Tag: plants

Firethorn (Pyracantha) Tree Espalier. The Firethorn is an
evergreen plant that is easy to grow and provides seasonal interest and
berries. An espalier is a fruit tree or ornamental shrub whose branches
are trained to
grow flat against a wall, supported on a lattice or a framework of
stakes. Photo credit: JulineB.

Could plants move in connection with the moon?
There is a possibility in the correlation between the moon and the movement of leaves.
Peter
Barlow of the University of Bristol made the discovery while attempting
to determine why the leaves of some plants seemed to move up and down
during the night despite the lack of sunlight.

By analyzing the
movements of bean plants over the last 100 years and matching them up
with estimates of the local gravitational influence of the moon he was
able to determine that these movements seemed to correspond extremely
well to the moon’s gravity.

After gathering as much data as he could on
the subject Barlow hypothesized that water motion within the joints
of the leaves may be responsible for this peculiar form of movement. The phenomenon has since come to be referred to as “leaftide”.

Chilean carnivorous plant could kill you
Studies of the components of the Chilean species, Aristolochia chilensis
confirmed the damage attributed to the ingestion of aristolochic acid
in plants of the genus Aristolochia, plant and component consumed as
“natural medicine” throughout the world.

Aristolochic acids are responsible for causing major
damage than caused by smoke nicotine or ultraviolet radiation in
relation to its ability to produce multiple mutations in hundreds or
even thousands of genes, many more than any other carcinogen. These
qualities led him to become the “greatest genotoxic agent discovered" the danger of the compounds can cause mutations associated with tumors of the urinary tract, kidneys and liver.

The aristolochic acid has been – and continues to be – used for the
treatment of eczema, acne, liver symptoms, arthritis, and chronic pain.


Reference: Ling
Poon, 2013 Genome-Wide Mutational Signatures of Aristolochic Acid and
Its Application as a Screening Tool. Sci Transl Med 7 August 2013.
Photo: Diego Almendras

Carnivorous plant finds way to attract bats
Pitcher plants traditionally gain nutrition by trapping and digesting
insects, but in Borneo one particularly large variety of pitcher plant
has managed to adapt itself to take advantage of an alternative source
of nutrition thanks to its rather unusual relationship with bats.

Known as Nepenthes hemsleyana,
the species is still capable of catching insects but does not need to
consume as many because it supplements its nutritional intake with bat
droppings. To attract bats the plant has developed a unique
reflector mechanism that mirrors their ultrasonic communications thus
making it a lot easier for the animals to find it.

“With
these structures, the plants are able to acoustically stand out from
their environments so that bats can easily find them,” said study
co-author Michael Schöner. “Moreover, the bats are clearly able
to distinguish their plant partner from other plants that are similar in
shape, but lack the conspicuous reflector.”

Zingiber zerumbet (awapuhi), also known as shampoo ginger or pinecone ginger is a vigorous species of the ginger family.

As the flower heads mature, they gradually fill with an aromatic, slimy liquid and turn a brighter red color. The most common use of ‘awapuhi is as a shampoo and conditioner for the hair. The clear, slimy juice present in the mature flower heads is excellent for softening and bringing shininess to the hair. It can be left in the hair or rinsed out. Hawaiian women often pick or cut the flowerheads of
this plant in the forest, as they approach a pool or waterfall
for a refreshing summer bath, leave the flowers atop a nearby rock, and
then squeeze the sweet juices into their hair and over their bodies
when the swim is completed.