True lover's knot in the woods around Ghent by Maarten Trybou

In spring, things must move fast in a deciduous forest. Before the foliage closes, a whole host of plants must have reproduced, or be well on their way anyway. Because after that, there is very little light to catch. But true lover's knot has found a solution.

They make that one berry because they can't be caught off guard. Because true lover's knots mainly reproduce with rhizomes. Under the ground, these are ready to shoot up in spring and sometimes form whole carpets of plants.

But because rhizomes are slow to take up new territory, a berry is a good strategy that can ensure wider distribution via seed-eating birds.

However, the plant is poisonous to humans, especially the berry is packed with it. But birds are not bothered by those saponins in true lover's knot, and they spread the seeds with their faeces. So often you can also find a plant on its own, a single true lover's knot then comes from such a seed.

You can't stand on one leg, but true lover's knot does. One stem carries the four leaves and the one flower with thus that one berry. It all looks rather inconspicuous, and that's not a bad thing in the dark forest. True lover's knot puts no energy into eye-catching flowering or rapid growth.

Its flat, horizontal leaves catch the little light as much as possible. And eventually there is always - if only briefly - a ray of sunlight falling on the plant. This allows true lover's knot to grow slowly and flower for a long time. The flower consists mainly of long, yellow stamens arranged like a crown around the ovary.

By the way, fertilisation is done by carrion flies, which mistake that ovary for rotting flesh. No, true lover's knot has not taken any chances. And now we just have to wait for that one berry...