Every cat owner (including myself) will encounter obstacles when communicating with their feline overlord. How to please and train your feline master is a compulsory course for every family.
While constantly trying out various props, there is a mysterious force that makes cats unable to resist—catnip.
Why does catnip have such a powerful effect on cats? What other amazing plants exist in real life? In the new book "Giving All the World's Plants Beautiful Chinese Names" from the "Young China Science & Technology · Future Science+" series, let's follow in the footsteps of Professor Wang Qiang, a researcher at the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, to find out!
01
What exactly is catnip?
What we usually call "catnip," also known as "cat grass," is actually a plant called catnip (English name "catmint").
If a cat smells cat grass, most cats will enter a psychedelic state, reaching the pinnacle of their feline existence.
The reason it has this effect is because catnip secretes a substance called nepetalactone. By watching a cat go from aloof to gradually becoming infatuated, and then completely captivated, you can win their heart.
Catnip
Recent comparative genomics studies have found that nepetalactone secreted by Nepeta species has hallucinogenic effects not only on cats, but also on the vast majority of felines (including even large felines like tigers and leopards).
Moreover, this substance can only be secreted by plants of the catnip family. Close relatives of catnip, such as those of the genera *Gnaphalium*, *Pogostemon*, and *Heliotropium*, cannot secrete catnip lactone.
This inevitably brings to mind the "Wu Song Fights the Tiger" episode in "Water Margin".
We all know that Jingyanggang is in Shandong, where there are many wild catnip plants. If Wu Song had known some basic botany, he could have picked some catnip on Jingyanggang first, and perhaps he wouldn't have had to fight the tiger so hard.
Of course, plants of the genus Nepeta do not only live in inland areas, but are also distributed in Tibet, my country. For example, the Kangzang Nepeta has clusters of small purple flowers, which are very beautiful, but many people may never have the opportunity to see them.
Led by researchers such as Professor Wang Qiang from the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, we can not only witness the "special skills" of plants in the genus Nepeta, but also venture deep into Tibet and the "Pan-Himalayan region" to explore the snow-covered spirits of this mysterious land.
02
Why must it be the Pan-Himalayan region?
When talking about the Himalayas, many people think of endless snow-capped mountains, the tranquil starry sky of Namcha Barwa, and sapphire-like amber. But in the eyes of botanical researchers, the Himalayas are a sacred land full of exotic flowers and plants, where thousands of plant spirits live, such as snow rabbits and rock hyacinths. They are the soul of the Himalayas.
This region is home to more than 20,000 species of higher plants, accounting for two-thirds of all higher plant species in China, twice the number of higher plant species in all of Europe, and 1.5 times the number of higher plant species in all of North America.
If we calculate plant species density by the number of species per 10,000 square kilometers, then the plant species density in the Pan-Himalayan region is 118, which is equivalent to 4 times the average species density in China, 12 times the species density in Europe, and 15 times the species density in North America.
This is why the Pan-Himalayan region is a sacred place in the hearts of every plant taxonomist.
Pan-Himalayan region
In addition, the plants of the Pan-Himalayan region possess unique skills and strategies—
Gentiana uni, an inconspicuous little herbaceous plant living on the Yathu Zhala snow mountain, is not to be underestimated. It is a top student among plants in the Pan-Himalayan region—a "geometry class representative." It can precisely arrange its leaves into a square by controlling the way its leaves grow. In the Pan-Himalayan region, there are more than 200 species of Gentiana, accounting for two-thirds of the total number of Gentiana species worldwide.
Unu Gentian
The cone-shaped false sand crystal orchid looks a lot like a blue light camera, watching your every move. In fact, that's the stigma of its pistil. It's completely white, even translucent, and contains no chlorophyll, so it can't photosynthesize. Instead, it survives by absorbing nutrients and water from the humus under the forest canopy.
False Sand Crystal Orchid Cone
Rhododendrons, famous alpine flowers, are common dominant species in alpine shrublands, appearing from afar like a red carpet. Vast expanses of rhododendron seas are found in the beautiful southern Tibetan region of my country. Here's a little-known fact: the most prized species at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in the UK originate from the Pan-Himalayan region (over 100 years ago, the British introduced hundreds of rhododendron species from the Pan-Himalayan region).
Strawberry Rhododendron
Meconopsis species are exceptionally beautiful and ethereal plants, also belonging to the alpine flora, and are known as the "Light of the Himalayas" in the greater Himalayan region. If you visit the eastern slope of Mount Everest, you can also see the rare *Meconopsis kangshunensis* with its brownish-red corolla. If you visit Nyingchi, where the forests are ablaze with autumn colors, you can see even more *Meconopsis* species, such as *Meconopsis patula* and *Meconopsis integrifolia*.
03
Plant taxonomists in action
As we all know, the key to the success of hybrid rice was the discovery of several naturally male-sterile wild rice plants in Hainan by researchers. It was these few inconspicuous "grass" that made our hybrid rice possible and fed more than a billion people in my country.
For botanists, the more than 20,000 plant species in the Pan-Himalayan region is an invaluable resource. Who knows, one day, a few unassuming "grass" among them could profoundly change our lives.
Therefore, plant taxonomists in my country have already taken action.
Research on plant diversity in the greater Himalayas, led by China and with participation from countries such as the UK, France, and Germany, is progressing rapidly.
Although plant taxonomists have been working hard to protect these snow-covered plant spirits, it is not enough; the support and participation of everyone in society are also needed.
Only by learning to live in harmony with these little plant spirits can we better make use of nature's gifts.
Following the book "Giving Plants Around the World Beautiful Chinese Names," and in the footsteps of many botanists such as Zhang Yuanming, researcher at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Gao Yuan, associate research librarian at the National Museum of Natural History, and Liu Su, senior engineer at the Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, we will explore the story of plant diversity together.
From the mysterious veil of tropical rainforests to the unique adaptations of life in the desert, from the astonishing instinct of African plant reproduction to the magical plants of the snowy plateau, from the bustling world of grapes to the microscopic wonders of mossy realms, from the secrets behind tree rings to the amazing reversal of carnivorous plants…
Their stories can inspire countless future scientists to plant the seeds of scientific research, starting with the plants and trees around them.
