If I may have another go at it: 1. How about the duckweeds, especially *Wolfia*, because it is so small and featureless (like grains of sand). 2. Bladderworts, because of the neat way they trap arthropods, and because they have aquatic and terrestrial species. 3. The aquatic floating ferns, like *Azolla*,* Marsilea*, and *Salvinia*, because most of us don't think of ferns as aquatic 4. *Riccia*, the floating OR terrestrial liverwort 5. The various marginal aquatic/marsh plants, whose leaves take on wildly different forms depending on whether they are below the water surface, at the surface, or above the water level
Another area to consider is taxons that have unusual diversity, such as: 1. The genus *Cornus*, which has the small woody dogwood tree and the herbacious bunchberry. 2. The palms, which have at least one species that is a mangrove and one that is a vine. 3. Common cabbage, a single species whose cultivars include such diversity as collards, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, and kohl rabi. I find it interesting that these very different physical forms can be achieved just by tweaking a few genes that regulate the growth processes. Martin M. Meiss 2011/8/16 Kathleen Knight <laca0...@umn.edu> > Skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus, creates heat and melts the snow > around it in early spring. It smells like rotting meat to attract the flies > that pollinate it. > -Kathleen > > > On Aug 16 2011, Judith S. Weis wrote: > > 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 >>>> >>>> >>> >>
