My Science School

Plants and trees are said to respond to music. Music is supposed to induce growth in them and encourage them to produce a higher yield.

Such observations have been put forward on the basis of experiments conducted by scientists. The earliest such study was done by J.C. Bose of India. Several studies have been conducted by Western scientists too, to prove the above observations.

Yet an equal number of studies have been carried out by scientists to prove the theory wrong. They say that plants have no ears to hear, and no brain to process, and understand music

However, plants do respond to the vibration produced by sound. An example of this is the way that the mimosa pudica, or forget-me-not, responds to sound induced vibrations. Vibrations induce electrical signals across the leaflets of this plant and cells at the base of the leaflets respond to it. This kind of responds is known as seismonasty. Though plants may not respond to music, the way humans do, how exactly, and what effects it causes in them, still remain a mystery.

 

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Extinction is not something new. Records show that many plants have become extinct since life first appeared on Earth millions of years ago. But why does this happen?

One reason for this is habitat loss. Plants have adaptations that allow them to flourish in a particular area like deserts or rain forests. If these habitats are destroyed, the plant is in danger of becoming endangered or extinct.

The use of pesticides, chemicals and environmental contamination can endanger some species. Competitions from new species that are introduced by Man can result in many plants becoming extinct. This happened in St. Helena where the introduction of goats, citrus trees and herbs sounded the death knell for many species of plants found only on this island. Finally, commercial use and exploitation can deplete natural plant life, and put many plants on the endangered list. If awareness of the importance of preserving plant life is not spread, many of these will soon be lost to the world forever, as they become extinct.

 

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Garlic is a common spice found in kitchens. Though it’s very unpleasant to swallow a raw clove of garlic, it makes your dishes indescribably tasty.

Garlic is also an ideal herbal medicine. Very safe to use, the spice is very powerful as a remedy for many illness.The plant grows as a bulb each bulb is made up of cloves that contain antiseptic and antibiotic oil. This makes garlic an excellent medication for colds and coughs, as well as all types of chest and ear infections. The spice is also used for digestive troubles and works to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Do you know that garlic can prevent strokes and reduce blood sugar levels? The spice is proven to have the ability to delay the onset of diabetes too. Garlic lowers cholesterol levels, and boosts the immune system.

So, henceforth, do not frown when you see your mother chopping garlic for curries. After all, garlic is one of the best all-round health enhancers that you can ever have!

 

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Some years back, a man claimed that he extracted petrol from some wild plants, and there was a commotion about it. Later, this turned out to be a hoax. Scientists, however, say that it is possible to extract bio-oil from plants.

Some plants yield bio-oil known as bio-diesel. The oil derives from a wide range of vegetable oils and feed stock. The greatest quality of bio-diesel is that, unlike diesel or petrol, it contains no benzene, a carcinogenic agent. Therefore, the oil is cleaner and safer. The most popular herb from which bio-diesel is extracted is Jatropha. This plant has its origins in Latin America, but it is widespread throughout the arid and semiarid tropical regions of the world. The plant lives up to 50 years and is a perennial drought resistant plant. The oil of the plant has medicinal properties too.

Bio-diesel is manufactured in a conventional chemical process known as transesterification. Two chemical agents, methylesters and a by-product called glycerol, are produced in this process. Glycerol has so many uses as it is widely used in everything from toothpaste to antifreeze.

 

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Has your mother ever given you the juice of ginger for an ache in the belly? Ginger is another spice closely connected with the lives of our countrymen. It is an indispensable element of our diet and an important medicine for many an illness.

A rhizome like turmeric, the ginger plant is a yellowish underground stem. The pungent taste and the distinct smell of ginger make it a favourite mostly helps our stomach and digestive system.If you feel nauseous, a spoon of ginger juice is an instant reliever. It also helps with digestion and stimulates the circulation of blood.

Ginger is handily for people with high blood pressure and fever. When a person has a cough or flu, the warming effect of ginger helps patients overcome them.

 

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Turmeric is an important spice in India. It is continuously growing underground stem or rhizome like ginger. It is hardly possible to think of preparing our delicious curries without turmeric.

The spice has the ability to cure many digestive and liver illnesses. Turmeric can inhibit clotting of blood, reduce inflammation and can help maintain cholesterol levels in the body. Due to its antibacterial properties, the spice is used to treat many skin diseases. Much research is done today on the effectiveness of turmeric in treating cancer. Turmeric is a known cosmetic agent. Women in India have been using turmeric for centuries for clearing and beautifying their skin. Regular application of the spice can remove unwanted hair on the body too.

 

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Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine developed in India more than 5,000 years. It was during the Vedic times that Ayurveda grew. The world Ayurveda comes from two Sanskrit words: Ayur, meaning life, and Veda, meaning science or knowledge. Hence, Ayurveda literally means ‘Science of life’. Ayurveda recommends treatments that comprises mainly of products from herbs, plants and minerals. According to this science, Nature has ways of curing illnesses of the body. The death of an individual can be maintained by closeness to nature. Therefore, more than being a system of medicine, Ayurveda is considered by many a philosophy and thus a way of life. Ayurveda helps us in the understanding of the self and body and gives detailed guidelines about diet, daily routine, lifestyle, actions and activities to be followed in life.

 

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We call somebody a parasite when the person takes advantage of another and uses him or her for the former’s gain and growth. A parasite lives on another organism, often a member of another species. The organism that is being exploited is known as the host.

Parasitic plants often lack roots for obtaining water. Sometimes, chlorophyll is also absent in these plants for photosynthesis. Therefore, these plants have to depend exclusively on their hosts for their sustenance. While parasites take everything from their hosts, they give nothing to them in return.

Some parasites are very choosy too. They do not stick on to every plant available. Some parasites live only on pines; whereas some others grow on junipers. However, most parasites are not fussy about their hosts. Sometimes, some parasitic plants will choose other parasites as their hosts! Mistletoe's are sometimes found to be feeding on other Mistletoe!

 

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If you have read Bram Stoker’s Dracula, you must be familiar with vampires. They are mythical beings that suck the blood of people and then, leave them dead! Although vampires are imaginary beings and are not real, some plants have similar characteristics and that they are called vampire plants.

Vampire plants are called so because they draw food and water from other plants. The dodder is a common vampire plant. The stem of the plant stretches towards plants nearby and gets attached to them. Their stem is so slim and long that they wind around the plant. Little thread-like roots get inside the stem of the other plant. With the help of these roots, the dodder plant sucks food and water and grows.

Some common vampire plants are the Indian paintbrush and the mistletoe.

 

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Trees generally grow on dry land; many are aquatic as they are found in water too. If you think you have covered all plants, you are wrong! Plants grow on trees too!

Most of such plants are found on top of tall trees in tropical forests. The reason, however, is quite simple. Tropical rain forests are thickly populated by trees. Huge trees stay close to each other without leaving much space between them. The foliage of these huge trees blocks the sunlight and little plants on the ground do not get the rays of the sun. This makes their life difficult, as plants need sunlight for photosynthesis.

Nature has designed some plants such as orchids and Spanish moss to grow on tall trees because they can take advantage of the height of the tall trees and get sunlight. Another advantage of plants growing on trees is that their seeds, most of them very light, could be easily scattered by the wind. Now, the seeds fall mostly on nearby trees and the new plants take roots in these trees. They hang onto the trees of the rest of their life and find enough sunlight, water and food to sustain them there.

 

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The rafflesia arnoldii is a parasitic plant that lives inside the host plant for months.

So, it is rarely seen, as it gets all its nutrients from the host, which is a vine. It makes a dramatic entry into the outside world only at its flowering season.

This is the time when flowers first bud through the woody vine, and open into breath-taking magnificence.

The refflesia produces the largest single flowers in the world. The flowers can take up to ten months to develop for the first visible bud to the open bloom, which may last to more than a few days. The leathery petals can be up to a metre in width.

Although spectacularly beautiful, rafflesia flowers are unfortunately, very stinky. They smell of rooting flesh! Rafflesias are found most commonly in Sumatra, and also in primary rain forests.

The Rafflesia plant spends most of its life unseen.

 

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The yellow rattle is a semi parasitic plant. It is commonly found in meadows and grassy places.

The plant gets part of its water and nutrient requirements by parasitising the roots of grasses and other herbs.

The yellow rattle gets its name from its bright yellow flowers, and the sound of the ripe seeds rattling inside the seed-capsules.

The majority of seed ripen in mid to late July, and the rattling of the fruit within the capsules was said to indicate that the meadow was ready to be cut for hay.

Hence, the yellow rattle is also known as hay rattle. In the past this plant was a serious pest for farmers, as it weakens grasses, and as a result could reduce hay yields.

At the same time by suppressing the growth of grass, it helps other wild flowers to bloom.

 

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Banyan trees are among the most spectacular trees in the world. A fully grown banyan tree looks like a group of trees, and some of them have even 1000 trunks.

These ‘trunks’ are actually rope like roots that grow downwards from the branches. When the roots reach the ground, they anchor themselves to the soil and become individual trunks.

The tree bears fruits that look like figs. The fruits, which appear red in colour when matured, are not edible.

The dark green leaves of the tree are large and leathery. An old banyan tree can reach more than 199 metres in diameter and can be as tall as 29 metres.

Historical records say that Alexander the Great camped under a banyan tree that was large enough to provide shelter to his army of 7000 men.

The banyan tree, found in India and Sri Lanka, is considered to be as sacred tree, and is the national tree of our country. Its huge structure, deep roots, and branches symbolize the country’s unity in diversity.  

 

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The corpse flower is not a single flower. It is one of the world’s largest and rarest flowering structures that can be as tall as, or even taller than an adult.

This pungent plant blooms rarely-only once in 40 years-then, only for a short time.

While it is bloom, the flower emits a strong odour similar to rotting meat, or decaying corpse.

The smell, colour and even temperature of corpse flowers attract dung beetles, flesh flies and other carnivorous insects.

These insects typically eat dead flesh. The smell and the dark burgundy colour of the flower are meant to imitate a dead animal to attract them.

These insects help in the pollination of the corpse flower.

 

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The holly is a small tree with leaves. It provides birds with food, and with protection from winter storms and predators. But it does not encourage caterpillars, and with good reason. Certain types of caterpillars attack trees, and strip them of all their leaves for food. However, the leaves of the holly tree are designed in such a way as to prevent such an attack. Caterpillars generally like to eat a leaf from the edge, nibbling inwards, until the entire leaf is consumed.

But the leaves of the holly tree have very thick edges. In fact, the edges are so tough that a caterpillar finds it difficult to get even a nibble. The frustrated caterpillar therefore, will decide it is not worth the trouble, and leave the holly tree alone!

 

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