Our blue planet is rich in a diversity of flora including shrubs, herbs, trees, and flowering plants. Among all the different species of flowers are there are some with unique characteristics. They may amaze you either by their looks or the unique structure they have. Flower That Looks Like Human Lips
Even if you are not a nature lover, the unique identity of such plants and flowers will make you fall in love with them. In this article, we would learn about a plant whose flower has the resemblance of human lips to put you by surprise.
About the “lip flower”
Lip flower, scientifically Palicourea elata is a species of plant widely known for its unique flower. Its flower resembles the shape of human lips and is therefore known as the girlfriend kiss. Elata is a plant that grows in a tropical region lying in areas of Central and southward parts of American rainforests, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, and Costa Rica. Flower That Looks Like Human Lips
This plant is considered to be highly sensitive due to its growing conditions as it can grow only in specific climates with particular growth elements supplemented externally. For the Palicourea elata to grow, environmental conditions of typical rainforests are mainly required. Flower That Looks Like Human Lips
Even if there are multiple subspecies of this floral species, the most prominent form is a flower with shaped red bracts. Due to this coloration and shape, these flowers are called “Hot lips”. They are the major fleshy attribute of this plant and hence are not the real fruits, but the only leaves that are externally growing giving a false look like flowers.
Other attributes associated with the “Hot lips” plant.
Apart from the unique shape of its flower, the related description about the flower is mentioned as follows: Flower That Looks Like Human Lips
- Palicourea elata or the hot lips plant is considered to be a shrub and has its belongings to the Rubiaceae family. However, this family is designated with different names across different parts of the world such as coffee, madder, or bedstraw family.Flower That Looks Like Human Lips
- This plant has some easily distinguishable features such as venation of its leaves. The plant has simple, oppositely arranged leaves having interpetiolar stipules.
- This plant mainly requires humid or rainy climatic conditions with moist soil to grow well.
- Widely known to grow upto three meters (3.3 to 9.8 ft), the plant in good environmental conditions can reach up to a height of 13 ft.
- Even if every plant has its growth and morphology depending upon the climate, supplementation of nutriets etc, P.elata’s morphology can easily get affected by the neighbouring plants and the accessibility of light. Flower That Looks Like Human Lips
- The overall biochemistry and survival rate under temperature and soil quality can result in changed biomechanics, branching, allometry, leaf count, and height of the plant.
- The lip-shaped flower does mainoy grow from December to March annually.
- Belonging to the genus Palicoura, P.elata does not have its specified fragrance. It is only its color and shape that attracts the pollinators like butterflies.
- Once the pollination and fertilization get over, this plant produces black-colored berries which is an important process of reproduction for P.elata.
