Psychobotany Cleve Backster (b. 1924) is a polygraph scientist best known for his discovery of "primary perception" stemming from his experiments in biocommunication with plant and animal cells. Prior to his founding of The Backster Research Foundation, Inc. in 1965, Mr. Backster was Chairman of the Research and instrument Committee of the Academy for Scientific Interrogation, a post to which he was reappointed for eight consecutive years. Backster began using a Galvanic Skin Response portion of a lie detector, to measure response capability in plants in 1966. (see project here) Do plants have feelings? The amazing life of plants. The amazing and hidden life of plants Are plants intelligent? While visiting a friend in Australia many years ago, I was invited to see a large marijuana growing operation which used hydroponics and halogen lights. Curious, I asked him what kind of music the plants liked. According to the gardener, crickets usually chirp right before a rain. Can plants actually hear sound? Backster decided on impulse to attach his polygraph electrodes to the now-famous dracaena in his office, then water the plant and see if the leaves responded. Backster termed the plants' sensitivity to thoughts "primary perception," and first published his findings from the experiments in the International Journal of Parapsychology. Nervous systems in plants? An Indian scientist, Dr. Dr. Darwin was fascinated by the reactions of plants to external stimuli -- especially with carnivorous plants such as the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula). Plants with feelings? If plants can hear, can they also feel?
Plant Hormones and their Functions Plant hormones are known as phytohormones in botanical terms. Plant hormones are chemicals just like animal hormones that help in the growth, development and functioning of plants. Like animals, plants too are living organisms that function as a unit. They carry out vital biochemical reactions that are required to survive. These biochemical reactions require hormones also known as 'plant growth substances'. These hormones help in formation of leaves, flowers, stems, fruit, etc. What are the Functions of Plant Hormones? List of Plant Hormones, Where They are Found and Their Functions in Plant Growth: Auxin This hormone is present in the seed embryo, young leaves and apical buds meristem. Function of Auxins: Cytokinin Cytokinins are synthesized in roots and then transported to other plant parts. Function of Cytokinins: Ethylene Ethylene is present in the tissues of ripening fruits, nodes of stems, senescent leaves and flowers. Function of Ethylene: Abscisic Acid Function of Abscisic Acid:
Sensitive Plant Plants have life. They breathe, prepare food, grow and reproduce. There is one more characteristic of plants which can be clearly seen in some species and that is response to stimuli. This characteristic is very prominent observed in a plant called sensitive plant. Classification and Description Scientific Name: Mimosa pudica Family: Leguminosae Common Name: Humble Plant, Shameful Plant, Touch Me Not, Sleeping Grass, Tickle-Me Plant Distribution: It originated in Brazil but has now spread to most of the states of America, Africa, Asia and the Gulf. Description: Mimosa Pudica is among the 300 species found under mimosa, which belong to the Leguminosae family. This species can cause troubles too. Mysterious Aspect of Mimosa Pudica: Sensitive or humble plant has been found with two types of movements or responses. There have been many researches conducted with this remarkable response of the plant but till now there are no concrete evidences. How to Grow It is quite easy to grow Mimosa Pudica.
Historical Overview on Plant Neurobiology Plant perception (physiology) In the study of plant physiology Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology , plant ecology , phytochemistry , cell biology, and molecular biology.Fundamental processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, plant nutrition,... plant perception is a term used to describe mechanisms by which plants recognize changes in the environment. Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. , moisture Humidity is the amount of moisture the air can hold before it rains. , infection An infection is the colonization of a host organism by parasite species. s, temperature Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. , oxygen Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. and carbon dioxide s. s, kinin s, hormones , antibiotic Smell
Rare Plants | It's a Wonderful World 神秘果 Miracle Fruit (Synsepalum Dulcificum)Although not sweet itself, if consumed fresh and allowed to coat your mouth, this miraculous fruit alters your tastebuds so that everything you eat tastes sweet with effect lasting one to two hours. The beauty of it is that it only removes the acidic sourness (such as lemon) from what you are eating. The natural aroma and taste remains. It has been used to sweeten bitter medicines. You should eat the berries immediately on picking. If they are stored in the refrigerator for a day or so, they often lose their effectiveness in changing the tastebuds. 神秘果尝后能暂时改变人的味觉系统，即使再吃酸味水果亦呈甜味。 舞草 Telegraph Plant (Desmodium Gyrans) The plant is also known as the Dancing Plant or the Curiosity Plant. Charles Darwin once wrote in his book,"The little leaflets never go to sleep, and this seems to me very odd… They are at their games of play as late as 11 o’clock at night and probably later." 这是一枝普普通通的小草。 露美玉 Living Stone (Lithops turbiniformis) 植物体形如石头，开出花来好像从石缝里钻出来。
The dancing plant - Thailand Dr. Pradit Kampermpool marches through his plant nursery, past row upon row of exotic orchids, before stopping, his chest proudly puffed out, in front of an unremarkable, weedy-looking plant. This plant, he says gravely, cost him a fortune. He pauses for effect. Kampermpool stands maybe 5 and a half feet tall. It is almost 6:30 in the morning and we are standing in Kampermpool’s plant nursery in Udon Thani Province, in tropical northern Thailand. At night, elephant handlers — bent, little toothless mahouts — park their elephants implausibly under the store awnings downtown, to shelter from the rain that comes nightly. The dancing plant grows unchecked in a secluded enclosure at the back of Kampermpool’s nursery, bursting from a brick trough filled with dark wet soil. Kampermpool doesn’t care. Share this observation with Kampermpool and he’ll take it as a veiled threat, stepping backward cautiously, narrowing his eyes, and asking, “What fire? The Plant twitches. It was 1976. Not really.
Sequoía sempervírens (D Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. Redwood Taxodiaceae -- Redwood family David F. Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), also called coast redwood and California redwood, is native to the central and northern California coast, a region of moderate to heavy winter rain and summer fog so vital to this tree. Habitat Native Range The range of redwood extends southward from two groves on the Chetco River in the extreme southwest corner of Oregon (lat. 42° 09' N.), to Salmon Creek Canyon in the Santa Lucia Mountains of southern Monterey County, CA (lat. 35° 41' N.). - The native range of redwood. Climate The mild climate of the redwood forest region can be classed broadly as super-humid or humid. Annual precipitation varies between 640 and 3100 mm (25 and 122 in) and is mostly winter rain, although snow sometimes covers the highest ridges. The frequent summer fogs that blanket the redwood region seem to be more significant than the amount of precipitation in delineating the redwood type. Life History
Miya Masaoka : Interdisciplinary : Pieces for Plants Presented as part of Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Homemade Instrument Day in New York, Pieces for Plants is an interactive sound installation for laptop, synthesizer, and the American semi-tropical climbing Philodendron. Versions of the piece have also been presented in a musical setting in which the plant participates as a member and soloist within an instrumental ensemble. In the piece, a plant’s real-time responses to its physical environment are translated to sound. Highly sensitive electrodes are attached to the leaves of the plant. Scored movements by a human “plant player” stimulate physiological responses in the plant that are monitored via the electrodes and biofeedback wave analysis. Photos by Donald Swearington The audience is encouraged to contemplate questions such as: What is the nature of consciousness?
Home — The Plant List Botany Photo of the Day Taisha wrote today's entry. We were both challenged to find the bona fide botanical name for this taxon, and had to give up (no results in the USPTO database, for one), so we left it as a black-fruited selection (read more below). Taisha writes: The past two days in Vancouver have been quite warm and enjoyably sunny--prompting many to get out into the garden. Some have begun planting seeds indoors or in greenhouses, and it won't be long until we can directly seed outdoors. Today, we have a photo of some caryopses of Zea mays. For those in the temperate northern hemisphere who are anticipating growing plants from seeds soon, I thought I would help explain some oft-used seed terminology. Certified organic (with an emphasis on Canada, as definitions and regulations are different depending on country): Organic seeds are seeds that are harvested from a plant grown in a way that meets organic regulations.
The Stanhopea Pages by Nina Rach, edited January 2010