Assistant Professor, Dept. of Plant Biology & Plant Biotechnology, Guru Nanak College, Velachery, Chennai – 600 042. Seven Wonders of the World - Hanging Garden of Babylon The Garden of Babylon was built in about 600 BC. The Garden of Babylon was on the east bank of Euphrates River, about 50 kms south of Baghdad, Iraq. Ancient stories say King Nebuchadnezzar built the garden for his homesick wife. Unbelievable but real!! Coconut tree of Kerala, India.. Of the many wonders of plants, perhaps the most wonderful is not only that they are so varied and beautiful, but that they are also so clever at feeding themselves. Plants are autotrophs — "self nourishers." Using only energy from the sun, they can take up all the nourishment they need — water, minerals, carbon dioxide — directly from the world around them to manufacture their own roots and stems, leaves and flowers, fruits and seeds. If something is missing from that simple mix — if they don't get enough water, for example, or if the soil is lacking some of the minerals they need — they grow poorly or die. But their diet is limited, a few minerals, some H2O, some CO2, and energy from the sun. Makahiya or Sensitive Plant (Mimosa Pudica) Mimosa pudica or makahiya’s leaflets respond almost instantly to touch heat or wind by folding up and at the same time the petiole droop. The leaves recover after about 15 minutes. The Sensitive Plant is native to Central and South America, and gets it name because its leaflets fold in and droop when they are touched. This is caused by a drop of pressure in certain cells, and leads to a very cool effect. The leaves also react to heat and light which causes the plant to fold up every evening The wonders of the plant world This one is for all the plant lovers out there; a few interesting facts about plants that you probably didn’t know! Oldest Seed Plant Jurassic Age – Dinos (T. Rexs), best companion Gingko tree Still it is lives on – 1,80,000,000 (18 crores) World's oldest plant A plant that started life during the last Ice Age is still going strong in the arid scrublands of California, scientists revealed today. Researchers believe the Jurupa Oak has been around for 13,000 years, making it the oldest living plant in the world. The oak is made up of a community of cloned bushes and scientists believe it has managed to survive the extreme effects of climate change by regenerating. The Jurupa Oak, which belongs to the species Quercus palmeri or Palmer's Oak, is named after the windswept Jurupa hills where it lives. This species of trees usually occur in cooler and wetter regions. The strange location of the Jurupa was the first clue for the team that it might have unusual origins. Smallest Plant in the World Wolffia arrhiza – Smallest flowering plant, common floating duck weed. Roughly two dozen of them would fit on a finger nail. Actually it has flowers, there are so tiny that they are almost invisible to the eye Biggest tree in the world This is General Sherman Sequoia which is a 2300-2700 year old. It is located in Giant Forest of the Sequoia National Park, California. In 2002 it was pronounce as the biggest tree in the world, it has about 1487 cubic meters. General Grant tree was also one of the favorites in this competition, but it was defeated by this one. The General Sherman sequoia is also 275 feet high. This tree, the biggest one in the world, was named after general William Tecumesh Sherman, who was an American Civil War leader. The General Sherman tree is the largest tree (by volume) in the world. It can be found in Sequoia National Park. The General Sherman tree isn't the oldest in the park, however it is the largest. There is no other living thing in the world that is larger in volume then this tree. Each year it adds enough wood to itself to make a tree one foot in diameter and more than 100 feet tall. More stats: Estimated Age: 2150 years Height 274.9ft or 83.8m Circumference at Ground 102.6ft or 31.1m Maximum Diameter at Base 36.5ft or 11.1m Diameter of Largest Branch 6.8ft or 2.1m Height of First Large Branch above the Base 130.0ft or 39.6m Average Crown Spread 106.5ft / 32.5m Photo taken: July 18th, 2001 Black Flower • Black tulips are rare and mysterious. They are hybrid flowers, never pure black, but more deep purple, maroon or wine red in color. Sumptuous beauties, black tulips are more and more popular in people’s gardens and even in arrangements and bouquets. They have that hypnotizing royal shade that captures your attention and intrigues you to look closer or to admire more and more intensely. First Plant in the Space In 1982 – Soviet Space Station Salyut 7 Arabidopsis – life span of about 40 days First shrub to flower and produce seed in zero-gravity conditions. Slowest Flowering Plant Puya raimondii – rare plant, grows in the Andes Mountains – South America. It takes roughly 150 years to flowers. Largest seed in the world We got a lot of good guesses for this one, including pumpkin and avacodo seeds. But the answer is the seed of the double coconut or coco de mer (Lodoicea maldivica) The seed, which can take up to 10 years to develop, can weigh over 20 kilograms! this palm at Kew Gardens in England (one of the world’s major botanical gardens), it is a native of the Seychelles, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean of the east coast of Africa. Largest Leaves Raffia Palm (Raphia) Raffia palm a native to tropical Africa has the largest leaves in the world which can grow as long as 80 ft. Most Limited Leaves Welwitschia mirabilis – unique, distinction of growing only 2 leaves in its entire 100 years life time. Grows at the rate of 5 – 8 cm / year Average plant has leaves – measures up to 6.5 m at its centenary celebrations. Hottest & Coolest Plants Alpine - Snow Bell, tiny plant, produces heat in its shoot to melt a hole in the snow. This helps the plant to reach the surface (flower - early spring) Saguaro Cactus - air conditioned room (birds – hole in the stem, live – cooler 30°C) Most Carnivorous Plants Non-vegetarian Plants (Geraniums, Petunias & Tobacco, seeds of the Shepherd’s Purse) kill and eat bugs. They lure these creatures, secretes exotic scents, colours / appearances - plants. Special juice - dissolve, absorbed through the skin. Shyest Flowers Rare species of Australian orchids live, grow and flower below the ground How they survive without sunlight, Nothing is known – seed production Use their own pollen (depends - cross pollination) Most Punctual Flowers Flowers open & close at a certain time - Clock flowers To protect the pollen from - cold & rain Carolus Linnaeus - planted flower – Garden, could tell the time by looking – position of their petals. This bizarre plant lives as a parasite on the Tetrastigma vine, which grows only in Largest Flower in primary rainforests. This unusual plant lacks any the World observable leaves, stems or even roots, yet is still considered a vascular plant. Rafflesia arnoldii was named after Sir Stamford Raffles, Governor of the East India Company’S Establishments in Sumatra, and Joseph Arnold, a naturalist and physician. “Declared Arnold shortly before he died of malaria on the same expedition during which Rafflesia was discovered. Largest Water Plant Giant Water Lily – Amazon Leaves – dia. 2 m. Strong. Just born baby can float on them Dama de Noche (Cestrum) Dama de noche blooms at night and closes during the day. This species is grown as ornamental plants for its strongly scented flowers. Largest Inflorescence in the World Titan Arum’s is a unique plant with a unique name. It is derived from Ancient Greek amorphos, “without form, misshapen” plus phallos, “penis”, and titan, “giant”. The Titan Arum was originally discovered in Sumatra, Indonesia. They can be found in many botanic gardens around the world but is still indigenous only to the tropical forests of Sumatra. Due to its fragrance, which is reminiscent of the smell of a decomposing mammal, the Titan Arum is also known as the “Corpse Flower” or “Corpse Plant” (in Indonesian, “bunga bangkai” – bunga means flower, while bangkai means corpse or cadaver. Baobab Tree - Adansonia Gregorii Monkey Orchid Rainbow Eucalyptus Monkey Orchid Daybreak Red Stripe White & Purple Gazania Flower Lips Clumping Gazania Maxillaria cucullata Venus’s Slipper Giant Ansellia Dahlia Lady’s Slipper Parrot’s Beak Indicators of Pollution • Utricularia, Chara & Wolffia - prefer to grow in polluted waters • Bacteria (Escherichia coli) • Diatoms in water – pollution by sewage Tree species combat Noise Pollution • Azadirachta indica • Butea monosperma • Eucalyptus citriodora • Madhuca indica • Mangifera indica • Terminalia arjuna • Grevillea robusta • Syzygium cumini Is Trees Remove the Dust ? Dust Collection Efficiency of City Trees Simple Leaves (gm/sq.m) Mangifera 4.05 Ficus religiosa 4.15 Polyalthia 4.56 Tectona 5.35 Thespesia 7.00 So2 Tolerant Tree Species Albizia lebbeak Ailanthus excelsa Azadirachta indica Mimusops elengi Polyalthia longifolia Betula pendula Delonix regia Ficus religiosa Tree, What They do ? Reduce Solar Radiation Absorb and filter SPM Absorb harmful gases Regulate wind speed Control noise level Reduce erosion of soil Carbon sequestration Dust Collection Efficiency of City Trees Compound Leaves (gm/sq.m) Delonix regia 1.44 Tamarindus indica 2.08 Cassia fistula 2.24 Azadirachta indica 2.92 Caution • Dear All By the next 10 months, our earth will become 4 degrees hotter than what it is now.