Poppies Beneath Gunnera

I have written about Gunnera leaves before – how big they are and how much they grow in one season. A few days ago the sun was shining, and beneath the leaves were these poppies, with their petals already gone.

And here are some Gunnera leaves stacked up – from last year or the year before. And below those is a photo of Gunnera in full spread. What you might not guess from the shot is that the plant is about three metres (over nine feet) tall.

The earliest fossilised pollen found so far is about ninety million years old. And nowadays the plant is found worldwide. Its rhizome root system spreads destroys river banks, so it is illegal in Britain to sell the plant, and there are rules about how the roots and berries must be disposed of.

Each year the plant grows from nothing to this three metre spread. Why, I wonder, did the Gunnera develop to be so big?