Tag: diversity in plants

Epiphytes are the plants which grow on the other plants for the support as they are weak themselves. They don't harm the plant on which they grow. They obtain their nutrients and moisture from the air. For example : mosses.

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.

Plant materials include a wide and varied group of plant parts from many species. General categories of plant materials include grasses, rushes, barks, woods, gourds, stems, roots, seeds, and leaves. These materials can be used to construct baskets, netting, cordage, and even fabrics. Common production methods include felting, knitting, knotting, coiling, plaiting, and weaving.