What’s The Smartest Plant?

Compared to even the dumbest human being, your average tulip is a moron. But you’d have to be dumber than a tulip to deny that something — maybe not intelligence in its dictionary definition, but some guiding, autonomic power — is at work among the members of the plant kingdom. And if we grant plants this quasi-intelligence, then we have to concede that some of them must be smarter than others—cannier absorbers of bugs and sun, better users of their varied environments. Inevitably, then, the question is: Which one’s smartest?

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Tau.Neutrino said:

What’s The Smartest Plant?

Compared to even the dumbest human being, your average tulip is a moron. But you’d have to be dumber than a tulip to deny that something — maybe not intelligence in its dictionary definition, but some guiding, autonomic power — is at work among the members of the plant kingdom. And if we grant plants this quasi-intelligence, then we have to concede that some of them must be smarter than others—cannier absorbers of bugs and sun, better users of their varied environments. Inevitably, then, the question is: Which one’s smartest?

more…

I like the replies of Katie Field and Philippa Borrill.

But both miss out on plants talking to one another in smell language – terpenes. If one tree is attacked it will tell its neighbours so they can prepare a defence in advance of the attack. That requires more intelligence than that required for plant wars between different species.

Of course I could mention science fiction plants. Triffids.

Nobody picked marijuana. If getting it’s seed distributed is a clever thing then dope is good at it. People grow it in Alaska and Antarctica and most places between. And everything that is higher on the evolution charts than a sponge has receptors.

sarahs mum said:

Nobody picked marijuana. If getting it’s seed distributed is a clever thing then dope is good at it. People grow it in Alaska and Antarctica and most places between. And everything that is higher on the evolution charts than a sponge has receptors.

All good. Cannabis may have caused agriculture and converted civilisation but but wheat has had all the trees cleeared so that it can flourish world wide.

Coincidently, there is a New Scientist article this week about a woman researching memory and learning in plants.

Interesting stuff.

The Rev Dodgson said:

Coincidently, there is a New Scientist article this week about a woman researching memory and learning in plants.

Interesting stuff.

Anyway, they aren’t as dumb as we previously believed.

roughbarked said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

Coincidently, there is a New Scientist article this week about a woman researching memory and learning in plants.

Interesting stuff.

Anyway, they aren’t as dumb as we previously believed.

S’truth…even from the very outset they made the decision to utilize nothing but solar power
to create their own food from the minerals and water at hand rather than becoming murderous
bastards that depend on killing for a living.

Forest Therapy!

Ogmog said:

Forest Therapy!

Wish I had my own little forest.