Plants are awesome!
They are incredibly diverse with a variety of different traits.
Say hello to Methuselah! This Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) is the oldest known individual, clocking in at 4,852 years. It is located in the White Mountains of eastern California. |
We also have another California native. The Hyperion. This coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is 380.1 feet (115.85 meters) tall. One of the largest clonal tree is a banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) in Kolkata, India. The Great Banyan occupies a area of 18,918 square meters or 4.67 acres. The largest mammal, a Blue whale, spans only 98 feet (29.9 meters). |
This next plant is aptly named the Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus titanum). It produces the largest inflorescence (cluster of flowers; 6-8 feet tall) in the world and is also well-known for smelling like rotting flesh. |
Plants are also important!
1. They produce the atmospheric oxygen we breathe, regulate the water cycle, and store large amounts of carbon.
2. Everything we eat or wear comes directly or indirectly from plants. ~7,000 plant species have acted as food for humans.
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3. 1/4 of all prescription drugs come directly from plants or are plant derivatives. Additionally, four out of five people around the world rely on plants for primary healthcare.
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4. We burn fossilized plants like oil and coal to create energy.
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5. Plants serve as the backbone of ecosystems, providing food and shelter to other organisms besides humans.
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Most advances in scientific knowledge have been driven by plants
Genetics:Gregor Mendel studied the phenotypic variability (observable characteristics) of a pea plant (Pisum sativum). With the help of over 15,000 plants, he demonstrated the fundamental laws of inheritance and coined the commonly used terms "dominant" and "recessive." |
Cells:The 17th century: Robert Hooke observed "cell" microscopic pores in the thin sections of cork.
In 1674: Anton van Leeuwenhoek observed and described living cells in the green algal genus Spirogyra. In 1831: Robert Brown observed the nucleus from thin sections of orchid flowers. In 1839: Botanist Matthias Jakob Schleiden and cofounder of the cell theory proposed that plant parts are made of cells. |
Transposons:In 1947: Through studying maize, Barbara McClintock uncovered the existence of transposons. Transposons are genes that are capable of shifting their position on the chromosome and can be turned on and off at different stages of development. She found that changes in the color of corn kernels were changes in the genome.
Transposable genes are now understood to lead to a variety of human diseases (some cancers, porphyria, hemophilia, etc.). |
Viruses:
The first viruses were observed in plants through the "tobacco mosaic" in Europe and "rice stunt" in Far East Asia. In 1886, Adolph Mayer found that the "tobacco mosaic" disease could be transmitted to healthy plants after rubbing them with infected leaf sap. In 1890, Dmitry Ivanovsky studies the "tobacco mosaic" disease further and observed many of the first characteristics of viruses.
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Humans have interacted with plants throughout time. Below are two sources. One is a review of the use of plants during pandemics by Sònia Garcia, the other is the Plant Humanities Lab where you can: "Explore the cultural histories of plants and their influence on human societies."
To keep up with the growth of our garden, please continue to revisit this website and watch out for forthcoming social media accounts!