Article directory
Incredibly tiny flowering plants
Rootless apple (Wolffia globosa), also known as macrococcus, algae sand, Wuping or Weiping, the English name is Watermeal, which belongs to the genus Araceae Wolffia (Araceae Wolffia). There are 11 members of the genus Wolffia, and Wolffia is the smallest of all members, with a diameter of only about 1 millimeter (mm).In addition to having the world's smallest flower, Wugenping is also the record holder for the world's smallest flowering plant and the world's smallest fruit plant. It is a floating plant with an oval appearance, containing a tiny air chamber, and no obvious distinction between roots, stems, and leaves.
How to reproduce without roots
There are two ways of reproduction, asexual and sexual.
asexual reproduction:This isThe main mode of reproduction, which can quickly and efficiently increase the population size. By growing a small bud at one end of the frond, this small bud will detach from the parent body and sink to the bottom of the water after maturity, and surface again after a few days to form a new offspring of the rootless plant, which can pass through again. Asexual reproduction produces more offspring, which in turn can further grow, divide, and reproduce, a cycle that can rapidly increase the number and reach of the genus.
sexual reproduction: The rootless weed also has the ability of sexual reproduction. By opening small flowers, stamens and pistils are formed in the flower, and pollen can be spread by wind or water flow, and then sexual reproduction is carried out with other rootless weeds. Sexual reproduction can introduce genetic variation, making diversity among offspring individuals, increasing the environmental adaptability and survival competitiveness of the population.
What is the use and value of Wugenping?
Although the rootless weed is tiny, it has many uses and commercial value. Here are some examples of the use of the rootless weed:
- Human food resources and animal feed sources: Rootless apple is rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamin B12, omega-3 and other nutrients. In some countries such as Thailand, India, the United States, Germany and other countries, rootless apple is eaten as a healthy food. Since people can eat it, animals can also eat it. Ornamental fish, herbivorous fish (such as carp, tilapia, etc.) and poultry (chicken, duck, pig, etc.) can all be fed with rootless duckweed.
- biotechnology application: Due to the rapid reproduction and growth of the rootless sage, and containing high nutritional components such as a large amount of starch and protein, they have high development potential in applications such as biotechnology research, drug synthesis, and enzyme activity.
- Small experts in environmental restoration: In addition to absorbing the nutrients in the water, the rootless grass can also reduce the pollutants in the water body, and they have high utilization potential in water quality restoration and ecosystem restoration. This ability of Mugendala also means that if you want to eat Mugendala or other plants of the genus Mucuna, you must ensure that they come from clean and unpolluted water sources to avoid suffering from diseases.
- Ecological function: Duckweed can form dense duckweed communities in waters, which can provide shelter and habitat for aquatic organisms.
- used as fertilizer: Rootless weed is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other elements needed for plant growth, so it is very suitable as a biological fertilizer.
external link
This video introduces duckweed and rootless duckweed. If you are interested, you can click on the video to watch:
References
1. Wolffia – Wikipedia
2. Rootless Ping - Wikipedia
2. The world's most miniature flowering plant - the rootless plant
3. The pictures in the article are all from the CC0 free gallery.
