Northern groundcone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Northern groundcone |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Boschniakia
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| Species: |
rossica
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| Synonyms | |
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Boschniakia rossica, often called the northern groundcone, is a very unique plant. It's a parasite, which means it gets all its food and energy from other plants. It lives in the cold, northern parts of the world. You won't find it south of Prince of Wales Island in the Pacific Northwest. South of there, a similar plant called the Vancouver groundcone lives.
This plant doesn't have chlorophyll, which is the green stuff that helps most plants make their own food using sunlight. Because of this, the northern groundcone must attach itself to other plants to survive. It mostly feeds on Alnus trees (like alder). But it can also get nutrients from other trees and shrubs. These include Betula (birch), Salix (willow), Vaccinium (blueberry), Picea (spruce), and Chamaedaphne (leatherleaf shrub). You can often find this plant near rivers and streams, where there's lots of moisture. It spreads its seeds through water flow. Sometimes, bears even eat the starchy roots of this plant!
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What Does It Look Like?
The northern groundcone, Boschniakia rossica, usually grows to be about 6 to 12 inches tall. Each plant can have two or three slender stems. Its roots grow sideways from a main, roundish part. The plant's color can be very dark maroon or reddish-brown. This is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for many years. It flowers every summer. One plant can make a huge number of seeds, up to 300,000! When you see it, the northern groundcone looks a lot like a pine cone growing right out of the ground.
Different Names for the Plant
The northern groundcone has many different names around the world:
- Poque
- Cao-cong-rong (in China)
- Oniku (in Japan)
- Orinamudcobusali (in Korea)
- Du’iinahshèe (Gwichya Gwich'in language)
- Doo’iinahshìh/Tsʼeedichi (Teetå'it Gwich'in language)
- Dotsonʼ ggooneeggeʼ (Koyukon language, Lower & Central dialects)
- Dotsonʼ chʼecheneʼ (Koyukon language, Upper dialect)
- Tulukkam nauligaafa (Inuit language)
- Uktschutsch (Kamtschadalis language)
How Scientists Study Its Family Tree
Scientists use special tests to figure out how plants are related to each other. This is like building a family tree for plants, which is called phylogeny. They have studied the genes of Boschniakia rossica to learn more about its relatives. Scientists believe that the plant family it belongs to, called Orobanchaceae, first appeared about 52.2 million years ago.
Scientists are still doing research to understand the exact relationships between Boschniakia and other plants. They think Boschniakia is closely related to plants like Conopholis and Epifagus, as well as other types of Orobanche.
Other Names for This Plant
Sometimes, a plant can be known by different scientific names over time. These are called synonyms. Here are some other scientific names that have been used for Boschniakia rossica:
- Boschniakia glabra
- Orobanchae glabra
- Orobanchae rossica
