Man knows more than 300 thousand species of plants. Some of them grow in inappropriate conditions. One of these plants are ephemeroids. To survive in a difficult environment, they had to go to "tricks" and develop special devices. What are ephemeroids? You will find the definition and examples in our article.
What are ephemeroids?
Ephemeroids are perennial herbaceous plants, but this is not their feature. They learned to live where access to water or sunlight is not all year round, but only in certain seasons. Under such conditions, many plants die, because they need these elements regularly to maintain the body.
Ephemera is, in its own way, unique plants. They adapted to difficult conditions, thanks to the short growing season. When there is enough light and water, they rapidly grow and bloom. With the onset of an unfavorable season, their ground parts dry out and fall away. The underground parts (tubers, rhizomes, bulbs) remain to grow new shoots as early as next year.
Ephemeroids have very little developmental time. Sometimes in stock in plants only a couple of weeks. Their underground organs contain a lot of nutrients. They accumulate there to nourish the plant during hibernation.
Ephemeral plants also have similar properties. But, unlike ephemeroids, these are annual plants. In a short growing season, they manage to produce seeds, and they themselves completely die off.
Where do they grow?
Ephemeroids are inhabitants of deserts, steppes and semi-deserts. There is always a lack of moisture, and the hot sun literally burns out all living things. But in the spring it often rains, and the light is soft and gentle. At such a time, poppies appear in the steppes, astragalus grow in rocky deserts , tulips bloom on the sands of Turkmenistan.
From September to November, climate spring sets in the Atacama Desert. Rainfall there may not be for many years, so it is considered one of the driest places on Earth. But due to the influence of El Nino, some areas sometimes irrigate showers, and lifeless expanses are covered with colorful flowers.
You can meet ephemeroids in ordinary forests. In dense broad-leaved forests there is enough moisture, but light, on the contrary, is not enough. Ephemeroids grow in oak groves and other groves. They appear when there is no foliage on the trees to make the most of solar energy.
Depending on the time of occurrence, they are divided into spring and autumn ephemeroids. An example of autumn plants is colchicum, autumn crocus. In the spring are: tulips, crocuses, snowdrops, goose onions.
Anemone
Anemone or anemone is an ephemeroid from the ranunculaceae family. The flower is distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, covering even some parts of the Arctic. About 170 species of anemones are known, most of which are poisonous.
Anemone has neat large flowers with at least five petals. They are yellow, red, white, blue and pink. They usually grow in the tundra, on stony hills and slopes, in steppe meadows and on the shady edges of forests.
Goose bow
It is also called yellow snowdrop, yellowflower, viper onion or goose. In April, the plant appears on the mountain slopes, in the steppes and forests. It has yellow flowers with elongated petals and tall narrow leaves.
The height of a goose bow is about 30-40 centimeters. It grows not in single flowers, but in small groups. It was once consumed as a cooked food, and was also used to treat asthma, ulcers, and wound healing. Yellowflower is found in North Africa and in the temperate zone of Eurasia, for example, in Ukraine, the Far East and Central Asia.
Snowdrops
It is they who announce to us the arrival of spring, appearing even before the snow completely disappears. Snowdrop or "milk flower" is common in southern and central Europe, in Asia Minor, on the Black Sea coast. About 16 of its species grows in the Caucasus.
Its flower consists of six petals, which are arranged in two circles. Unlike many other plants, it does not reach up to the sun, but is lowered to the ground. Snowdrop dies in May. The duration of its flowering depends on the area where it grows, as well as the height above sea level. Due to its unpretentiousness, the flower is often bred in the beds. However, some of its species are listed in the Red Book and are considered endangered.