"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Franz Heymann notfranz.
writes

"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Franz Heymann
notfranz.
writes

"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Franz Heymann
notfranz.
writes


There are very, very few plants (if any?) which can utilise
atmospheric
nitrogen directly.

Isn't that basically what nitrogen fixation (as in legumes and some
other plants) is about?

It is because I was aware of the fact that legumes and some grasses
lived
in
synmbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria that I used the words "very,
very
few".

Ah, right. I can never think of Leguminaceae as 'very very few' since
there's 17,000 species!

In comparison with how many species of plants in toto? Millions?

About 250,000

Yes, I know. It surprised me too.

Both figures are from Heywood (ed): Flowering plants of the world.

Well I'll be damned.

Franz