Even the ancient Greek philosophers and scientists tried to qualify the diverse world of terrestrial flora. For example, Aristotle called plants living creatures that cannot move independently.
Today, plants, this biological kingdom, which formed about 2700 - 3800 thousand years ago. The science of biology that studies plants in the modern classification distinguishes 320 thousand species of plants. We will consider the most amazing and largest plants of our planet.
Of course, among the record holders in the wildlife world, trees are the first. We made a separate article about them. The largest trees in the world. Here are all the other plants that are large in size.
Posidonia (Posidonia)
More recently, in 2006, Spanish oceanologists discovered an amazing plant in the depths of the ocean, calling it Posidonia oceanic. The length of this plant in the Balearic Islands at the time of discovery was 8 km.
Posidonia today has about 9 species and grows at a depth of 30 to 50 meters. What is noteworthy, the deeper the largest plant in the world grows, the longer its leaves.
Posidonia oceanic plays an important role in the ecosystem of the ocean. The leaves saturate the water with oxygen, and the thickets of this amazing plant have become the habitat of many small fish and crustaceans.
By the way, on our site thebiggest.ru you can find a list of the largest crustaceans on the planet.
Calamus
Calamus, or as the Spaniards call it "rattan," refers to the family of climbing creepers. This plant is also known as the rattan palm.
This is the longest plant on planet Earth, its stems reach 200–250 meters, the thickness of the stem is 7 cm.
An amazing plant has no branches, and the leaves grow from the buds directly from the trunk. With the help of spikes at the ends of leaf veins, the calamus clings to other trees, sometimes reaching the tops on the tallest trees.
Victoria amazonica
A large herbaceous plant grows in the Amazon and in the Guyana.
Due to the amazing beauty of flowers and leaf sizes, Victoria is the most popular greenhouse in the world.
The leaves of a water lily can support the weight of a child, and an adult, easily stepping over, will walk along them without wetting his legs. Victoria Amazonian flowers are located under water, and only during flowering for 2-3 days to appear above the surface of the river.
Amorphophallus titanic (Amorphophallus titanum)
A large and rare tropical plant Amorphophallus titanic during flowering emits an unpleasant smell of rotten meat.
In nature, the plant with the largest inflorescence is almost destroyed in nature, and now it can be found only in greenhouse conditions.
Thousands of nature lovers come to see the flowering of this unique plant. And even an unpleasant smell does not stop true admirers of natural beauty.
Carnegia (Carnegiea gigantea)
The only representative of the species, Saguaro Cactus is the highest prickly plant on the planet. It grows up to 15 meters in height, and individual specimens of the desert giant weigh 10 tons.
A stunning cactus grows in Mexico and two states of the USA: California and Arizona. Saguaro stamens are so large that many species of birds fly on spikes of nests.
At the end of the twentieth century, due to the danger of extinction of this species of cacti, strict laws were passed. For example, in Arizona for causing damage to a large plant, you can get 25 years in prison.
Circason (Aristolochia)
This elegant plant, which belongs to the family of woody vines, has very large flowers. The size of the Kirkazon flower in the form of a smoking pipe reaches 33 cm in length and 27 cm in diameter.
The plant eats insects. The structure of the flower is arranged in such a way that insects, rushing to the color, fall into a trap in which the flower dissolves its food.
Many types of Kirkazon, due to the content of toxic substances in them, are used in medicine.
Puya raimondii
An unusual plant, growing only among the peaks of the Andes, has the largest inflorescence in the world, reaching 10 meters.
In the course of research, it was possible to establish that Puya Raymondi is one of the oldest plants on our planet. Discovered and first described the plant Antonio Raymondi at the end of the XIX century.
The lifestyle of the Queen Andes is also amazing. The plant begins to bloom only after 100-150 years of growth. Perhaps this feature is developed due to the fact that Puiya Raymondi dies after flowering and fruiting.
Rafflesia Arnold (Rafflesia arnoldii)
This species of parasite plant from the genus Rafflesia grows only in Southeast Asia, on the islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra.
The plant Rafflesia Arnold has one of the largest flowers among all plants. In diameter, the flower reaches 1 meter, and individual flowers weigh 8 kg.
The flower grows directly on the vines in the rainforest, and feeds on the juices flowing in the veins of the vines. Due to massive deforestation, the species was threatened with extinction.
The flower of surprising size was named after the English doctor and naturalist Joseph Arnold.
Velvichia amazing (Welwitschia mirabilis)
A relict and unique plant, named after the Australian traveler and botanist Friedrich Velwich, grows among the rocky desert of Namib.
Welwitschia is a two-leaf plant. Natural conditions also determined the size of the leaves, their length reaches 8 meters and a width of 1.8 meters.
The Bushmen tribes living along the west coast of Africa respectfully call the plant "Big Mister."
Cylindropuntia Bigelow (Cylindropuntia bigelovii)
The plant, formerly known as the Opuntia Bigelow, grows on the rocky slopes and deserts of Mexico and the southwestern United States.
Bigulou reaches a height of 1.5–2.8 meters. Large spines are densely located over the entire surface of the plant. The Bigelow Cylindropuncture blooms from February to May. The flowers are light green with purple streaks.
Like other cacti, birds nest on this plant, and hamsters arrange dwellings so that the thorns of the cactus protect them from enemies.
Conclusion
Nature, as a great master, sometimes creates bizarre in form and large in size objects. The world of plants is amazing and unique is an adornment of our planet. Man uses large representatives of the flora in economic life and medicine. And many of the plants perform a purely decorative function, decorating themselves with greenhouses and greenhouses. TheBiggest.ru authors have tried to show you the largest plants in the world for a variety of characteristics. We look forward to your comments on this topic!
Posted by Valery Skiba