A vampire plant that blooms once in a lifetime and smells like death
In the world of flora, there are creatures that seem to come from another planet. One of them is Langsdorffia, a mysterious vampire plant that hides underground and lives off others. This exotic oddity amazes not only with its unusual appearance, but also with its amazing lifestyle. Let's figure out what makes Langsdorffia so unique and why it is called the vampire of the plant world.
Everyone knows about the existence of predatory plants. These representatives of the flora use different methods to lure insects and small animals into their traps, and then digest the prey. In addition to them, there are also vampire plants. They suck the life-giving juices from their victims with the help of special tentacles. One of these plants is Langsdorffia - an unusual inhabitant of the tropics, more reminiscent of a creature from the ocean depths than an ordinary plant.
Langsdorffia is a genus of flowering plants in the Balanophoraceae family. It is a parasitic plant that is unable to produce food through photosynthesis because it lacks chlorophyll and stomates, the structures needed for this process.
Langsdorffia has developed special suckers - haustoria, which penetrate the tissues of the roots of host trees. The plant stretches them in all directions, hoping to find the roots of some plant for nutrition. Through these organs, Langsdorffia receives ready-made organic substances, water and minerals.
Langsdorffia is not particularly picky when choosing its victim. Its tentacles are capable of "bleeding dry" any plant whose roots are within reach. Shrubs and trees, as well as vines, and sometimes even cacti suffer from this.
Langsdorffia spends most of its life in complete darkness underground. Its underground part is a massive tuberous body that can reach the size of a football.
Dr Chris Thorogood, a parasitic plant specialist at the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum, says of the plant:
At the same time, the scientist can show Langsdorffia only in a picture. The fact is that this plant cannot be seen in the Oxford Botanic Garden or any other garden or greenhouse. It does not live in captivity and all attempts to grow it outside its natural habitat end in failure.
In nature, langsdorffia grows in Central and South America, New Guinea and Madagascar. The vampire plant has bright red flowers of a strange shape. It blooms in an unusual way - during the driest period of the year. The scarlet buds of langsdorffia, sticking out from under the ground, are clearly visible against the background of sun-scorched stunted vegetation. These flowers resemble sea creatures or even strawberries with a ribbed center and petals stretching outward.
Langsdorffia flowers are its sexual organs, which can be male or female. The plant chose the driest season for flowering for a reason. It is during this period that bright flowers are best seen against the background of dry grass. Male flowers secrete nectar over the entire surface, and female flowers secrete it near the base.
These inflorescences can reach 15 centimeters in diameter and consist of many small flowers. They emit a strong unpleasant smell that attracts flies and other pollinating insects. After pollination, the inflorescences quickly fade, and the plant again hides underground for many months.
Birds and insects, attracted by the red flowers, feast on the strong-smelling nectar and transfer pollen between plants, fertilizing them. But Langsdorffia blooms only once in its life. Therefore, this is its only chance to leave offspring.
The parasitic plant is so skillfully disguised that its existence remained a mystery to scientists for a long time. It was discovered in 1818 by the German naturalist Karl Friedrich Philipp von Martius during a trip to South America. Thanks to this, Langsdorffia received its German name.
Currently, science knows several species that differ both in appearance and habitat. Scientists have described Langsdorffia terrestris, L. hypogaea, and Langsdorffia heterotepala, growing in South America, Langsdorffia malagasyca, L. malagasica, found in Madagascar, and Langsdorffia papuana, L. papuana from New Guinea.
Langsdorffia is poorly studied, as it rarely blooms, and it is difficult to find its tentacles underground without a flower. The plant is generally a record holder for creating problems for botanists - it dies in captivity, and is very poorly preserved in a herbarium. This is a mysterious creation of nature, which still holds many secrets. Did you know about such amazing plants as langsdorffia? Maybe you have your own favorite unusual representatives of the flora? Share in the comments!