Plants are essential for our life and for the development of the planet. These organisms descend from autotrophic eukaryotes , cells that do not need to obtain substances from the environment to extract energy, since they can transform light energy, which is provided by the sun, into chemical energy. Thanks to this source, they can carry out the process of photosynthesis , so necessary for the release of oxygen and therefore, for our own existence.
This form of life was one of the first to originate on Earth, which is why, for millions of years, plants have accompanied and coexisted the History of our world. However, they have not always been as we know them.
The study of terrestrial plants is an extensive and current topic. Today it is estimated that there are almost 9 million species of plants on the entire planet . Each one has characteristics and properties that make them unique. The vast majority of these (approximately 6.5 million) are terrestrial, but more than 2 million species are of aquatic origin.
One of the most widespread and accepted theories is that which states that terrestrial plants evolved from green algae between 500 and 600 million years ago . Assuming this to be correct, the first came into the world at some point in the Ordovician period, during the Paleozoic era. These covered rocks and surfaces near rivers and other small seasonal water formations. They progressively adapted to the terrain and began to reproduce by means of spores (sex cells).
Vegetation evolved to diversify and has reigned for centuries throughout the planet. Despite the fact that many specimens and plant species became extinct, either due to the human factor or due to the passage of time and its variant ecosystem, hundreds of curious and strange plant organisms still inhabit among us.
The creatures that inhabit the Earth are truly unusual, and many seem to have been transported from a tale of fantasy and fiction. As proof, we present you some of the strangest plants that exist .
