Venus fly traps would definitely appeal to middle school kids.
> I nominate: > 1. Trigger plants (Stylidiaceae - Australia). They slap pollinators > with their reproductive parts to effect pollination. > 2. Resurrection plant (Selaginella)- desert species and eastern > epiphytes. Yes, they look dead until you add water. > 3. Epiphytic Bromeliads (in general) because they are so obviously cool. > 4. Rafflesiaceae includes one of the worlds largest (Rafflesia > arnoldii) and smallest (Pilostyles thurberi) flowers (The second one is > a plant that lives entirely inside the stems of desert shrubs - except > for the flowers). > 5. Ophrys speculum orchids for their pseudocopulation pollination system. > 6. Marine flowering plants like Zostera and Thallasia (sea grass) > because they represent weird evolutionary transitions back to the ocean, > they are some of the only plants that flower and are pollinated > completely under water, and they have some of the largest pollen grains > (long, thread-like). > 7. Vallisneria seems like an ordinary aquatic plant, but it has a weird > pollination system where male flowers break off and float on the water > surface like little boats. The female flowers stay attached on long > stems and open on the water surface. Male flowers are then drawn to the > females as the water surface is depressed by surface tension around the > females. > 8. Basal Angiosperms (water lilies such as Nymphaea, Brasenia, Nuphar) > because they like leftover dinosaurs from the deep evolutionary past of > the flowering plants. > 9. Buzz pollination plants like shooting star (Dodecatheon) and > Melestoma because they are also cool. Steve Buckman did an awesome > analysis of that demonstrated the physics of pollen ejection from the > anthers and then electrostatic charges that sicks the pollen to the > pollinator's body. > 10. Gnetum, which is classified as a Gymnosperm but is really a > transitional group because they have double fertilization that is more > like the Angiosperms. Some species are also used as herbal remedies in > China. > 11. Wild ginger (Asarum) because they are one of the only plants that > is (might be) ant pollinated. > 12. Touch-me-not (jewel weed - Impatiens) and other plants with > projectile seed dispersal. > > Yeah, and there are plenty of others, but there are a few I can think of > right off. > > Mitch Cruzan > > On 8/15/2011 4:25 PM, Benjamin Blonder wrote: >> Hi everyone, >> I'm about to embark on a middle school teaching project where >> students will learn about a really odd species of plant - they'll >> investigate its natural history, adaptation, etc., then make a >> presentation to the class on their findings. >> >> I'd like your help with the names of some of your favorite weird >> plants - especially charismatic ones are particularly welcome. I'm >> hoping to have a list of about 50 in the end. Some examples of the >> kinds of plants I'm imagining: Welwitschia, Amorphophallus, Nepenthes, >> Hura... >> >> Once enough suggestions come in, I'd be pleased to summarize the >> names to the list. >> >> Thanks! >> Benjamin Blonder >> University of Arizona >> >
