Cultivated from fruit tissues that were recovered from frozen sediment in Siberia, Silene stenophylla is by far the oldest to be brought back from the dead.
The previous record holder was a sacred lotus, which dated back about 1200 years.
The late David Gilichinsky and his colleagues from the Soil Cryology Laboratory in Moscow, Russia, recovered the fruits of the ice age flowering plant from a fossilised squirrel burrow in frozen sediments near the Kolyma river in north-east Siberia.Radiocarbon dating of the fruit suggested that the squirrel hoarded it around 31,800 years ago, just before the ice rolled in.
By applying growth hormones to the fruit tissue, the researchers managed to initiate cell division and ultimately produce a practical flowering plant.
The modern day plant looks similar to the resurrected plant, but has larger seeds and fewer buds, and also grows roots more rapidly.
Alan Cooper, director of the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide, is although impressed but cautious, because some supposedly "ancient" plants grown previously have turned out to be modern contaminants.
To rule out this possibility, the researchers went to some lengths to verify that the fruit came from undisturbed deposits. (Agencies)
Source : Yahoo
Cytisus scoparius is a deciduous, perennial shrub that grows up to 3m tall. It begins to reproduce when it is approximately three years old and usually lives from 10-15 years. After flowering, it forms black seed pods, carrying an average of 5-9 seeds that disperse after the pods audibly 'pop' open! Scotch broom is known as a 'prolific seed producer' with up to 18,000 seeds per plant which spread by wind, small animals, water and humans. These seeds are protected with a seed coat that can delay germinating for over 30 years. As mentioned, it has yellow flowers (sometimes white or red) that attract large bees to deliver its pollen. Scotch broom is adapted to tolerate drought conditions with its deep taproot, reduced leaf area, photosynthetically active stems, and a thick wax coating to prevent water loss. It prefers open sites because it is generally shade intolerant, thriving in dry to very dry soils. This plant also tends to acidify surrounding soil, preventing other species from establishing.
How to Grow Daisy Chocolate Scented Daisy
60- 85 Days to Flower A small plant with an airy habit, Chocolate Scented Daisy (sometimes called Chocolate Flower) makes a nice, informal edging plant, and is most impressive and most fragrant when planted in groups. Although native to the Southwest, it has shown itself to be adaptable to a wide spectrum of conditions. It dies back to the ground in winter and returns with a larger crown each spring, ultimately reaching about two feet across and about 18 inches high. A night bloomer, the flowers offer up their Cocoa scent in the morning and drop their colorful petals each day as the temperature rises. Like many ray flowers, Chocolate Daisy is an important beneficial insect attractor. Diversity is important when trying to attract these helpful insects. Planting many different kinds of flowers provides for the varied tastes of this diverse population. SOW INDOORS 8-10 weeks before the last frost. Cover seed ¼" with soil. Germination is 10-12 days at 68-70ยบF. TRANSPLANT outdoors after danger of frost, 8-12" apart. GARDEN HINTS: Daisy's need full sun. Provide ample moisture in the heat of the summer.
When to Sow Outside: Spring after average last day of frost. Soil should be warm.
When to Sow Inside: not recommended
Seed Spacing: 1" to 2"
Days to Emerge: 5 - 10
Thinning: 15" to 18" apart
Have come across giant fake / artificial paper flowers everywhere.Now is the time to explore the real giant plants and flowers.Following is the list of Giant Plants and Flowers
List of Giant Plants and Flowers:
Rafflesia
List of Giant Plants and Flowers:
Rafflesia ,one of the Giant Plants / Flowers, is a genus of parasitic flowering plants. It contains approximately 28 species (including four incompletely characterized species as recognized by Willem Meijer in 1997), all found in southeastern Asia.The plant has no stems, leaves or true roots.The only part of the plant that can be seen outside the host vine is the five-petaled flower.The flowers look and smell like rotting flesh, hence its local names which translate to "corpse flower" or "meat flower".The vile smell attracts insects such as flies, which transport pollen from male to female flowers.
Giant golden jungle banana flower:The banana grows in the mountain forests in china and the ethnic communities in the mountains are eating the flowers as the fruits are full of seeds. The giant golden jungle banana flower is not only enjoyed for its magnificent shape, but is also eaten by people who live in the mountains of China. The flower is a golden yellow color. Its petals are sometimes pulled back to reveal the inner petals, forming what some people call a flower pagoda.
Amorphophallus titanumThe titan arum or Amorphophallus titanum (from Ancient Greek amorphos, "without form, misshapen" + phallos, "phallus", and titan, "giant" [Giant Misshapen Penis]) is a flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world.The titan arum's inflorescence can reach over 3 metres (10 ft) in height. Like the related cuckoo pint and calla lily, it consists of a fragrant spadix of flowers wrapped by a spathe, which looks like a large petal. In the case of the titan arum, the spathe is green on the outside and dark burgundy red on the inside, and deeply furrowed. The "fragrance" of the titan arum resembles rotting meat, attracting carrion-eating beetles and Flesh Flies (family Sarcophagidae) that pollinate it.
Giant golden jungle banana flower:The banana grows in the mountain forests in china and the ethnic communities in the mountains are eating the flowers as the fruits are full of seeds. The giant golden jungle banana flower is not only enjoyed for its magnificent shape, but is also eaten by people who live in the mountains of China. The flower is a golden yellow color. Its petals are sometimes pulled back to reveal the inner petals, forming what some people call a flower pagoda.
Black plants list:
Aeonium – ‘Zwartkop’
Celosia – ‘China Town’
Oxalis – Oxalis regnelli atropurpurea, Oxalis triangularis, ‘Charmed Wine’
Calla Lillies – ‘Blackjack,’ ‘Hot Chocolate,’ ‘Black Forest,’ ‘Black Pearl,’ ‘Midnight Eclipse,’ and ‘Edge of Night’
Canna – ‘Australia,’ and ‘Tropicanna Black’
Coleus – ‘Inky Fingers,’ ‘Black Dragon,’ ‘Chocolate Mint,’ ‘Dark Chocolate’
Cosmos – ‘Chocolate’
Cranesbill – ‘Cheryll’s Shadow’
Bachelor’s Button – Black Magic and Black Boy
Elephant’s Ear – ‘Black Magic,’
Huechera – ‘Black Beauty,’ ‘Chocolate Veil’, ‘Obsidian,’ ‘Plum Pudding,’ ‘Blackout,’ and ‘Velvet Night’
Bugleweed – ‘Black Scallop,’ ‘Mahogany’
Geranium – ‘Dark Lord,’ ‘Espresso,’ ‘Midnight Reiter,’ and ‘Samobor’
Iris – ‘Black Knight,’ ‘Black Swan’, ‘Old Black Magic’, ‘Ruby Chimes’, ‘Before the Storm,’ and ‘Superstition’
Dahlia – ‘Happy Single’ series, ‘Bishop of Llandaff,’ and ‘Fascination’
Scabiosa – ‘Ace of Spades,’ and ‘Chile Black’
Sunflower – ‘Moulin Rouge’
Sweet Peas – ‘Black Knight,’ and ‘Wiltshire Ripple’
Sweet Potato Vine – ‘Blackie,’ ‘Sidekick Black Heart,’ and ‘Sweet Caroline’
Violas – ‘Black Magic,’ ‘Bowles Black,’ and ‘Molly Sanderson’
Cabbage – ‘January King’
Eggplant – ‘Black Beauty,’
Kale – ‘Black Tuscany,’ ‘Cavolo Nero’
Lettuce – ‘Lollo Rossa, ‘Merlot,’ ‘Really Red Deer Tongue,’ ‘Majesty,’ ‘Marshall,’ and ‘Blackhawk’
Tomatoes – ‘Black’, ‘Black Cherry’, and ‘Black Plum’
Basil – ‘Dark Opal, ‘Purple Ruffles,’ ‘Red Rubin,’ ‘Osmin Purple,’
Radish – ‘Black Spanish’
Japanese Name: Hoteichiku
Max Height: 27 Feet (8 m)
Max Diameter: 1.75 inches (4.5 cm)
Minimum Temp: 0°F (-18°C)
Light Exposure: Full sun
Rhizome System: Running (leptomorph)
There are many specimens found along stream banks, rocky slopes, and cliff edges.Ginkgo branches grow in length by growth of shoots with regularly spaced leaves, as seen on most trees. Because of the short internodes, leaves appear to be clustered at the tips of short shoots, and reproductive structures are formed only on them (see pictures below - seeds and leaves are visible on short shoots). In Ginkgos, as in other plants that possess them, short shoots allow the formation of new leaves in the older parts of the crown. After a number of years, a short shoot may change into a long (ordinary) shoot, or vice versa.
The leaves are unique among seed plants, being fan-shaped with veins radiating out into the leaf blade, sometimes bifurcating (splitting) but never anastomosing to form a network.[4] Two veins enter the leaf blade at the base and fork repeatedly in two; this is known as dichotomous venation. The leaves are usually 5–10 cm (2-4 inches), but sometimes up to 15 cm (6 inches) long. The old popular name "Maidenhair tree" is because the leaves resemble some of the pinnae of the maidenhair fern, Adiantum capillus-veneris.
Leaves of long shoots are usually notched or lobed, but only from the outer surface, between the veins. They are borne both on the more rapidly-growing branch tips, where they are alternate and spaced out, and also on the short, stubby spur shoots, where they are clustered at the tips.
Production
Ginkgos are dioecious, with separate sexes, some trees being female and others being male. Male plants produce small pollen cones with sporophylls each bearing two microsporangia spirally arranged around a central axis.
Female plants do not produce cones. Two ovules are formed at the end of a stalk, and after pollination, one or both develop into seeds. The seed is 1.5–2 cm long. Its fleshy outer layer (the sarcotesta) is light yellow-brown, soft, and fruit-like. It is attractive in appearance, but contains butanoic acid[5] (also known as butyric acid) and smells like rancid butter or vomit when fallen. Beneath the sarcotesta is the hard sclerotesta (the "shell" of the seed) and a papery endotesta, with the nucellus surrounding the female gametophyte at the center.
The fertilization of ginkgo seeds occurs via motile sperm, as in cycads, ferns, mosses and algae. The sperm are large (about 70–90 micrometres) and are similar to the sperm of cycads, which are slightly larger. Ginkgo sperm were first discovered by the Japanese botanist Sakugoro Hirase in 1896.[9] The sperm have a complex multi-layered structure, which is a continuous belt of basal bodies that form the base of several thousand flagella which actually have a cilia-like motion. The flagella/cilia apparatus pulls the body of the sperm forwards. The sperm have only a tiny distance to travel to the archegonia, of which there are usually two or three. Two sperm are produced, one of which successfully fertilizes the ovule. Although it is widely held that fertilization of ginkgo seeds occurs just before or after they fall in early autumn, embryos ordinarily occur in seeds just before and after they drop from the tree.
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs. Flowers may facilitate outcrossing (fusion of sperm and eggs from different individuals in a population) or allow selfing (fusion of sperm and egg from the same flower). Some flowers produce diaspores without fertilization (parthenocarpy). Flowers contain sporangia and are the site where gametophytes develop. Flowers give rise to fruit and seeds. Many flowers have evolved to be attractive to animals, so as to cause them to be vectors for the transfer of pollen.
In addition to facilitating the reproduction of flowering plants, flowers have long been admired and used by humans to beautify their environment, but also as objects of romance, ritual, religion, medicine and as a source of food.