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Sunday, February 10, 2008

Rafflesia and the Epiphtyes




Hi everyone this is D.L and today I will be sharing about the Rafflesia and the Epiphtyes.


An interesting thing about some species of the Rafflesia is that grow on the forest floor do not take in nutrieants from the soil they grow from but from the roots of other trees. The largest Rafflesia is a parasitic species called the Rafflesia Arnoldii, its diameter of its bloom being as large as one metre. The bud of this species of flower takes months to mature, finally opening to reveal massive maroon coloured petals which are thick and leathery. These petals are covered in wart-like bumps.The petals surround a deep, central cup, the floor of which is covered in large spikes. When the Flower opens, it gives off a strong putrid odour like that of rotting flesh. This smell attracts flies which help pollinate the plant. Eventually, the plant dies and collapses in on itself. The seeds are then presumably carried on the feet of foraging animals like pigs, elephants, tree shrews or squirrelsand some of these seeds get deposited on or near another vine of Terastigma vine enabling germination to take place.


Now lets take a look at the Epiphtyes. The branches of many rainforest trees are often covered with many unkempt tufts of plants. These plants are known as Epiphtyes. There are 28,000 species of these plants, including algaes, lichens, mosses ferns and even flowering plants which include most of Indonesia's native flowering species. They do not have any form of contact with the forest floor so they rely on branches of trees as a means of support instead. Unlike the Rafflesia, Epiphtyes are not parasites. They photosynthesize just like most plants do. Different species of plants have different methods of attaching themselves to their hosts' branches and collecting rain water and storing nutrients. In the case of most species, materials such dead leaves pile up at the base of the plant giving security to small inhabitants of the forest like insects and frogs, adding to the diversity of these 'gardens in the air'.



[2:44 PM]


Posted at 2:44 PM, 4 Comment(s)


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