Plants | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/plants/RSS feed for PlantsenTue, 07 Jul 2026 19:29:28 +0000Tall Trees Were Thought to Be More Vulnerable to Drought. But These Towering Plants in Southeast Asia Have Adapted to Move Water Efficientlyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tall-trees-were-thought-to-be-more-vulnerable-to-drought-but-these-towering-plants-in-southeast-asia-have-adapted-to-move-water-efficiently-180989075/A new study found that enormous dipterocarp trees have special adaptations to transport water up to their highest limbs, challenging the assumption that they would more easily succumb to dry conditionsTue, 07 Jul 2026 19:29:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tall-trees-were-thought-to-be-more-vulnerable-to-drought-but-these-towering-plants-in-southeast-asia-have-adapted-to-move-water-efficiently-180989075/Early Flowering Plants May Have Relied on Dinosaurs to Eat Their Fleshy Fruits and Spread Their Seedshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/early-flowering-plants-may-have-relied-on-dinosaurs-to-eat-their-fleshy-fruits-and-spread-their-seeds-180989076/According to fossils preserved by volcanic ash, the plants, known as angiosperms, began producing relatively large, blueberry-size fruits millions of years earlier than previously thoughtMon, 06 Jul 2026 19:12:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/early-flowering-plants-may-have-relied-on-dinosaurs-to-eat-their-fleshy-fruits-and-spread-their-seeds-180989076/Major Oak, the 1,200-Year-Old Tree with Ties to the Robin Hood Legend, Is Presumed Dead After Failing to Produce Leaveshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/major-oak-the-1200-year-old-tree-with-ties-to-the-robin-hood-legend-is-presumed-dead-after-failing-to-produce-leaves-180988986/The legendary bandit who stole from the rich and gave to the poor is said to have used the massive tree as a hideout while running from the sheriff of NottinghamThu, 18 Jun 2026 20:43:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/major-oak-the-1200-year-old-tree-with-ties-to-the-robin-hood-legend-is-presumed-dead-after-failing-to-produce-leaves-180988986/Researchers Find a Mathematical Pattern Used in City Planning Hidden in the Leaves of a Common Houseplanthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-find-a-mathematical-pattern-used-in-city-planning-hidden-in-the-leaves-of-a-common-houseplant-180988978/The major veins of Chinese money plant leaves form what's called a Voronoi diagram. It might be caused by a plant-growth hormone that emanates in waves from developing leaves' poresThu, 18 Jun 2026 16:02:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-find-a-mathematical-pattern-used-in-city-planning-hidden-in-the-leaves-of-a-common-houseplant-180988978/Ants Can Get Distracted by Cookies, Chips and Other Junk Food. Here’s Why That Could Be a Problem for the Environmenthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ants-can-get-distracted-by-cookies-chips-and-other-junk-food-heres-why-that-could-be-a-problem-for-the-environment-180988962/The insects enjoy snack crumbs, but new research shows that this unnatural food source can divert them from one of their most significant roles: dispersing plant seedsTue, 16 Jun 2026 16:15:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ants-can-get-distracted-by-cookies-chips-and-other-junk-food-heres-why-that-could-be-a-problem-for-the-environment-180988962/Venus Flytraps Snap Their Traps Shut in Less Than a Second. Scientists Say They've Discovered How the Predatory Plants Are So Fasthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/venus-flytraps-snap-their-traps-shut-in-less-than-a-second-scientists-say-theyve-discovered-how-the-predatory-plants-are-so-fast-180988949/The walls of cells in the leaves' outer layer suddenly soften, allowing the structures to hinge into a closed position, according to a new studyMon, 15 Jun 2026 20:06:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/venus-flytraps-snap-their-traps-shut-in-less-than-a-second-scientists-say-theyve-discovered-how-the-predatory-plants-are-so-fast-180988949/