オニバス

The large, round leaves of the gorgon plant are commonly found in storage reservoirs and castle moats. Its exotic shape leads many to believe it is a non-native plant. However, gorgon plants have existed in Japan since before the last ice age. Seeds that root in spring give rise to leaves that are folded up into a spear head-like shape. These leaves unfold like a fan once they reach the water’s surface, storing air in the bristle and rib sections so they float, covering the surface. However, the “leaf stalk” connecting the submerged roots to the floating leaf finishes its growth before summer. As a result, any increases in the water level during summer mean the leaf sinks and dies. The gorgon plant is limited to inhabiting small ponds and marshes as it cannot thrive in deep lakes or environments with a constantly changing water level. However, the gorgon plant displays a wondrous ecology perfectly suited to its limited habitat. Covering the surface with large leaves prevents the growth of floating vegetation like duckweed and water hyacinth, keeping the pond from turning into a swamp. And using leaves to cover the water also causes transpiration on the surface, leading to a stable, low water level. While the gorgon plant blossoms with the onset of autumn, many of its flowers never reach the surface, undergoing self-pollination inside the flower bud in a submerged state. A number of the flower buds break through leaves to blossom above water, but there is still no accepted theory to explain this mysterious double blooming behavior. Clumps of fruit use their membrane covered seeds to float like this on the surface, naturally dispersing after they travel an appropriate distance. While the released seeds sink down to pass the winter and prepare for germination, only some of them will sprout the following spring. Gorgon plant seeds use their outer membrane before sinking, as well as the mud at the bottom to cutoff oxygen and enter a dormant state. This dormant state can last for several decads until they come in contact with oxygen again. However, there is no guarantee that once the water dries up and there is contact with oxygen that water will pool there once more. Seeds that sprout in places that are not covered with water during summer are destined to wither up and die. There are reported instances of gorgon plants sprouting en masse when farmland left idle for long periods is flooded. It’s conceivable that gorgon plant seeds not only know to wake from dormancy when oxygen reappears, but may also use some kind of sensor to detect whether water is to be replenished there in readiness for summer. Why do they have both surface and submerged flowers? And why do they produce seeds that lay dormant for several decads? There are still many mysteries surrounding the gorgon plant. However, there is no doubt that this is a product of nature's wisdom, accumulated by this living creature to ascertain its limited natural habitat. Humans do not have such refined sensors with which to measure the natural world. However, humankind posses the power of analysis, one that goes beyond our natural limitations. The protection of this diverse and beautiful earth through the analysis of nature is a mission that has been entrusted to humankind.