Phishing screen smells of ancient cycads

One of the oldest plants in the world - sesame - uses a strong smell, a bit of heat and a bit of cheating to seduce insects to pollinate them.

"It's a strange plant," said biology professor Irene Terry of the University of Utah, USA.

Terry and colleagues at the University of Queensland studied Australia's Macrozamia cycads, an ancient tropical tree with very large cones, often mistaken for palm trees. These trees date back nearly 300 million years ago."They peaked in the dinosaurs, but are older than dinosaurs," Terry said.

(Photo: jupiterimages) During the pollination period, which occurs every year or once in a few years, the male will produce a slight odor to attract insects, named thrip, to pollinate. When the insects have been around for a while - full of food and covered with chalk, the male cycads will produce heat and stench.

The male sesame tree can heat its conical fruit up to a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. They also give off an extremely creepy smell. The whole process is to chase away the insects I push. At the same time, the female sesame tree, with a more pleasant scent, creates an attractive, friendly environment to greet the insects. They dive in, find no food, and leave the chalk there.

Scientists have long believed that sesame trees are pollinated by the wind. But the Australian sesame trees have a close distance, so that's not the reason. Understanding this pollination mechanism will help scientists conserve natural forests.

MT