Tag: know the plant world closely

Arceuthobium is the genus of parasitic plants. The host of this plants are members of Pinaceae and Cupressaceae. The stem is reduced and the leaves are minute structures. The flowers are sessile. Most of the parasitic plant is covered beneath the bark of the host plant. 

The aerial roots of plants absorb moisture from the air. These roots are seen in epiphytes which grow on the surface of other plants.  Epiphytic plants take nutrition from air, rain and surrounding organic debris, as they are not in contact with soil. Orchids are epiphytes which have aerial roots with a modified spongy layer of the epidermis called velamen which can absorb moisture from humid air. The cells of velamen absorb water during rains and store for future.

Aldrovanda is a free-floating and rootless aquatic plant. It functions as a snap-trap carnivore under water. A common name for it is the waterwheel plant, because a single whorl of leaves, cut from a stem, is wheel-like. Snap traps are only found in one other carnivorous plant genus, Dionaea, which comprises the commonly known Venus flytrap. 

Like all green plants, pitcher plants use their leaves to harness energy from the sun and make their own food; they use carbon dioxide (CO$ _{2}$) to make energy-rich carbohydrates. So, they are producers. 

Saprophytes are the class of organism that have saprophytic mode of nutrition. They feed on dead living organism. They are assumed to have evolved from green plants but have lost their chlorophyll during the course of evolution.

Reptiles, birds land snails and insects excrete nitrogenous wastes as uric acid in the form of white paste and thus they are called uricotelic animals. 

Amarbel is an example of the parasite. Cuscuta reflexa is the botanical name for the amarbel. It is also known as giant dodder. It grows in a creative manner over host plants and this species has the capability of producing numerous branches within a short period of time. Since it is a parasitic plant, so it depends on host plants for food. Over haustoria, amarbel provide communication with its host plants. Amarbel is widely used in the treatment for a headache, labour pain, bone fracture, fever and rheumatism.