The most diverse family of flowering plants is orchids(class of monocots). According to various authors, it includes from 17 to 30 thousand species.

South American plant from the Asteraceae family hevreulia shoot-bearing(Chevreulia stolonifera) holds the record for seed flight distance. With air currents they are able to cover a distance of more than 7.5 thousand km.

The seeds of a tropical vine from the legume family floated at least 12 thousand kilometers - entada gigantic(Entada scandens). Large, up to 1 m long, beans of this plant can spend more than a year in salt water. sea ​​water without losing seed viability.

They can swim for about a year fresh water air-filled leathery sacs of sedges.

The most common weed plant, which has colonized the territory of more than 100 countries, is a relative of sedges - full round(Cyperus rotundus). Fortunately, in Russia, apart from the Caucasus, it practically does not occur.

Brazilian plant water hyacinth, or Eichornia pachypodina (Eichhornia crassipes, from a family that does not have a Russian name Pontederiaceae) has spread to almost all large reservoirs, as well as rivers and lakes of the tropical Old and New Worlds, becoming a malicious aquatic weed.

One of the most salt-tolerant land plants is saltwort(Salicornia europea, from the goosefoot family). It grows on sea ​​coasts and salt marshes with salt concentrations in groundwater up to 6%. And its seeds germinate even in a 10% saline solution.

The second largest family of the monocot class is cereals, it includes from 8 to 10 thousand species. Cereals are ubiquitous, they are found even at the extreme boundaries of vegetation distribution - in Antarctica and on the Arctic islands.

Green algae dunaliella saline(Dunaliella salina) can exist in salt lakes with a salt concentration of 285 g/l.

In the class of dicotyledons, the largest family is Compositae. It includes about 900 genera, including from 13 to 20 thousand species. Like cereals, Asteraceae are distributed everywhere - from the Arctic to the Antarctic, from the plains to the highlands.

The northernmost point on Earth where it occurs flowering plant – alpine parsley(Cerastium alpinum, from the carnation family) - Lockwood Island, which is located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago - 83 o 24 "N. Further north, only some mosses and lichens are found.

The southernmost limit of the distribution of flowering plants lies between 64° and 66° S. on the Antarctic continent and Antarctic islands. Here, in the moss-lichen deserts of Antarctica, two types of flowering plants are found - colobanthus thickifolia(Colobanthus crassifolius, from the clove family) and cereal Antarctic pike(Deschampsia antarctica).

One of bamboo’s relatives, the grass, has the fastest growth rate. edible psyllid(Phyllostachys edulis), found wild in southern China. The daily growth of shoots of this plant reaches 40 cm, i.e. 1.7 cm per hour. In just a few months, the leaf-grass grows to a height of 30 meters, reaching 50 cm in diameter.

There are plants distributed on all continents of the Earth. They got the name cosmopolitan. The five most widely distributed plants include: shepherd's purse(Capsella bursa-pastoris, from the cruciferous family), knotweed, or knotweed (Polygonum aviculare), from the buckwheat family), annual bluegrass(Poa annua from cereals), woodlice or chickweed average(Stellaria media from the clove family) and stinging nettle(Urtica dioica, nettle family ) .

The most diverse genus of flowering plants in terms of the number of species is considered hawk(Hieracium, family Asteraceae). The species of hawksbills are very variable; in addition, there are many transitional forms. Therefore, the size of this genus is estimated by different botanists from 1 to 5 thousand species.

Very big family are and sedges(Carex, sedge family). Currently, according to experts, there are from 1.5 to 2 thousand species of sedges.

The oldest tree on Earth is also considered to be a gymnosperm plant - bristlecone pine(Pinus longaeva or P.aristata), growing in the mountains of Eastern Nevada. Radiocarbon dating showed that the age of this tree is about 4900 years.

Growing in sphagnum bogs blueberry(Vaccinum myrtyllus) And cranberry(Oxycoccus palustris) from the lingonberry family (according to other views, from the heather family) are able to tolerate very high soil acidity - pH about 3.5.

Over a wide range of soil acidity, some cultivated plants. So, rye And sorghum are most indifferent to soil acidity and survive in the pH range from 4.5 to 8.0. Cotton and carrots are very intolerant acidic soil, but can easily tolerate pH fluctuations from 5.0 to 8.5.

Considered one of the thickest trees in the world African baobab(Adansonia digitata, from the bombax family). The diameter of the trunk of the largest of the described baobabs was about 9 m. However, the diameter of an ordinary edible European chestnut(Castanea sativa, chestnut family), growing on Mount Etna in Sicily, in 1845 had a trunk 64 m in girth, which was about 20.4 m in diameter. The age of this giant was estimated at 3600–4000 years. Giant ones grow in Mexico water cypresses(Taxodium mucronatum) - gymnosperms from the cypress order, with a trunk diameter from 10.9 to 16.5 m.

The longest tree on Earth is the liana-shaped tree palm rattan(genus Calamus, palm family). Her total length, according to various sources, reaches from 150 to 300 m. It is interesting that the diameter of the trunk at the base does not exceed several centimeters for rattan. The stems of rattans stretch from tree to tree, supported by support plants with the help of strong spines located on the midribs of large feathery leaves.

Total length of all roots of a four-month plant winter rye is more than 619 km.

A palm tree growing in Brazil has the largest leaves in the world. raffia tedigera(Raphia taedigera). With a 4–5 meter petiole, its pinnate leaf blade reaches a length of more than 20 m and a width of about 12 m.

The Amazon water lily has the largest leaves with a single blade - victoria amazonica(Victoria Amazonica, synonym – V.regia, from the water lily family). Their diameter reaches 2 m, and the maximum “load capacity” with a uniform load is 80 kg.

One of the largest leaf buds (shortened future shoots) is the head of cabbage. cabbage. The weight of a head of cabbage can reach more than 43 kg.

The smallest flowering plant on Earth - found in the fresh waters of Australia and the tropics of the Old World wolfia rootless(Wolffia arrhiza, from the duckweed family). The tiny leaf of Wolffia has a diameter of 0.5–2 mm. At the same time, the plant is capable of forming quite large clusters, covering the surface of reservoirs with a continuous film, like ordinary duckweed.

Wolfia rootless and its relatives have Lesser duckweed(Lemna minor) and the most small flowers. Their diameter does not exceed 0.5 mm.

The palm tree has the largest inflorescences corypha umbellata(Corypha umbraculifera), native to southeast Asia and the island of Sri Lanka. The height of its inflorescence reaches 6 m, and the number of flowers in the inflorescence is half a million.

Palm tree sets record for longest flowering time caryota pruriens, or kitul(Caryota urens). This tree, growing in southwest Asia, blooms once in its life, after which it dies. However, flowering continues continuously for several years.

A squat plant rises into the mountains to a height of 6218 m above sea level mossy gerbil(Arenaria musciformis, from the clove family). Just below, at an altitude of 6096 m, in the Himalayas, several species grow edelweiss(Leontopodium) from the Asteraceae family.

Cultivated plants also rise high into the mountains. In Central Asia, the agricultural border reaches 5 thousand meters above sea level. In Tibet, barley is grown at this altitude.

The world's largest fruits grow on a herbaceous plant ordinary pumpkin(Cucurbita pepo) – they can weigh more than 92 kg.

About 45 species of flowering plants are so original that separate families have been established for them - with a single genus and a single species. Most of these plants are inhabitants of the tropics and subtropics. And in the temperate zone they are found adoxa musk(Adoxa moschatellina) And umbrella susak(Butomus umbellatus) are the only representatives of the families Adoxaceae and Susaraceae, respectively.

The largest tubers (modified underground shoots) are formed by the plant asian yam(Dioscorea alata, from the Dioscoreaceae family). Tubers of cultivated yam can reach a weight of 50 kg. They are eaten baked or boiled and taste like potatoes.

In the leaves stevia rebo(Stevia rebaudiana) - plants from the Asteraceae family, native to South America, – contains glycosides stevin and rebodin, which are 300 times sweeter than sugar.

The seeds contain the most protein – 61% legume lupine(genus Lupinus). However, along with protein, lupine seeds contain poisonous alkaloids, which prevents their use in nutrition.

Cuban tree aeschinomene bristly(Aeschynomene hispida, from the legume family) has the lightest wood in the world. Its density is only 0.044 g/cm 3, which is 23 times less than the density of water and 3 times lighter than the wood of the famous balsa tree. The Kon-Tiki raft was made from balsa wood, on which the famous traveler Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Pacific Ocean.

The record holder for the area occupied by the crown is indian banyan, or ficus bengal(Ficus bengalensis, from the mulberry family). This ficus forms on the side branches large number aerial roots, which, upon reaching the ground, take root and turn into false trunks. As a result, the huge crown of the tree is supported by root supports. The most famous of the banyan trees grows in the botanical garden of Kolkata. In 1929, when measurements were taken, the circumference of its crown exceeded 300 m (slightly less than 100 m in diameter), and the number of “trunks” - aerial roots - reached 600.

Seeds lotus nutbearer(Nelumbo nucifera, lotus family), discovered in 1951 in Japan, in a peat bog at a depth of 5.5 m, were in a boat that belonged to a Stone Age man. After removing them from the peat, they sprouted, the lotuses developed and bloomed normally. Burying these seeds in peat without access to oxygen helped preserve their viability. Radiocarbon dating showed that these seeds were at least 1040 years old.

The largest inflorescences are characteristic of breadfruit from the mulberry family, or more precisely, one of its species, jackfruit(Arctocarpus heterophyllus). The mass of one infructescence is about 40 kg, length – about 90 cm, width – up to 50 cm.

The largest pollen grains - their diameter is 250 microns - have pumpkin. The smallest pollen is formed in the anthers forget-me-nots(Myosotis sylvatica) – 2–5 µn. Interestingly, both plants are insect pollinated. In wind-pollinated plants, the diameter of pollen grains averages 20–50 µm.

The tallest tree on Earth is currently considered sequoia evergreen(Sequoia sempervirens). The largest tree reliably measured in the last century grew in national park Sequoia USA, had a height of 120 m and was called the “Father of Forests”. The tallest living sequoia grows in California. Its height in 1964 was 110 m 33 cm. The tree has given name"Howard Libby." Close in size to the evergreen sequoia and sequoia dendron, or mammoth tree(Sequoiadendron giganteum). However, these plants belong to the gymnosperms (cypress order), and the tallest flowering plants on Earth are Australian eucalyptus(Eucalyptus, myrtle family). The tallest eucalyptus trees that exist today are considered to be two trees belonging to the species eucalyptus regal(Eucalyptus regnans). One of them has a height of 99.4 m, and the other - 98.1 m.

The most heat-resistant land plant is camel thorn(Alhagi camelorum, from the legume family). It tolerates temperatures up to +70 o C.

Shoots of genera trees birch(Betula, birch family), poplar(Populus, willow family) and – from gymnosperms – larches(Larix) are characterized by great cold resistance. They are able to withstand cooling down to –196 o C. Cuttings black currant (Ribes nigrum, from the gooseberry family) are able to withstand cooling down to –253 o C without losing the ability to root after thawing. However, this is the potential cold resistance of plants, established under laboratory conditions. At the cold pole in the northern hemisphere birch trees And larches tolerate temperature drops down to –71 o C.

And finally a few more interesting facts belonging to other groups of plants and fungi.

The largest aquatic plant– brown algae macrocystis(Macrocystis pyrifera). Its maximum length, according to various sources, ranges from 70 to 300 m.

The record holder for diving into the water column is also brown algae Rodriguez kelp(Laminaria rodriguesii). In the Adriatic Sea it was raised from a depth of about 200 m.

And here is blue-green algae oscillatory filiform(Oscillatoria filiformis) lives and reproduces well in the water of hot springs, the temperature of which reaches +85.2 o C.

Fruticose lichens of the genus cladonia in a dried state they remain alive after heating to +101 o C. And moss Barbula is slender(Barbula gracilis) remains viable even after keeping it at a temperature of +110–115 o C for 30 minutes.

Sea brown algae claims the title of the most drought-resistant plant - Fucus vesiculosa(Fucus vesiculosus). It tolerates ten times the loss of moisture from its original content. By the way, this is also the most frost-resistant among algae. Fucus can withstand temperatures down to –60 o C.

Mushroom fruiting body growth rate common veselka(Phallus impudicus) is twice the growth rate of psyllium shoots, reaching 5 mm per minute.

The densest wood, which is 1.5 times heavier than water, has piratinera(genus Piratinera, from the mulberry family), growing in Guyana. Wood has almost the same density guaiac, or backout, wood(Guajacium officinale, from the family Parifoliaceae). Its density is 1.42 g/cm 3 . In terms of strength, the wood of the backwood tree is almost as strong as iron.

S.V. Naidenko

The nature of the Earth is capable of creating real masterpieces. There are plants of extraordinary beauty or with unique structural features, there are trees and flowers that are gigantic in size or capable of surviving in extreme conditions. Such unique items occupy a worthy place in the Guinness Book of Records. Among the record-breaking plants there is also a plant that is considered the smallest on Earth. This is a wolffia (Wolifia arrhiza Wimmer), living on the surface of the water, and is far from rare plant on our planet.

How does Wolffia grow?

Wolfia belongs to the flowering plants - duckweeds. Duckweed usually grows in stagnant ponds and creeks. Most types of duckweed have a flat stem up to 0.5 mm long and a small root immersed in water and filled with an air-water mixture - this allows the plant to float on the surface of the water, like on an inflatable ring. Before the onset of winter, the plant reduces the air cavities of the roots and is immersed in water.

Duckweed in Europe

There are currently 5 species of duckweed found in Europe. Most often it is a trifoliate or three-lobed duckweed. It has thin lanceolate translucent stems floating on the water surface. The main stem forms numerous branches that are connected to the mother plant. It differs from other species by the slightly bending, pointed front part of the stem. Another species, the multi-rooted duckweed spirodelus, appears as tufts of unbranched roots. There is also a small duckweed, which reaches a height of 3 mm, and has relatively long roots - up to 10 cm. Humpbacked duckweed, another variety of plant in this group, has a body height of only 5 - 6 mm.

In the south of Europe there is a species of duckweed, which, according to botanists, was brought from warm countries, and has the world's smallest size among plants - 1.5 mm in height. This is rootless duckweed, or wolfia. As the name suggests, this type of duckweed does not have a root, and the tiny stems are flat on top and convex on the bottom. Very few, even quite experienced, observers manage to see the flowering of this duckweed. Wolfia, although it belongs to flowering plants, rarely blooms. Botanists suggest that rootless wolffia, which came to Europe from warm countries, does not have enough incentive to flower here. This is typical for many plants imported from countries where living conditions were more favorable for them.

Tatiana Kondratyuk, Samogo.Net

The northernmost of the birches - growing in the tundra and in the northern part of the forest zone dwarf birch . The tiny guardian of the inhospitable tundra cannot boast of either the beauty or the quality of its wood. The dwarf birch tree is sometimes shorter in height than mushrooms, and its trunk is no thicker than an ordinary pencil. And the smallest shrubs, only 5 centimeters high, are arctic willows, growing on the largest ice island on the planet, in Greenland.

The smallest representatives flora found not only in the Arctic, but also in hot, waterless deserts.

About a hundred years ago, the German botanist Friedrich Welwitsch, traveling through the rocky deserts and coastal waterless sandy massifs of South-West Africa, discovered a plant that from a distance resembled a heap of garbage. This plant was subsequently named Welwitschia amazing. It is the only representative of the Velvichiaceae family.

“Not a tree, not a bush, not grass, but something completely unique!” - botanist B.M. said about Velvichia. Kozo-Polyansky. It has a thick, stump-like trunk up to half a meter high and almost one and a half meters in diameter. A real dwarf tree!

A rather fleshy tap root up to three meters long extends from the trunk. It most likely serves more for storage nutrients and strengthening the plant than for absorbing water from the soil. The fact is that in the amazing Namib Desert, where Velvichia grows, not a drop of rain falls for months, and sometimes even years, and the plants receive the necessary moisture from the thick fogs that envelop the coast almost 300 days a year. Moisture condensed on the surface of the leaf is absorbed by the stomata. That is why Velvichia is not found anywhere except in the fog zone. This is approximately 80-100 kilometers from the ocean coast.

The stem of Velvichia is divided into two large lobes, from which they extend into opposite sides two large greenish-brown leaves up to three meters long and 30 centimeters wide. The leathery, ribbed leaves feel like wood. They persist throughout the life of Welwitschia, which, as determined using radiocarbon dating, can last up to 2000 years.

The local population calls Velvichia “oji-tumbo”, which means “big master”. Its wood is very durable, fresh wood sinks in water, and dry wood burns without smoke and for a very long time, like charcoal.

Some families, whose representatives are famous for their height and grandeur, at the same time have their own dwarfs. For example, the smallest palm tree is considered dwarf spargus. Its height is only 10 centimeters.

Among the eucalyptus trees, the tallest deciduous trees, the shortest is eucalyptus sticking out, growing in the Australian deserts. He seems like a dwarf compared to his 100-meter-long brothers, because his height is only one meter.

On free spaces stagnant and slow-flowing bodies of water can develop unhindered duckweeds. These include 3 genera and 25 species, distributed almost throughout the planet. These little ones, not exceeding 10 millimeters in diameter, have a very significant feature. They compensate for their small size by rapid vegetative reproduction. Daughter plants - children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren - form a thick green carpet-clone on the surface of the water.

Duckweed is a plant with a strongly shortened stem. The thread-like root serves only for balance, and in some species it does not exist at all. Leaves are usually absent, less often represented by small scales. Duckweeds bloom very rarely. In autumn, starch accumulates in their tissues. Plants become heavy and sink to the bottom of the reservoir. By spring, the starch is consumed, and the duckweed floats to the surface.

Some living organisms are so small that they can only be seen with a microscope at high magnification. They are called microorganisms. Evolution began with microorganisms organic world. Many of them have survived to this day. Microorganisms include unicellular algae. Each plant, just one cell, cannot be seen with the naked eye, without magnification. But tiny organism cells are capable of dividing very quickly, in just a few hours. Therefore, large colonies form in the water. They give it a tint according to the color of the algae (green, blue-green, etc.).