Chapter 180 Not in Good Condition
Xu Que had a dream in which he was lost. In the dream, he said to everyone, "It's no use! Even if we look from the highest point, it won't help. We're still lost! I think we should just keep going in this direction!"
The group decided to follow Zhan Xuque and keep walking forward.
Looking at the several magical places in front of him, Ha Gang said, "Back then, there were many strangely shaped plants in our primeval forest. Many plants were named after their shapes. For example, if the flower looks like a small trumpet, people call it a trumpet flower; if it looks like a rooster's comb, people call it a cockscomb flower; if it looks like a small tail, people call it a foxtail grass. There are also some plants with a magical side. They can fly into the sky like hydrogen balloons. Some of them are dandelions. Some can stick to people's bodies like little hedgehogs. These are burrs. Today, we are going to talk about a special flower that is not easy to see in ordinary rural areas - the lip flower."
The Lip Flower gets its name from its resemblance to lips painted with lipstick. This plant is quite peculiar, as its flower truly looks like a lip, as if it had been artificially treated. Even the lines are remarkably similar to real lips, and it can be startling if seen unexpectedly. In reality, the Lip Flower's shape is naturally formed and has not been artificially altered. This flower only grows in dense forests, and its vibrant appearance is a defense mechanism against predators. Unlike some plants with striking appearances that are also highly poisonous, the Lip Flower itself contains no toxins; it is simply a beautiful and alluring flower.
The flowers of the Lip Flower resemble the alluring red lips of a beautiful woman, making one yearn to kiss them. The five-pointed star center of the petals resembles a small crown, dazzling and eye-catching. Therefore, the Lip Flower is popular among couples, and many people give it to their loved ones because its flower language is: "Please kiss me." Actually, the Lip Flower's vibrant blossoms are designed to attract pollinators and birds. The pollen in its five-pointed star center needs animal pollination for it to bear fruit and reproduce. Thus, to attract these small animals, the Lip Flower develops brightly colored petals.
Many plants have a brightly colored exterior but contain deadly poisons. They use their vibrant appearance to protect themselves, so people and animals know they are poisonous and won't touch or damage them, allowing them to grow naturally. Examples include oleander, poppy, and carnivorous plants. These flowers are extremely beautiful but contain potent toxins. The lip flower, while brightly colored, does not contain any toxins; its vibrant appearance is simply a means for successful growth and reproduction.
Due to increasingly severe human destruction of rainforests, the numbers of many plants are dwindling, and the lip flower is one of them. Forest destruction has disrupted their original ecological balance, and now it's rare to see this flower with its distinctive, alluring "lips." While nature is generous, it's necessary to be mindful of limits when taking from it. Only through moderate exploitation can resources be preserved and the natural environment maintained. These are the flowers I've seen!
Everyone was carefully studying the words that looked like red lips, and Ha Gangpingyao really wanted to go up and kiss them at that moment.
Before Hagang came, people saw a kind of tree on the tropical grassland, and everyone was amazed by the unique spindle-shaped tree there.
The spindle tree can grow to about thirty meters tall, thick in the middle with a diameter of several meters, and tapering to a point at both ends. Resembling a giant bottle with a wide belly and narrow mouth, the spindle tree stands majestically on the vast tropical grasslands. This form is the result of its long-term adaptation to the local natural environment.
In fact, tropical savanna regions have distinct dry and wet seasons. When the wet season arrives, the giant bottle-like trunk of the spindle tree begins to store a large amount of water in its body, which can reach up to 2 tons at most, making it a "natural water reservoir". During the dry season, other plants appear withered and yellow due to lack of water, while the spindle tree relies on the water stored in its body to maintain its vitality.
In the tropical savanna resembling ancient Africa, you can find another type of enormous tree called the baobab tree. This tree is about 25 meters tall, but its trunk is very thick, reaching a diameter of about 10 meters, and its crown can reach a diameter of 100 meters. From a distance, the baobab tree looks like a "giant" on the savanna. The baobab tree also possesses a special ability to withstand arid environments. During the wet season, it absorbs ample water, storing large amounts within its trunk; during the hot, dry season, it gradually consumes the water stored within, thus surviving in this unique environment with distinct wet and dry seasons. The baobab tree is also a long-lived tree, with a lifespan of four to five thousand years. The baobab fruit is oblong, juicy, and delicious; monkeys love to eat it, hence the baobab tree is also known as the "monkey bread tree."
In the tropical rainforests of the Amazon rainforest in South America, there is an exceptionally tall tree called the Brazilian cherry. It can reach a height of eighty meters, equivalent to a thirty-story building.
These exceptionally tall trees are the result of their adaptation to the tropical rainforest environment over many years. Tropical rainforests are hot and rainy year-round, resulting in lush, evergreen vegetation. A variety of trees, shrubs, herbs, vines, and epiphytes form multi-layered, dense canopies, typically four or five layers, and sometimes as many as ten. Many trees strive to grow upwards to gain more sunlight.
They have few branches and are very tall. Cherry trees are not only tall, but their fruit is also very oily and edible, making them among the tallest plants in the world. Kelp trees are not only tall, but also have straight trunks; they are also an important part of the Australian landscape. Eucalyptus leaves are small, which reduces water loss through transpiration, and their strong water absorption capacity allows them to survive in relatively arid environments. Eucalyptus trees grow exceptionally fast; a seedling can become a mature tree in less than ten years. Eucalyptus leaves contain a fragrant oil that can be used to make eucalyptus sugar or in the pharmaceutical industry.
On the high mountains of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, above 4,000 meters, we can see a type of plant that grows close to the ground; these are called cushion plants. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is characterized by its high altitude, low temperature, large temperature difference between day and night, frequent strong winds and hail, and thin soil layer, making the natural environment harsh and difficult for most plants to grow. However, cushion plants have a special ability to adapt to this environment.
They grow close to the ground, with well-developed root systems that firmly "grip" the soil below, making them resistant to strong winds and able to absorb moisture from the soil. Each plant is cushion-shaped or hemispherical, dense, soft, and elastic, enabling them to withstand hailstorms on the plateau. These cushion-like plants bloom with many beautiful small flowers, such as the white-flowered *Trichosanthes kirilowii*, the yellow-flowered *Saxifraga stolonifera*, the red and white-flowered *Lysimachia christinae*, the blue-purple-flowered *Astragalus membranaceus*, and the bright red *Rhodiola rosea*. They adorn the plateau beautifully, showcasing their strong adaptability to the cold environment and their tenacious vitality.
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