Incredible plants: from the giant water lily to the silena stenophylla

Six is the number of days it takes for a bud to become a giant water lily one meter in diameter.

This aquatic plant lives in South America in addition to having very rapid growth, it is the aquatic plant which has the largest leaves in the world, up to 3 meters in diameter once adult. Some reptiles use this plant as a platform for warmth.

It is possible to cultivate it, but be careful its acclimatization is difficult.

I'm going to tell you about Rafflesia arnoldii , it might mean something to you, in fact if you're a Pokemon fan you've already seen it, in fact this character was directly inspired by it.

It is the largest single flower in the world, it can measure up to one meter in diameter and 10kg .

It grows in the humid forests of Southeast Asia, it is a parasitic plant, that is to say it uses a host plant to develop.

It was discovered in 1818 and no one has succeeded in cultivating it. It has a very particular life cycle.

The flower is open for only 5 to 7 days , so it must quickly reproduce before it dies. To facilitate pollination it releases heat but above all an odor reminiscent of a “corpse” in order to attract as many insects as possible.

We still don't know how the seeds of this flower arrive in a plant that will serve as its host.

It is unfortunately in danger, protective measures are being put in place to prevent it from disappearing .

If you can get it to flower at home, I'll send you a TerraLED LED strip!

I'm going to present to you 3 plants that are particularly tough , I couldn't decide which one was the most resistant:

• lichen

you have probably already seen it, it grows on trees, stones, etc.

It can withstand temperatures ranging from -70° to +70°, radioactive radiation and extreme drought; it only needs 2% water to survive.

• Ginkgo biloba

The strongest tree in history , it is the only form of life that survived the Hiroshima explosion.

A few months after the explosion , buds appeared on 6 Ginko biloba. In addition to this, Ginko is considered the oldest tree family on Earth , it appeared during the primary era around 270 million years ago.

• Silena stenophylla

31,000 years , yes that's the age of the seeds of this plant which germinated thanks to biologists after discovering them in a squirrel burrow 38m deep.

They have remained intact thanks to the climate of Siberia , the ground remains constantly frozen.

I hope you liked this blog, there will be a sequel in a few weeks because there are a lot of surprising plants!