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Living Things: Gymnosperms the First Trees on Earth · Wildly Curious

• 0:43
  Laura: Hello and welcome to For The Love of Nature, a podcast where tell you everything you need to know about nature, and probably more than you wanted to know.
• 0:50
  Laura: I'm Laura.
• 0:51
  Katy: I'm Katie.
• 0:52
  Katy: And today we're gonna be doing one of our deep dive science nerd episodes into Jim.
• 0:56
  Katy: No sperms we,
• 0:59
  Laura: no, but really, I always think these are kind of cool because I learned so much when I write
• 1:04
  Katy: these.
• 1:04
  Katy: No, I do too.
• 1:05
  Katy: And these are some of our, believe it or not, some of our more popular episodes that people listen to.
• 1:13
  Katy: But again, I think it's simply because somebody's like, there's like students that are Googling, like give me, you know what I mean?
• 1:19
  Katy: Like they're studying for a test and they just want something that's like easily digestible and they're like, yeah, or just
• 1:24
  Laura: search.
• 1:24
  Laura: This is like if you are interested even a little bit in this kind of stuff.
• 1:29
  Laura: Yeah, it is a good introduction.
• 1:30
  Laura: So in the past guys, we've done these taxonomy episodes and we've started really broad and we've gotten smaller.
• 1:36
  Laura: So real quick, just as a reminder, or for any new listen.
• 1:39
  Laura: The animal and plant kingdom are divided into more and more specific categories.
• 1:46
  Laura: You start with kingdom phum.
• 1:49
  Laura: Class and then like plants, of course plant people made it even more difficult by like eating different
• 1:56
  Katy: things cause they're freaking plant people.
• 1:58
  Laura: But basically it goes all the way down to species.
• 2:01
  Laura: And so in the past we've talked about fungi, we've talked about mosses and ferns.
• 2:05
  Laura: We've done a couple other things.
• 2:07
  Katy: Now we, sorry, you said fun guy and I said I barely know him.
• 2:10
  Katy: I know.
• 2:11
  Katy: Go
• 2:11
  Laura: ahead.
• 2:11
  Laura: I one my first problem time, I think it was my first joke that I ever remembered filming.
• 2:15
  Katy: Right.
• 2:15
  Katy: Um,
• 2:16
  Laura: uh, but yeah, so today we're gonna be talking about gymnast sperms and how they were the first trees seen on earth, and they're still some of the largest and longest living ones today.
• 2:27
  Katy: Yep.
• 2:28
  Katy: So gymnast sperms are, like Laura said, a diverse group of plants that are characterized by the presence of seeds that are not enclosed in an ovary.
• 2:36
  Katy: These plants are character.
• 2:37
  Katy: To be or considered to be the oldest and most prone of sea bearing plants dating back to the carbon period carbon.
• 2:47
  Katy: Bonous
• 2:48
  Laura: carbon.
• 2:49
  Laura: If there's, it's an F You said it carboniferous.
• 2:53
  Laura: Yeah.
• 2:54
  Laura: Sounds like someone's
• 2:55
  Katy: eating somebody.
• 2:56
  Katy: Yeah.
• 2:58
  Katy: just everything eats everything then It's fine.
• 3:02
  Katy: It's fine.
• 3:03
  Katy: One of the main characteristics of Jim, no sperm, is that they have naked seeds, which means that the seeds are not surrounded by a fruit or any other type of protective
• 3:12
  Laura: structure.
• 3:12
  Laura: Boy, I really want someone to draw this as fan art.
• 3:14
  Laura: Please draw.
• 3:15
  Laura: Like A naked seed.
• 3:17
  Laura: A naked seed, like a tastefully naked seed,
• 3:20
  Katy: a.
• 3:21
  Katy: Not just, not just any naked seed.
• 3:23
  Katy: Yeah, I don't want like a Lew native
• 3:24
  Laura: snake naked seed.
• 3:27
  Laura: I, I don't want a creepy fan art.
• 3:30
  Laura: I want a tastefully naked,
• 3:32
  Katy: a tastily done naked seed.
• 3:34
  Katy: Come on, people.
• 3:35
  Katy: What are you, are you thinking preferably funny?
• 3:37
  Katy: Yeah, So this feature though, is what distinguishes the Jim nose sperms from the angio sperms, which have enclosed seeds, the angio sperms.
• 3:45
  Katy: Do Jim nose sperms also have leaves that are typically needle-like or scale alike and appearance and they do not produce flowers?
• 3:53
  Laura: Yeah.
• 3:53
  Laura: Although I feel like the, I feel like the leaf thing is
• 3:56
  Katy: very loose.
• 3:56
  Katy: Not true.
• 3:57
  Katy: Yeah.
• 3:57
  Katy: Very.
• 3:58
  Katy: Yeah, because mine, the one that I talk about, not
• 4:01
  like
• 4:02
  Laura: that.
• 4:02
  Laura: I guess.
• 4:02
  Laura: I guess, I guess if you're talking about the vast majority of species then needs,
• 4:06
  Katy: then Yeah, yeah.
• 4:07
  Katy: Another, but not everything.
• 4:09
  Katy: But again, it's freaking plants.
• 4:10
  Katy: There's always these dang exceptions to everything.
• 4:13
  Katy: Another key characteristic of the gymnast sperms is their ability to thrive in harsh environments.
• 4:17
  Katy: Many species of gymnast sperms are adapted to survive in cold, arid, or nutrient poor conditions.
• 4:23
  Katy: This is due in part to the unique reproductive structures, which often rely on wind.
• 4:28
  Katy: Other environmental factors to disperse their seeds.
• 4:31
  Katy: Additionally, gem, no sperms are able to form symbiotic relationships with fungi, which, I mean, we've talked about that several times on this show.
• 4:37
  Katy: Yeah, for sure.
• 4:37
  Katy: Which helps'em to obtain nutrients from the soil.
• 4:41
  Katy: Some of the most well-known examples of gem, no sperms includes conifer's like.
• 4:46
  Katy: pine Spruce furries, as well as Cicas, ginkos and all few others.
• 4:51
  Katy: Overall the diverse characteristics of Jimino Sperms have allowed them to thrive and adapt over millions of years, making them an important part of the Earth's ecosystem.
• 5:00
  Katy: Yeah.
• 5:00
  Katy: And it makes sense
• 5:01
  Laura: that, you know, they would be one of the first, so Moss's and Ferns first, and then these guys, cuz they're ready for the harsh environment Yeah.
• 5:08
  Laura: Of early earth.
• 5:09
  Katy: They're ready to go.
• 5:10
  Katy: Yeah.
• 5:12
  Laura: All right, well, I'm gonna just dive right in.
• 5:14
  Laura: So we broke it down into the different well, so what plant groups do we call divisions?
• 5:19
  Laura: Plant people where whereas like animal people would call these what classes?
• 5:23
  Laura: I think this is class level.
• 5:25
  Laura: Or maybe.
• 5:26
  Laura: Okay.
• 5:27
  Laura: Phs can't, yeah, I don't know, whatever.
• 5:29
  Laura: So anyway,
• 5:31
  Katy: I have
• 5:31
  Laura: conifers.
• 5:32
  Laura: Yeah, we're gonna start because it's the most accessible of the gymnast sperms.
• 5:35
  Laura: Everybody knows what a pine tree is for the most part.
• 5:38
  Laura: The grouping is actually called pina fida.
• 5:41
  Laura: Makes sense.
• 5:42
  Laura: Think.
• 5:42
  Laura: Pine.
• 5:43
  Laura: Pine.
• 5:43
  Laura: So what is a conifer?
• 5:45
  Laura: It is a woody plant.
• 5:46
  Laura: Most of them are trees.
• 5:48
  Laura: Both the pollen bearing cones.
• 5:51
  Laura: So what makes, oh, I guess the other thing, you know, the naked seed part, most of them are some kind of cone, not a, they're never a fruit
• 6:01
  Katy: are, you know, are Yeah.
• 6:02
  Katy: Flowers, fleshy lead fruit, not the fleshy.
• 6:04
  Katy: Yeah.
• 6:05
  Laura: Yeah.
• 6:05
  Laura: Flowers lead to fruits, and the naked seeds usually have cones that they're in.
• 6:09
  Laura: So anyway, there are pollen bearing cones, the boy plant part, and then the ale bearing cones, which are the girl part.
• 6:18
  Laura: Sometimes they're on the same plant, sometimes they're on the di on different plants.
• 6:22
  Laura: In the case of conifers, they are on the same plant.
• 6:25
  Laura: Okay.
• 6:26
  Laura: Typically,
• 6:27
  Katy: yeah.
• 6:27
  Katy: And my example, the first one that I'm gonna go over is there's, they're two separate ones too, right?
• 6:31
  Katy: So, so it depends.
• 6:32
  Katy: Variety depends.
• 6:32
  Sperm,
• 6:34
  Laura: All conifers are wind pollinated and the cones can be very different in size and appearance.
• 6:39
  Laura: Some are hard, some are fleshy, which is a terrible word, but it is also interesting.
• 6:45
  Laura: And when the cone is fleshy, they're called arrows.
• 6:48
  Laura: So that's like something on like a u bush.
• 6:50
  Laura: They're like these red, they almost look like olives.
• 6:52
  Laura: Hmm.
• 6:52
  Laura: Some cones disintegrate quickly, while some are held up onto the, held onto the tree for up to 80 years and only come down when a fire comes through and some cones
• 7:04
  Katy: have seeds that are, that's again, I mean, I know so many different species they need, you know, fires and everything to like disperse their seas of nutrient.
• 7:12
  Katy: Sorry.
• 7:13
  Katy: They're, it's great.
• 7:15
  Katy: But at the same time, I like that.
• 7:16
  Katy: That's whenever pine trees are like, you know what, this is what's gonna make me move.
• 7:19
  Katy: Yeah.
• 7:20
  Katy: This is a fire.
• 7:21
  Katy: The whole forest going up in flames, they're just really hard to turn on.
• 7:25
  Katy: Right.
• 7:26
  Katy: Um, but a fire
• 7:28
  Laura: So they.
• 7:32
  Laura: Some cones have seeds that are wind dispersed.
• 7:34
  Laura: Some have nuts, okay?
• 7:36
  Laura: Pine nuts and some are meant to be eaten and then passed through a digestive system.
• 7:41
  Laura: Only pines have pine cones.
• 7:44
  Laura: Pines are a type of conifer.
• 7:46
  Laura: Conifers have cones, specifically pines of pine cones.
• 7:49
  Laura: They all have simple leaves.
• 7:51
  Laura: Some are scale, like some are needle-like, and occasionally they're like broad blades, but still kind
• 7:57
  Katy: of looking kind
• 7:58
  Laura: of like a.
• 7:59
  Laura: most of them are evergreens, which means they hold onto their leaves anywhere from two to 40 years before they lose them.
• 8:06
  Laura: Geez.
• 8:06
  Laura: Only like a couple of species are des deciduous, meaning they lose those leaves.
• 8:12
  Laura: Yeah.
• 8:12
  Laura: The majority have leaves that are spiraled, so that means that their leaves are all, you know, like a desiduous tree, like the ones that have big, broad leaves.
• 8:21
  Laura: They all are.
• 8:23
  Laura: Open to the sun.
• 8:24
  Laura: They get as much as they can.
• 8:25
  Laura: It's the same like that with these guys.
• 8:26
  Laura: They just don't have as big of leaves, but their leaves are always positioned to capture the most sunlight.
• 8:32
  Laura: And those leaves are spiraled so that they're not all competing with each other and they're usually dark green, which is actually better for capturing light in poor lighting which is good for them because a lot of gymnast sperms are growing in upper latitudes or in.
• 8:48
  Laura: So they're making the most of it.
• 8:50
  Laura: And then last but not least many of them produced resin, which is like a sap, but.
• 8:57
  Katy: Uh, it's got kind of like, it's way more intense than sap.
• 9:00
  Katy: Yeah.
• 9:00
  Katy: Yeah.
• 9:00
  Laura: It's, it's not like, you know, watery maple syrup.
• 9:03
  Laura: This is like
• 9:04
  Katy: no super glue.
• 9:05
  Katy: Right.
• 9:05
  Katy: It sucks.
• 9:06
  Laura: it's super glue that has like antifungal, antibacterial and stuff, properties,
• 9:11
  Katy: but getting it off of anything Yeah.
• 9:13
  Katy: Is
• 9:14
  Laura: horrible.
• 9:14
  Laura: Horrible.
• 9:15
  Laura: It can even like, kill animals that are like trying to get into the tree.
• 9:18
  Laura: Oh, easily.
• 9:18
  Laura: Yeah.
• 9:19
  Laura: So some examples of con.
• 9:21
  Laura: There are actually six to eight families, depending on which botanists you ask, and that, which means there are about 630 species.
• 9:29
  Laura: They're broken down into the use, the cypresses, the umbrella pines, the pot of Carps.
• 9:37
  Laura: The Aerius definitely probably saying that wrong.
• 9:40
  Laura: Most of them are from New Zealand.
• 9:42
  Katy: Listen, there's gotta be more than me mispronouncing everything on this show.
• 9:46
  Katy: So,
• 9:47
  Laura: I don't, this is not a Latin words.
• 9:49
  Laura: Oh, I, I'm, I'm lost.
• 9:50
  Katy: Latin words.
• 9:51
  Katy: Laura can say she's everyday English.
• 9:53
  Katy: She can't do.
• 9:54
  Laura: No, I think it's probably a different language.
• 9:56
  Laura: The, actually there was the emia Pine, which is a part of that group, was actually just discovered in 1994.
• 10:02
  Laura: So they're still finding some of these guys.
• 10:03
  Laura: And then finally pines, which are like your cedars for spruces, hemlocks, larges, and redwood.
• 10:09
  Laura: I just wanted to end my section with a couple of fun facts about conifers because they are incredible plants, and I definitely think we should do another episode on just them and dive into like the ethno botany and stuff like that, like how they're related with people.
• 10:22
  Laura: But they started growing about 300 million years ago.
• 10:26
  Laura: So actually after the horseshoe crab, which we talked about in the last episode, and some of the modern.
• 10:34
  Laura: Have actually been around for 60 to 120 million years, which is geez.
• 10:38
  Laura: Which a long time for the, yeah.
• 10:40
  Laura: Modern to still be alive.
• 10:43
  Laura: Yeah.
• 10:43
  Laura: Geez.
• 10:43
  Laura: Some of the oldest living things on earth are conifers, like the bristle cone pines in California that are about 5,000 years old.
• 10:51
  Laura: They're also the tallest or most massive of living things.
• 10:54
  Laura: The coastal redwoods get to be 328 feet or a hundred and plus meters.
• 11:00
  Laura: And the giant sequoias have circumference of 31 meters or 101.5 feet.
• 11:07
  Laura: Dang.
• 11:08
  Laura: I, man, I wanna see one so bad.
• 11:10
  Laura: I've never seen
• 11:10
  Katy: one me like that.
• 11:11
  Katy: I'm me.
• 11:12
  Katy: I know.
• 11:12
  Katy: Me too.
• 11:13
  Katy: I wanna, I so badly.
• 11:14
  Katy: So some I mean, people that know me know I do film photography and stuff on the side and I so badly wanna run through like Redwood Forest and just fill on film would be amazing.
• 11:24
  Katy: Yeah.
• 11:24
  Laura: So good run through the branches.
• 11:26
  Laura: 45% of the world's annual lumber comes from Conifers plus the wood pulp that's used to make paper in plastics.
• 11:33
  Katy: So I was gonna say everything cuz it go.
• 11:35
  Katy: Pine grows so fast.
• 11:36
  Katy: So fast.
• 11:36
  Katy: Yeah.
• 11:37
  Katy: Everything is pine.
• 11:38
  Katy: You grow.
• 11:39
  Katy: And then any sheep furniture that you would buy, that's like all the.
• 11:44
  Katy: Press particle board is, yeah.
• 11:46
  Katy: Pine.
• 11:46
  Katy: Yep.
• 11:47
  Laura: And then coniferous forests, which are forests that are primarily made of conifers consist of one third of all forests on earth and make up 15% of all land area.
• 11:58
  Laura: It's the largest land-based biome.
• 12:00
  Laura: So I mean, it's really because there are these crazy giant car coniferous forests all along the upper part of the Northern hemis.
• 12:11
  Laura: Like, you know, Canada, Russia, cold.
• 12:13
  Laura: Yeah.
• 12:14
  Laura: Cold, snowy, and like no other trees are there.
• 12:17
  Laura: And so 15% of the entire globe is covered in conifers, which is pretty cool.
• 12:22
  Laura: Yeah.
• 12:23
  Laura: And conifers have been used by people for a variety of things besides just timber, including medicine, glue, tar food, weaving material, ornaments, jewelry, and others.
• 12:32
  Laura: So con just everything.
• 12:33
  Laura: Yeah.
• 12:33
  Laura: They're a catchall awesome tree plus famous trees.
• 12:39
  Katy: plus Christmas trees.
• 12:40
  Katy: I love Christmas.
• 12:41
  Katy: Favorite holiday?
• 12:42
  Katy: Hands down.
• 12:42
  Katy: My favorite holiday.
• 12:44
  Katy: Ugh.
• 12:44
  Katy: Yeah.
• 12:45
  Katy: I do, I like trees.
• 12:46
  Katy: I mean, I'm gonna, I'm gonna have to get out the Hidden Life of trees again and read it.
• 12:50
  Katy: That's such a good book.
• 12:51
  Katy: Anyway.
• 12:52
  Katy: All right.
• 12:52
  Katy: So the plant, you were done, right?
• 12:54
  Katy: Yeah.
• 12:55
  Katy: Okay.
• 12:56
  Katy: The plant that I'm gonna, or the grouping that I'm gonna talk about, which it is literally just a plant now.
• 13:00
  Katy: There's only one left.
• 13:01
  Katy: It's the ginkgo plant Um, just one like the Tu Atara.
• 13:05
  Katy: Yeah.
• 13:06
  Katy: Yep.
• 13:07
  Katy: So this is also known as the Maiden Hair Tree.
• 13:10
  Katy: It's also known as the Living Fossil that has survived for over 200 million years.
• 13:14
  Katy: Wow.
• 13:15
  Katy: Native to China.
• 13:16
  Katy: The Ginkgo has become a popular ornamental tree around the world for its unique characteristics and medicinal properties.
• 13:22
  Katy: It is really beautiful.
• 13:23
  Katy: It is.
• 13:23
  Katy: It is.
• 13:24
  Katy: And when it's green and.
• 13:26
  Katy: It is.
• 13:26
  Katy: Yeah, it is a good looking.
• 13:28
  Katy: Yeah, it is a good looking tree.
• 13:29
  Katy: Um, with a can go plant tree.
• 13:33
  Katy: I was gonna say, dude, that is a fun looking tree right there.
• 13:37
  Katy: has a fun, a fun looking.
• 13:43
  Katy: Speaking of like moving these plants, though Ohio recently banned the Bradford pairs.
• 13:48
  Katy: You can't good for them.
• 13:50
  Katy: Right?
• 13:50
  Katy: You can't coral tree, they are.
• 13:52
  Katy: And you can't plant, you can't like do anything with them anymore.
• 13:55
  Katy: You just basically gotta get rid of'em anyway.
• 13:57
  Katy: But these, this is a fine looking plant.
• 13:59
  Katy: So the ginkgo plant.
• 14:02
  Katy: I'm gonna explore I'm gonna just talk about the history, the physical characteristics, medicinal beliefs, and then the cultural significance of the Kinko plant.
• 14:09
  Katy: Because like Laura, I mean, these are kind of just like, I mean, a tree.
• 14:12
  Katy: A tree is a tree.
• 14:13
  Katy: Is that is a tree.
• 14:14
  Katy: You know, like there's, there's only so much you can talk about.
• 14:18
  Katy: So I figured I'd dive a little bit more into some of the more interesting aspects of the tree.
• 14:22
  Katy: That is a tree.
• 14:23
  Katy: The ginkgo tree has a long and stor history dating back to the time of dinosaurs.
• 14:27
  Katy: Fossil records suggest ginkgo trees were once.
• 14:30
  Katy: Widespread across North America, Europe, and Asia.
• 14:33
  Katy: However, over time, they became extinct to most parts of the world except for a very small region in China where they continue to thrive.
• 14:40
  Katy: It wasn't until the 17 hundreds that ginkgo seeds were brought to Europe and later to the United States where they became popular ornamental trees.
• 14:47
  Katy: Physically.
• 14:48
  Katy: The ginkgo tree is unique in several ways.
• 14:50
  Katy: It is a deciduous tree, which means it loses leaves in the fall.
• 14:54
  Katy: And like Laura said earlier, they get to be that bright, bright, bright, beautiful yellow color.
• 15:00
  Katy: Yeah.
• 15:00
  Katy: So the leaves themselves though that they are fan shaped and can grow up to three inches long.
• 15:06
  Katy: The ginkgo trees are also DiUS, meaning that the male and female trees produce separate reproductive.
• 15:12
  Katy: Reproductive structures, female trees produce a fruit like structure.
• 15:17
  Katy: Remember, it's not a fruit though because these are jimo sperms, but it looks like it.
• 15:21
  Katy: And it that is called a seed.
• 15:23
  Katy: Not to make any of this more confusing right than it is, but it's about the size of a small plumb.
• 15:28
  Katy: These seeds have a foul odor when they fall to the ground earning them.
• 15:31
  Katy: The nickname Stinky food.
• 15:33
  Katy: Yeah.
• 15:33
  Katy: Real original.
• 15:34
  Katy: Usually they only plant.
• 15:36
  Katy: Yeah, they do be because, because of that, yeah.
• 15:38
  Katy: They mostly only plant male trees because of stinky fruit.
• 15:42
  Katy: Um, that's real, original.
• 15:45
  Katy: Everything else that these plant people do to make these things so complicated and they're like, oh, what is this stinky fruit?
• 15:51
  Katy: So the medicinal properties of ginkgo seeds have been known for centuries.
• 15:56
  Katy: In traditional Chinese medicine, the seeds are believed to improve cognitive function, memory, and circulation.
• 16:03
  Katy: In recent years, scientific studies have confirmed some of these benefits.
• 16:06
  Katy: For example, ginkgo supplements have been shown to improve memory in people with dementia and reduce the risk of stroke in older adults.
• 16:14
  Katy: However, it is important to note that ginkgo supplements can ha have side effects just like everything else, so should be taken under the guidance of a healthcare professional.
• 16:23
  Katy: The Ginkgo plant also has cultural significance in many parts of the world.
• 16:27
  Katy: In China, the ginkgo tree is considered to be a symbol of longevity and resilience, which makes sense.
• 16:32
  Katy: Yeah, cuz it is forever old.
• 16:35
  Katy: It's often planted near temples and other religious sites in Japan.
• 16:39
  Katy: The Ginkgo is also a popular ornamental tree and its leaves are used in traditional tea ceremonies.
• 16:45
  Katy: And then in the west here, geno trees are often planted in parks and gardens for their aesthetic values.
• 16:50
  Katy: I like how every other place in the world is like, ah, important place, ah, important use where like, it looks good, like put it there.
• 16:59
  Katy: It's a fine looking tree.
• 17:00
  Katy: Yes, a fine looking tree.
• 17:04
  Katy: it, it's a fine like a tree.
• 17:06
  Katy: Um, finally, it is worth noting though that the ginkgo tree is also under threat from environmental factors, climate change, pollution, habitat destruction again.
• 17:15
  Katy: because it is in such a tiny little area naturally in China.
• 17:18
  Katy: Yes, it's everywhere.
• 17:20
  Katy: But But native only, yeah.
• 17:22
  Katy: Yeah.
• 17:22
  Katy: The native area is very much so under threat.
• 17:25
  Katy: So in conclusion, the Ginkgo play is pretty remarkable and has survived for millions of years and has been valued for its ornamental medicinal properties.
• 17:34
  Katy: While much of is, while, much is still unknown about the full extent of a medicinal benefits, the Gink plant remains an important part of traditional medicine and many cultures and efforts.
• 17:44
  Katy: To conserve them.
• 17:45
  Katy: I mean, again, it's the last of its group, the last of its tree plant, so we probably should again, keep it around.
• 17:51
  Katy: Yeah, yeah.
• 17:52
  Katy: Kinkos.
• 17:53
  Katy: Yeah.
• 17:53
  Laura: Especially because we're not planting the females, which Right.
• 17:57
  Laura: Actually have the seeds, which actually have the medicinal, like the male trees are just the ones producing the pollen.
• 18:02
  Laura: Which of all things we should be avoiding.
• 18:05
  Laura: Yeah, right.
• 18:06
  Laura: Anybody who's ever lived like down south where there's all the.
• 18:11
  Laura: And the pollen.
• 18:11
  Laura: Ugh, my goodness, dude,
• 18:14
  Katy: I,
• 18:14
  Laura: it's, I didn't even know that pollen could be like
• 18:17
  Katy: that until I, I didn't either.
• 18:18
  Katy: And Texas here isn't quite as bad, but Arkansas, it literally is when it is pollen, pine, and like coating your car.
• 18:26
  Katy: And it's not like, oh, it's a fine, no.
• 18:29
  Katy: yellow coating your car with yellow.
• 18:31
  Katy: It is insane.
• 18:33
  Katy: Yeah.
• 18:33
  Laura: It's not the flowers, it's the pines.
• 18:35
  Laura: Yeah.
• 18:35
  Laura: Yeah.
• 18:36
  Laura: Okay.
• 18:36
  Laura: My last one and one that no one has ever heard of, unless you are a botanist probably is the need APH fights.
• 18:43
  Laura: So what are they?
• 18:45
  Laura: This is like one of those catchall groups that it seems like every taxon has Um, let's just
• 19:24
  Katy: make that catchall.
• 19:25
  Katy: I don't, the
• 19:25
  Laura: throwaway, they're like this.
• 19:27
  Laura: Yeah.
• 19:27
  Laura: Because really not much makes them the same.
• 19:29
  Laura: There's a couple of things, a couple of things I'm gonna say and then a couple of other things that are just too technical to talk about.
• 19:36
  Laura: without putting out
• 19:37
  Katy: words, and we're gonna skip, right.
• 19:38
  Katy: Put this
• 19:38
  Laura: seriously.
• 19:39
  Laura: So one thing is that they have vessels in their xlu, which is part of their tissues.
• 19:46
  Laura: That, you know, cycles things.
• 19:48
  Laura: Most of the other gymnast sperms do not have these vessels, so it actually makes them more like angio sperms, which are the, Hmm.
• 19:55
  Laura: Gut bearing trees and plants than the gymnast sperms.
• 19:59
  Laura: Their leaves are opposite pairs.
• 20:02
  Laura: which means right across from each other at right angles to each other.
• 20:06
  Katy: So specific there.
• 20:08
  Katy: This plant is like, you know what we need to do?
• 20:09
  Katy: We need to develop at right angles, and that's and that's how we're gonna group each other, and
• 20:14
  Laura: that's how we're gonna do it.
• 20:14
  Laura: Male and female cones are on different plants, like the ginkgo.
• 20:19
  Laura: And then like I said, there's a few more things but that are real technical.
• 20:23
  Laura: So let's get into a couple of examples.
• 20:26
  Laura: There are three families and 96 species of Nephites.
• 20:30
  Laura: They're the Eph Feds, the Needhams, and then the Well witch is, which is what I'm going to talk about.
• 20:37
  Katy: The, well, the, well, the Well Witch, what was it?
• 20:39
  Katy: Yeah, how do you spell that one?
• 20:41
  Laura: It's a person's last name.
• 20:43
  Laura: He named the plant.
• 20:44
  Laura: It's W E L W I T.
• 20:48
  Laura: S c h I A.
• 20:50
  Laura: Okay.
• 20:51
  Laura: So of, oh, what the heck is that?
• 20:53
  Laura: Yeah.
• 20:54
  Laura: So of these plants some are trees, some are shrubs, some are fines.
• 20:58
  Laura: And then there's the Wil witcha, which is just, which is half dead, literally like no other plant found on planet Earth.
• 21:06
  Laura: Okay.
• 21:07
  Laura: It just looks half dead.
• 21:08
  Laura: Yeah, it looks like a dead octopus Washed it up on a beach.
• 21:12
  Katy: It does, it does.
• 21:13
  Katy: Um, if I, if I came across.
• 21:16
  Katy: I'd be like, oh, it's a dead p I gotta pull it.
• 21:18
  Katy: I gotta pull it.
• 21:20
  Katy: It's clearly dead.
• 21:21
  Laura: So, it's found in the Namib Desert of Africa.
• 21:24
  Laura: And like I said, there's no other plant like it.
• 21:27
  Laura: It's they Can live anywhere from 1500 to 2000 years.
• 21:32
  Laura: Like what?
• 21:32
  Laura: That just one plant.
• 21:34
  Laura: Jeez.
• 21:34
  Laura: They're a very long lived plant
• 21:36
  Katy: considering what they look like.
• 21:37
  Katy: Man.
• 21:37
  Katy: If it was in a different location, Jesus could have chilled with these Wwis.
• 21:40
  Katy: Yeah.
• 21:42
  Laura: They used to be collected for firewood or museums, but now they're protected.
• 21:45
  Laura: Some people say they kind of look like a big turnip, but that's below
• 21:49
  Katy: ground.
• 21:50
  Katy: I was gonna say, I was like nothing.
• 21:51
  Katy: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 21:52
  Laura: They have a really big tap root.
• 21:54
  Laura: Which makes sense because they've gotta go down to get water because they're living in a desert.
• 21:59
  Laura: Then the, they have a cone shaped stem.
• 22:03
  Laura: It's short and real fat.
• 22:05
  Laura: It's about 25 to 50 inches around and
• 22:08
  Katy: 12 inch tall.
• 22:09
  Katy: Geez.
• 22:09
  Katy: Okay.
• 22:09
  Katy: Okay.
• 22:10
  Katy: I was thinking like an aloe vera plant for a second, but No, not at
• 22:13
  Laura: all.
• 22:13
  Laura: No, no, no.
• 22:14
  Laura: It's just like a big stump.
• 22:17
  Laura: Stump cone That sometimes that sometimes has three growing points, weirdly enough.
• 22:26
  Laura: Okay.
• 22:26
  Katy: Um, I don't think, I don't think it knows what it's doing.
• 22:31
  Katy: No.
• 22:32
  Laura: And then it has two, let me say that again.
• 22:35
  Laura: Two permanent leaves.
• 22:38
  Laura: Okay.
• 22:39
  Laura: They grow for the life of the.
• 22:42
  Laura: So it never stopped growing.
• 22:44
  Laura: Okay.
• 22:45
  Laura: But they're usually only about 10.
• 22:47
  Laura: There's only about 10 feet of the leaf that's alive.
• 22:50
  Laura: The rest is dead.
• 22:51
  Laura: Yeah.
• 22:52
  Laura: At the end because of sand.
• 22:54
  Laura: Yeah.
• 22:54
  Laura: Erosion
• 22:55
  Katy: and weathering.
• 22:55
  Katy: But how do, why does that look like there are so many leaves?
• 22:58
  Laura: So they become split and frayed because of the erosion and this and the wind and stuff.
• 23:03
  Laura: So what looks like 30 leaves is just two.
• 23:06
  Laura: Just two leaves that have been ripped to shreds by the wind and the.
• 23:11
  Laura: all the ends are dead and just about 10 feet is left alive.
• 23:14
  Laura: So weird.
• 23:15
  Laura: Yeah.
• 23:16
  Laura: All the only other leaves that this plant has are just brief little leaves that grow around the seed.
• 23:24
  Laura: and some, a couple of scale like leaves that cover the stem tip.
• 23:28
  Laura: This is such
• 23:28
  Katy: a dumb looking plant for like how cool and how rare it is.
• 23:32
  Katy: Like, yeah, if I came across it, I, as a scientist, I probably wouldn't put too much effort into figuring it out or knowing what it is or anything.
• 23:41
  Katy: Be like that thing's dead.
• 23:43
  Katy: It's weird looking and it's not because it's not even cool.
• 23:46
  Katy: Cause even like the thing that you were talking about cone in the middle is like, yeah, even that's just like, it barely looks like
• 23:52
  Laura: anything.
• 23:52
  Laura: It, like they stepped on it.
• 23:53
  Laura: Yes.
• 23:54
  Laura: It's really flat
• 23:55
  Katy: on top.
• 23:55
  Katy: Yeah.
• 23:55
  Laura: So weird.
• 23:56
  Laura: They, it needs lots and lots of rain to germinate, which is super uncommon in the
• 24:02
  Katy: Namib desert.
• 24:02
  Katy: You know, you know where it needs all the rain, where it grows in the, the desert
• 24:10
  Laura: So it is still actually a mystery as to how this planet.
• 24:15
  Laura: And has survived for millions of years.
• 24:18
  Laura: So one thought is that it may be originally evolved in a wetter environment during the Cretaceous period.
• 24:25
  Laura: So of course, because of plate tectonics, things aren't where they always were.
• 24:28
  Laura: So probably when the wel wia first started out, it was growing in a more tropical.
• 24:36
  Laura: And then the poor plant got totally screwed with plate tectonics and ended up living in a desert.
• 24:41
  Laura: It's like just too stubborn to
• 24:43
  Katy: let go.
• 24:44
  Katy: Yeah.
• 24:44
  Katy: It's just like I will survive.
• 24:46
  Katy: I'll do it.
• 24:47
  Katy: It's sitting there and it's 2000 year old voice just singing.
• 24:50
  Katy: I will survive as a, I'll do it.
• 24:53
  Katy: Yeah.
• 24:53
  Katy: Um.
• 24:54
  Katy: They think
• 24:54
  Laura: that water Yeah, they think that possibly.
• 24:59
  Laura: So then it where it lives in the Nimmi desert is actually really close to the coast of Thein.
• 25:04
  Laura: Okay.
• 25:04
  Laura: And so it lives in a fog belt.
• 25:06
  Laura: Okay.
• 25:07
  Laura: So although it doesn't rain, there is lots of fog.
• 25:10
  Laura: And so it be, the way that the plane s structured, they think that the
• 25:13
  Katy: fog is just, just stays moist.
• 25:16
  Katy: Yeah.
• 25:16
  Katy: It
• 25:16
  Laura: collects in the leaves and trickles down to the important.
• 25:21
  Katy: Just such a sucky way to survive.
• 25:23
  Katy: Yes.
• 25:25
  Katy: It's like I'm thriving.
• 25:26
  Katy: I have two huge leaves.
• 25:28
  Katy: I got all the water I need, and then like you said, plate tectonics.
• 25:32
  Katy: It's like, what the heck is this crap?
• 25:34
  Katy: I'm just moist all the time and I can't get water.
• 25:37
  Katy: Yeah.
• 25:38
  Laura: It doesn't, it doesn't sound like it's thriving anymore.
• 25:41
  Laura: No, not, not at all.
• 25:44
  Laura: The, and then just, If you wa there's a really good video on this, like on YouTube, if you just look up Wil wia there's lots of pictures.
• 25:52
  Laura: I was to say, talk
• 25:53
  Katy: more about it.
• 25:54
  Katy: The one video that'll probably pop up.
• 25:56
  Laura: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 25:56
  Laura: You'll, I'm sure you'll know when you see it.
• 25:58
  Laura: And then just a fun fact about this plant some, originally, some scientists pose that this group is the bridge between Jim, no, sperms and Angiosperms
• 26:07
  Katy: because Oh, interesting.
• 26:08
  Katy: Yeah, that makes sense.
• 26:09
  Katy: Okay.
• 26:10
  Katy: So
• 26:10
  Laura: physic.
• 26:12
  Laura: it's like the bridge.
• 26:14
  Laura: But when looking at dna, it shows that that is not the case.
• 26:18
  Laura: It actually shows that they did not evolve directly from anything else, but they are like a sister group to conifers.
• 26:25
  Laura: Huh.
• 26:25
  Laura: So they and Conifers shared a common ancestor and split apart.
• 26:29
  Laura: Interesting.
• 26:29
  Laura: So it just goes to show that.
• 26:32
  Laura: Sometimes it's really hard to look and figure out the tree of life because Yeah, sure.
• 26:36
  Laura: It looks like it evolved from that.
• 26:38
  Laura: But
• 26:38
  Katy: it didn't to look at the dna.
• 26:39
  Katy: Yeah.
• 26:40
  Katy: But it did.
• 26:40
  Katy: But it didn't at all.
• 26:41
  Katy: Yeah.
• 26:42
  Katy: But it didn't at all.
• 26:44
  Laura: Interesting.
• 26:44
  Laura: And that's the need of fights.
• 26:45
  Laura: There's not a lot to say about them.
• 26:47
  Laura: They're real weird.
• 26:48
  Laura: But kind of
• 26:48
  Katy: cool and yeah, learned a lot about them.
• 26:50
  Katy: Like you said, it's kinda like the catchall, the ones that are just, this is a unique plant that fits nowhere else, but Yeah.
• 26:56
  Katy: Doesn't have a fleshy.
• 26:57
  Katy: That's where it goes naked.
• 27:00
  Katy: Yeah.
• 27:01
  Katy: All right, so the last one that I'm gonna talk about are the psychs, and they're a group of primitive plants that have been around for over 300 million years, which again, this
• 27:11
  Laura: is like the dinosaur plant, right?
• 27:12
  Laura: This is the one
• 27:12
  Katy: you always see, like this is the one that if somebody says like, oh, it's lived in the time of dinosaur.
• 27:18
  Katy: This is the one that you probably picture.
• 27:19
  Katy: They are native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, and they are prized for their unique characteristics, including their distinctive appearance, long lifespan, and cultural significance.
• 27:29
  Katy: So as the same with the ginkgos, I'm gonna go explore the history, the physical characteristics, butinal benefits, and cultural significance.
• 27:37
  Katy: Just run through it.
• 27:39
  Katy: Cycads have a long and interesting history dating back to the time of dinosaurs, like we said, and fossil records in suggest that cycads were once widespread, also across North America, Europe, and Asia.
• 27:50
  Katy: However, over time, they became extinct in most parts of the world except for our small region in the southern hemisphere where they continued to thrive.
• 27:57
  Katy: It wasn't until the 18 hundreds that Cycads were introduced to Europe and later to the United States where they became popular ornamental plants.
• 28:06
  Katy: Once again, just,
• 28:07
  Laura: yep.
• 28:08
  Laura: We're like, love it.
• 28:09
  Laura: Love the way it looks.
• 28:10
  Katy: I love it.
• 28:11
  Katy: I love the way it looks.
• 28:12
  Katy: I'm gonna take it with me like just a plant.
• 28:16
  Katy: I hope I'm just, I'm taking it with me physically.
• 28:19
  Katy: Psychs are unique in several ways.
• 28:21
  Katy: They have a woody trunk and their leaves are often described as fern like, which makes'em pretty cool and very distinctive looking.
• 28:28
  Katy: All right.
• 28:29
  Katy: So Cades are DiUS, meaning that the male and female plants produce separate reproductive structures.
• 28:34
  Katy: Female plants produce a cone like structure called a megatropolis that can be several feet long.
• 28:41
  Katy: The male plants produce similar structures called microbus, which is kind of funny.
• 28:46
  Katy: Psychs are also known for their slow growth with some species taking several decades to each maturity.
• 28:53
  Katy: but again, it's a tree.
• 28:54
  Katy: Everything is slower in life.
• 28:56
  Katy: You know, tree life, it's, yeah, take your time.
• 28:57
  Katy: Yeah, take their time.
• 28:59
  Katy: Let's see.
• 28:59
  Katy: Or the medicinal benefits of psychs have been known for centuries in traditional medicine.
• 29:03
  Katy: Again, in some cultures, the seeds and leads of psychs are used to treat a variety of ailments, including headaches, fever, and stomach issues.
• 29:12
  Katy: In recent years, scientific studies have confirmed some of these benefits.
• 29:16
  Katy: For example, PCA extracts have been shown to have antioxidant properties and to protect against cancer cells, which is crazy.
• 29:24
  Katy: However, it is important to note as always, that PCAs can be toxic if not prepared properly.
• 29:29
  Katy: So, oh, cheese, it's one of those plants with all plants.
• 29:32
  Laura: People just leave'em alone until
• 29:33
  Katy: you know better because it's.
• 29:35
  Katy: If you can use it and it has all these amazing benefits.
• 29:37
  Katy: Yeah.
• 29:38
  Katy: Or if you sneeze or just look at it wrong, when you're preparing it, you're gonna die.
• 29:43
  Katy: Like, there's just no in between.
• 29:46
  Katy: So I suggest you just don't, just don't do it.
• 29:50
  Katy: The psych, A plant also has cultural significance in many parts of the world and some culture psychs are considered to be sacred plants.
• 29:57
  Katy: And they are also seen around religious area.
• 30:01
  Katy: like everything else.
• 30:02
  Katy: And the west psychs are often planted in gardens because we just, that's a fun looking tree, That's it.
• 30:09
  Katy: Uh, finally, it's worth noting that psychs is also under threat from environmental pressures just like everything else because it is so old and yes, it might be.
• 30:19
  Katy: All over the place, but that's because it's just, it's ornamental.
• 30:23
  Katy: But naturally where it's found is, again, climate change.
• 30:27
  Katy: It's just, it's really getting hurting right now.
• 30:31
  Katy: So in conclusion, the psych, A plant is remarkable species that has survived millions of years and has been valued for the ornamental medicinal.
• 30:38
  Katy: Properties, especially how we see it now.
• 30:40
  Katy: While much is still unknown about the full extent of its medicinal benefits, a cyca plant remains an important part of traditional medicine and many cultures, and one that scientists are still exploring today.
• 30:50
  Katy: Cool.
• 30:51
  Katy: Cycads?
• 30:53
  Laura: Yeah, they're a cool looking plant.
• 30:55
  Laura: They
• 30:55
  Katy: are?
• 30:56
  Katy: No, they really are pretty neat.
• 30:57
  Laura: They're kinda like the tree fer that we've talked about before, but are different like their bark.
• 31:01
  Katy: different.
• 31:02
  Katy: Yes.
• 31:03
  Katy: No, it definitely is.
• 31:03
  Katy: And it's definitely like a land before time Yeah.
• 31:07
  Katy: Tree kind of thing.
• 31:08
  Katy: Yeah.
• 31:09
  Katy: Anybody under 30 probably has no freaking idea what we're talking about.
• 31:18
  Katy: All righty guys.
• 31:19
  Katy: Well, that's Jim.
• 31:19
  Katy: No sperms.
• 31:20
  Katy: I mean, I would say if you have anything to talk to us about Juno brunch, that's probably all two people.
• 31:24
  Katy: other than that was interesting.
• 31:26
  Laura: I hope we will get to talk more about conifers and pine trees later.
• 31:30
  Laura: Yeah.
• 31:30
  Laura: And then of course we'll dive into the angio sperms again another time too.
• 31:32
  Laura: Oh
• 31:33
  Katy: goodness.
• 31:33
  Katy: Yes, yes, yes.
• 31:34
  Katy: Well go ahead and reach out to us on Twitter so we can talk to us there.
• 31:37
  Katy: Go support us on Patreon and on both you can find us under the four of the love of nature.
• 31:41
  Katy: If you just search and interact and chat with us, we can keep bringing you great content every.
• 31:46
  Katy: Yeah,
• 31:46
  Laura: and I'll let you know, probably more than you wanted to know.
• 31:49
  Laura: Your curiosity should be peaked and hopefully you cared just a little bit more and we'll listen in again next week.
• 31:55
  Laura: Bye
• 32:00
  Katy: Uh,