Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Can anyone tell me any info on if you put land plants in water and water plants on land waht could happen and any other info that could possibly go along with that Thanks.

iamateen

dear iamateen,

regarding your question, I think that the answer depends on the specific plant. Certain land plants would live and grow if you put them it into water and others won't. Water plants, such as algae need to live in or on top of a source of water. Sticking pieces of plants into water is actually a form of artificial vegetative propagation called cuttings. Also, depending if the water plant is a fresh or salt water plant probably determines the salinity needed for the plant to grow.

good luck,
scienceexpert123

Hi iamateen,

That's a good and interesting question.

In http://www.essortment.com/all/aquariumplanti_rklt.htm it's stated:

Aquatic plants differ from land plants in that aquatic plants tend not to have highly developed root systems. Aquatic plants instead obtain their nutrients through their leaves.

Another reference is:
http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/2531.htm
Here the aggressive growth of some aquatic plants in an aquatic environment is mentioned. The growth of aquatic plants in a land environment is not mentioned. So, there's no evidence that directly addresses the question.

As ScienceExpert123 points out, it is possible to grow land plants in water. It will, most likely, take specific plants and specific procedures.

To know for sure, you'll need to experiment, comparing what happens to the plants in the different environments.