Curious question for the Year of the Snake! Can “snakes” also bear fruit? Actually…

Review expert: Dong Wenpan, associate professor of Beijing Forestry University

Editor's Note

The Year of the Snake is here. How much do you know about snakes? Beijing Science Center has carefully planned a series of popular science columns titled "Curious Questions in the Year of the Snake" to explore the wonderful world of snakes from a scientific perspective and start a wonderful journey of exploring the science of snakes in the new year.

Did you know that there are many plants related to snakes in nature? Some plants have leaves shaped like snakes, some have fruits that look like winding snakes, and some even have the word "snake" in their names. Today, let's take a closer look at these plants related to snakes~

0 1 Cobra pitcher plant

Cobra pitcher plant is a unique "carnivorous" plant belonging to the genus Cobra in the Sarracenia family. It is native to the wetlands of North America and is named after its insect-catching pitcher that resembles a cobra. Cobra pitcher plant has creeping rhizomes and monomorphic, tubular leaves that resemble an angry cobra with its head raised. Its appearance is yellow-green with red net patterns. Its stolons can also develop into independent plants. Its flowers are large and drooping, with yellow calyx and red petals, bright colors, and excellent ornamental value.

02Snake melon

Snake gourd is an annual climbing vine of the Cucurbitaceae family, native to India and Malaysia. Its fruit is slender and twisted, and its appearance resembles a snake, hence the name "snake gourd". It is cultivated in all parts of my country. The fruit and tender stems of snake gourd are edible and contain a variety of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

0 3 Hedyotis diffusa

Hedyotis diffusa is an annual herbaceous plant of the genus Hedyotis in the family Rubiaceae. It is named "Hedyotis diffusa" because of its white flowers and thin leaves like snake tongues. Hedyotis diffusa is distributed in South China, Southwest China, Central China and other regions. It grows wild in wet places such as fields, gardens, wilderness, roadsides, ditches, and rivers. Hedyotis diffusa is also a medicinal material. According to the "Chaozhou Chronicles", "the juice squeezed from its stems is very effective in treating appendicitis and all intestinal diseases."

0 4 White-haired snake

White-haired snake sounds like a snake, but it is actually a fern plant, with the scientific name of Pteris cyrtonema, a perennial herb of the genus Drynaria in the family Osteoporaceae. Its rhizome is covered with a layer of brown or grayish-white scales, and its appearance is like a snake, so it is called "white-haired snake". White-haired snakes are distributed in many provinces in China. They usually grow on tree trunks or rocks in the forest at an altitude of 200-1600 meters. They like a humid and cool environment. The rhizome of white-haired snake has a special shape and can be used as medicine or as a potted plant for viewing.

0 5 snakeberry

Duchesnea is a perennial herb of the genus Duchesnea in the Rosaceae family, mostly growing on hillsides, river banks, and grasslands. Its "fruit" is bright red and attractive, but slightly poisonous, so it is not advisable to eat too much.

The bright red "fruit" is not the fruit of the snakeberry, but its receptacle. The small hard particles like sesame seeds on the "receptacle" are the real fruit.

The snakeberry plant is low, with green leaves, brightly colored flowers and fruits, and has great horticultural ornamental value.

0 6Salak

Snake skin fruit is a specialty fruit in Southeast Asia. It belongs to the genus Snake skin of the palm family. It is cultivated in South China, Sichuan and Chongqing. It is named because its skin is scaly and similar to snake skin. The fruit is spherical or ovoid, with a hard skin, usually reddish brown or yellowish brown. Snake skin fruit is rich in various nutrients, such as vitamin C, dietary fiber and various minerals, and has certain benefits to human health. In some areas, people regard snake skin fruit as a traditional medicinal plant, believing that it has the effects of clearing away heat and relieving summer heat, nourishing yin and moistening the lungs. In addition, the kernels of snake skin fruit can also be eaten or used to make various foods, such as cakes and candies.