NO… this is not about cauliflower ! Cauliflory is an evolutionary adaptation in which flowers and fruit develop directly from the trunks and woody branches of plants. Cauliflory means “ stem flower”. It occurs in a distinct vertical zone below the forest canopy. Its found throughout the world. It is most prevalent in the […]
MORPHOLOGY
The shape of things “Morphology” – from the Ancient Greek – (morphḗ) meaning “form”, and (lógos) meaning “study”. In Botany it is used to classify plants based on the shape of their parts. Why pay attention ? What a plant looks like can give hints as to where it evolved and therefore […]
BUD WORMS – YUCK !
The Tobacco Budworm This is a familiar garden pest we encounter every season. It is a caterpillar that loves many of our favorite plants. It is also an agricultural pest of both tobacco and cotton. In our gardens it feeds on the flowers of geranium, petunia, snapdragon and nicotiana – sometimes even […]
REPRODUCTION IN PRIMITIVE PLANTS
BRYOPHYTES (mosses) Bryophyte umbrellas ! When a bryophyte spore settles somewhere, it sprouts and grows into a gametophyte. This then is egg and sperm producing plant. It is this stage we mostly see as green. This attached plant is green and leafy, but usually very small. Commonly called liverworts, their reproductive organs (eggs and […]
THE SHAPE OF LEAVES
What is a leaf? A leaf is the main organ attached to the stem. It is specialized for photosynthesis. Over time, it has evolved into a plethora of different shapes, sizes and characteristics. These vary considerably depending largely on their adaptation to climate. Leaves have also adapted to the available sunlight, presence of grazing […]
UV – What I can not see !
LIGHT – The Electromagnetic Spectrum The electromagnetic spectrum ranges from low frequency, low energy radio waves to high frequency, high energy gamma rays. The human eye however, only perceives visible light. This lies in a narrow range from around 380 nm to 780 nm of the spectrum. Interestingly enough, this visible light is continuous! In […]
MY NEIGHBORS’ UGLY BUILDING !
What can I say. Some views are detrimental to your mental health ! What should I plant on my rooftop to block the view of that ugly building ? – this is something I have heard countless times. Now … Throwing a plant in a pot and hoping it works – doesn’t work. […]
SEPALS !
SEPAL The word comes from Latin – separatus “separate” + petalum “petal”. What is it? In Angiosperms (flowering plants) the sepal is a modified leaf found on the outermost part of the flower. They are usually green and therefore more likely to be confused with leaves. They are also often covered […]
LIGHT ENERGY
BASICS Photons are the particles of energy coming from the sun that plants use to photosynthesize sugar. It is this energy source that runs the plants entire metabolism. Plants trap them in chlorophyll (the green pigment) and pass the energy along to fuel their various processes. When sunlight directly strikes a leaf, 93% […]
