STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- Research reveals so many complex plant abilities, some theorize they have a “brain”
- The Venus flytrap traps its prey with leaves lined with “teeth” that clamp together like a clam shell
- When the fern-like leaves of the sensitive plant are touched, they rapidly fold up and close
- Pitcher plants have deep cavities filled with digestive liquid that attracts and then drowns prey
- Some plants emit caffeine, which makes pollinators remember their scent and return
- The sand verbena and the honey-scented pincushion coat themselves in sand to protect them from herbivores