In Is Eating Plants Wrong? botanist James Wong discovers that plants are capable of things that used to be thought the preserve of animals, or even humans. He speaks with plant scientists from around the world whose research has led them to conclude that plants can communicate, learn, and even remember. Some even go as far as to say plants are intelligent.
Examples:
4. Plants can play Chinese whispers and remember the message
Plants can communicate through substances they emit through their roots, as well as through fragrances sent out from their leaves. And if potted in a row, sharing roots in each pot, they can play Chinese whispers. They can pass a message from the first root of the first plant down to the last plant in the same row of pots. And they can remember the passed-down message, and act on it when necessary!
6. Plants can sense more than we can
Plants don’t have brains, and yet without brains, and without neurons even, they can do many things that we need brains and sensory organs for.
So without eyes plants can perceive a lot of information about light, without noses they can perceive chemical information like smells, without ears they can perceive the vibrations of sounds. Plants are very perceptive about what’s going on in their environments. They can sense touch, and taste, too, for example they can identify herbivore predators nibbling their leaves from the taste of the herbivore’s saliva.
So plants have the same five senses humans have? “And then some,” says Prof. Rick Karban. Namely plants can also perceive electrical signals, temperature, electromagnetic forces, heavy metals, pathogens, gravity and more.