I sent this list privately to Benjamin, but realized others might be interested:
http://images.google.com/search?q=Bursera+microphylla&biw=1015&bih=569&tbm=isch http://www.loscabosinsider.com/cabo-life/plants-animals-baja/insider_boojum.htm http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SELE2 http://www.americansouthwest.net/texas/big_bend/living-rock-cactus_l.html http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/orchids-mimic-alarm-pheromone s-of-bees-to-attract-wasps/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuscuta http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq5980.html http://www.botany.org/Parasitic_Plants/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strangler_fig Another one I'll add, and being residents of Arizona the students might find this particularly interesting, the leafy members of the cactus family in S. America. mcneely ---- Martin Meiss <[email protected]> wrote: > If I may have another go at it: > > 1. How about the duckweeds, especially *Wolfia*, because it is so small and > featureless (like grains of sand). > 2. Bladderworts, because of the neat way they trap arthropods, and because > they have aquatic and terrestrial species. > 3. The aquatic floating ferns, like *Azolla*,* Marsilea*, and *Salvinia*, > because most of us don't think of ferns as aquatic > 4. *Riccia*, the floating OR terrestrial liverwort > 5. The various marginal aquatic/marsh plants, whose leaves take on wildly > different forms depending on whether they are below the water surface, at > the surface, or above the water level > > Another area to consider is taxons that have unusual diversity, such as: > 1. The genus *Cornus*, which has the small woody dogwood tree and the > herbacious bunchberry. > 2. The palms, which have at least one species that is a mangrove and one > that is a vine. > 3. Common cabbage, a single species whose cultivars include such diversity > as collards, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, and kohl rabi. > I find it interesting that these very different physical forms can be > achieved just by tweaking a few genes that regulate the growth processes. > > Martin M. Meiss > > 2011/8/16 Kathleen Knight <[email protected]> > > > Skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus, creates heat and melts the snow > > around it in early spring. It smells like rotting meat to attract the flies > > that pollinate it. > > -Kathleen > > > > > > On Aug 16 2011, Judith S. Weis wrote: > > > > Venus fly traps would definitely appeal to middle school kids. > >> > >> > >> I nominate: > >>> 1. Trigger plants (Stylidiaceae - Australia). They slap pollinators > >>> with their reproductive parts to effect pollination. > >>> 2. Resurrection plant (Selaginella)- desert species and eastern > >>> epiphytes. Yes, they look dead until you add water. > >>> 3. Epiphytic Bromeliads (in general) because they are so obviously cool. > >>> 4. Rafflesiaceae includes one of the worlds largest (Rafflesia > >>> arnoldii) and smallest (Pilostyles thurberi) flowers (The second one is > >>> a plant that lives entirely inside the stems of desert shrubs - except > >>> for the flowers). > >>> > >> 5. Ophrys speculum orchids for their pseudocopulation pollination system. > > > >> 6. Marine flowering plants like Zostera and Thallasia (sea grass) > >>> because they represent weird evolutionary transitions back to the ocean, > >>> they are some of the only plants that flower and are pollinated > >>> completely under water, and they have some of the largest pollen grains > >>> (long, thread-like). > >>> 7. Vallisneria seems like an ordinary aquatic plant, but it has a weird > >>> pollination system where male flowers break off and float on the water > >>> surface like little boats. The female flowers stay attached on long > >>> stems and open on the water surface. Male flowers are then drawn to the > >>> females as the water surface is depressed by surface tension around the > >>> females. > >>> 8. Basal Angiosperms (water lilies such as Nymphaea, Brasenia, Nuphar) > >>> because they like leftover dinosaurs from the deep evolutionary past of > >>> the flowering plants. > >>> 9. Buzz pollination plants like shooting star (Dodecatheon) and > >>> Melestoma because they are also cool. Steve Buckman did an awesome > >>> analysis of that demonstrated the physics of pollen ejection from the > >>> anthers and then electrostatic charges that sicks the pollen to the > >>> pollinator's body. > >>> 10. Gnetum, which is classified as a Gymnosperm but is really a > >>> transitional group because they have double fertilization that is more > >>> like the Angiosperms. Some species are also used as herbal remedies in > >>> China. > >>> 11. Wild ginger (Asarum) because they are one of the only plants that > >>> is (might be) ant pollinated. > >>> 12. Touch-me-not (jewel weed - Impatiens) and other plants with > >>> projectile seed dispersal. > >>> > >>> Yeah, and there are plenty of others, but there are a few I can think of > >>> right off. > >>> > >>> Mitch Cruzan > >>> > >>> On 8/15/2011 4:25 PM, Benjamin Blonder wrote: > >>> > >>>> Hi everyone, > >>>> I'm about to embark on a middle school teaching project where > >>>> students will learn about a really odd species of plant - they'll > >>>> investigate its natural history, adaptation, etc., then make a > >>>> presentation to the class on their findings. > >>>> > >>>> I'd like your help with the names of some of your favorite weird > >>>> plants - especially charismatic ones are particularly welcome. I'm > >>>> hoping to have a list of about 50 in the end. Some examples of the > >>>> kinds of plants I'm imagining: Welwitschia, Amorphophallus, Nepenthes, > >>>> Hura... > >>>> > >>>> Once enough suggestions come in, I'd be pleased to summarize the > >>>> names to the list. > >>>> > >>>> Thanks! > >>>> Benjamin Blonder > >>>> University of Arizona > >>>> > >>>> > >>> > >> -- David McNeely
