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