This year's new trend! Make tassel earrings out of plants!

Recently, a plant that can be used as "tassel earrings" has become popular.

It really looks like a hairpin | Xiaohongshu: @爱跳老虎神小Q

This is the ash-leaf maple. The slender and drooping filaments are the male plants, and the deep red anthers are at the ends. When the breeze blows, the filaments tremble slightly, like a treasure hanging on the tree.

In fact, if you observe carefully, you will find that there are many plants like the ash-leaf maple that look like jewelry or are used as jewelry. The beauty of nature is originally connected with the beauty of human design.

Ash Maple: Tassel Earrings

The "tassel earrings" photographed by the Xiaohongshu blogger actually come from the male plant of the ash-leaf maple.

Acer negundo male plant｜Michael Ma

The ash maple is a dioecious plant, and only male plants can produce such fringed flowers. Its male flowers grow on both sides of new buds, and when they open, they extend long filaments - this is a typical feature of wind-pollinated plants: there is no need to use bright colors to attract insects, and the long stamens sway in the wind, making it easier to spread pollen.

Female ash-leaf maple plant | Michael Ma

Although the female plants of the ash-leaf maple also have drooping inflorescences, they are far less elegant and enchanting than the male flowers. They droop the inflorescence axis and pedicels, and you can also see the hairy stigma, always ready to receive pollen blown by the wind.

The ash maple tree is named because its leaves resemble "ash", which is the white ash tree; and "maple" refers to the maple tree we often talk about - in autumn, its leaves also turn into a bright orange-red.

In fact, there are many other plants that look like tassels, and they often appear around us. For example, the American red ash, which is also a street tree, also blooms in early spring, but its flowers do not droop like the ash maple, and have a completely different temperament. The herbaceous plant Thalictrum is much more delicate. They bloom in early summer and also have delicate filaments, some of which droop into threads, while others thicken into petals, with different shapes.

American Red Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) | Michael Ma

Thalictrum squarrosum｜Michael Ma

Thalictrum delavayi | Toto

Thalictrum tenue｜Toto

Mirabilis jalapa: earrings and cosmetics

Some plants have been used as jewelry, such as the well-known Mirabilis jalapa. It blooms in the evening, and you may have used it as an "earring" when you were a child - pick the whole flower, gently pull out the green involucre, let the pistil inside get stuck in the long corolla tube, and a simple "earring" is made.

Mirabilis jalapa | Michael Ma

The name of Mirabilis jalapa may not be down-to-earth enough; more people know it by its common name - landmine flower. Its mature seeds are somewhat similar to landmines. If you cut the seeds open, you can see the white powdery endosperm inside, which was the natural powder that people used to whiten their faces in ancient times.

Mirabilis jalapa has also appeared in high school biology textbooks. Mirabilis jalapa is a classic example of "cytoplasmic inheritance" - in the variegated leaf mosaic of Mirabilis jalapa, some leaves will have white spots. Their flower color mosaics are also very common. The petals of a flower may appear purple, yellow and white at the same time. This is actually because the cells of the petals contain different cytoplasmic genes.

Mirabilis jalapa with mosaic flowers｜Michael Ma

Another "ear-drop" flower similar to Mirabilis jalapa is Rehmannia glutinosa. In addition to being often used as a decoration by children, Rehmannia glutinosa flowers also produce sweet nectar, which earned them the common name of "honey pot". The two bright yellow lines on its corolla may have the function of attracting insects to visit and pollinate.

Rehmannia glutinosa｜Michael Ma

Impatiens: A dyeing expert

The equally common Impatiens is used to dye nails, so it is also called "henna". If alum is used as a mordant, it can also dye fabrics with bright and lasting colors.

Impatiens balsamina | Michael Ma

If you look at Impatiens from the side, you will see that its calyx forms a long and curved "floral spur". It is hollow inside and contains nectar; this forces nectar-collecting insects to spend a lot of energy to obtain the nectar, thus greatly prolonging the time the insects stay on the flowers and increasing the chance of pollination.

However, the devil is always stronger than the good, and some insects have come up with a better solution - they bite through the flower spurs to suck the nectar, which is called "stealing nectar". The relationship between plants and insects seems to be just a pollination and feedback relationship, but in fact there are mysteries hidden.

Impatiens with bitten spurs｜Michael Ma

In addition, the way Impatiens seeds spread is also very interesting. The outer layer of cells in its fruit grows faster than the inner layer, and the forces on the inside and outside are uneven, so when the fruit peel is ripe, it will curl up quickly under the influence of external forces and eject the seeds inside.

Syzygium wilfordii: white tassel

From the turn of winter to early summer, the syzygium tree has dense white flowers. Its petals are small, but the stamens are very long, forming dense bunches, which are somewhat similar to the pompoms on a hat.

The slender clusters of filaments are very delicate and will gradually wither in just over a day. Similar plants include members of the Fabaceae family, such as the Albizia Julibrissin, which have different colors but all have long stamens. However, these plants are only suitable for viewing from a distance and cannot be picked as jewelry like Impatiens and Mirabilis jalapa - the delicate filaments will quickly wilt and stick to each other if they are slightly dehydrated, which is far less beautiful than when they are on the branches.

Syzygium jambos｜Michael Ma

Albizia julibrissin｜Michael Ma

In recent years, some plants with similar flowering effects have attracted much attention and have been introduced to my country for ornamental purposes, such as Acacia ovata and Acacia rubra, which are also members of the large Leguminosae family, adding richer colors to the plant "pompoms".

Acacia podalyriifolia｜Michael Ma

Calliandra haematocephala｜Michael Ma

Purple Pearl: Colored Pearl

A variety of plants in the genus Callicarpa (formerly Verbenaceae) of the family Lamiaceae, whose fruits look like purple beads. They bear fruit in autumn, and when ripe, the fruits turn purple or white (how come they are called Callicarpa when they are obviously white), which is very conspicuous. The surface of this type of fruit is not completely smooth, which increases the diffuse reflection of light, and looks somewhat plastic.

Callicarpa｜Michael Ma

In North China, you can also see plants similar to pearls - the North China Pearl Bush, which is a common plant in gardens. The "pearl" in the name describes that its unopened buds are similar to pearls, but within a few days, the "pearls" will open and become a typical five-petal shape of the Rosaceae family. Its flowers have a slight fragrance, which is very attractive to bees and butterflies, so you should pay more attention when you stop to watch.

Sorbaria kirilowii｜Michael Ma

Monkey Earrings: True to Their Name

The name "Monkey Earrings" clearly describes people's fantasies about it - although monkeys may not like such thick and heavy earrings, its fruit has bright colors and a looped shape, which indeed meets people's expectations of earrings.

Monkey earrings (Archidendron clypearia) | asianplant.net

As a southern species, they often grow in dense mountain forests and only attract attention when they bear fruit. However, the monkey earring also has a lot of survival wisdom. Its leaves are pinnate compound leaves composed of many rhombus leaflets, which occupy the most space on the plane and absorb as much sunlight as possible. This unique feature also makes it highly recognizable in the wild.

Monkey earrings (Archidendron clypearia) | Michael Ma

When the earring-shaped fruit matures, it will crack open. At this time, the seeds of the monkey earring will hang on the edge of the pod, swaying with the air flow, looking for its expected spreader - various wasps. Wasps are very sensitive to hanging objects, such as various caterpillars hanging by silk, which is one of their food sources. Therefore, this hanging seed will also attract the attention of the wasp, making it mistakenly think it is its next delicious meal, and pounce on it to prey, thus helping the monkey earring spread its seeds.

Seeds hanging on the edge of the pod｜vivi1874

There are many plants with similar mechanisms, such as magnolia and some acacia plants. The seeds will hang on the outside of the fruit after the fruit is ripe. When the fruit is ripe, it can stretch out to hang the seeds, which has an attractant effect.

Acacia mangium｜Michael Ma

Jewelry has been around in the human world for far less time than plants have existed on this planet. However, our aesthetics are aligned with the forms of plants. The colorful plant world provides us with oxygen, allows the earth to breathe through photosynthesis, and also gives us the enjoyment of beauty. Awe-inspiring observation and exploration in the plant world always brings us new surprises.

Author: Michael Ma

Editor: Mai Mai

This article comes from the Species Calendar, welcome to forward

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