HONG KONG: University of Stockholm have discovered a new planet dubbed Ephedra foeminea that relies on lunar cycle for its survival through pollination.
Otherwise dubbed as an ugly shrub, the Ephedra foeminiea acts as a sort of wereplant, transforming itself into a fertile mass of bright red and yellow cones. This species of plants is a non-flowering relative of conifers and according to researchers it secretes globules of sugary liquid on nights when there is a full moon in a bid to attract nocturnal pollinating insects.
Using these droplets, the plant absorbs any pollen carried by pollinators including moths and flies that land on the plant and uses them to fertilise its seeds. Researchers believe that the plant relies on moonlight as the light causes reflection from the sugary liquid which catch the attention of the insects.
Catarina Rydin, a botanist at the University of Stockholm and one of the researchers behind the discovery, revealed that other plants in this species arose about 130 million years ago in the Early Cretaceous and they would have likely served as dinosaur food.
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