2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
The adage that every family has its own "freak" is also true for plants. In the Bindweed family, such is Dodder. Behind the beautifully sounding name is a tenacious sophisticated killer who does not shy away from weeds, grains, or other cultivated plants
God's creation giving rise to conflicting feelings
Once upon a time there was a beautiful, proud woman. She was a good craftswoman. Everyone praised her work, admired her beauty. But her soul was with a wormhole, which day by day became more and more unbearable. And the name of that wormhole was pride.
One day, a beautiful woman, overflowing with pride, challenged God himself. The Almighty became angry and turned it into a plant, devoid of some important parts of the plant world. He took from the plant the roots that nourish its body, and the leaves, which convert solar energy into energy for growth.
The pitying people sympathized with the poor thing, how could she live without roots and leaves. But the proud woman laughed at human pity and responded with sabotage.
In order to be able to survive and give offspring, the Dodder plant has a very subtle "scent" that helps to identify a plant with such a supply of nutrients that will allow it to show flowers and seeds to the world without any problems to continue its presence on the planet. Feeding on other people's labors, she manages to extend her genus at the expense of the life of another plant.
It is very difficult to form an opinion about such a creature. On the one hand, the weakness and inferiority of Podilika gives rise to pity and compassion. After all, if God did not take her life, then she has rights to her. But her vampire lifestyle causes resentment and a desire to destroy Dodder. Everyone decides on their own how to deal with it.
Description
As already mentioned, Dodder has no roots. When a seed that has fallen into the soil decides to appear in the world (this can happen even after 10 years), it has a kind of outgrowth, a kind of root, which supports its life until the moment when Dodder finds a victim for itself. If nothing suitable is found nearby, then the sprout dies.
Having found a suitable plant, Dodder breaks off from the surface of the earth and begins to introduce its haustoria (modified sucker roots) into the tissue of the host plant. Upon touching the tissues of the victim, haustoria begin to develop and penetrate deeply into a foreign body, sucking out nutrients already ready for absorption from it.
Free nutrition frees the plant from the need to have leaves, in which, under the influence of sunlight, nutrient reserves are also formed. It seems that the ancestors of Dodder had leaves and obtained their own food from the air and moisture. This is indicated by translucent tiny scales on the stem. But, having switched to a parasitic lifestyle, Dodder stopped spending time growing leaves.
Dodder directs all its energy, born of the juices taken from another, to the development of the stem and globular inflorescences, collected from small flowers of white, green, pale pink color. The inflorescence is similar to the Raspberry fruit and is not devoid of attractiveness.
Dodder seeds are distinguished by their high vitality, which they retain for several years.
Dodder's victims
Any plant can become a victim of Dodder, be it a weed or a cultivated plant; vegetable tops or shrubs. There are many types of Dodder. Each species has its own preferences.
Even stinging weeds such as Nettles, which are a threat to animals and humans, are captured by the tenacious and voracious haustoria of Common Dodder (Cuscuta europaea). The same species is parasitic on dreaming, hops, potatoes, beets, hemp.
There is a species of Dodder that lives exclusively in fields with clover. Unlike the pale stem of Dodder vulgaris, the stem of the Clover lover is reddish in color.
If Dodder has firmly established itself among cultivated plants, it is necessary to destroy it along with them.
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Chinese Dodder
Chinese dodder is one of the plants of a family called dodders, in Latin the name of this plant will sound like this: Cuscuta chinensis Lam. As for the name of the Chinese dodder family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Cuscutaceae Dumort.
European Dodder
European dodder is one of the plants of the family called dodders, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Cuscuta europaea L. As for the name of the European dodder family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Cuscutaceae Dumort.
Dodder One-column
Dodder one-column is one of the plants of the family called dodders, in Latin the name of this plant will sound like this: Cuscuta monogina Vahl. As for the name of the dodder family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Cuscutaceae Dumort.
Deadly Sawdust
How right were the ancients when they said that in any plant, substance, phenomenon there are two principles at the same time: good and bad, good and evil, vitamins and poison. By the way, such duality is also characteristic of man, as one of the phenomena of life. This fact must be taken into account when we wholeheartedly strive to feed summer cottages so that vegetables grow strong, healthy, beautiful and tasty. After going through with the amount of fertilizer or forgetting to take into account some of the qualities of helpers, you can harm the plants
Deadly Mushrooms
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