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 specialties 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 receive the necessary missing nutrients, "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, sequoias hollowed out houses in the trunks and even cut tunnels through which they passed car roads. 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.
Being inquisitive, man has always been interested in various records in the plant world. It is important for him to know which flower and which plant is the largest, which is poisonous, and which is the most unusual.
The biggest flower
Among the flowers there are record holders for growth. The largest single flower is Rafflesia Arnoldi. He is able to grow more than ninety centimeters. Its weight is about eleven kilograms. Rafflesia grows in the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, Borneo, the Philippines and Malaysia.The longest sushi plant is the liana-shaped rattan palm. Its length varies from three hundred to three hundred and fifty meters.
In America, in the Sequoia Park, a huge sequoia grows, bearing the name "General Sherman". The height of the tree is more than eighty-three meters with a trunk diameter of thirty-one meters. Victoria amazonica is another huge tropical herbaceous plant of the Water Lily order. The leaves of this giant water lily reach two meters in diameter.
The most poisonous plants
Not all plants are harmless. Among them are poisonous, which can harm human health. For example, poison ivy, poison oak, and lacquer tree emit a volatile toxin that can cause severe allergies. 
Dictamnus or Ashnets are dangerous plants for humans. contained in them essential oils can cause long-term chemical burns. Photochemical burns can be caused by a plant such as hogweed. If its juice gets on human skin, nothing will happen, but if sunlight hits this place, the skin will be affected by a chemical burn.
The berries and rhizomes of the Crow's Eye are highly poisonous. The plant contains a substance that causes convulsions, vomiting, sometimes leading to paralysis of the respiratory systems. Convulsions, coma and paralysis respiratory tract Poisoning by such plants as dope and henbane may end.
The Cikuta plant is one of the most poisonous in the world. Its aroma is similar to carrot, and the taste is reminiscent of radish. One hundred grams of its rhizome can kill a cow. It contains cicutoxin, which causes respiratory arrest and convulsions. This is not the whole list of the most poisonous plants on the planet.
unusual grass
Unusual called medicinal herbs. One such herb is tarragon. Its second name is "Queen of Herbs". It is a very useful crop, used as a medicine, as a spice and as an ornamental plant. Another unusual herb is wormwood, which is also widely used in medicine. It is impossible not to name St. John's wort, eleutherococcus prickly, lemon balm, oregano, sage, etc. 
Unusual herbs in appearance are alpine species of colorful living carpets. They grow, forming turf. The most popular carpet plant is the alpine goose. Another very unusual grass growing like a carpet was found on the coast of Lake Chany. It is unusual not only for its red color, but also for the fact that outwardly it is somewhat reminiscent of worms.
Amazing house plants
Pseudolithos looks especially extreme among domestic plants. Its appearance will surprise anyone. Its homeland is Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The translation of the name is "false stone". The plant looks like a thick egg-shaped tuberous trunk without leaves. The color and shape are similar to stone. Pseudolithos blooms in clusters of bright flowers.Marvelous indoor plant growing without soil is Tillandsia. To grow it at room conditions, you need to acquire a saw cut or bark of a coniferous tree, on which auxiliary roots will be fixed.
One of the most interesting indoor plants is Lithops. In its shape, the plant resembles a hoof no more than seven centimeters high. Interestingly, most of this plant is underground. Every spring it blooms with large bright flowers.
Bonsai looks original. Its second name is "Tree in a Pot". In fact, Bonsai is a bonsai grown at home. This is just a small list of amazing houseplants.
The most unusual plant in the world
It is difficult to decide which plant is the most unusual, since there are too many amazing representatives of vegetation on the planet. It is quite possible that the most unusual plant is Velvichia amazing. It is able to do without water for about five years, content with moisture from the atmosphere. 
Velvichia lives from four hundred to two thousand years. Externally, the plant looks like two huge leaves, from two to eight meters long. These leaves continue to grow throughout life, gradually tearing longitudinally into ribbons, while the tips dry out. The plant grows in areas of Namibia where the humidity is high due to frequent fogs.
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On our planet there is great amount all sorts of plants, seeing which one can only wonder how nature could come up with something like this. An incredible number of species and subspecies of plants, many of which amaze with their qualities - from survival and adaptability, to colors and sizes. In this ranking of the most unusual plants, we will show the full scope of natural creativity.
14
Romanesco is one of the cultivars of cabbage, belonging to the same varietal group as cauliflower. According to some reports, it is a hybrid of cauliflower and broccoli. This type of cabbage has long been grown in the vicinity of Rome. According to some reports, it was first mentioned in historical documents in Italy in the sixteenth century. The vegetable appeared on international markets in the 90s of the XX century. Compared to cauliflower and broccoli, Romanesco is more delicate in texture and has a milder creamy nutty flavor without a bitter note.
13
Euphorbia obese is a perennial succulent plant family Euphorbiaceae, resembling a stone or green-brown soccer ball, without spines or leaves, but sometimes forms "branches" or suckers in odd-looking sets of spheres. It can grow up to 20-30 cm in height and up to 9-10 cm in diameter. Euphorbia obese is a bisexual plant, it has male flowers on one plant, and female flowers on the other. For fruit set, cross-pollination is necessary, which is usually performed.
The fruit looks like a slightly triangular three-nut, up to 7 mm in diameter, containing one seed in each nest. When ripe, it explodes and scatters small, round, speckled-gray seeds 2 mm in diameter, the pedicels fall off after seeding. in full sun or partial shade. The plants are very well hidden among the rocks, their colors blending in with the environment so well that sometimes they are hard to spot.
12
Tacca is a plant of the Tacca family, growing in a wide variety of environmental conditions and numbering 10 species. They settle in open and heavily shaded areas, in savannas, in thickets of bushes and in rain forests. Young parts of plants, as a rule, are pubescent with tiny hairs that disappear as they grow older. Plant sizes are usually small, from 40 to 100 centimeters, but some species sometimes reach a height of 3 meters. Although takka is becoming more and more widespread as a houseplant, it should be borne in mind that it is not easy to successfully keep takka in rooms due to the special demands of the plant on the conditions of detention. The Tacca family is represented by one genus Tacca, numbering about 10 plant species.
- Takka pinnatifida grows in tropical Asia, Australia, and in the tropics of Africa. Leaves up to 40-60 cm wide, from 70 cm long to 3 meters long. A flower with two bedspreads, large, reaching 20 cm wide, the color covered is light green.
- Tacca Chantrier grows in tropical forests South-East Asia. Evergreen tropical herbaceous plant, reaching 90-120 cm in height. The flowers are edged with maroon, almost black, wing-span-like bracts. bat or butterflies with long, threadlike antennae.
- Whole-leaved takka grows in India. The leaves are wide, glossy, up to 35 cm wide, up to 70 cm long. A flower with two bedspreads, large, reaching 20 cm wide, the color is white, purple strokes are scattered over the white tone. The flowers are black, purple or dark purple, located under the bedspreads.
11
Venus flytrap is a species of carnivorous plants from the monotypic genus Dionea of the Rosyankovye family. It is a small herbaceous plant with a rosette of 4-7 leaves that grow from a short underground stem. Leaves are three to seven centimeters in size, depending on the time of year, long trap leaves usually form after flowering. Feeds on insects and spiders. It grows in a humid temperate climate on the Atlantic coast of the United States. It is a species cultivated in ornamental horticulture. Can be grown as a houseplant. Grows in soils with a lack of nitrogen, such as swamps. Lack of nitrogen is the reason for the appearance of traps: insects serve as a source of nitrogen necessary for protein synthesis. The Venus flytrap belongs to a small group of plants capable of fast movements.
After the prey is trapped and the edges of the sheets close, forming a "stomach" in which the digestion process takes place. Digestion is catalyzed by enzymes that are secreted by glands in the lobes. Digestion takes approximately 10 days, after which only an empty chitinous shell remains of the prey. After that, the trap opens and is ready to capture new prey. During the life of the trap, an average of three insects fall into it.
10
The dragon tree is a plant of the genus Dracaena that grows in the tropics and subtropics of Africa and on the islands of Southeast Asia. Grown as an ornamental plant. An old Indian legend tells that a long time ago in the Arabian Sea on the island of Socotra, there lived a bloodthirsty dragon who attacked elephants and drank their blood. But one day, one old and strong elephant fell on the dragon and crushed it. Their blood mixed and wetted the ground around. At this place, trees have grown, called dracaena, which means “female dragon”. The indigenous population of the Canary Islands considered the tree sacred, and its resin was used for medicinal purposes. The resin was found in prehistoric burial caves and was used for embalming at that time.
On its thick branches grow bunches of very sharp leaves. Thick branched trunk up to 20 meters high, diameter at the base up to 4 m, has a secondary growth in thickness. Each branch of branching ends with a dense bunch of densely arranged grayish-green, leathery, linear-xiphoid leaves 45-60 centimeters long and 2-4 centimeters wide in the middle of the plate, somewhat tapering towards the base and pointed towards the apex, with prominent veins. The flowers are large, bisexual, with a corolla-shaped dividing perianth, in bunches of 4-8 pieces. Some trees live up to 7-9 thousand years.
9
The genus Gidnora includes 5 species growing in the tropical regions of Africa, Arabia and Madagascar, it is not very common, so just walking in the desert, you will not find it. This plant is more like a mushroom until its unusual flower opens. In fact, the flower is named after the hydnor mushroom, which means mushroom in Greek. Hydnoraceae flowers are rather large, solitary, almost sessile, bisexual, petalless. And what we usually see on the surface of the soil is what we call a flower.
These features of color and structure, as well as the putrid smell of flowers, serve to attract beetles that feed on carrion. Beetles, climbing into flowers, crawl into them, especially in their lower part, where the reproductive organs are located, contributing to their pollination. Often, female beetles not only find food in flowers, but also lay eggs there.
The inhabitants of Africa - willingly use the fruits of hydnora for food, like some animals. In Madagascar, the hydnora fruit is considered one of the best local fruits. Thus, the peddlers of hydnora seeds are the most and humans. In Madagascar, the flowers and roots of Hydnora are used by locals to treat heart disease.
8
Baobab is a species of trees from the genus Adansonia of the Malvaceae family, characteristic of the dry savannahs of tropical Africa. The lifespan of baobabs is controversial - they do not have growth rings, which can be used to reliably calculate age. Radiocarbon dating has shown more than 5,500 years for a tree 4.5 meters in diameter, although baobabs are more conservatively estimated to live for about 1,000 years.
In winter and during the dry period, the tree begins to consume moisture reserves, decreasing in volume, sheds foliage. Baobab blossoms from October to December. Baobab flowers are large - up to 20 cm in diameter, white with five petals and purple stamens, on hanging pedicels. They open in the late afternoon and live only one night, attracting the scent of bats that pollinate them. In the morning, the flowers wither, acquiring an unpleasant putrefactive odor, and fall off.
Next, oblong edible fruits develop, which resemble cucumbers or melons, covered with a thick, hairy peel. Inside the fruits are filled with sour mealy pulp with black seeds. The baobab dies in a peculiar way: it seems to crumble and gradually settle, leaving behind only a pile of fiber. However, baobabs are extremely tenacious. They quickly restore the stripped bark; continue to bloom and bear fruit. A cut down or fallen tree is able to take on new roots.
7
Victoria amazonica is a large herbaceous tropical plant family Water lilies, the largest water lily in the world and one of the most popular greenhouse plants in the world. Victoria amazonica was named after Queen Victoria of England. Victoria Amazonian is common in the Amazon in Brazil and Bolivia, it is also found in the rivers of Guyana that flow into the Caribbean Sea.
Huge water lily leaves reach 2.5 meters and, with a uniformly distributed load, can withstand weight up to 50 kilograms. The tuberous rhizome is usually deeply recessed into the muddy bottom. The upper surface is green with a waxy layer that repels excess water and also has small holes to remove water. The lower part is purplish red with a mesh of ribs studded with spikes to protect against herbivorous fish, air bubbles accumulate between the ribs to help the leaf float. In one season, each tuber can produce up to 50 leaves, which, growing, cover a large surface of the reservoir, blocking sunlight and thereby limiting the growth of other plants.
Victoria Amazonian flowers are under water and bloom only once a year for 2-3 days. Flowers bloom only at night, and with the onset of dawn they fall under water. During flowering, flowers placed above the water, in the open state, have a diameter of 20-30 centimeters. On the first day, the color of the petals is white, on the second they are pinkish, on the third they turn purple or dark crimson. In the wild, the plant can live up to 5 years.
6
Sequoia is a monotypic genus woody plants, Cypress family. Growing on the Pacific Coast North America. Individual specimens of sequoia reach a height of more than 110 meters - these are the tallest trees on Earth. The maximum age is more than three and a half thousand years. This tree is better known as the "mahogany", while plants of the related species sequoiadendron are known as "giant sequoias".
Their diameter at the level of the human chest is about 10 meters. Most a big tree in the world "General Sherman". Its height is 83.8 meters. In 2002, the volume of wood was 1487 m³. It is believed that he is 2300-2700 years old. The tallest tree in the world is Hyperion, its height is 115 meters.
5
Nepenthes is the only genus of plants of the monotypic Nepentaceae family, which includes about 120 species. Most species grow in tropical Asia, especially on the island of Kalimantan. Named after the herb of oblivion from ancient Greek mythology- nepenfa. Types of the genus for the most part shrub or semi-shrub vines growing in wet habitats. Their long thin herbaceous or slightly lignified stems climb the trunks and large branches of neighboring trees to tens of meters in height, carrying their narrow terminal racemose or paniculate inflorescences to sunlight.
At different types Nepenthes pitchers vary in size, shape and color. Their length varies from 2.5 to 30 centimeters, and in some species it can reach up to 50 cm. More often, jugs are painted in bright colours: red, matt white with spotted pattern or light green with spots. The flowers are small and inconspicuous, actinomorphic and petalless, with four imbricate sepals. The fruit is in the form of a leathery box, divided internal partitions into separate chambers, in each of which seeds with a fleshy endosperm and a straight cylindrical small embryo are attached to the column.
It is curious that large nepenthes, in addition to eating insects, also use the droppings of tupaya animals, which climb onto the plant like on a toilet bowl to feast on sweet nectar. In this way, the plant forms a symbiotic relationship with the animal, using its droppings as fertilizer.
4
This fungus, belonging to the Agaricus mushrooms, looks like chewed chewing gum, oozing blood and smelling of strawberries. However, you should not eat it, because it is one of the most poisonous mushrooms on earth, and even just licking it can be guaranteed to get serious poisoning. The mushroom gained fame in 1812, and then it was recognized as inedible. The surface of the fruit bodies is white, velvety, with small depressions, becoming beige or brown with age. On the surface of young specimens, drops of a poisonous blood-red liquid protrude through the pores. The word “tooth” in the title is not just that. The fungus has sharp formations along the edges that appear with age.
Except their external qualities, this mushroom has good antibacterial properties and contains chemicals that thin the blood. It is possible that soon this mushroom will become a replacement for penicillin. main feature of this fungus is that it can feed on both soil juices and insects, which are lured by the red liquid of the fungus. The diameter of the cap of a bloody tooth is 5-10 centimeters, the length of the stem is 2-3 centimeters. The bloody tooth grows in the coniferous forests of Australia, Europe and North America.
3
The top three among the most unusual plants in the world is closed by a large tropical plant of the genus Amorphophallus of the aroid family, discovered in 1878 in Sumatra. One of the most known species kind, has one of largest inflorescences in the world. The aerial part of this plant is a short and thick stem, at the base there is a single large leaf, above - smaller ones. Leaf length up to 3 meters, and up to 1 meter in diameter. Petiole length 2-5 meters, thickness 10 cm. Matte green, with white transverse stripes. The underground part of the plant is a giant tuber weighing up to 50 kilograms.
The aroma of the flower resembles a mixture of rotten eggs and rotten fish, and in appearance the flower resembles a decomposing piece of meat. It is this scent that attracts wild nature to pollinating insects. Flowering continues for two weeks. Interestingly, the cob is heated up to 40 ° C. The tuber during this time is greatly depleted due to the overexpenditure of nutrients. Therefore, he needs another rest period of up to 4 weeks in order to accumulate strength for leaf development. If there are few nutrients, then the tuber “sleeps” after flowering until next spring. The life expectancy of this plant is 40 years, but during this time it blooms only three or four times.
2
Velvichia is amazing - a relic tree - is one species, one genus, one family, one order of the Velvichievs. Velvichia grows in southern Angola and Namibia. The plant is rarely found further than a hundred kilometers from the coast, this roughly corresponds to the limit reached by fogs, which are the main source of moisture for Welwitschia. Her appearance you can’t call it grass, bush, or tree. Scientific world learned about Velvichia in the 19th century.
From a distance it seems that Velvichia has a lot long leaves, but in fact there are only two of them, and they grow throughout its plant life, adding 8-15 centimeters per year. In scientific works, a giant was described with a leaf length of more than 6 meters and a width of about 2. And its life expectancy is so long that it is hard to believe. Although Velvichia is considered a tree, it does not have annual rings, as on tree trunks. Scientists have determined the age of the largest Velvichii by radiocarbon dating - it turned out that some specimens are about 2000 years old!
Instead of a social plant life, Velvichia prefers a lonely existence, that is, it does not grow in a group. The flowers of Velvichia look like small cones, with only one seed in each female cone, and each seed is equipped with wide wings. As for pollination, the opinions of botanists differ here. Some believe that pollination is carried out by insects, while others are more inclined to the action of the wind. Velvichia is protected by the Namibian Conservation Act. The collection of its seeds is prohibited without special permission. The entire territory where Velvichia grows has been turned into a National Park.
1
Plants appear to us as something green and boring. But this is nothing more than pure prejudice - the plants from this list are ready to compete in diversity and uniqueness with the animal world, they just need to be given a chance.
15. Rainbow Trees 
Imagine walking through a forest of 60-meter trees in all the colors of the rainbow. Do you think this is possible only in a fairy tale movie? But no - Eucalyptus deglupta, or rainbow eucalyptus actually exists and is found in forests in the Philippines. These trees grow so fast that their bark peels off in strips, revealing a bright green layer that changes color to yellow, orange, red, purple, and brown as it ages.
14. Snapdragon seed pods 
Snapdragon has been widely used as a model by botanists in many genetic studies. For example, Gregor Mendel and Charles Darwin used snapdragons to study heredity. Distinctive feature plants are his seed pods, each like a screaming skull.
13. Jaboticaba 
Jaboticaba is fruit tree with unique fruit formation. Unlike most trees, whose fruits grow on branches, Jaboticaba forms its black fruits right on the trunk. It looks like they ooze from the bark. Although the Jaboticaba fruit is popular in Brazil, due to its short shelf life, it rarely makes it to other places. The fruit can be consumed fresh, as well as in the form of jam, wine or liquor.
11. Amorphophallus titanic 
This flower is the tallest in the world - its height can reach three meters. The yellow spadix in the center contains small white flowers. As soon as they are ready to spread the pollen, the cob begins to generate heat, which helps to spread a fetid odor that resembles the smell of a decaying corpse. As in the case of the corpse lily, the smell attracts flies, which are engaged in pollination.
10. Elephant yam 
Amorphophallus pionolifolia, or elephant yam, is a close relative of Amorphophallus titanic. Before the only way to distinguish between the different species in this group was to smell them and find out exactly what kind of stink they exude. The tubers, which gave the plant the name "yams", are the third most popular carbohydrate source in Indonesia after rice and corn. And the word "Amorphophallus" in the name indicates the shape of the flower - literally it translates as "shapeless penis."
9. Voronets thick-legged 
Voronet thick-legged also bears the cheerful name "doll eyes". It is quite obvious that the creepy "eyes" are poisonous. Just a handful of these berries can cause instant death. Of course, only a desperate brave man can dare to eat the berries that are looking at him ...
8. Bitter cucumber 
Momordica charantia, or bitter cucumber, is a herbaceous vine that grows all over the world. Its fruits, empty inside, have a warty surface. They are usually eaten while they are still green because the yellowing fruit becomes more and more bitter as it ripens. However, when the fully ripe fruit opens, a sweet, bright red center can be found inside.
7. Naked man 
Orchis italica, also known as the Naked Man orchid, can be found almost everywhere in the Mediterranean region. They are very popular among orchid lovers because ... well, at least because the petals look like naked men, which is incomprehensible here. The plant has about 40 varieties, so you can choose a naked man in almost any color and size.
6. Predatory pitchers 
Animals eat plants. This is the natural order of things. However, some plants go against the system and fight back. The pitchers trap insects, spiders, and even small mammals and reptiles, and then drown them. Their modified leaves hold a liquid that contains digestive enzymes and chemicals. As soon as the victim enters the jug, he slides down the waxed slippery walls, which do not allow him to get out. After unsuccessful attempts to get out, the victim is immersed in the liquid, drowning, and the plant digests it to provide itself with nutrients that are not found in the soil.
5. Flowering stones 
Of course, you know very well that flowering stones does not exist in nature. But it is precisely them that the amazing plants of the genus Lithops resemble. They can be found in the rocky and sandy deserts of South Africa. Plants have adapted to superficially resemble the rocks around them. This shape allows them to survive in regions with low rainfall, as the small surface area inhibits evaporation. Lithops are popular houseplants and are often sold specifically as "living stones".
4. African Gidnora
3 Albino Sequoia 
Ask your child to draw a tree and you will get a brown trunk and green leaves. Everyone knows that trees are green. Everything except the albino sequoia. These trees are unable to produce chlorophyll, and without chlorophyll, they cannot absorb sunlight and produce their own nutrients. For other trees, this would be a death sentence, but sequoias have the ability to share roots among themselves. When an albino redwood sprouts, it needs to attach itself to the root system of another tree in order to extract food.
2. Red tumbleweed 
Bassia broom grows in Eurasia, but somehow made it to the United States, where it received the nickname "Mexican fire weed" or more prosaic "burning bush". Tumbleweeds usually turn yellow or brown when they die, but bassia takes on a bright red hue. Entire fields of bassia can be found in Japan, where their black seeds are called "caviar of the earth."
1. Kiss plant 
Psychotria sublime is known by the unflattering name of "whore sponge". One glance at the flower is enough to understand where this name comes from. The plant is found in the jungles of Central America, but despite its enticing appearance, it is gradually becoming endangered due to habitat loss. These lips would look great on Batman's rival, Poison Ivy. Especially when you consider that the flower produces a hallucinogenic substance. Oddly enough, the "sponges" themselves are not the flower of the plant. The flower protrudes from the "mouth", all covered with yellow viscous mucus. As they say, beauty is on the surface...
Pines sterilize the air
The smallest flower in the world
Xerophyta - drought plant
Our planet never ceases to amaze with the diversity of plant and animal species that exist on it, sometimes with amazing abilities.
Selection of the most interesting facts about plants:
1. An amazing plant called Ceratonia of the legume family, which has long been cultivated in the Mediterranean, has a curious property - the size of its fruits is always the same (0.2 g), for which they were very much appreciated by jewelers in the old days, but now this measure is called carat. The scientific name of the genus, by the way, comes from the Greek κεράτιον ( сeratiοn), κέρας ( ceras) "Horn".
2. Among straight-stemmed trees, Australian eucalyptus trees can boast of the highest height, the height of which reaches 150 meters, and sometimes more. The telegraph pole, made from the wood of this tree, is able to withstand the strongest winds, and the root system of the eucalyptus sucks water out of the soil with such force that people use these natural pumps to drain swamps.
3. The record plant is also titanium arum, the flower of which is the largest and reaches a height of 2.27 meters. For the unbearable smell exuded by the plant, titanium arum was nicknamed the "corpse flower": its "aroma" resembles the smell of rotten meat. However, for pollinators - flies and beetles - this smell and bright color are very attractive. AT vivo a flower grows in the jungle about. Sumatra. Titan arum blooms every 20-40 years and blooms for only two days. Around the world, only about 150 cases of its flowering have been officially recorded. A few years ago, visitors to the British Botanical Gardens became happy witnesses of the flowering of this peculiar plant.
4. Another famous large flower is Rafflesia Arnold (Sumatra, Kalimantan, Philippines, etc.). Rafflesia Arnold blooms with single flowers, their diameter is 60-100 cm, and their weight is up to 8 kg. flower publishes bad smell, reminiscent of the smell of rotting meat, which attracts the main pollinators - flies.
5. In the Amazon basin, you can find a plant of the water lily family called Victoria. Its leaves on the surface of the water reach three meters in diameter and can withstand a weight of up to 30 kg.
6. One of the most interesting facts about plants is that the leaves on their trunks and branches are not arranged randomly, but in a certain sequence, having a certain angle of deviation relative to each other. The size of this angle varies depending on the plant itself. So, for an apricot, it is 2/5, for a pear - 3/8, for almonds - 5/13, etc. This arrangement of leaves in accordance with the size of the tree, leaves and growing environment provides them with optimal nutrition, access to light and full growth.
In India, a plant grows under the local name "trick the stomach." After eating 1-2 leaves of the Kalir-kanda plant, a person feels full for a whole week, although the leaves do not contain valuable nutrients. The property of the plant to create the illusion of satiety is used in the manufacture of tablets and infusions from the leaves, which are successfully used by overweight people.
One of the unusual plants comes from the savannas of the South American country of Paraguay. It is a stevia shrub whose leaves contain a substance resembling saccharin. It is over 300 times sweeter than sugar. This plant is already successfully cultivated in Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Laos, Spain and with the light hand of Academician N. I. Vavilov in Russia. There are significant plantations of culture in the Belgorod region. With an extract made from stevia, Belgorod residents sweeten confectionery for diabetics.
SUGAR GRASS. It grows in Central America, mainly in Mexico. From its leaves and flowers, a sweet oily liquid was isolated, which is 1000 times sweeter than sugar. Especially valuable is that, unlike natural sugar, this substance is completely
harmless to diabetics and not conducive to obesity.
In the African savanna grows a herbaceous plant THOUMATOCUS DANNEL. The special substance talin, which is found in its red berries, is 2000 times sweeter than sugar.
An even sweeter plant is the DIOSCOREPHILLUM CUMMINISIA LIANA, which grows in the tropical forests of Nigeria and other West African countries. Sugar, in comparison with its coral-red berries, due to the content of the substance monellin, seems devoid of taste. No wonder, because monellin is 3000 times sweeter than sugar!
And the champion among super-sweet plants is the KETEMF shrub, which grows in the rainforests of West Africa. The sweetest substance in the world, toumatin, was obtained from it. It is sweeter than sugar (hard to imagine) 100,000 times! This substance will be sweet even if toumatin is dissolved at a concentration of 10 g per ton of water!
Scientists believe that growing super-sweet plants could revolutionize the world's sugar industry.
In the tropical forests of West Africa, the SYNSEPALOUM DULCIFICUM shrub grows.
Its red berries, due to the content of miraculin, have an amazing property - to influence the taste sensations of a person. If you chew a few of these small berries before eating, miracles will begin to happen with taste: sour lemon will seem sweeter than orange, and sugar - bitter. This effect lasts for about an hour, and sometimes more, depending on the amount of fruit eaten.
Local people from Ghana to Zaire, where this plant grows, use its fruits to sweeten sour palm wine.
It is interesting that there are plants similar in action in the Transcaucasus, in the south of Tajikistan and in China. This tree is from the buckthorn family - ZIZIFUS, also known as unabi or Chinese date. Compotes, jams, marshmallows are prepared from them, and stored in dried form.
In 1784, dahlia tubers, never seen before, were brought from Mexico to Spain. The Spanish king ordered to zealously protect the secret of the existence of an overseas flower, until in 1805 the German naturalist Alexander Humboldt brought from South America the tubers of a Mexican plant “unknown” in Europe for 20 years!
Pines sterilize the air
One hectare of pine forest per day is capable of releasing about 5 kg of volatile phytocides into the atmosphere, destroying numerous microorganisms from the air. Therefore, in forests with growing young coniferous trees, regardless of geographical latitude and the proximity of settlements, in comparison with other green areas, the air is practically sterile, contains only about 200 - 300 bacteria per 1 cubic meter.
In terms of vitamin C content, walnuts are 8 times higher than black currants and 50 times higher than citrus fruits. The B vitamins contained in them contribute to the decomposition of pyruvic acid, which accumulates in the muscles and causes fatigue. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus claimed that the priests Ancient Babylon forbade ordinary people to eat walnuts, tk. they were thought to have a beneficial effect on mental activity, and this is of no use to commoners.
The smallest flower in the world
Do you know which plant has the smallest flower in the world? At the duckweed! For a long time it was believed that this was an algae, but then flowers were found in duckweed. But it is still unknown how the number of these plants in the reservoir doubles per day - in a few days duckweed covers the entire surface of the reservoir.
Xerophyta - drought plant
The hairy xerophyta Xerophyta viscosa was named Xerophyta by Antoine Laurent de Jussier (1748-1836), which means "drought plant". This rare herbaceous perennial lives on the stony soils of the Natal province of South Africa, on the peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains, has filiform curved leaves 60 cm long, and flowers 5-6 cm in diameter appear on the plant from November to April. Often this plant is referred to by the alien name of Vellozia viscosa, but Vellozia is a completely different species. Xerophyta is able to live without water in extreme temperature conditions for a very long time. long time. University of Cape Town researchers are using xerophyte genes to code for drought tolerant weeds sanguinalis Digitaria and Thaliana Arbidopsis, and will subsequently use xerophyte genes to cultivated plants to increase their resilience.
The largest root system- in plants of arid regions, deserts and semi-deserts.
Their roots reach deep into the earth to reach nearby underground water sources, or extend far out to exploit what little rain falls in the desert.
Consider a few examples of the length of the roots of desert plants.
Central Asian shrub mimosa -7 m;
Alfalfa - over 15 m;
Camel thorn - more than 20 m.
What plant holds the record for the largest root? It turns out that this is an apple tree growing on the porous soils of Nebraska in America. Its roots penetrated to a depth of 1068 m! And if you take the whole root, and even add all your own small roots to it (you get the total length of the root), then its length will be calculated not in meters, but in kilometers. For example, in a 4-month-old winter rye plant, it is 619 km. One of the Finnish botanists in 1954 calculated the total length of the roots of a hundred-year-old pine - about 50 km.
DID YOU KNOW?..
That carrots, beets, radishes are also roots, only roots that have changed their appearance because reserve nutrients have been deposited in them. What caused the roots to grow so wide? Otherwise, these roots are called root crops. By the way, root crops are the heaviest roots. In November 1978, the Nedelya newspaper reported, for example, about a giant fodder beet grown by one Tajik farmer. She weighs over 20 kg!
TRUNK
Most large plants are trees of the genus Eucalyptus found in Australia. They can reach 130 m in height with a trunk thickness of 10 m (compare: the height of a 10-storey building is 30 m).
In size, mammoth trees - sequoias - are slightly inferior to eucalyptus trees. The maximum height of these giants of the American continent is judged by measurements made in the last century on the fallen trunk of a unique tree in national park sequoia (USA). This tree, called the "father of the forests", had 120 m from the base to the top. Now botanists believe maximum height living specimens of evergreen sequoia 110 m 33 cm. It was with such accuracy that a specimen was measured in Humboldt Sequoia Park in California. He was discovered in 1964 and given his own name "Howard Libby".
Brown algae successfully compete with land plants in terms of size. Some authors estimate its maximum length at 300 m, others more modestly at only 70 m. sea serpent often mentioned in maritime legends. The largest trunk in the world was at the European chestnut. This tree grows on Mount Etna in Sicily and was measured in 1845 to be 64 m in girth (about 20.4 m in diameter).
SHEET
In Southeast Asia, on the island of Sri Lanka, palm trees from the genus Corypha grow. The blades of the fan-shaped leaves of Corypha reach 8 m in length and 6 m in width. One such sheet can cover half of the volleyball court. They make beautiful and durable umbrellas, painted fans. Corypha is also famous for its inflorescences - they are the largest in the world - 14 m long and 12 m wide.
The Brazilian palm Raffia Tedigera has even larger leaves. On a petiole 4-5 m long, a giant “feather” sways over 20 m long and almost 12 m wide. If you put such a leaf vertically on the ground, it will rise above the 6-story House. A strong fiber is extracted from the stem of raffia, which is used to make brushes and hats.
DID YOU KNOW?..
That the spines of a cactus are its leaves? Victoria Amazonskaya, a relative of our white water lily (water lily), became famous for her large leaves. It is precisely because of the unusual
leaves and grow it aquatic plant in many botanical gardens different countries. The Victoria leaf will withstand not only a small child, but also a schoolboy. He will feel on it just like in a real boat. And some leaves do not go under water with a load of about 50 kg. Moreover, the Victoria sheet does not sink, even when its entire surface is covered with an even layer of sand up to 80 kg. That's how much a grown man weighs! Round leaves of Victoria are usually no more than 2 m in diameter, but still - giants!
The flowers of Victoria are also famous. When its buds open, it is announced on the local radio. It is in the evening that its snow-white flower opens. It is very large, it can be up to 40 cm and smells good. By morning, its petals turn pink and close. A closed flower falls into the water. By the next evening, it reopens. Now its petals are already painted in lilac-pink tones. During the second night, it gradually darkens, and by morning it closes again and goes under water again. Now forever! Few manage to see such a short living flower of Victoria!
The amazing Velvichia, growing in the deserts of Africa, has only two leaves in its entire life. Its leaves reach a length of 2-3 m. A giant specimen with leaves 6 m 20 cm long and 1 m 80 cm wide is described! Velvichia is famous and interesting for its stem, similar to a stump. The stem can reach 1 m, and according to other sources - 4 m in diameter. This stem gradually grows in thickness over tens and even hundreds of years.
FLOWER
Another giant is Amorphophallus titanic, growing in tropical rainforests. He reached an extraordinary height - 2 m 42 cm! Because of the disgusting smell, the workers caring for him worked in gas masks and changed clothes after work.
And now about the smallest flowers. In central Europe, there is a naked hernia. This plant has a height of only 5-15 cm, and the flower is only 1 mm! But the smallest flowers of duckweed and rootless wolfia (an aquatic plant) are less than 0.5 mm. Despite their microscopic size, duckweed and Wolffia cover areas of water bodies with a solid green carpet.
FRUIT
The Seychelles palm has a large fruit. Even in ancient times, the inhabitants of the western coast of India found unusual nuts brought by the wind (waves), as if sharply drawn in two. They were called Maldives nuts and even for a long time it was believed that these are the fruits of underwater palms that grow on the bottom of the sea. And in 1743, the Seychelles were discovered, and on them - palm trees that give these mysterious nuts. Their size is amazing: diameter 45 cm, weight up to 25 kg.