Do Plants See, Feel, Smell And Think

Everyone thinks of animals and humans as being the highest of life forms.  We often see them as the only entities in our world that can see, feel, smell and think.  However, according to researcher and author, Daniel Chamovitz, plants are much more than we currently realize.

Daniel is the author of the book, What A Plant Knows.

Through his initial work he discovered that an unique group of genes in plants also could be found in the animal world.  This group of genes had much to do with how plants grow and determine lightness or darkness.  The same set of genes is also a part of human DNA.

Daniel Chamovitz goes on to share how plants have a sense of smell, but not necessarily in the same function as humans or animals do.  It is more like a receptivity to chemicals or pheromone, rather than as something we react to as humans.


When it comes to hearing, he suggests that music or someone speaking to a plant influences how it grows.  While they may not hear and understand words or musical notes, they do pick up on the vibrations of sound and in that sense, plants do hear.

Communication between plants is more about how one plant responds to another.  There are cases where trees that are attacked by bugs, releases a pheromone that is picked up by trees that are close.  It enables the other trees to help fight off bug attacks.  While it is not communication with words, there is definitely a way that the plant kingdom communicates with one another.

According to Daniel Chamovitz, plants don't think.  However there is evidence that plants have what is called anoetic consciousness where they think without being conscious.  He suggests that a plant can't suffer pain because it does not have a brain or the ability to process pain and suffering.

There is so much more that he offers up and I'm sure many years in the future, we will have come to understand so much more about plants.  I firmly believe that we don't know all there is to know about plants in this current day and age.

It is a process of discovery and time that will get us further.  Much like we have learned in the past century, so too will research and study bring us to a point where we know more than we thought was possible.  Anyone who thinks we have all the answers today is only fooling themselves of what tomorrow holds.

I personally believe plants are much more alive than we realize and they interact much more with us in our world than we may want to believe.  One of the things I enjoy is working around plants and when it is time for them to die, I struggle with grief as if I was losing my best friend.  I realize not everyone reacts the way I do, but taking care of plants and watching them grow is a highlight in my life which I would hate to miss out on that experience.  If you want to read more about how I view plants, click this link.

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 Blog Post And Images (c) 6/6/12 Don Shetterly - use and reprint by permission only http://www.donshetterly.com You are welcomed to share the link to this blog post, but ask for for permission before reprinting this article. Thanks!
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