S3 Ep7: Summer Series - Amazing Anatomy

You're right.

They might have special roots, leaves, seeds, stems, or flowers that give them an advantage in a certain ecosystem.

For example, some plant species that live in the rainforest have huge leaves to gather as much sunlight as they can for photosynthesis.

And desert plants might store water in their stems when they're in times of

drought.

Those are perfect examples, Lauren.

Our mystery species has a special adaptation, but it's not in its leaves or its stem.

Hmm, that sounds like a clue.

So we are probably looking at a plant with either special flowers, fruits,

seeds, or roots.

Well, I think our mystery species is pretty special in its entirety, but it does have one particular claim to fame that I think you'll find interesting, and hopefully our listening audience will too.

Yay, I'm so excited! Okay, so what group does this mystery species belong to? Are we looking at a vascular or non-vascular plant?

Well, I guess we better narrow it down.

It is classified as a vascular plant.

It has vascular tissue for transporting nutrients like food and water.

So it's not a moss or liverwort or one of their relatives.

Okay, so that disqualifies nearly 20,000 species, but that's only narrowing it down a little bit.

We are still looking at loads of flowering plants, trees, and ferns.

Thousands of species.

Can you tell us if it's an angiosperm or a gymnosperm?

That's a great question.

This is tricky because it is an evergreen tree, but it's not a gymnosperm.

Right.

We usually think of evergreens as gymnosperms.

They often have cones like pines and spruces.