Where to put your little mind? Examples of plants demonstrating a kind of intelligence and adaptive abilities (8 photos)

Ents are mythical creatures from Tolkien's universe, remember them? Giant trees that can overcome colossal distances and fight. It turns out that there is some truth in the writer's fantasies. And solid.





The fact is that plants are very capable of communicating, defending themselves and even walking. In reality, not in fairy tales.

You won't eat it!



Holly holly demonstrates very interesting abilities. It is better known as the holly and an ancient symbol of Christmas. When deer begin to actively eat the bush, it triggers a self-defense mechanism.

New leaves that grow to replace those eaten are already equipped with spines. And at the top, where animals cannot reach, they grow the same - smooth and not pointed.





Isn’t it easier to provide yourself with permanent protection and grow thorns once and for all, as other fellow flora do? This is true. But this will reduce the possibility of using solar energy. And so it turns out to be two in one - and the protection is activated at the right moment, and the valuable resource is consumed in the required volumes.

Hi, neighbor!



Plants have the ability not only to defend themselves, but, if necessary, they activate the warning system. Like acacias in Africa, which giraffes love to feast on.

When a long-necked animal takes a fancy to a tasty tree, the acacia begins to emit a colorless gas with a subtle sweetish aroma. For neighbors, this is a signal of threat. And other acacias mobilize all their strength to synthesize more tannins. These phenolic compounds have tanning properties and a specific astringent taste. Spotted gourmets find this taste disgusting. And they immediately stop the attack.



Trees do not need tannins in heavy doses. Only in small quantities to combat certain pathogenic organisms. Therefore, connection generation is started only after the corresponding signal is received. After all, an excess of phenolic compounds requires a lot of energy.

And I'm walking, walking through the leaves



It turns out that there are such creatures. They, of course, do not sprint, but they literally have the ability to move. A striking example is the walking palm tree. Socratea exorrhiza grows in the tropics of Central and South America. And it is the owner of unusual plank-shaped roots, which are the subject of heated debate and discussion among professionals.

Only the tips of the roots are attached to the soil. And the entire upper part - powerful and solid - is located outside. And if necessary, the plant can move, populating new territories or “escaping” from conditions that have become unsuitable for life.



Does the neighboring piece of land have more sun and more nutritious soil? The palm will move slightly to take a more advantageous position. Did another tree fall or almost fall nearby? The palm tree will move to save life.

However, this is again a matter of necessity. Socrates will not advance anywhere if she is happy where she is. A real fast walker - a specimen from Ecuador. Researchers recorded a record - the tree moved a distance of 20 meters in a year.



This is only a tiny part of the little-known abilities of plants. And it may very well be that they will surprise people, for example, they will acquire intelligence or at least collective consciousness. The main thing is that humanity does not surprise itself with anything and lives safely until those times.