The Resplendent Wetland Plant - Asian Lizard's Tail
Water is essential to plants but too much of it spells doom. Not all plants can survive in waterlogged wetlands where Asian Lizard's Tail (Saururus chinensis) thrives. When it blooms, the vast expanse of white blossoms is simply spectacular.
Asian Lizard's Tail originated in China and can be found in Hebei, Sandong, Henan and provinces south of Yangtze River. It is also native to Japan and Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines and Vietnam. It grows in swamps such as rice paddies, along the banks of ponds and streams etc. The perennial plant can grow to a height of 30 to100 centimetres. Its leaves are papery, ovate to ovate-lanceolate and have cordate bases.
The most noticeable about Asian Lizard's Tail is its bright "white petals" which are actually leaves. A typical flower has four main parts, known as gynoecium, androecium, corolla (petals) and calyx (sepals) from the innermost to the outermost whorl. A complete flower has all four whorls. Flowers of Asian Lizard's Tail are achlamydeous with no petals and sepals.
Modified leaves as petals
Most flowers depend on insects for pollination. So, they have bright colourful petals and nectars to attract insects. How does apetalous Asian Lizard's Tail attract insects? The top few leaves change colour from green to bright white when it blooms to aid pollination.
Lizard's Tail (Saururus cernuus) from the same genus has the same floral structure as Asian Lizard's Tail. Its apetalous flowers are wind-pollinated and its leaves do not change colour. The difference between the two species testifies that Asian Lizard's Tail modifies its leaves to attract insect pollinators.
Important Wetland Plant
Asian Lizard's Tail is erect and slender with snowy white flowers, making it a popular garden plant. But the aquatic plant is an important wetland plant with strong rhizomes and stems. Its creeping rhizomes help it stay dormant underground when the soils are dry. When the soils become wet enough, it grows quickly to form colonies and cover a wide swathe of wetland.
The resilient feature makes Asian Lizard's Tail a great groundcover for moist soils during the dry spell of the wetland. Its rhizomes are beneficial for soil stabilization and keep weeds away. Its dense foliage provides habitat for insects such as dragonflies. It makes great contribution to the biodiversity and stability of wetland ecosystem.
