Plants, their diversity, structures, and biological processes. Cultivation and plant care belong in Gardening; fungi belong in Mycology.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
Dandelion comes from French for "lion's tooth." Which feature inspired the name?
Dandelion leaves grow in a low circle called a rosette, helping the plant survive mowing.
Which dandelion structure can regrow the plant if part remains after weeding?
A dandelion's taproot stores food, so cutting off the leaves may leave enough reserves for new growth.
What makes up a fully open dandelion's yellow flower head?
Each tiny flower can produce one seed, which is why a single dandelion puffball holds so many seeds.
What color is the sap released when a dandelion's stem is broken?
The sap is latex, a sticky liquid that helps protect the damaged plant tissue.
Between its rare blooms, what does the corpse flower grow?
The lone leaf can grow taller than a person, feeding the underground corm until the next bloom.
Roughly how long can a giant saguaro cactus live in the wild?
Saguaros grow so slowly that a mature plant may need 75 years just to sprout its first arm.
Why does the corpse flower's bloom smell like rotting meat?
The smell lures carrion beetles and flesh flies, which carry pollen from bloom to bloom while hunting for rotting meat.
What name is given to the spear-shaped mangrove seedlings that sprout while still attached to the parent tree?
A fallen propagule can float for months in seawater until it strands upright in new mud and takes root.
How do mangrove forests mainly protect coasts from storm surges?
Mangrove trunks and roots drag on the passing water, so a storm surge loses energy as it crosses the forest, and wider belts protect more.
The white blossom of the giant saguaro is the state flower of which US state?
Saguaro flowers open at night and close the following day, drawing pollinators including birds, insects and bats.