13 Weird and Amazing Plant Facts Around The World

13 Weird and Amazing Facts around the World

By Mr Ghaz, August 12, 2010

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13 Weird and Amazing Facts around the World

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1) What Are the World’s Largest Trees and Flowers?

Pines and Cedars are the most long-lived trees. These conifers are abundant along the West Coast of the United States where they live as long as 3,000 to 4,000 years, or in the case of bristlecone pines, nearly 5,000 years. Sequoias attain heights of over 300 ft (90 m), while some redwoods exceed even that. The Big Tree, a sequoia in Yosemite National Park in California, has a tunnel cut through it to allow the passage of cars. The tree still has roots and remains alive.

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2) The Giant Sequoia Tree

Some sequoias in California are so big that tunnels are cut of them to allow cars to pass through.

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3) The Giant Rafflesia

The world’s largest flower is the rafflesia plant. It grows in Southeast Asia and weights up to 25 pounds (1 kg). As a parasite it lives and feeds on other plants. It smells horrible, something like rotting meat.

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4) The Water Platter

The so-called water platter is a water lily that inhabits fresh water in tropical South America. Its leaves have upturned edges and are 2 to 6 feet (60 to 180 cm) wide. They can support the weight of a child.

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5) The cedar on Yaku Island near the southern tip of mainland Japan is one of the oldest trees in the world. It is said to be several thousand years old.

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6) Why Do Flowers Have So Many Different Shapes?

Except for ferns, plants make seeds by sexual reproduction. Plants cannot move, however, so they are pollinated by insects, birds and the wind. Flowers pollinated by insects and birds have structures that accommodate the shapes and habits of particular species. Flowers without petal are pollinated by the wind. Because wind pollination is not very efficient, these plants produce huge amounts of pollen to ensure that some of it will reach other plants of the same species.

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Butterfly love spring flowers

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7) Some birds like nectar too: Birds also drink the nectar of some flowers. These flowers have shapes that make it easy for birds to reach their nectar. Pollen sticks to the birds and they then spread it to other flowers.

Some Flower Shapes

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Orchid

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Dandelion

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Lily

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Cluster amaryllis

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Orchid

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Insects do not visit flowers that have no petals. The flowers of cedar trees have no petals, so they spread their pollen using the wind.

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9) How Much Water Does a Tree Absorb on One Day?

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Plants have a variety of ways to take in water. Trees absorb water from the ground; their roots can also store water. Cacti which live in dry places with extreme temperature differences between night and day, take in the water of night dew through their roots. Seaweeds, though, absorb water through their leaves using their roots instead to cling to rocks so they will not float away.

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10) A large oak tree can absorb enough water from the ground in one day to fill seven bathtubs.

A very large drink

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11) The zelkova tree is a type of elm that grows in Asia. If its trunk has a diameter of one foot (30 cm) five feet (1.5) above the ground, this tree can absorb 1.9 gallons (8.8) of water a day. That would fill 44 glasses.

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12) In addition to water, a tree needs light, air and nutrients. It absorbs roughly 35 quarts (40 l) of carbon dioxide a day and releases the same amount of oxygen.

13) Trees use sunlight to make 1.6 ounces (45 g) of carbohydrate every day. Carbohydrates are source of energy, enabling trees to grow.

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