Unique plant species in Vietnam: It 'dances' whenever it hears music, many people have never seen it before

This plant species surprises scientists with its skillful "dancing" ability.

In the natural world, there are many strange things and phenomena. For example, in Vietnam there is a special tree that "dances" whenever there is music. What kind of tree is that?

The plant "dances" when it hears music.

The plant mentioned in the article is called Codariocalyx motorius (Houtt.) H. Ohashi, also known as dancing plant, messenger plant . In Vietnam, dancing plant is also called spinning-leaf rice, spinning-leaf bean. Dancing plant is an Asian tropical shrub belonging to the legume family Fabaceae. They can be grown in many places because they are very easy to care for.

The plant that can "dance" when it hears sound is called the dancing plant. (Photo: Telegraph).

Currently, scientists are still fiercely debating whether to separate the genus Codariocalyx of the legume family Fabaceae and the genus Desmodium separately or put them in the same genus.

This species is widely distributed throughout Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Scientists have also found this plant on the Society Islands, a remote chain of islands in the South Pacific. They often grow wild in mountainous areas.

In Vietnam , the dancing tree can be found in many provinces from the North to the Central Highlands to Ba Ria – Vung Tau and An Giang. Although this tree species appears a lot in Vietnam, many people have never seen it.

This plant with special abilities grows in many regions of Vietnam. (Photo: Tenor)

According to the An ninh Thu do newspaper , the dancing tree is an upright, branching shrub, the mature tree is up to 1.5m tall. The branches are cylindrical, the leaves have 1-3 oblong leaflets, the lower 2 leaflets are narrow, the middle leaflet is the largest, 5.5-10cm long, 1-2.5cm wide. The leaves are oval, heart-shaped or slightly round at the base. The leaves have a layer of fine hairs on the top surface, more hairs underneath, the leaf tip is blunt and pointed.

The tree has single clusters of purple-pink flowers. The fruit has an entire upper edge and a slightly curved lower edge. It is divided into 8 segments, each containing only 1 seed. The segment has one rounded edge and one straight edge. The tree usually flowers from August to November every year.

Close-up of the flower of the "dancing" plant. (Photo: Telegraph)

The unique feature of this plant is that whenever it hears music, its leaves will "dance" even if there is no wind. In addition, the dancing plant can also move if the temperature is over 20 degrees Celsius, even if there is no sound around.

The movement mechanism of the "dancing" plant

According to the Hai Dang Ornamental Plants page , scientists have put forward two hypotheses to explain this special ability of the dancing plant.

First , the dancing plant moves at a speed that is barely noticeable to the naked eye. Scientists believe that this may be a survival strategy for the plant. They do this to maximize the amount of light they get by following the sun.

The dancing tree moves at a speed that is just fast enough for us to see with the naked eye. (Photo: Telegraph).

Each leaf of the dancing plant has a joint that allows it to move easily towards an area with more sunlight. However, the leaves in the middle weigh more and require more energy to move. Therefore, to optimize movement, each large leaf has two small leaflets at the base. These leaves move continuously in an elliptical path, sampling the intensity of sunlight and directing the large leaf to the area of ​​greatest intensity.

Second , dancing plants have a strange phenomenon to prevent pests. The reason they "dance" is to imitate the movements of butterflies with the purpose of preventing them from laying eggs on the leaves.

Precious herbs

In medicine, this dancing plant is also used to treat many different diseases. (Photo: Telegraph)

In traditional medicine, the plant has a bitter, spicy taste. It is often used to treat rheumatism, bone pain, falls and broken bones. In modern medicine, the plant helps reduce fever, abdominal pain, eye pain, neck pain, joint pain, dermatitis, insomnia and treat gynecological diseases. In addition, the substances in the plant also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The seeds of this plant can effectively treat back pain.