Some plants have more charisma than others, in the sense that they seem to draw stronger reactions from people than do certain other plants. So suggests a recent study. Emily Anthes, writing in the Wonderland blog, reacts to it:
I came across the work of Emily Hounslow [pictured here], currently a PhD student at the UK’s University of Sheffield. For her master’s degree in biology, Hounslow explored the notion of charismatic plants. It’s an interesting notion–and one that hasn’t been explored much. After all, plants in general are much less charismatic than animals, less likely to earn our affection or conservation attention…. In the paper, Hounslow explores the characteristics that might make certain plants especially appealing and attractive to humans. (The paper appears to be unpublished, but you can download a copy of it here.)