It's hard to believe that this short, simple term encompasses such a great diversity of living, breathing things both incredibly massive and unimaginably tiny. One of the largest plants is the humbling Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) which can grow up to about 70-85m tall with a diameter of around 5-7m! At the other end of the spectrum is the Watermeal (Wolffia sp.), arguably of unsurpassed kawaii-ness :)
Bits of watermeal the size of a pinhead on some unidentified stranger's finger (Adapted from Virginia Tech Weed ID Guide)
Amongst our photosynthesizing, gazillionth cousins a gazillion times removed, are the following. We spotted them just suspiciously standing around Sebana Cove, not moving... Little do they realise that we've watched and read the Lord of the Rings. Some of us many times over, in fact. One day we'll catch them moving... one day...
African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata)
Tall and magnificent stands the African tulip. Do not be fooled by the terribly taken picture of the tree above. In full bloom it really is a beautiful tree, all green and orange and red. It is native to tropical West Africa.
This is one tree you do not want to be caught under during a thunderstorm(though in any case, you shouldn't be standing under any tree during a thunderstorm). Apparently, the branches break off more easily than those of other trees. Riiiight! We know better. A friend of a friend of a friend told us it just gets kicks out of letting go of its branches on innocent, unsuspecting shelter-seekers. *We've got our eyes on you stranger*
In revenge for its branch throwing tendencies(or maybe not...), this tree is used in native medicine in tropical West Africa. The bark is used to dress ulcers and skin diseases. Disclaimer: we are not advocating using the bark as such, for we do not know for sure how exactly to do this, or if it really works at all.
Flower of the African Tulip (Spathodea campanulata)
The buds are filled with a sweet and watery sap. Probably to attract birds to the flowers when they finally do bloom. Innocent little birds are often unknowingly made use of by sneaky plants. Bird reaches into flower to get nectar. Bird gets pollen sprinkled/rubbed all over its feathered self. Bird flies to another tree to get more nectar. Bird inadvertently drops pollen in new flower. Flower is pollinated and develops into a seed bearing vessel.
Bored little human children however, have come up with another use for the sap. Apparently children snap of the tips of buds and squirt the sap at each other. We're not quite sure how this works, but we intend to investigate this claim further. All in the name of fun, oops, urm... science, of course :)
References
Chin, W. Y. (2003). Tropical Trees and Shrubs A selection for Urban Plantings. Singapore: Suntree Marketing Pte Ltd.
National Parks Board. (2003). 1001 Garden Plants in Singapore. Singapore: NParks' Publication.
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