Terrarium – the miniature landscaping scenery in the glass
- Wenyan Zhang
- September 19, 2020
Indoor landscaping such as interior design and vertical wall gardens has become more and more popular as the stay-inside lifestyle becomes mainstream during special times. However, they are relatively expensive and space-consuming for those with smaller units. Moreover, the maintenance of such indoor landscaping requires time, energy, and patience, so the cost is relatively high for those who live an urban hectic life or don’t have green fingers. Therefore, alternatively, people go for the scenery […]
Read MoreSimplified plant evolution – From a tiny to a giant
- Wenyan Zhang
- September 17, 2020
The yellow meranti, a flowing plant in Southeast Asia reaches a height of 331 feet easily. The giant sequoia tree, a conifer species in California stands 314 feet tall and is over 36 feet in diameter at the base. The tallest tree, named Hyperion, a redwood species in California is 380 feet tall. How could a tree grow this huge? About 500 million years ago when the first land plants start to emerge, plants were as […]
Read MoreThey are murderous plants – not carnivorous
- Eyu Chan Hong
- September 16, 2020
Carnivorous plants have earned their fame by unique trap and kill devices that catching or luring animals. There are some other species that share similarities with carnivorous plants but not quite the same. The determination factor solely depends on their relationship with the growing environment including the victim. Whether or not the killing mechanism is critical for survival in a particular environment, where other plants cannot or at least cannot grow well. Carnivorous plants rely […]
Read MoreConservation of carnivorous plants
- Eyu Chan Hong
- September 10, 2020
Carnivorous plants are popular ornamental plants for their unique appearance and special structures that prey animals. But not many growers are aware of the situation that many of the carnivorous plant species are classified as endangered, such as Aldrovanda sp. and some may have become extinct species. Several factors may cause them to be endangered and extinct directly or indirectly. First, the propagation method of carnivorous plants in nature. Many of the carnivorous plants are […]
Read MoreKeep “phyte”ing! – from known to unknown
- Wenyan Zhang
- September 7, 2020
Other than its position in the phylogenetic tree, each plant is also defined by it’s “place of birth”. As time is the magician, while location is the three-dimensional space that carries its own secret codes such as humidity, light intensity, temperatures, and soil composition et al. From algae-like plants to higher flowering plants, from aquatic environments to terrestrial environments, from knowns to unknowns. Plants grow in most areas of the earth including some really harsh […]
Read MoreSymbiosis – the ways that plant interacts
- Eyu Chan Hong
- September 7, 2020
Plants of the same and different species interact with each other in the ecosystem actively or inactively in many different ways. The ecological relationships are known as symbiosis, which means “living together”. It is a relationship between any type of close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, mainly commensalism, mutualism, parasitism, and other types of interaction. The organisms, known as symbiont, can be of the same or different species of plants and […]
Read MoreThe five key elements for indoor plants to thrive
- Wenyan Zhang
- August 25, 2020
When I was young, my father used to keep a bonsai and a pot of mini bamboo in the living room, they were static forever, tranquil yet lifeful. Our house plants run in a routine for years, a tray of blooming daffodil in the spring and yellow chrysanthemum in the autumn. We may not notice, but we live closely and co-evolve with plants throughout human history. The first flowering plant appeared about 130 million years ago, […]
Read MoreUnder-discovered Carnivorous Plants
- Eyu Chan Hong
- August 24, 2020
Besides the common carnivorous plants, there are many obscure carnivorous plants. Those under-discovered carnivorous plants are considered as protocarnivorous plants and sometimes referred to as paracarnivorous, subcarnivorous or borderline carnivores plants. Plant in this category is slightly different from carnivorous plants. Protocarnivorous plants can trap and kill insects or other small animals. But they do not digest the prey and absorb the nutrients from the victims due to the absence of digestive enzymes in the […]
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