𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞...?

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬:

Survival means different things to different plants. Parasitic plants survive by stealing water and nutrients from other plants. Other plants depend on their ability to defend themselves against hungry animals. Desert plants must have arid conditions, while plants in mountain regions cope with frigid temperatures.

𝑫𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒔:Lamb's ears are a herb covered with tiny hairs that stop small insects from eating them.

𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔: Dumb cane contains sharp crystal chemicals that can stick in an animal's throat.

𝑺𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓: Nettles are covered with short hair.The hairs jab into the skin of any animal that brushes past.

𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒊𝒅: Fireglow spruces can ooze a milky fluid called latex, which is dangerous for animals to eat.

𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒓: Sea holly consists of rugged, spine-tipped leaves that keep most plant-eaters at bay.

𝑪𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒈𝒆: The fleshy, mottled leaves of living stones make them look like pebbles.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐬

Reduce your leaves to spines to cut down on water loss. The spines will also protect you against hungry plant-eaters. Make food by trapping sunlight in your green stem. When it rains, stormwater in your branch for later use. Waterproof yourself with your stem's waxy covering. Spread your long roots wide and deep to collect water.  

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍

The sack of potatoes tree grows in the desert on the island of Socotra in the Indian Ocean. Its far, sack-like trunk stores water and is topped with several short, stubby branches that produce pink flowers.

𝑺𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒏𝒐𝒘

The dogtooth violet can grow through a blanket of snow. The snow forms a protective layer that shields the plant from the worst of the cold and wind. As spring arrives and the snow beings to melt, the dogtooth violets flower beings to bloom. 

𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒔

More than 4,000 plant species have stems or roots that enter other plants and then, like vampires, suck out sugars, minerals, and water from their hosts.

Cherry laurel: The fast-growing garden shrub, the cherry laurel has thick, evergreen leaves that are well protected from insects because they give off cyanide if they are pierced or crushed.

Poison ivy: A thick, sticky poison called urushiol causes severe swelling if it touches bare skin.

Foxgloves: If a mammal eats this plant's leaves, it risks a heart attack. When administered with care, however, digitoxin ( the poison found in a foxglove) can be used as a medical drug to treat people with heart failure.

Deadly nightshade: A family containing hundreds of plants that produce poisons called alkaloids. Although essential in medicines, in large amounts, they can kill. 

Castor oil: The world's deadliest plant releases ricin, a poison that is 10,000 times more deadly than the venom of a rattlesnake. 

You should never touch or eat any plant that you are unsure about because it may be poisonous.

Instead of growing on their own, parasitic plants live by stealing from other host plants.

The plant named Rafflesia- a parasitic plant from southeast Asia has the world's heaviest flower. It weighs up to 7 kg (15 lb) and can reach 1 m      (3 ft ) in diameter.

Epiphytes: These are plants that grow high up on trees and other plants. This gives them a share of the sunlight without having to spend lots of energy growing tall. They are common in rainforests, but they also grow in cool, damp woodlands. They just used to hold their roots to hold on to the tree. They get water from rain and food from airborne particles or things that drop onto them.