Plant Power
The primary process green plants use to convert sunlight into chemical energy.
Photosynthesis
This famous snapping plant uses trigger hairs to catch insects in its leaf trap.
Venus Flytrap
Plants that store water in thick, fleshy leaves or stems, common in arid climates.
Succulents
Famous for its massive size and smell of rotting meat, Amorphophallus titanum is commonly known by this corpse-like name.
Corpse Flower
The most expensive spice by weight in the world is derived from the dried stigmas of this flower.
Saffron / Crocus
The green pigment in plant leaves that absorbs light for energy production.
Chlorophyll
Named for their sweet, sticky secretions, these plants trap insects using glistening mucilage tentacles.
Sundews
The term for plants that grow harmlessly upon other plants, such as air plants and many orchids.
Epiphytes
Capable of folding its leaves inward in seconds when touched, Mimosa pudica earned this sensitive nickname.
Sensitive Plant or Touch-Me-Not
Vanilla flavoring comes from the cured seed pods of a specific species of this flowering family.
Orchid
The vascular tissue in plants that conducts water and dissolved nutrients upward from the root.
Xylem
Pitfall traps formed by modified leaves give this tubular carnivorous plant its common name.
Pitfall traps
Plants like cacti replaced true leaves with these structures to prevent water loss and deter herbivores.
Spines
Holding the record for the world's largest living tree by volume, "General Sherman" is a specimen of this species.
Giant Sequoia
Unlike sweet potatoes, true yams belong to a completely different botanical order and are native to these two continents.
Africa and Asia
The microscopic pores on the surface of leaves that regulate gas exchange.
Stomata
The aquatic carnivorous plant that uses tiny underwater vacuum traps to catch water fleas.
Bladderwort
Specialized roots that grow upward above water levels to absorb air in oxygen-poor swamp soil.
Pneumatophores or breathing roots
Native to the Namib Desert, this plant produces only two leaves in its entire lifespan, which can last over a thousand years.
Welwitschia
The heat of chili peppers is produced by this chemical compound, which plants evolved to deter mammals from eating their fruit.
Capsaicin
The plant hormone primarily responsible for cell elongation and phototropism.
Auxin
Found mainly in Southeast Asia, giant pitcher plants from this genus can grow large enough to trap small vertebrates.
Nepenthes
The botanical term for desert plants that complete their entire lifecycle rapidly after a rare rainstorm.
Ephemerals
The world's smallest flowering plant, floating on water without any roots or leaves, belongs to this tiny genus.
Wolffia or Watermeal
Chocolate comes from the seeds of Theobroma cacao, a tree whose generic name literally translates to this phrase in Greek. ("Food of the gods")
"Food of the gods"