In addition to the incredible variety of appearances and colors, there are many interesting facts you should know about flowers. The Nile rose or Indian lotus (from the Nymphaeaceae family) is known as the sacred flower of the ancient Egyptians, who worshiped these water lilies in the Nile River and also used them for funeral rituals. It is a very beautiful aquatic flower in which the longevity of its seeds stands out, which can germinate for up to ten centuries.
There are many flowers that are known as moon flowers, but the most prominent are the honeysuckle, Ipomoea alba . This night-flowering climbing plant has thin stems and tuberculous roots, but what stands out most about it is that, as with other plants, its flowers close during the day and open at night (yes you heard correctly; it also happens with other species such as the Galán de Noche, the scented orchid of the night, the trumpets of Angel, the lady of the night, the nicotiana Alata, the baoab, the durian or some varieties of magnolias).
Why do they bloom at night?
These fragrant nocturnal plants, whose colors are usually mostly discreet, in white and cream tones, obtain pollination through nocturnal animals , hence they take advantage of the nocturnality to secrete aromas and attract nocturnal pollinators such as bats, butterflies or moths to help them. to the propagation of seeds and fruits in nature.
Pollination in plants is the process in which pollen is transferred from the anther, the male part of a flower, to the stigma, the female part of a flower. Pollen can be transferred to a nearby plant so they can fertilize and produce more flowers. This occurs with plants that have flowers called angiosperms.
The word “pollen” (which has been used in science since 1760) means “the fertilizing part of flowers.” Pollination is extremely important in the life cycle because they cannot produce fruit or even seeds unless they are pollinated. Pollen is transferred by pollinators, which can be the wind, insects, birds, and small mammals such as bats.
