Boquila

The only plant that performs mimicry.

🧬 nat

Boquila is the only plant known to engage in mimicry (or more technically mimetic polymorphism), discovered only in 2014.

Cristian Riquelme, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Cristian Riquelme, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

This plant shows some strikingly unique characteristics - it can mimic multiple species, often simultaneously. Even more surprising is that close proximity is enough and contact isn’t required. The mechanisms of such mimicry are still unknown.