Adaptations

 
            The dill plant has several adaptations that allow it to be successful. Some of these adaptations include:

1. Dill can grow in a wide range of soil types and conditions. Although it does have some more favorable conditions (as stated on the habitat page), dill is fairly flexible as long as it gets plenty of sunlight.
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2. The dill plant can grow up to around 3 feet, which is very advantageous because then it is not being shaded by other plants. The taller the plant, the closer to the sun, the more nutrients the plant is able to make for itself.

3. On the other end of this (literally!), the dill plant has very long roots which allow for greater absorption of water, as well as providing a stable base for this tall plant.






  4. Dill has a very strong odor; in fact, its scientific name "graveolens" literally means strong smelling! There are actually two benefits to this adaptation. One benefit is that the scent actually repels pesky insects, so dill’s scent is actually its first line of defense. The other benefit is that it attracts insects that are going to pollinate dill and aid in its reproduction.



5. Dill is an angiosperm, meaning that its seed have seed coverings. This is a very important adaptation because the covering provides nourishment and protection for the embryo. This seed covering provides a greater likelihood for reproduction.


6. Hollow stems are an adaptation that not all plants have. There could be many possible reasons why hollow stems are advantageous. One example of an advantage could be that it makes it easier for the plant to bend or even snap off in the wind. Now, this might seem like it wouldn't be very good for the plant, right? Well, you wouldn't want the plant to topple over while it is still growing, but this adaptation  helps with the dispersal of the dill seeds once the plant is done growing for the season. The plant bends over or snaps off in order to "dump" its seeds out onto the ground so that they can grow the next season.

7. Umbels are advantageous because they are especially attractive to pollinators. They effectively disperse dill's scent, and instead of just one flower per stem there are several small flowers. The small, exposed flowers are attractive to pollinators, therefore increasing the likelihood that dill will be pollinated.

8. Dill has very skinny leaves (most prevalent when the plant is young) and thin stems, which means increased surface area to volume ratio. Lots of surface area means that there is optimal surface to photosynthesize and produce energy for the plant.










Want to learn more about dill and how it gets energy? Go to the Nutrition page!

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