Henderson's Succession

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Henderson's succession (lat. Bidens hendersonensis) - one of the plant species of the genus Chereda (lat. Bidens), which differs from most of its relatives, herbaceous plants, woody stem. Shrubs and low trees with thin trunks have chosen the only place on the planet for their life - two small islands, Henderson and Oeno, lost in the vastness of the Great Pacific Ocean.

What's in your name

In the Latin word "Bidens" the fruit of the plant is displayed, which is a seed, armed with evolution with two sharp awns, similar to teeth. Indeed, translated into a language we understand, the word "Bidens" is a compound word from the words "two" and "tooth".

The adjective "Henderson" indicates the place of growth of this species of the Train. This site is one of five islands in the Pitcairn island group. The submarine volcanoes of the Pacific Ocean, in collaboration with coral reefs, brought to life these five islands in the southern part of the largest aquatic ocean on Earth. Although Henderson Island is the largest in area, people chose Pitcairn Island to live because it is richer in fresh water sources.

Nature has taken care of Henderson Island, which has a spring of drinking water. But its reserves did not inspire confidence in people, and therefore, the largest island of the group (about 37 square kilometers out of 47, falling on all five islands) remained completely at the mercy of small animals, an impressive number of various birds (some of which can be seen only on this island), as well as in the power of the plant world of the planet.

More than six dozen plant species are rampant on Henderson Island. Of such a huge number of species, nine are especially distinguished, which do not want to live in other lands of the planet, but have firmly settled on Henderson. Among these nine types is the Henderson sequence, with its patriotism deservedly bearing the adjective "Henderson" in its name.

Description

Apparently, the absence on the island of people who love to use the gifts of the plant world, not caring about the consequences for the plants, allowed the Henderson's Chereda to turn from a herbaceous plant into a shrub or even into low trees.

Together with other plant species, the shrubs of Henderson's train formed on the island impenetrable shrub-forest thickets, walks along which are deadly for humans. After all, treacherous karst pits, easily created in the coral deposits of the island, hide under the dense vegetation cover.

The isolation of the islands from the densely populated places of the planet allowed the Henderson Charada not only to be reborn from a herbaceous plant to a woody one, but also to create some varieties.

As a result, two variants of Chereda live on Henderson Island. This is a type species called the "hendersonensis" variant, which was included in one of the Red Data Books of the planet, and the "subspathulata" variant, which also has the status of a plant species protected by Mankind, which decided to change the typical form of leaves and inflorescences-baskets.

The third option lives on Oeno Island, which is also one of the five Pitcairn islands lost in the South Pacific. It is called a variant "oenoensis" and differs from the type species in larger leaves, but smaller bush size and fewer typical inflorescences-baskets in the general inflorescence-brush. Even the absence of people on Oeno Island, who only occasionally come here from the inhabited Pitcairn to stock up on the leaves of the Pandanus tree, from the veins of which they weave rugs and other things to equip their unpretentious life, could not save the plant from the status of "on the verge of extinction."