What is the world's "fastest" flower found on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau?

Compared to animals, plants usually appear in a fixed and static posture, rarely taking the initiative to move or behave. As we all know, Mimosa pudica is famous for its leaves that immediately close when touched by external force, and is loved by plant lovers. But the wonderful nature is not only Mimosa pudica, but also "shy flowers". The petals can not only move, but also move at an unimaginable speed!

During the second special survey of aquatic plants in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau organized by the Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a research team from Hubei University, Wuhan University, Tibet University and Wuhan Botanical Garden discovered for the first time the "smug flower" growing on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Picture: "Shy Flower" on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Scientists have found that the corollas of four species of the Gentianaceae family Gentiana will shrink rapidly within 7 to 210 seconds until they become a tight bud after being touched mechanically. After the corolla closes, it has the ability to open again, a process that takes about 20 minutes in good weather. If touched again, the corolla will close again, then open, and so on.

Figure Touch-sensitive properties of the corolla of Gentiana pseudoaquatica

Although studies have documented that the movement of specialized leaves of carnivorous plants can occur at the millisecond level, in terms of petal movement, so far, only the flowers of the genus Drosera grown in Japan have contracted within minutes after mechanical touch and completely closed after a few hours. In contrast, the average closing time of the eight populations of the two flower colors of the Pseudoaquatica discovered this time is 29 seconds, and the shortest closing time is only 7 seconds. Therefore, it can be called the fastest closing flower in the world.

What kind of plant is the false aquatic gentian?

Among the numerous herbaceous plants on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Gentianaceae Gentiana is definitely one of the most beautiful species on the plateau. Gentiana is a subcosmopolitan temperate genus and one of the most abundant species in the Gentianaceae family, with about 400 species worldwide. There are more than 100 species of Gentiana on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and about half of the Gentiana plants in China can be found here.

Picture of dwarf gentian G. wardii (Photo: Zhang Yazhou)

Photo: Gentiana szechenyii (Photo: Zhang Yazhou)

Photo of Gentiana wardii var. Emergens (Photo: Zhang Yazhou)

G. urnula (Photo: Zhang Yazhou)

Photo of the calyx of Gentiana phyllocalyx (Photo: Zhang Yazhou)

There is a group of gentian elves in the gentian family on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. They are inconspicuous on the plateau, but in recent years they have gradually entered the field of vision of botanists and become the "new favorite" of scientists' research. Because these elves have the characteristic of "dancing" when their flowers are touched, they are expected to make a gorgeous turn in the near future and become "Internet celebrity punch-in" plants on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. They are the dancing fairies in the genus Gentiana - Pseudoaquatic Gentiana. Because their flowers are like mimosa, they will shrink rapidly when touched by the outside world. Therefore, they are also called "shy flowers" on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Figure False aquatic gentian (white flower type) petals "dance"

The touch-sensitive closure of the petals of Pseudoaquatic Gentiana is known as the petal movement phenomenon in botany. Petal movement is the result of plant adaptive evolution. One of the main reasons for the movement of plant petals is self-protection, so that they have the opportunity to complete their mission of survival and reproduction. If you want to add a background music to this "dance" of Pseudoaquatic Gentiana, it must be a hymn to life, and the insects that visit the flowers may be the performers of this movement.

Produced by: China Science Expo

Author: Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hubei University

The article only represents the author's views and does not represent the position of China Science Expo

This article was first published in China Science Expo (kepubolan)

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