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Within the Araceae, species are often rhizomatous or tuberous; many are epiphytic, creeping lianas or vining plants, and the leaves and tissues of the entire plant nearly always contains irritating calcium oxalate crystals or raphides, in varying degrees. [4] [5] The foliage can vary considerably from species to species.
Ephedraceae are adapted to extremely arid regions, growing often in high sunny habitats, and occur as high as 4000 m above sea level in both the Andes and the Himalayas. [3] They make up a significant part of the North American Great Basin sage brush ecosystem. Today, Ephedra plants are found no further south than 3°N in the Saharo-Arabian zone.
Plants absorb water from the soil, which then evaporates from their shoots and leaves; this process is known as transpiration.If placed in a dry environment, a typical mesophytic plant would evaporate water faster than the rate of water uptake from the soil, leading to wilting and even death.
Artemisia tridentata, commonly called big sagebrush, [2] Great Basin sagebrush [2] or simply sagebrush (one of several related species of this name), is an aromatic shrub from the family Asteraceae. It grows in arid and semi-arid conditions, throughout a range of cold desert, steppe, and mountain habitats in the Intermountain West of North America.
The diversity of climatic conditions, though quite harsh, supports a rich array of habitats. Many of these habitats are ephemeral in nature, reflecting the paucity and seasonality of available water. [1] Woody-stemmed shrubs and plants characterize vegetation in these regions. Above all, these plants have evolved to minimize water loss.
The flora of Australia comprises a vast assemblage of plant species estimated to over 21,000 vascular and 14,000 non-vascular plants, 250,000 species of fungi and over 3,000 lichens. The flora has strong affinities with the flora of Gondwana , and below the family level has a highly endemic angiosperm flora whose diversity was shaped by the ...
Opuntia ficus-indica, the Indian fig opuntia, fig opuntia, or prickly pear, is a species of cactus that has long been a domesticated crop plant grown in agricultural economies throughout arid and semiarid parts of the world. [3] O. ficus-indica is the most widespread and most commercially important cactus.
Panicum turgidum is a perennial bunchgrass, growing in dense bushes up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) tall. The stems are long-jointed, hard and polished, with few leaves, resembling bamboo shoots.