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Land Plants

Lujenar's early water plants were supported in the water. As these plants moved onto land, they went through many changes in order to survive in the different biomes such as the rain forests, deserts, and the grasslands.

              About 375 million years ago, some of the plants from the rocky shore, the Stickems, were swept out of the water. These aquatic plants began to adapt to life on land.

Early Adaptations/Evolution

On land, the Stickems began to clump together and develop sponge-like leaves that could retain rain water or absorb moisture in the air. These plants became known as the Mossems. They had no roots or vascular structures. However, their cell walls grew stronger which allowed them to survive outside the water environment. Mossems made spores which floated away in the air to make new plants.   Over millions of years, the Mossems became the ancestors of Lujenar's land plants. As their spores landed on various biomes, the Mossems evolved into more sophisticated plants.

Tropical Rain Forest

After many millions of years, the Mossems have developed into a plant that is able to survive in the tropical rain forest.  The Octa has eight large waxy leaves which form a bowl shape in the center for catching rainwater. The center of the Octa also absorbs light and heat that passes through the air. The droopy leaves growing up to 2 feet long, pour out excess water to the ground. The Octa grows on the forest floor where little sunlight penetrates through. There are little dots in the center which are groups of spores. The dark brown colored dots indicate that they are ripe. These spores are released from the Octa and float away to grow new ones. Because water is plentiful in the rainforest, the floor is filled with Octas.

Desert

The Mossems have also adapted to live in the hot deserts of Lujenar. This new plant was known as the Pricker.   Because the desert environment is very dry, the pricker has developed long roots which spread out just below the surface of the ground to soak up any water from the rain and dew. Its fleshy stem is extremely thick which allows water storage. The pricker can grow up to 15 inches tall. The thorns covering the Pricker help protect it from the animals. The pricker has red flowers on its body. When the dry winds blow, the seeds of the flowers disperse everywhere. However, it takes years for another Pricker to grow due to the arid climate of the deserts.

Grasslands

On the grasslands of Lujenar, the Mossems had evolved into the Weedy plant. Temperatures and the amount of rainfall vary which affect the height of the Weedy plant. In wetter regions, it could grow as tall as 15 inches, whereas in warmer regions, it stands about 8 inches tall. The Weedy has roots underground to hold water when it rains. There are lots of leaves growing in all directions. Because of plentiful sunlight on the grasslands, the leaves help the plant capture carbon dioxide from the air for photosynthesis. Sweet smelling yellow flowers are found on top of the plant throughout the year. Animals of the grasslands are usually lured to the fragrance. As they reach for the flowers, pollen sticks to their hairy bodies and legs which they easily carry away. The Weedy plants are found widespread throughout the grasslands.

Diagram of Plant Relationship

Return to Land Plants
Table of Contents

Page by Jenny Tran

	About 375 million years ago, some of the plants from the rocky shore, the Stickems, were swept out of the water. These aquatic plants began to adapt to life on land.
Early Adaptations/Evolution	On land, the Stickems began to clump together and develop sponge-like leaves that could retain rain water or absorb moisture in the air. These plants became known as the Mossems. They had no roots or vascular structures. However, their cell walls grew stronger which allowed them to survive outside the water environment. Mossems made spores which floated away in the air to make new plants. Over millions of years, the Mossems became the ancestors of Lujenar's land plants. As their spores landed on various biomes, the Mossems evolved into more sophisticated plants.
Tropical Rain Forest	After many millions of years, the Mossems have developed into a plant that is able to survive in the tropical rain forest. The Octa has eight large waxy leaves which form a bowl shape in the center for catching rainwater. The center of the Octa also absorbs light and heat that passes through the air. The droopy leaves growing up to 2 feet long, pour out excess water to the ground. The Octa grows on the forest floor where little sunlight penetrates through. There are little dots in the center which are groups of spores. The dark brown colored dots indicate that they are ripe. These spores are released from the Octa and float away to grow new ones. Because water is plentiful in the rainforest, the floor is filled with Octas.
Desert	The Mossems have also adapted to live in the hot deserts of Lujenar. This new plant was known as the Pricker. Because the desert environment is very dry, the pricker has developed long roots which spread out just below the surface of the ground to soak up any water from the rain and dew. Its fleshy stem is extremely thick which allows water storage. The pricker can grow up to 15 inches tall. The thorns covering the Pricker help protect it from the animals. The pricker has red flowers on its body. When the dry winds blow, the seeds of the flowers disperse everywhere. However, it takes years for another Pricker to grow due to the arid climate of the deserts.
Grasslands	On the grasslands of Lujenar, the Mossems had evolved into the Weedy plant. Temperatures and the amount of rainfall vary which affect the height of the Weedy plant. In wetter regions, it could grow as tall as 15 inches, whereas in warmer regions, it stands about 8 inches tall. The Weedy has roots underground to hold water when it rains. There are lots of leaves growing in all directions. Because of plentiful sunlight on the grasslands, the leaves help the plant capture carbon dioxide from the air for photosynthesis. Sweet smelling yellow flowers are found on top of the plant throughout the year. Animals of the grasslands are usually lured to the fragrance. As they reach for the flowers, pollen sticks to their hairy bodies and legs which they easily carry away. The Weedy plants are found widespread throughout the grasslands.