The Relationship Between Plants and Their Environment

Posted by Sharon Falsetto Nov 27, 2008

Plants are indigenous to the habitats in which they have evolved and, when taken out of a particular habitat , they have to adapt to survive or will die. As Christmas approaches, we see many plants decorating many holiday homes but how many people realize that most of these plants are not indigenous to the areas in which they are now found?

Both Poinsettia and Christmas Cacti are indigenous to warmer climates than the colder homes in the Western world they now found themselves. Christmas cacti are indigenous to Brazil and my article The Christmas Cactus will tell you more about this unusual plant which is not a traditional cacti, despite its name. The Poinsettia struggles to survive successfully in Western homes too; this is maybe because it is more used to its native home of Mexico! There are many plants associated with Christmas and the article Christmas Plants of the World will reveal more.

There are some species of plants which have evolved to adapt to their environment; orchids are a good example. There are up to 30,000 species of orchids in the world and despite having two basic ecological habits (terrestrial and ephiphyte) orchids are found in climates from tropical rainforests to artic tundra. Read An Introduction to Orchid Flowers to learn more about these adapatable flowers!

Then there are those plants which thrive on fire or snow. Many Australian plants use bush fires to their advantage, as explained in the Effects of Australian Bush Fires. Some plants, such as evergreen trees, survive through winter much as they do the rest of the year; however, they actually need snow to do so, as revealed in Why Do Plants Need Snow?

Finally, even plants can use a bit of natural help in the garden! As plants produce the essential oils used to treat many ailments in the practice of aromatherapy why shouldn't plants benefit too from their own natural defensive mechanisms - How to Use Essential Oils in the Garden teaches you how to use this natural form of defense to protect your plants.