Boquila trifoliolata: The Plant that Fooled Even Plastic

von: Felipe Yamashita, former PhD student at the University of Bonn

Introduction

In September 2024, Felipe Yamashita, a recent PhD student at the University of Bonn, was honored to receive the IgNobel Prize for Botany for a fascinating discovery: the ability of the plant Boquila trifoliolata to imitate not only other plants, but also artificial leaves. This recognition highlights how nature still holds mysteries that surprise us and make us rethink our understanding of plant adaptation and survival.

The IgNobel Prize and its relevance

The IgNobel Prize, created in 1991 by the journal Annals of Improbable Research, celebrates research that “first makes people laugh and then makes them think”. Although it is a parody of the Nobel Prize, the IgNobel recognizes studies that, despite being unusual, make significant contributions to science and broaden our horizons of knowledge. The award ceremony takes place annually at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States and is attended by Nobel laureates, conferring prestige and recognition on the winners improbable.com.

Discovering Boquila trifoliolata

Boquila trifoliolata was discovered in 1817 and is a common perennial vine that can reach up to 6 meters in height, classified as a liana, or climbing vine, due to the way it supports itself on neighboring plants.

Boquila is part of the Lardizabalaceae family, with 8 genera and 45 species. Six of these genera are found in East Asia (from the Himalayas to Japan) and only two genera are found in South America, in Chile. The two species found in Chile are generally called “voqui” or Pil-Pil by the locals. This name is derived from the indigenous peoples and means “vine” in the local language. The only two Chilean species are Lardizabala biternata and B. trifoliolata.

Boquila used to be a common local plant, used only to make baskets or ropes, or as an ornamental plant. But all that changed with a publication in 2014 by a Peruvian ecologist called Ernesto Gianoli, a professor at the Universidad de La Sirena in Chile. During one of his expeditions into the Chilean forest with his students, they observed that the leaves of the Boquila mimicked the leaves of the host trees in size, color, orientation, shape and venation pattern. In addition, it was observed that a single individual of Boquila extended under three host plants of three different species. What was most surprising was the fact that this same individual of Boquila mimicked leaves from all three different host plants, i.e. Boquila's mimicry was not limited to just one species, something never before found in science. However, I still didn't know how and why the Boquila is able to mimic different host plants.

The Surprising Imitation of Artificial Leaves

During the experiments, Yamashita noticed something even more intriguing: Boquila also imitated artificial leaves present in its environment. This discovery suggests that the plant does not rely exclusively on chemical signals or genetic material from the host plant to identify and replicate the characteristics of other leaves, but possibly uses visual clues or other sensory mechanisms that are not yet fully understood.

Implications and Reflections

Boquila's ability to mimic artificial leaves opens up new perspectives on plant sensory perception. It challenges the traditional view that plants are passive organisms, showing that they can interact in sophisticated ways with their environment. What is more, this discovery could inspire new research into biomimicry, where natural strategies are adapted into innovative technological solutions.

Conclusion

Receiving the IgNobel Prize for Botany in 2024 was a rewarding experience that brought visibility to a little-explored facet of plant adaptability. Boquila trifoliolata teaches us that nature still holds surprising secrets, encouraging us to continue exploring and learning from the natural world.