【Source: Kunming Information Harbor_Yunnan】
Recently, a rare plant suspected of being of the national near-danger level - crystal orchid was found in Qinglong Mountain, Mangdong Town, Lianghe County.
Nature is intrigued and depicts beautiful planets of colorful colors. In the world of "flowers" and flowers, there is one color that is often overlooked, that is, pure white.
The image was provided by Yang Changran of lianghe county culture and tourism bureau
Above the distant mountains, between the empty valleys, the crystal orchid known as the "Ice Pea Shooter", the whole crystal clear, emerging from the wet soil, the whole body is white, clear and transparent, and its shape is like the pea shooter in the game "Plants vs. Zombies". Because of its unique habits and magical appearance, it often appears as a "ghost flower" in many traditional martial arts novels.
This is not Piran
Although it is called "Crystal Orchid", it does not belong to a certain species of orchid. Orchids belong to the monocotyledonous order, while crystal orchids belong to the class of dicotyledonous plants.
Crystal orchid strain type is relatively short, white throughout, it has no chlorophyll, does not photosynthesis, rely on rotten plants to obtain nutrients, belongs to the deer hoof family crystal orchid, is a perennial herb.
In nature, crystal land is a few clusters, a few are solitary, and the whole plant is about 10-15 cm tall. At present, there are 5 species of crystal orchids known in the world, namely Pinus pinus pinus, crystal orchid, crystal orchid, panasonic orchid, panasonic orchid (original variant), of which there are about two species in China, Russia, Japan, India, Southeast Asia, North America also have some population distribution.
Crystal orchid is very easy to wither, the entire life process is only a short period of months, the growth environment is extremely demanding.
The image was provided by Yang Chunju of the Lianghe County Bureau of Culture and Tourism
The origin of the Dark Elves
Over thousands of years of evolution, the leaves of the crystal orchid have evolved into white translucent scales, like a thin yarn like a cicada's wing wrapped around the white stem, and the crystal clear multiple petals resemble a blooming rose. But some people refer to Crystal Orchid as the "Night Elf", do you know why?
Oxygen is one of the necessary substances for life, and photosynthesis is an important biochemical process of earth organisms, but not all plants need photosynthesis, and crystal orchid is one of them.
Crystal orchid belongs to the fungal heterotrophic plant, its seeds are unusually small, almost no nutrients, and the roots are completely parasitic on the roots of other plants, relying on special bacterial bodies to survive.
This diagram originates from a network
It is precisely because they rely on the absorption of humus nutrients to maintain life, and do not need to rely on photosynthesis to synthesize nutrients, which explains why they can only be seen in dark, damp, humus-rich places.
In the biological world, there are many fungal exotic plants that live "under the fence" like crystal orchids, and they are not overshadowed by the inability to photosynthesize, but bring a moving beauty to the plant world.
Have you ever seen this elf in the dark world on an unintentional journey? Come to the comments section and tell us the story of your encounter with it!
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