Friday 18 March 2016

Butcher's Broom: Can Fruits Grow On Leaves?

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Butcher's Broom, or Ruscus aculeatus, is a low evergreen Eurasian shrub. From the center of the leaves grow small greenish-white flowers that blossom in early spring and develop into red berries in autumn. The tiny red berries are attached directly to the leaves by a short stem, making it a very strange looking plant.

The Butcher's broom, however, is not breaking any rules of the plant kingdom, because what appears to be leaves are actually modified stems called cladodes, that have been flattened to not only look like leaves but serve their function as well.

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