Plants & Trees Facts for Kids
Fascinating facts about the plant world
Taxol, one of the most important cancer-fighting drugs ever discovered, was originally extracted from the bark of the Pacific yew tree and is now used to treat breast, ovarian, and lung cancers.
Many plants detect the length of the night to decide when to flower, a phenomenon called photoperiodism; strawberries flower in spring when nights shorten while chrysanthemums flower in autumn when nights lengthen.
Galls — unusual lumps and swellings on plants — are caused by insects, mites, or fungi that chemically manipulate plant growth to build a home and food source for their larvae.
Scientists use DNA barcoding — sequencing specific short gene regions — to identify plant species in seconds, which is helping to track illegal logging and identify unknown plants in rainforests.
Epiphytes are plants that grow on other plants for support rather than soil — bromeliads and orchids perch on rainforest tree branches, harvesting moisture from the air with specialised roots.
The spines of a cactus are actually highly modified leaves — they reduce water loss, reflect sunlight, and defend the plant against animals trying to eat it in the desert.
Plant genome sizes vary enormously — the genome of the Paris japonica lily contains 150 billion base pairs, about 50 times more DNA than the human genome.
When forests are cut down or burned, the carbon stored in their wood and soil is released as carbon dioxide — deforestation currently accounts for about 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Vertical farms use LED lights and hydroponic systems to grow crops in stacked trays indoors, using up to 95% less water than traditional farming and no soil at all.
Tree bark is not completely solid — it is dotted with tiny pores called lenticels that allow oxygen and carbon dioxide to pass in and out of the woody tissues beneath.