Second Helpings

Strange Relatives

We were watching a nature programme on television last night entitled 'The World's Weirdest Events.' It was quite fascinating, especially a piece about a little known plant that grows in the Atacama Desert in Chile.

Apparently a researcher and photographer called Rachel travelled thousands of miles to find this strange plant to take photos and investigate its history and composition.

It is in fact a huge bright green blob that grows one centimetre every year and is covered in tiny spikes. It looks like something from an alien world that manages to thrive in the middle of nowhere. It is also one of the oldest living species on the planet and is estimated to be three thousand years old.

It's called a Yareta and what I found most interesting about it is the fact its closest relative is...

Have you guessed yet?

Keep going...

The carrot!