Hobbies And Interests
Venus Flytraps
A Venus flytrap lives in poor quality soil. It relies on insects for its nutrients, according to Botany.org. It has short stiff leaves, called trigger hairs, that open up when an object touches the highly sensitive hairs. When they sense an insect on them, it triggers a response that enables them to trap the insect inside and eat it.
Venus flytraps inhabit North and South Carolina's boggy areas. They are on the endangered species' list because humans' fascination with the plants has led to their widespread collection of them.
Snowdonia Hawkweeds: The Rarest Plants
The Snowdonia hawkweed has always been a rare type of plant. According to the Museum Wales website, John Griffith discovered the plant in the 1880s. The website records only seven find sites, all in Snowdonia, Wales. In fact, until 2002 botanists thought the plant was extinct. That year, an explorer found a plant at Cwin Idwal. Scientists removed two seedheads from the plant and used it to propagate the species at the National Botanical Gardens of Wales.
Baseball Plants
This dome-shaped plant is nearly extinct now, according to the Webecoist website, because of the destruction of its habitat in the wild in addition to the practice of poaching. It is of South African origin. The Desert Tropicals website says it can tolerate frost from temperatures as low as 28 degrees Fahrenheit. It is a gardening favorite, and therein lies one of the reasons for its disappearance. According to Webecoist, people have placed a higher value on having the plant in their backyard than on the preservation of the plant's place in the natural ecosystem.
Green Pitchers
The green pitcher, a carnivorous plant, inhabits the southern United States in places such as Georgia and South Carolina. Like its Venus flytrap cousin, it feeds on insects. The Webecoist website points to land development as the reason for its endangerment. The site also states that, unless legislators begin to pass laws to protect it, the entire species could disappear.
Rafflesias
A rafflesia is a parasitic plant that grows in Asian rainforests. It is the world's biggest flower. According to the WWF Global website, it can grow to 106 cm in diameter and weigh up to 10 kg. One of its well-known characteristics is its odor. The bad smell has earned it the nicknames "corpse flower" and "meat flower." Activities such as land clearing, logging and ethnocollection make it vulnerable to extinction, says WWF Global.