Round shape reduces water loss: pebble plants

1 of 1 Pebble plant in flower / Joachim Hube.. / License

The rounded shape of the leaves of pebble plants minimizes evaporation due to its low surface area relative to volume.

Biomimicry Taxonomy

	Maintain physical integrity >
	Protect from abiotic factors >
	Loss of liquids

Biomimetic Application Ideas

New designs for water tanks, evaporative cooling devices that optimize surface area to volume ratios.

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[Collapse all sections] Summary

"Pebble plants grow in the stonier patches of the same [Namib] [D]esert. They survive by living partly underground. Their leaves have been reduced to a single pair, fat, round and succulent, with just a groove between them from which, in the right season, will sprout a surprisingly large flower. Such a rounded shape, with a very low surface area for a given volume, reduces evaporation to a minimum and is therefore a great help to the plant in conserving its water in the intense heat. But as has been noted earlier it may bring an additional benefit. Outside the flowering season, the plant is very difficult to find among the gravel and pebbles, so its shape could also serve as a defence against detection by grazing animals -- ostriches and tortoises, porcupines and perhaps a few gerbils." (Attenborough 1995:265)

Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: New designs for water tanks, evaporative cooling devices that optimize surface area to volume ratios.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Water storage, cooling

References

Attenborough, D. 1995. The Private Life of Plants: A Natural History of Plant Behavior. London: BBC Books. 320 p.

Round shape reduces water loss: pebble plants

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