Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Weird Wednesday ~ Vampire Plant Talks to Its Victims

image source
It has been discovered that a parasitic plant named Strangleweed actually 'communicates' with its victims as it feeds on them. Strangleweed wraps itself around its host and punctures the plant's stem with appendages and then absorbs nutrients from the host. 
It is at this point that the Strangleweed sends ribonucleic acid into the host giving instructions to the host plant's DNA. These instructions tell the host plant how to grow, thus changing the host plant's DNA to make it weaker and to lower its defenses. These changes allowed the Strangleweed a better opportunity to feed on the host plant.


3 comments:

the dogs' mother said...

ak ak ak!!
And I thought the pumpkin plant was bad for trying to lure Tar in with a ball.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Ya do what ya gotta do in this world.

Anne said...

That's kinda freaky!