Did you know that the largest organism in the world can cover an area of 10 kilometer and is actually a plant? Or that there is a plant which stores water for decennia in order to be able to grow a stem many meters high, to flower and die? Those are just two interesting facts from Kingdom of Plants, the nature documentary by David Attenborough.
Most nature series focus on the animal kingdom and although this series occasionally has an animal in it, the focus is completely on the plant world. In three episodes (Life in the Wet Zone, Solving the Secrets and Survival) Attenborough tells how plant evolved, the way in which they communicate and also how they defend themselves against specific animals. It has been shot in the impressive Kew’s Palm House in London, where plants from all over the world have been collected for decades and are bred and looked at. The biggest collection of seeds can be found there and the experts there even succeeded to prevent specific species from becoming extinct by experimenting.
Kingdom of Plants manages to show the their world in spectacular fashion. Time lapse is regularly used to show how plant move and flower, infrared is used to see how plants attract insects. It also captures moments which only happen every few years. This of course is all supported by the stories told by Attenborough, who always is endlessly entertaining, pleasant and entertaining. The world of plants might not seem very interesting, but this show proves otherwise.
