NewScientist The Last Word - Tag 'plants' details

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I recently noticed a white growth had appeared on an old tree stump in my back garden. On closer inspection I found it was made up of what looked like very small eggs (see Photo, top). The next day I saw that the "eggs" had turned into a purple slime (see Photo, bottom). The day after that the slime had dried up and disappeared. No pesticides are used in my garden.Can anyone shed light on what this substance is?Adil Hussain, Birmingham, UK

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-05-28 18:09:02

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Categories: Animals, Plants, Technology, Unanswered.

Tags: animals, unanswered, technology, plants.

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Omelette mushroom Whilst walking through woods in the Wye Valley we came across this fungus growing on some rotten tree bark. What is it, and why did it only grow on this one tree and not on any others which had also fallen down and were in a similar state?Kay Bagon, Hertfordshire, UK
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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-05-28 14:32:01

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Categories: Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: unanswered, domestic science, plants.

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Plant depression

When I was growing up in Luanda, Angola, I remember a peculiar bush. When you touched it, the area where contact was made wilted immediately, with all the leaves on that branch drooping. This lasted for only 2 or 3 minutes, after which the leaves slowly became erect and returned to normal. Does anyone know the name of this bush and why it behaves in this way?Luis M. Luis, Virginia, US

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-05-14 19:00:00

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Categories: Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: unanswered, domestic science, plants.

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Slime time

I travelled to Scotland recently where I took this picture of an organism (see Photo). It was smooth, glossy and transparent like melting ice, and quite hard to the touch. It was not alone; there were four others close by, the biggest of which was about 20 centimetres across. Can any reader tell me what it is?Alexander Markov, London, UKThere are lots of ideas about what this object is, none of which are conclusive. It does seem as though there is an army of different jelly-like objects invading our coasts. Check out "Lump life" from The Last Word of 24 July 2004 - Ed

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-05-07 19:01:00

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Categories: Animals, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: animals, unanswered, domestic science, plants.

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Shapely pear Why are pears pear-shaped and not spherical like apples?John Griffiths, London, UK
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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-04-23 17:50:52

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Categories: Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: unanswered, plants, planet earth.

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Leaf antlers What causes these strange horny growths on tree leaves (see photo, left)?Mike Child, Bedford, UK
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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-03-26 17:50:19

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Categories: Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: unanswered, technology, plants, planet earth.

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Stem cell growth The latest tip I read for prolonging the life of cut flowers involved using a needle to make a hole in the base of a tulip stem to protect the heads of the flowers from drooping. It seemed to work. Why would it? And what other unusual methods are there for preserving cut flowers?Glennis Fryd, Oxfordshire, UK
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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-03-26 17:48:45

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Categories: Domestic Science, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: unanswered, domestic science, plants.

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What's the crack? I regret to say that I have a habit of cracking my knuckles. Iâ€™ve read somewhere that it does no harm, but I am still far from convinced. Could it be damaging in the long run? If so, why?Alex Cowley, Worthing, West Sussex, UK
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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-03-05 17:53:08

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Categories: Human Body, Plants.

Tags: human body, plants.

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Lunatic cacti My Cereus forbesii cactus flowered last night, coinciding with a full moon (see Photo). The Selenicereus granciflora cacti that I had in Bangladesh always flowered at or within a couple of days of a full moon or, more occasionally, a new moon. How is flowering in such plants triggered by the lunar cycle?Hugh Brammer, by email, no address supplied
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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-02-27 17:53:30

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Categories: Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: unanswered, plants.

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Family tree What, if any, are the visible inherited traits of trees? People often say a child has its motherâ€™s or fatherâ€™s eyes. Does a similar thing apply to trees? For example, is the pattern of branches related to the position and orientation of its parentsâ€™ branches? If not, what governs where branches grow?Graham Cook, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, UK
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