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A Boat of A Leave - Royal Water Lily
Updated: 2009-07-10 18:15
 It sounds unbelievable if we say leaves could carry very large objects and people. However, this is the real case with royal water lily of the Amazon valley in South America. Royal water lily is a famous ornamental water plant and it has the largest leaves among all water plants of the world. Its leaves could grow to as large as more than 3 meters in diameter. The surface of the leaves is quite smooth, and the edges of the leaves roll up; they look quite like small boats floating on the water. The nerves of royal water lily have different structures from other plants, which are like ribs or the framework of an umbrella; therefore, they have very good buoyancies, and could carry objects as heavy as 60 to 70 kilograms in the maximum. This surprising buoyancy is much greater than other water plants. If a child sits on a royal water lily leave, he (she) would feel as if he (she) is sitting on a small and round boat, and would feel quite happy. |
