What is the largest plant in the world? Which representatives of the flora have the largest foliage, flowers and fruits? I would like to talk about real champions in the plant environment in our article.
Tallest trees
What is the world's largest plant according to height? Not so long ago, Australian eucalyptus trees were the absolute champions here. However, these plants, which rushed into the sky to a height of about 150 meters, were completely exterminated. Therefore, the leader today is the American sequoia, which is very close to the above indicator.
Record holder for barrel volume
The status of the largest plant in the world in terms of trunk volume today belongs to a giant sequoiadendron called "General Sherman". This tree is native to the Sequoia National Park in California, United States.
It is worth noting that the "General Sherman" has a height of more than 83 meters. As for the volume of the trunk, this tree has as much as 1487 m³. According tocalculations, the approximate weight of the plant is 1900 tons.
The General Sherman tree is the most massive and heaviest living organism on the planet. However, there was another record holder before him. So, in the 40s of the last century, an evergreen sequoia was cut down called the "Giant of Crannell Creek", which grew near the American city of Trinidad. This plant had a trunk volume that was about 25% larger than our record holder.
In 2006, the giant sequoia "General Sherman" suddenly lost an impressive part of the crown. The tree lost its largest branch with a diameter of about two meters and a length of 30 meters. The botanists thought the tree was starting to die. As further studies showed, in this way the plant only extended its life, freeing itself from the excess part, which could damage the trunk under adverse weather conditions.
The General Sherman tree expands by about 1.5 centimeters every year. Accordingly, this indicates the continuation of its growth. As a result, the amount of wood added to the volume of the presented plant every year is enough to build a house with 5-6 rooms.
Until recently, botanists considered the General Sherman sequoia the oldest tree on the planet at 2,700 years old. However, the results of recent studies have shown that this plant has existed for no more than two thousand years. In fact, the leader here is the awned intermountain pine "Mufasail", which grows in the highlands of North America. Her exemplaryage equals 4847 years.
Which plant has the largest fruits?
It is advisable to evaluate the size of fruits according to several indicators, namely dimensions and weight. If we talk about nuts, the Seychellois palm is distinguished as a real champion of botany. This island tree bears fruit with nuts, the diameter of which reaches about 45 centimeters, and the weight can be more than 25 kilograms. Surprising is the fact that more than three dozen such dimensional fruits are often concentrated on one palm tree.
Breadfruit is also worth adding to our list. The mass of fruits of this plant reaches about 40 kilograms. According to the size parameter, they are superior to the Seychellois palm nuts. So, breadfruit can reach a length of up to 90 centimeters. Their width is about 50 centimeters.
What is the plant with the largest fruits in the world? The absolute record here does not belong to a tree, but to a representative of the flora, which is classified as a grass. We are talking about an ordinary pumpkin. The fruits of the plant rest on the ground, which allows them to reach unimaginable dimensions and weight. So, in the 70s of the last century, British farmers managed to grow a pumpkin, the weight of which was unthinkable 92.7 kg. It is easy to guess how impressive the size of such a fruit.
Giant leaves
What is the largest plant leaf in the world? superiority according to thisThe indicator belongs to the famous Victoria Amazonian water lily. This plant is widely distributed in South America and Jamaica. There is a water lily in reservoirs that have the smallest depth. The leaves of Victoria amazonica look like giant saucers, the diameter of which can reach about 2 meters.
The largest flowers
The plant with the largest flowers in the world is Rafflesia Arnold. This unique representative of the flora leads a parasitic existence, obtaining the substances necessary for growth from woody stems. It is worth noting that rafflesia itself does not have a stem and leaves. It also lacks roots. In fact, the plant is a single flower in the form of widely spread blades.
However, rafflesia is famous not only for its size, but also for its extremely specific aroma. Botanists note that the smell of the flower resembles the spirit that comes from rotting meat. This fragrance becomes a kind of magnet for all kinds of insects. The latter fall into the flower bowl and create an additional nutrient medium for the plant.
The longest escapes in the sea
Not so long ago, Spanish oceanologists presented a unique discovery to the attention of the public. In the Mediterranean Sea, not far from the Balearic Islands, a plant of oceanic posidonia was discovered. The shoots of this representative of the flora stretched along the bottom for an unimaginable eight kilometers. Representedthe plant is formed by erect short stems, which are connected by adventitious roots. Thus, a whole network of united shoots is formed, which occupy vast areas. Even despite such an unusual symbiosis of individual cuttings, posidonia has every right to be considered the largest plant in the world.
Longest stems on land
The record holder according to the length of shoots on land is the liana palm. The name of the largest plant in the world, based on the length of the stems, is widely known under the definition of rattan. The length of the vines here can reach up to 300 meters. The presented plant is found in the highland regions of India. With such an impressive length of shoots, the trunks of liana-shaped palm trees have a diameter of no more than 10 cm. Rattan stems have a creeping character. Lianas connect individual trees and form an extensive network.
The biggest crown
The largest plants in the world according to the size of the crown are ficuses. A unique feature of such trees is the ability to form a wide network of ground rhizomes and cuttings suspended in the air. The record in terms of crown dimensions currently belongs to a ficus called "Great Banyan". The tree grows on the territory of the Indian Botanical Garden. The crown area of this unusual plant is one and a half hectares.
In closing
Nature is an amazing creator who can create the most bizarre and incredible plants. As you can see, there are a whole host of giants on the planet,which amaze with their height, shape and volume. Unfortunately, many representatives of the flora suffer from unreasonable human activities. It is for this reason that some record-breaking plants did not survive to this day and disappeared forever from the face of the planet.
