Not only athletes at competitions show the highest results — representatives of the plant world can also boast of “Olympic” records. Find out the outstanding green heroes in “face”!
The island on the water
Victoria amazonica is the largest water lily in the world. Its leaves, similar to small floating islands, reach a diameter of 2-3 m (6.6-9.8 ft). In addition, they can easily withstand a weight of up to 80 kg (176.3 lb).
Victoria amazonica
This is possible thanks to the air cushion that forms on the underside of the leaf between the veins. She keeps it on the surface of the water. The plant blooms once a year for 2-3 days.
Hedge-skyscraper
In Scotland, to the north of the county of Perth, near the village of Michael, there is the world’s tallest hedge – about 36 m (118.1 ft) in height and 530 m (1738.8 ft) in length. It is formed once every 10 years.
Hedge-skyscraper
This green wall of Fagus sylvatica got into the Guinness Book of Records in 1966.
Giant-old-timer
The oldest living longaeva pine grows in the area of the White Mountains of California. To date, the approximate age of the tree, nicknamed Methuselah, is 4846 years! The secret of such unprecedented longevity, according to experts, is that pine trees grow in places with extreme conditions, where they rarely have to compete with other species and “fight” with ubiquitous pests. Paradoxically, but a fact!
Left: the old-time Giant. Right: Amorphophallus titanum
Amorphophallus titanum
The performance lasts only three days. That’s how long you can enjoy the beauty of the tropical flower morphophallus titanum — the largest and one of the smelliest in the world (it is pollinated by giant flies, as it “smells” of rotten meat). The corpse smell is especially intense on the first day. The underground tuber of this native of Indonesia weighs up to 100 kg (22.5 lb). Amorphophallus is successfully grown in some botanical gardens, where it is easiest to admire the rare beauty of the giant stinky.
Play with fire
Chinese capsicum ‘The Carolina Reaper” is the sharpest hot pepper in the world. Its pods are even outwardly unusual: fruits with a bumpy surface have a pointed tip resembling the tail of a Scorpion.
Capsicum chinense
According to the Scoville scale, the capacity of pepper is 2.2 million units, for which in 2013 it was awarded an honorable place in the Guinness Book of Records. Be careful when you meet him up close!
Garden giant
The host ‘Empress Wu’ is named after the Chinese Empress Wu Zetian. This host is really huge – the height is up to 1.5 m (4.9 ft), and the brush diameter is 2.5 m (8.2 ft).
Empress Wu Host
It grows very fast and, of course, consumes a lot of water and nutrients. The plant reaches an impressive size in the third year of life.
Garden giant
A nice bonus – in spring and for a good half of summer, the huge leaves of the hosts are cast blue – thanks to the wax coating. In the middle of summer, the plaque disappears and they turn dark green.
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