Fairy Lanterns: They're as Cool as They Sound
- Molly
- Apr 11, 2018
- 1 min read
Updated: Apr 14, 2018
Most of the time, Sci-Fi movies get all the credit for crazy plants. The movie Avatar had telepathic trees for Pete’s Sake! But every now and then, good-ole Mother Earth surprises us with her own awesome Blockbuster.
Cue in Thismia neptunis.
This plant was first recorded in 1878 by a naturalist called Odoardo Beccari. He drew a picture of a tiny bulb with three creepy crawly protrusions on the top. No one saw this haunting plant again for another 151 years! In 2017, scientists found this fairy lantern in Malaysia.
Now how can you miss such a crazy plant for so long? Well, these plants are what we call “mycoheterotrophs,” meaning they don’t perform photosynthesis and instead munch on underground fungi.
So, next time you see a plant in a Sci-Fi movie, just wait and see what is really hidden on our own planet!
This plant is actually really cool! Do you know if other members in its genus behave like this or if it has any closely related species?
Woah I agree with Alec, this is crazy! When you were researching them did you happen see if they were only found in Malaysia? I would love to see one of these out in the wild (or my backyard)!
This might be my new favorite plant. I've never heard of this method of feeding for plants but it certainly is interesting. It is also funny that not only does this plant have an odd life history, but it also just looks freaky too.