Alchemical Waters Off Plant Leaves

I stumbled upon the great Annals of Botany blog, which you can now find in my sidebar. I found that they recently wrote about the origins of the temperate plant Lady's Mantle's scientific name, Alchemilla. Apparently, the dew or rain that gathered on its water-repellent leaves was in high demand because of its purity. Among its fans were said to be alchemists, who used it in their procedures to turn stuff into gold, and women, who apparently used it for beauty purposes.

Photo is by Pat Heslop-Harrison, from the Annals of Botany post.

A photo from an old post on this blog.

I was reminded of gabi leaves, which gather water not so gracefully, due to the shape and size of its leaves. The "plant leaf surface property" that enables it to repel water and keep itself "clean" is mentioned also in an AoB piece cited in the article. I've tried searching for local rituals that utilize this water, but nothing came up, unfortunately.

Water gathers at center, reflects juvenile brontosaurus.

Another famously water-repellent leaf surface is that of the tree star from Land Before Time. 

Rafflesia- World's Largest Flower

Did you know that the world's largest flower:

1. Is considered very rare and can be found in the Philippines?
2. Has no roots, stems, or leaves?
3. Has a foul, rotting smell?
4. Can measure up to 100 cm in diameter and 11 kg in weight?
   
5. Is a parasitic plant to a vine?
   
6. Lacks chlorophyll, and is therefore incapable of photosynthesis?
7. Has a lifespan ranging from 3-7 days?

Photo source: http://www.kirchersociety.org/blog/2006/03/

Trees of Interest

mental_floss magazine's blog outlines some favorite trees from round the world, including the Bodhi tree (pictured below), planted in 288 BC and moved from India to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century. Check it out!