Strelitzia

No wonder it is called a 'Crane flower' - certainly looks like a crane (bird). This plant has been in our garden ever since we moved in over 15 years ago, and this is the second year that it has flowered. Normally one can expect them to flower after between 4 - 7 years, but this one took 14 years! Well worth the wait though.
One of the first research projects I was busy with after graduating was investigating conditions to enhance the germination of strelitzia seeds. I scarified them (sand papered on one side), then kept them in an oxygen rich environment in the dark (sort of fridge affair), at different temperatures, for differing lengths of time. Then sliced them with a micro knife machine thing (so long ago I can't remember it's name) and tested levels of some enzyme or the other using a staining technique.
The other project I worked on involved Drosera. Kept them in a lighted cabinet at stable temperature and fed them tiny bits of cheddar cheese, then ground them up and extracted an enzyme. Precision work.
I wonder what it was all for - what life-changing/ enhancing results were being sought? I can't help but believe that a lot of stuff that is investigated serves little, if any, purpose. But then, maybe my view is rather narrow?