology
Baseball Plant (Euphorbia Obesa)
• Succulent – stores water• Round shape has optimal
surface area/volume ratio to prevent water loss
• Native to the Great Karoo desert in S. Africa– Very endangered in the wild
• Separate male and female plants produce flowers
• Pollinated by insects and produces a capsule fruit
• Has a taproot
Male
Female
Capsules
Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea
muscipula) • Carnivorous -
insectivore– Insects provide minerals
and nutrients for the plant – mainly nitrogen
– Trigger hairs inside the trap cause the “jaws” to close
– Digestive enzymes break down insects
• Native to N. and S. Carolina
• Produces white flowers• Found is acidic soils
Spider Plant (Chlotophytum comosum)
• Self-propagating• “Plantlets” (aka
“spider babies”) can take root in soil
• Produces fleshy tuberous roots
• Native to South Africa• Common houseplant• Produces white
flowers
Living Stones (Lithops fulleri) • Succulent – plant which
has the ability to store water
• Two fused leaves with few stomata, modified to prevent evaporation
• Mimics the color and appearance of rocks – less obvious to foraging animals
• Produces yellow or white flowers
• Native to S. Africa and Namibia
Sensitive Plant (Mimosa
pudica) • Leaves fold inward when
touched (thigmonasty)– Mechanism believed to
related to changes in osmotic pressure in cells where leaflets join
• Thought to be a defense mechanism against grazers
• Native to Brazil• Produces purple flowers• In the pea family –
nitrogen fixer
Marimo Moss Balls (Aegagropila linnaei)• Not moss!!!
• A filamentous algae that forms balls in specific lakes in Japan, Iceland, Scotland, and Estonia
• Wave currents, lake morphology, and sediment at the bottom of the lake form algae into balls
• Adapted to low light• Chloroplasts inside the ball are
dormant unless the ball breaks apart• An annual festival at Lake Akan in
Japan honors them and raises awareness about conservation issues
Air Plant (Tillandsia stricta)
• Epiphyte – plants that are not rooted in soil– Grow in rocks, loose bark, or on
trees• Obtain water and nutrients
from the air• Trichomes – gray scales on
the leaf surface which store water and reflect intense sun to prevent water loss due to transpiration
• Same family as the Bromeliad and pineapple
• Native to Mexico & Central America
Madagascar Palm (Pachypodium lamerei)
• A succulent, not a palm!• Has prickly spines like a
cactus AND foliage like a palm • Looses it’s leaves and goes
dormant in the winter• Produces white flowers and
cucumber-like fruits• Needles prevent foraging
animals• Can grow up to 15 ft. in nature• Survives in a diverse climates
Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia hybrid)
• Downward pointing hairs prevent insects from crawling out
• Produces burgundy flowers• Native to bogs of
northeastern USA
• Carnivorous• Leaves mimic flowers, tricking
insects to crawl in• Insects drown in pitcher-shaped
leaves• Bacteria within the plant break down
insects with digestive enzymes - symbiosis
String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyan)
• Succulent• Same family as a sunflower• Native to dry regions in SW Africa• Leaf shape reduces surface area to
prevent water loss• External “window” of transparent
tissue allows light to enter and be absorbed by the photosynthetic cells inside.
• The central core of each leaf contains non-pigmented water storage cells.
Banana Plant (Nymphoides aquatica)
• Has banana shaped roots called rhizomes which store nutrients
• Aquatic, related to water lilies
• Native to shallow waters in the Southern region on the USA along the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Oceans
• Common aquarium plants