Do you know Boquila trifoliolata can deceive you and predators? Guess now how they can do it!
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Can Boquila Trifoliolata Mimic Fake Plants?
Boquila trifoliolata is a climber that originates from South America.
It can imitate various herbs, shrubs, and succulents, along with other fake plastic plants.
When young, this plant lacks its leaves and wraps its tendrils around other plants.
At maturity, Boquila trifoliolata starts producing leaves and mimics the leaves of the host plants.
Furthermore, its leaf color depends on the leaves of host plants. So, all the Boquila trifoliolata do not have the same morphology.
A plant’s ability to mimic other plants is a part of the defence mechanism to save itself from predators and environmental extremes.
Moreover, plastic plants are not part of the natural environment, so mimicking them has no drawbacks.
No other plants can mimic artificial plants, and there are no evolutionary benefits to mimicking artificial plants.
How Does Boquila Trifoliolata Mimic Plants?
Boquila trifoliolata performs mimicry of both natural and fake plant through a number of leaf characteristics, such as color, texture, scent, and forms.
They mimic those characteristics that are likely to be noticed by herbivores.
Here are some steps that tell you how Boquila trifoliolata plants mimic other plants.
- Firstly, the plant conduct mimics percepts with the shape, color, and size of the model plant leaf.
- And then, the mimic plant sends signals to its parts and tells them to resemble those characters.
- Similarly, the mimic plant starts to grow similar to the model plant.
- After growing, mimic plants bend their parts in the model plant to confuse the herbivores.
Some people think that these plants can see the characteristics of model plants for mimicry.
However, this is not the truth; the Boquila trifoliolata can only sense those characteristics from the model plant.
Boquila Trifoliolata Plant For Sale
Boquila trifoliata possess beautiful wiry stems and small, white, and five-petaled flowers.
You can buy this plant for ornamental purposes from some online nurseries that are mentioned below.
| Online Nurseries | Delivery |
|---|---|
| Crug Farm | 1-2 days |
| Earth & Jungle | 1-4 weeks |
| Etsy | 3-7 days |
If you want to start on your own, propagate Boquila trifoliolata seeds.
From Editorial Team
Conclusion!
Boquila trifoliolata is a climber that can get scrawny.
Hence you must prune the plant seasonally to control its growth.
Further, it has a prolific vegetative propagation trait, and you must safely dispose of its pruned parts.
