I return last week to theU.S. Botanic Gardenfor another lesson in plant morphology , but this one was a flake sexier than the leafage talking Iposted about here . This time , Dr. Susan Pell talkedflowersand her audience quick caught on that this talk would be R - rated .
too soon one a hearer asked , “ So is pollen fill with sperm cell ? ” Indeed ! So we educate for more sex talk as we followed Susan deeper into the bowels of the garden and were next told that fruits are “ just develop ovaries . ”
But were we quick to stick out the fact that some plants have “ bisexual flowers ? ”
And we had n’t even gotten to the orchidaceous plant yet . Did you know that they practise “ pseudocopulation , ” also known as “ sexual deception ! ” You ca n’t make this stuff and nonsense up .
Above , Vanda coeruleais such a viewer , I ’m sure it has no problem deceive those pollinators .
Here Susan talks about a pink flowering fromCalliandra emarginata , Pink Powder Puff .
This strange - depend plant is called Cabbage on a Stick orBrighamia insignis . Native to Kaui , it ’s now out in the wild due to total extinction of the one moth capable of pollinate it , but is being preserve through hand - pollination by the U.S. Botanic Garden and the 53 other botanic garden that grow it . The garden collaborate to keep the plant among the living by replace pollen with each other .
Another industrial plant that needs human intervention in purchase order to reproduce ( through the try of the USBG ’s tree surgeon ) is thisCacoa or Cocoa Tree . Very popular with shoot the breeze school groups .
plant life sexual practice is fun , but the high spot of the event for me was actually learning to apply a midget hand - held jewelry microscope to see peak up - finish . Here ’s one participant doing it the right way – putting the microscope close to her eyes first , then work the flora nearer and closer until the image is clear-cut . We had to return our microscopes at the remnant of the go but Susan encouraged us to buy one and keep it handy to learn more about the plants we arise or see anywhere . They’re available onlinefor under $ 3 – stocking animal stuffer , anyone ?
( The petite heyday being examined here is fromNepenthes‘Mixta Superba . ’ )
