Ferns, turning decay into magic, dead leaves into roots

Mondo Culture Updated on 2024-02-28

The large leaves are topped with small leaves, and the small leaves are made up of small leaves, like feathers – ferns.

In 2009, while attending a clothing show hosted by a friend, I once hid in the yard outside the back door with a Ukrainian model and smoked.

The big girl touched the feathery leaves of the tree ferns and asked me, "Have you ever seen their flowers?"

On their side (East Slavia), everyone said that ferns were considered to bloom once a year on the night of Ivan Kupala (the shortest night of the year, which is our summer solstice).

Although very difficult to find, anyone who sees a fern is believed to guarantee happiness and wealth for the rest of their lives.

After parting, I slipped backstage and stole some of the flowers for the VIPs and tied them to the fern tree.

I don't know if she saw it, or if she was happy and had money to spend.

No way, ferns reproduce through spores and have neither seeds nor flowers.

The great radiation of ferns occurred in the late Cretaceous, when many modern ferns first appeared. It can be said that modern ferns and flowering plants appeared and evolved at the same time – they coped well with the low light conditions under the canopy of flowering plants.

Technically, the green, photosynthetic part of the fern is a giant leaf, and in ferns, it is often referred to as a phyllodes.

Some flowering plants, such as palms and carrots, also have pinnate leaves, somewhat similar to those of ferns.

However, the fruits of these plants contain fully developed seeds instead of the microscopores of ferns.

Where do the spores come from?

The leaves of ferns are divided into two types: fertile sporophylls and common leaves; Sporophylls produce spores – born in sporangia. The spores are rich in lipids, proteins, and calories, so some vertebrates eat them.

The decaying leaves are covered with mossy stems, and the roots have re-sprouted, anchored in the soil and providing nutrients. This is completely unknown to any other plant in the world, and recently, in the Panamanian rainforest, scientists discovered the first known plant species, the tree fern (Cyathea rojasiana), which can convert decaying tissues into new nutrients**.

The dead leaves of the tree fern will bend to the ground and wrap around like a skirt. How can a completely withered leaf, inanimate plant matter that looks like a leaf on the surface grow roots?

Further research has shown that this tree fern can alter the inside of its dead or dying leaves. After the rest of the leaf dies, the vascular tissue inside begins to differentiate, proliferate.

The remnants of the xylem and phloem—the small tubes that carry water, sugar, and nutrients throughout the living leaf—somehow become roots.

In short, the tips of these leaves, after bending down to the ground, will sprout new fine roots that penetrate the soil. By converting the existing leaf material into roots, energy is saved.

This can help it compete for nutrients in the rainforest.

Many plants are known for their near-limitless adaptability, and quite a few species can produce new roots from living leaves. But the leaf roots of this tree fern represent the first known example of repurposing dead and dying tissue.

There are many brain holes that can be expanded in fantasy.

The author thanks for your interest (-

List of high-quality authors

Related Pages