Green World

The giant sequoia, among Earth's largest trees by volume, includes individuals estimated over 3,000 years old.

The baobab stores water in its massive trunk, earning it the nickname tree of life in dry regions.

Bamboo, one of the fastest-growing plants, can grow nearly a meter in a single day in some species.

The coast redwood, the tallest tree species on Earth, can grow taller than a 30-story building.

Oak trees produce acorns and can live for many centuries, among the longest-lived trees.

Kelp forms dense underwater forests, with some species growing over half a meter in a single day.

Mangroves grow in coastal saltwater and use tangled roots to help protect shorelines from erosion.

Cherry blossoms have a brief spring blooming season celebrated with major festivals, especially in Japan.

Maple trees are known for vivid autumn color, and some species yield sap that becomes maple syrup.

The coconut palm's buoyant seeds can survive long ocean voyages, helping the tree spread to new shores.

The Venus flytrap, native to a small Carolina coastal region, snaps shut to trap unsuspecting insects.

Young sunflowers track the sun across the sky, though mature flowers typically settle facing east.

The saguaro cactus can live over 150 years and typically doesn't grow its first arm for several decades.

Orchids form one of the largest flowering plant families, with tens of thousands of natural species.

Rafflesia produces the largest individual flower of any plant, known for its rotting-flesh smell.

Ferns reproduce with spores rather than seeds and existed on Earth long before flowering plants evolved.

The lotus, symbolically important in several cultures, has leaves and flowers that naturally repel water and dirt.

The rose has been cultivated by humans for thousands of years for its fragrance and beauty.

The giant water lily's leaves grow large enough that some can support the weight of a small child.

Moss lacks true roots and instead absorbs water and nutrients directly through its surface.

Wheat, one of the most widely grown cereal grains, serves as a staple food for much of the world.

Rice feeds more than half the world's population and is typically grown in flooded paddies.

Corn, domesticated in the Americas, is known internationally by its other common name, maize.

The tulip sparked a famous 17th-century economic frenzy in Holland known as tulip mania.

English ivy clings tightly to surfaces as it climbs, and can become invasive outside its native range.

Lavender's fragrant purple fields are a famous sight across southern France, prized in perfumes.