Thursday, May 28, 2015

Meet the Plant That Wants To Kiss You

There are millions of plant species in this remarkable world. Every species of plant is unique for itself and different from another plant species.

Some plant species can sometimes look like parts of the human body. In the rain forests of Central and South American countries like Columbia, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Panama, there lives one interesting plant which looks ready to kiss you. The two red leafs that look like lips belong to Psychotria elata. 





It is also sometimes called Hooker Lips plant or Hot Lips Plant. The reason for the name is obvious.
The leafs have evolved to the current shape to attract pollinators (hummingbirds, butterflies). 

However, the bracts “are kissable” for a short time because little flowers come out from the center of “the lips”. 
Thered color of the bract attracts the pollinators and they come on top the flowers to pollinate them. 







This type of attracting pollinators is a very effective and ingenious idea, don’t you think.




The hot lips plant is very rear and tender for the environmental conditions. That’s why its seed is very expensive and it’s found only in a few places. We hope that this remarkable plant will not get extinct.

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