Oddities of Kingdom Plantae
Colton Ramstrom
Mrs. Fulton
Intro to Botany
4/11/12
Oddities of Kingdom Plantae Through evolution plants have acquired complex and unique characteristics. Some of these characteristics may be deemed bizarre. Plants have come a long way since their shift to terrestrial habitats from aquatic habitats millions of years ago. From the development of the cuticle to prevent water loss to the evolution of vascular tissues to provide for efficient internal transportation, all evolutionary changes took place for one reason: biological success. Biological success refers to the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce successfully. They are all striving for a piece of the pie. Plants do this in a variety of different ways, in their fierce competition for water, sunlight, and nutrients some plants have developed characteristics that are well outside of “the box”.
Some of these adaptations are for defense, like the Aciphylla Horrid whose leaves are stiff and extremely sharp and whose flowers are surrounded by similarly shaped bracts. On the other hand, some traits are also developed for offensive purposes. For instance the Ficus group commonly known as strangler figs, which grow on trees and literally strangle, and sometimes kill the host tree with their adventitious roots while climbing above thick forest canopies to gather light. Most adaptations have clear functional purpose, yet some of these characteristics strike observers as bizarre. It is the countless evolutionary changes that took plants from ancestral green algae to their immense diversity which we can appreciate today. Amorphophallus Titanum is an Angiosperm that produces the largest unbranched inflorescence, a group or cluster of flowers, in the world. The largest of these inflorescence recorded was approximately 3 meters high and 2.5 meters across. Shortly before the opening of the inflorescence growth rates of up to 19 centimeters per day have been observed.( Lamprecht 2010: 131) The
Mrs. Fulton
Intro to Botany
4/11/12
Oddities of Kingdom Plantae Through evolution plants have acquired complex and unique characteristics. Some of these characteristics may be deemed bizarre. Plants have come a long way since their shift to terrestrial habitats from aquatic habitats millions of years ago. From the development of the cuticle to prevent water loss to the evolution of vascular tissues to provide for efficient internal transportation, all evolutionary changes took place for one reason: biological success. Biological success refers to the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce successfully. They are all striving for a piece of the pie. Plants do this in a variety of different ways, in their fierce competition for water, sunlight, and nutrients some plants have developed characteristics that are well outside of “the box”.
Some of these adaptations are for defense, like the Aciphylla Horrid whose leaves are stiff and extremely sharp and whose flowers are surrounded by similarly shaped bracts. On the other hand, some traits are also developed for offensive purposes. For instance the Ficus group commonly known as strangler figs, which grow on trees and literally strangle, and sometimes kill the host tree with their adventitious roots while climbing above thick forest canopies to gather light. Most adaptations have clear functional purpose, yet some of these characteristics strike observers as bizarre. It is the countless evolutionary changes that took plants from ancestral green algae to their immense diversity which we can appreciate today. Amorphophallus Titanum is an Angiosperm that produces the largest unbranched inflorescence, a group or cluster of flowers, in the world. The largest of these inflorescence recorded was approximately 3 meters high and 2.5 meters across. Shortly before the opening of the inflorescence growth rates of up to 19 centimeters per day have been observed.( Lamprecht 2010: 131) The
Cited: Kunze, Richard E. Monotropa uniflora, L. Botanical Gazette , Vol. 3, No. 6 (Jun., 1878), pp. 53-54 Lamprecht, I., & Seymour, R. S. Thermologic investigations of three species of Amorphophallus. Journal Of Thermal Analysis & Calorimetry, Vol.102 No.1 (2010), 127-136. doi:10.1007/s10973-010-0891-9 Lebkuecher and Eickmeier. Physiological Benefits of Stem Curling for Resurrection Plants in the Field. Ecology , Vol. 74, No. 4 (Jun., 1993), pp. 1073-1080 Milius, S. The Science of Big, Weird Flowers. Science News, Vol.156 No.11 (1999), 172.