Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Guttaatiovettä juolukassa - Guttation water in Bog bilberry?
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The first snow has disappeared from Varrio fells. Wandered of the snow free but moist autumn forest, faces again an interesting phenomenon. Of all the herbs and berries Bog bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) keeps wet most of the day, even if other herbs like Bilberry dry up easily. Refer the Latin word uligo - moistness. Does Bog bilberry have a special outer structure in the leaves? Or is the phenomenon guttation, secretion of water on to the surface of leaves through specialized pores, called hydathodes?