Diario del proyecto Flora! We love nature

Calycina citrina, or ‘yellow fairy cups’ is a species of fungi that belong to the Helotiaceae family and are known for their distinct bright yellow colour. They are often found on the tops of rotting or dead wood, however the species flourishes most on deciduous wood. Their fruiting bodies are small in size, usually no bigger than 3mm and they cluster in large numbers that can even reach the thousands. Calycina citrina is Saprobic and plays an important ecological role as a decomposer. Their edibility is unknown and it has yet to be discovered if they possess any medicinal properties.

One of the plants that I observed during the lab was Goldenrods. I observed them in Montreal and saw that they grew in a patch a couple of meters wide. The leaves grew lower near the ground and the flowering part of the plant was higher as a single stalk with many small yellow flowers growing from it.

Goldenrods are perennial plants native to North America. They are part of the genus Solidago, which contains 100-120 species, and the family Asteraceae, which contains around 23,000 species.

Goldenrods are pollinated by insects and have sticky pollen to help maximize reproduction as insects move from one flower to the next. The flowers contain nectar that draws in insects. This is most likely a result of natural selection, as insects are more drawn to plants with nectar and thus those plants can use the insects as a vector for reproduction leading to natural selection.

Interestingly enough, this plant is common in traditional and herbal medicine. Some native American cultures treat sore throats by chewing the roots of the plant.

One of the plants I observed was Pale Jewelweed. It is a flowering plant native to Canada and US. Pale Jewelweed is related to the more common Impatiens Capensis, but with yellow flowers. The ancestor to all impatiens is Balsaminaceae, which itself comes from Ericales. The pale Jewelweed species goes back to Impatiens Aurea which itself stems from Impatiens Minor being ancestor to 16 species.

The pale jewel has a bright yellow color, and it is very eye catching. Although it is beautiful and intriguing to pick, it has an adaptation trait called “touch-me-not” to avoid being picked. This behavior is a predator avoidance mechanism and therefore increase the chance of survival.

All the observations were made in Montreal. Cold-adapted plants can grow and continue their life cycle under low temperatures. One common adaptation of all these plants is that they all can resist harsh climates. They all need Moist soil, and they are all easy-care plants and don’t need special assistance to grow. Also, they all are green in leaves, because of the chlorophyll which helps in the process of photosynthesis.