Blogs home Dangerous Ideas
A creepy plant
Today I went out to Baker wetlands to take pictures and found this totally creepy plant-Dodder. This is a parasitic plant that no longer has chlorophyll. Instead it gets its food by absorbing it from other plants. I had never seen this plant before so I was excited. At any rate the plant can be a nuisance, so I notified Dr. Boyd about this. However the Baker Wetland plant list lists three species of Dodder for the wetlands, so its not the first time Dodder has been in the wetlands.
When Dodder germinates, the young plant has around 5 days to find a host plant. The young plant is able to sense chemicals given off by other plants and will grow towards them.
Here's a video showing the germinating dodder seeking out a tomato plant:
Of course other plants detect and respond to airborne chemicals. In fact, a commonly used plant in genetics, Arabidopsis, has been genetically engineered to detect explosives used in land minds. The idea is to help clear land of left over land minds.
References
Host finding by Dodder: Science 29 September 2006: Vol. 313. no. 5795, pp. 1964 - 1967 http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/313/5795/1964
Genetically Engineered plants for detecting land mines: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/12/magazine/12LAND.html
Top ads RSS
Marketplace
Arts & Entertainment · Bars · Theatres · Restaurants · Coffeehouses · Libraries · Antiques · Services
- FINAL: Ressel's last-second field goal gives MU 41-39 victory over KU November 28, 2009 · 79 comments
- Blog: Why Is Dr. Venita Chenault Allowed To Have Any Family Members Working At Haskell? November 28, 2009 · 2 comments
- Mangino 'optimistic' he'll return next season November 28, 2009 · 15 comments
- Faith Forum: What’s your favorite religious verse? November 28, 2009 · 8 comments
- Blog: We Are So Gone November 28, 2009 · 4 comments
- Poll: Should the Kansas Legislature pursue opportunities to privatize or outsource some government services? November 27, 2009 · 17 comments
- Fear tactics November 27, 2009 · 45 comments
- Poll: Should Mark Mangino be the head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks next season? November 28, 2009 · 3 comments
- Woods hurt in accident November 28, 2009 · 21 comments
- Woman sees image of Jesus on her iron November 28, 2009 · 40 comments
- Woman sees image of Jesus on her iron November 28, 2009
- Mammogram message poorly framed November 28, 2009
- SNL actor in ‘House' November 28, 2009
- Top-rated basketball recruit Bradley Beal to make college choice Monday November 28, 2009
- St. Louis hoops recruit has KU on top list September 4, 2009
- No place like home(grown) October 19, 2005
- An outspoken critic April 5, 2005
- Market features exotic holiday gifts November 28, 2009
- City caters to its increasingly diverse population with culture, food offerings November 28, 2009
- 8th grade football October 11, 2001
2 August 2009
at 8:49 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
SandCoAlmanac (Anonymous) says…
Paul — Good stuff! Two questions: 1) Do you also have a reference for the plant list for Baker Wetlands? and 2) Does Dodder respond to ethylene or ….. what pheromone? Good photography (again) !!
2 August 2009
at 9:10 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
liggyon (David Lignell) says…
“This is a parasitic plant that no longer has chlorophyll. Instead it gets its food by absorbing it from other plants.”
I think it was inspired by my inlaws, at least in terms of sucking the living life out of a host.
2 August 2009
at 9:55 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
SandCoAlmanac (Anonymous) says…
Paul — Nevermind. I should have searched before I posted my questions. I found a plant list of Baker Wetlands where I should have looked in the first place: http://www.bakeru.edu/faculty/rboyd/w…
I'm still looking for a reference for the molecules it senses. I thought it might also be thigmatropic, like bindweed or morning glory, but maybe not. Just guessing.
By the way, is that some froghopper spittle on the plant behind the Dodder? Thanks again, Paul!
2 August 2009
at 10:20 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…
I think it was inspired by my inlaws, at least in terms of sucking the living life out of a host. - liggy
This bloke must have the biggest bahookies from here to Ballinderry, or he's completely given up hope of having marital relations again in his lifetime. ;)
2 August 2009
at 10:25 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
pdecell (Paul Decelles) says…
Sand, yes it is a froghopper spittle. I thought it was a nice illustration of several species interacting. As for the molecules dodder senses…I am not sure if that is known yet.
I am guessing that what you see in my pictures is thigmatropism, but in the germinating dodder I bet you have chemotropism and thigmatropism.
Also that is the plant ref…which I had not seen before. I will be interested to see what Dr. Boyd says about the dodder.
3 August 2009
at 6:47 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
liggyon (David Lignell) says…
Mulit,
My inlaws live in Michigan, and know little of Kansas beyond Oz. Pretty sure they've never heard of the LJW…so I'm more coward than bahookie :-)
3 August 2009
at 10:07 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…
I am tracking everything DavidL says at this point. I figured he would mistakenly think, “the cactus painting that dominates the antebellum view of the Savannah River on Ronda Miller's sweeping veranda”. (freak!) I can relate to a germinating dodder. I think I am going out with one - reasoning is TIN.
3 August 2009
at 10:37 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
Irish (Irish Swearingen) says…
I don't find it creepy at all and I think it should be left alone. I thought that was one of the purposes of the Baker Wetlands, to let things grow as they will.
Symbiotic relationships are the norm on planet Earth.
3 August 2009
at 12:08 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…
You ain't see the pine beetle, Irish. Doesn't seem to be anything symbiotic in that relationship. :)
3 August 2009
at 12:26 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
liggyon (David Lignell) says…
Plenty of pine beetles on Ronda's sweeping, antebellum veranda!
3 August 2009
at 4:03 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
DougCounty (Anonymous) says…
Dodder's been around quite a while in these parts—seems to take over in small patches but then kinda finds a balance of sorts and never really gets out of control, unlike other plants I can think of, like musk thistle, sericea lezpedeza, crown vetch, and teasel.
3 August 2009
at 10:23 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…
Yes irish, just like when people dump their aquarium water and plants in the lakes and wetlands. No problem there in your point of view. They're just plants, right? Little tiny ones, what could that hurt? The kiddies didn't want you to flush those guppies. Now, you and I know the bigger fish will probably eat the guppies, but the kids are happy. So no worries right Irish?
4 August 2009
at 11:52 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…
Help, I am apparently being infested with pine beetles. Someone take a swatter to me…please! :) ;) ;)
4 August 2009
at 12:03 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…
Triffids are right around the corner!
4 August 2009
at 1:54 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…
OMG, Ronda..the people who bought my house..cut down my pine trees. The big healthy ones! I'm told my neighbors all freaked! It made the house look smaller, took away their privacy, the shade when the summer sun just burned into a couple of high non covered windows…not to mention they were worth a lot of money..those trees were large and well established! The trunks were as big around as telephone poles! The north wind is going to howl into that house this winter. Those things caught a lot of wind and snow.
And worse, they haven't replaced them with anything. Trees take a long time. Mine were so large because I had huge trees brought in by machine. Not just hand dug large trees. I had mine put in the first season I bought the house and babied them. I know how important they are to a home and how long it takes to get good shade.
Oh well, I've got Catalpas that could be well over 100 years old here.it would take three of us linking arms to go around one of them. Two people couldn't do it. Darn nice change from Lawrence the land of Pin Oaks, Silver Maples busted in half Bradford Pears.
hehehe..I should call the city, those kids probably don't know there is a tree ordinance..they have to maintain a certain number of trees out there. Heck, it might even have been breaking the neighborhood covenant to cut them down!