Can plants evolve into moving organisms?

All plants move in place: their roots follow water, their branches grow, their stems and leaves turn to follow sunlight, and they are sometimes able to climb and circumnavigate any stable structures that they come in contact with. And most plants’ seeds are carried around by hitching a ride on an animal, or transported by wind.

But things can get weirder. In addition to all the already mentioned motions, there’s also a South American plant called “the walking palm” that is able to move itself for real, even if with a very small speed. Its velocity is about 20 meters per year.

They are able to do so thanks to their overall structure. Their trunk stays balanced on top of a pyramidal frame of roots, that looks similar to a tent.

The plants’ roots grow longer in the opposite direction of motion, pushing the plant forward. Then, slowly, the new front roots settle in the soil, and the entire tree bends towards them. At the end, the “rear roots” lift into the air.

This type of motion is an unusual evolutionary strategy, and the whole process probably serves to move the trees to places with better sunlight and richer soil.