vine that is able to mimic multiple hosts

[Dreamwalker.]

http://phys.org/news/2014-04-vine-mimic-multiple-hosts.html

Boquila trifoliolata—a vine native to the area that the research pair has discovered, is able to mimic multiple hosts—a first for the plant world.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-04-vine-mimic-multiple-hosts.html#jCp

[Raoul Duke]

Wow, what an incredible plant! Whatever environmental indicator's it's using to make these 'decisions' it's extraordinary. I'd love to grow one just as a specimen plant and as an experiment, would it change so dramatically when so far removed from its natural range? If anyone knows where I might be able to get one or two I'd appreciate the heads up.

[DiscoStu]

The researchers have no idea how the vines do what they do, though they guess it might have to do with an ability to detect odors from the host, or even microbes that live in them, triggering gene-activating signals in the vines.

 

full on, what does odour have to do with vein patterns?

[Planthunter]

Incredible, a truly wonderful plant. It just shows plants are self aware and there is more to them that meets the eye.

[incognito]

Transformers! ;) plants in disguise

Edited May 1, 2014 by incognito

[Anodyne]

Plants are capable of sensing their world in spectacular ways - look up "tropisms" some time for example: we're taught that plants grow up and towards light, right? Well, kinda right. But they can also take touch or darkness or gravity or moisture or other things as their cues. When you see a time-lapse video of a plant tendril that looks like it's groping around on the ground, that's not anthropomorphism or coincidence, that's exactly what it's doing, looking for the lightest or darkest or most humid area around it, whichever is best for it to grow. And different parts of the plant will detect different things.

I can't find the link now, but I'm sure that I've read about plants communicating via smell before. So that plants who are being attacked by a pest will produce defensive compounds, but they will also release an odour which triggers surrounding plants to start producing those compounds as well. If they can do that, it's not really hard to imagine a plant capable of sensing the growth triggers of surrounding plants and riffing on them. Plants are amazing!

[katu]

I love your links dreamwalker...

[coolname]

Anodyne I have read the same thing about plants communicating via smell. It's very interesting

[ThunderIdeal]

after stewing on this thread for a couple of days, i remembered that i've noticed cats claw creeper (a weed in australia, not the same cats claw used as a popular medicine) which normally has leaves the size of a fingernail will sometimes produce enormous leaves when it re-emerges from the ground after being cut, sometimes continuing to produce these enormous leaves easily 20x larger than normal. where i've seen this it blended in pretty well with the plant it was climbing, a smalls shrub which was totally covered at one time (cats claw creeper is capable of enveloping huge trees)

would it be fair to assume the same kind of camoflauge strategy was taking place?

edit: host was some kind of alamanda shrub thing.

Edited May 2, 2014 by ThunderIdeal

[Dreamwalker.]

I guess it would be a unique gene to the vine that gives it a chameleon adaptation..............as it's rare - it probably can't be a strong plant, Seems like it would have an advantage and so be widespread.................unless its adaptation is a very recent event (not likely).............must like a specific habitat.

[wert]

i thought one possible way it might do this would be for it to grow underside a branch the sprout a new leaf under the leaf of the plant its mimicking. then it could use uv light as cue to configure a new shape...

thats about as simple explanation i could come up with.

by far the most interesting plant related topic ive read for quite sometime.