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The mystery of why so many plants on New Zealand's otherwise bleak subantarctic islands have very large deeply coloured flowers and giant leaves has been solved by new University of Otago research.
These insect-pollinated "megaherbs" stand out like sore thumbs amongst the islands' other flora which are small, wind-pollinated plants that mainly reproduce by self-pollination or asexual reproduction.
Department of Botany researchers thermally imaged six species of Campbell Island megaherbs – whose mainland relatives are small and pale flowered – and discovered that their flowers and leaves heat up rapidly to make the most of rare moments of sunshine and calm weather.
The researchers found that leaf and flower temperatures of all six species were considerably higher than simultaneously measured surrounding temperatures, with the greatest heating seen in Campbell Island daisies.
The plants are structured to create mini greenhouse effects to attract pollinators.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Sunday September 18 2016, @05:36AM
You don't have to go that far to find exothermic plants.
Just about everywhere from New England to Alaska you you will find the skunk cabbage [wordpress.com] poking up through the snow early in the spring. They melt their own hole in the snow. Some are quite warm to the touch, and prime spring time food for hungry deer after a tough winter.
These too are rather large plants. I've seen leaves 6 feet tall.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.