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(Image: wildgiantpanda) |
In the lush world of plants, the single-leaf grass can be considered the loneliest plant in existence. With only one flower and a solitary leaf, it stands out remarkably.
The above-ground part of this plant reaches just about 10 cm in height, featuring a nearly round leaf that is divided into 5 or 6 sections, along with a green flower. Below ground, it has a segmented rhizome from which the flower and leaves emerge, as well as numerous adventitious roots and scales.
The single-leaf grass is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), typically found in pristine forests at high altitudes between 2750-3975 meters, thriving in cool, humid environments with partial shade and slightly acidic soil. This is also a distinctive characteristic of the buttercup family.
Not only does the single-leaf grass have solitary flowers and leaves, but its structure is also very primitive. The leaf venation is typically of a dichotomous branching pattern, which is a unique primitive leaf vein structure among the more than 1500 species in the buttercup family. The flower consists of petals, degenerated stamens, pistils, and a receptacle; the petals also exhibit dichotomous branching, with the pistils blooming early. Since its discovery in 1914 on high mountains in Yunnan, China, the single-leaf grass has drawn significant interest from the global botanical community, leading to extensive research aimed at deepening our understanding of plant evolution.
(Image: plant.csdb.cn)
