一叶当舟，神奇王莲助力云南高质量发展
云南省西双版纳傣族自治州勐腊县的中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园，近日吸引了众多游客前来体验“一叶当舟”的奇妙乐趣。这片神奇的叶子，正是来自南美洲热带地区的王莲，其巨大的叶片能够承载60公斤左右的重量而不下沉，为游客带来别样的水上体验。
王莲是睡莲科王莲属植物的通称，其巨大的叶片是水生植物中的佼佼者。中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园自1963年开始引种王莲，得益于成熟的繁育技术和得天独厚的自然条件，王莲在植物园内成功安家并日益壮大，棕榈园一侧的王莲池景观已成为植物园的一张亮丽名片。
王莲的巨大浮力源于其叶片背面粗大隆起的叶脉，这些叶脉由中心向四周呈辐射状分布，主脉间有镰刀形状的横隔相连，构成网状骨架，叶脉里有很多气室，这种结构能够均匀分布压力，使叶片不易折断。王莲叶片承重的结构原理也为城市建筑提供了借鉴，例如机场大厅、厂房、宫殿等建筑设计中都借鉴了这一原理。
除了巨大的叶片，王莲的花朵也拥有独特的魅力。王莲开花有二次开合、三次变色的规律变化，这正是为了吸引昆虫为其传粉。第一天傍晚，王莲开出的花呈白色，其花心温度要比四周高出10度左右，并带有香味，吸引昆虫进入花朵内部，随后花朵闭合，将昆虫强行“留宿”；第二天傍晚，花瓣再次打开，花朵呈粉红色，香味消失，粘了一身成熟花粉的昆虫飞到另一朵花上觅食，为王莲完成传粉过程；第三天早上，花瓣颜色进一步加深呈紫红色，重新关闭后沉入水中孕育后代。
王莲的引入不仅为西双版纳热带植物园增添了独特的景观，也为当地旅游业发展注入了新的活力。游客们在体验“一叶当舟”的同时，也能了解到王莲的生物学特性和其在建筑设计中的应用，这无疑是科普教育的绝佳素材。
中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园作为我国面积最大、收集物种最丰富、专类园区最多的植物园，肩负着“科学研究、物种保存、科普教育”的使命。近年来，植物园逐步突破热带濒危植物迁地保护与回归技术瓶颈，开展了望天树、寄生花、扇苞蒟蒻薯、蕨类植物、兰科植物等受威胁植物的繁殖技术研究，为众多珍稀、濒危植物保护提供了技术保障。
今年7月，西双版纳国家植物园顺利通过符合性认定评估，为中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园创建国家植物园奠定了良好的基础。8月27日，中国植物守护者计划将在版纳植物园正式启动，无论是个人、机构、地方政府，都可以在植物守护者平台选择一种植物，并参与到保护实践中，携手为地球上的生命撑起一把守护之伞。
王莲的成功引种和保育，不仅展现了云南省在生物多样性保护方面的努力，也为当地高质量发展提供了新的思路。未来，相信西双版纳热带植物园将继续发挥其在科研、保育、科普等方面的优势，为云南省的生态文明建设和经济社会发展做出更大的贡献。
英语如下：
One Leaf, One Boat! Yunnan Tropical Botanical Garden Stages a “Floating on Water” Spectacle
Keywords: Victoria amazonica, Floatingon Water, Tropical Botanical Garden
One Leaf, One Boat, the Magical Victoria amazonica Powers Yunnan’s High-Quality Development
The Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, located in Mengla County, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, hasrecently attracted numerous tourists to experience the magical fun of “floating on one leaf.” This magical leaf is the Victoria amazonica, a native of the tropical regions of South America. Its enormous leaves can support a weight of around 60 kilogramswithout sinking, offering visitors a unique water experience.
Victoria amazonica is the common name for plants in the genus Victoria of the water lily family. Its massive leaves are the giants among aquatic plants. The Xishuangbanna Tropical BotanicalGarden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences began introducing Victoria amazonica in 1963. Thanks to mature breeding techniques and naturally advantageous conditions, Victoria amazonica has successfully established itself and thrived in the garden. The Victoria amazonica pond on the side of the palm garden has become a beautiful hallmark of the garden.
The enormous buoyancy of Victoria amazonica stems from the thick, prominent veins on the back of its leaves. These veins radiate from the center outwards, connected by sickle-shaped crossbars, forming a network of frameworks. There are many air chambers within the veins, which structure distributes pressure evenly, making the leaves less prone tobreakage. The load-bearing structure of Victoria amazonica leaves has also provided inspiration for urban architecture, such as the design of airport halls, factories, and palaces.
Besides its massive leaves, the Victoria amazonica flower also possesses unique charm. The Victoria amazonica flower blooms with a pattern of twice opening and thrice changingcolors, which is precisely to attract insects for pollination. On the first evening, the Victoria amazonica flower blooms white, with its core temperature about 10 degrees higher than its surroundings, and it emits a fragrance, attracting insects to enter the flower. Then, the flower closes, forcibly “housing” the insects.On the second evening, the petals open again, and the flower turns pink, losing its fragrance. Insects covered in mature pollen fly to another flower to forage, completing the pollination process for the Victoria amazonica. On the third morning, the petals deepen further to purple-red, close again, and sink into the waterto nurture their offspring.
The introduction of Victoria amazonica has not only added a unique landscape to the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden but also injected new vitality into local tourism development. While experiencing “floating on one leaf,” tourists can also learn about the biological characteristics of Victoria amazonica and its application in architecturaldesign, making it an excellent material for science education.
As the largest botanical garden in China, with the richest collection of species and the most specialized gardens, the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences shoulders the mission of “scientific research, species preservation, and science education.” In recentyears, the garden has gradually broken through the technical bottlenecks of ex-situ conservation and restoration of endangered tropical plants, conducting breeding technology research on threatened plants such as Parashorea chinensis, Thismia tentaculata, Tacca chantrieri, ferns, and orchids, providing technical guarantees for the protection of numerous rare andendangered plants.
In July this year, the Xishuangbanna National Botanical Garden successfully passed the conformity assessment, laying a solid foundation for the establishment of the National Botanical Garden by the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. On August 27, the China Plant Guardians Programwill be officially launched at the Xishuangbanna Botanical Garden. Individuals, institutions, and local governments can choose a plant on the Plant Guardians platform and participate in conservation practices, working together to hold up a protective umbrella for life on Earth.
The successful introduction and conservation of Victoria amazonica not only showcase Yunnan Province’s efforts in biodiversity conservation but also provide new ideas for local high-quality development. In the future, the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden will continue to leverage its advantages in research, conservation, and science education to make greater contributions to Yunnan Province’s ecological civilization construction and economic and social development.
【来源】http://www.chinanews.com/sh/2024/08-24/10273976.shtml
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