Boquila trifoliolata appears to mimic surrounding leaves and the mechanism is currently unknown. One (controversial) hypothesis is that it has some sort of vision.
> One hypothesis is that volatile organic compounds emitted from host plant leaves induce a phenotypic change in nearby B. trifoliolata leaves. By receiving different host signals into its system, it is able to create specific signals and hormones in its tissues to regulate gene transcription of leaf morphology and developmental pathways for leaf differentiation.[12] The other hypothesis is that there could be horizontal gene transfer between the host and B. trifoliolata. A separate study also conducted by Gianoli et al. suggests that bacterial agents, which could mediate a horizontal gene transfer, may play a role in leaf mimicry by B. trifoliolata.
See, here are two perfectly reasonable explanations for the mimicry that don't involve "seeing" anything.
> A 2021 paper suggested that the plant has some sort of vision using ocelli. This hypothesis was presented on the basis of experiments in which the vine appeared to mimic plastic vines and artificial plants.
Plastic vines and artificial plants too!? There go those two theories.
Quite a read, I hope others replicate the study, because this is fascinating. If we're able to really point in the direction that the plant uses vision to mimic other plants leaves (even artificial plant), I wonder how that vision works!
> There should have been multiple types mimic-leaves because we cannot rule out this is the plants normal growth.
From the Wikipedia article [0] linked by the GP:
> Ernesto Gianoli said "Boquila's leaves are extraordinarily diverse. The biggest ones can be 10 times bigger than the smallest, and they can vary from very light to very dark. In around three-quarters of cases, they are similar to the closest leaf from another tree, matching it in size, area, length of stalk, angle, and color. Boquila's leaves can even grow a spiny tip when, and only when, it climbs onto a shrub with spine-tipped leaves."[5]
> When there are no nearby host leaves to influence them, the normal leaves of B. trifoliolata are relatively short and light green with rounded edges.[6]
>"This is a deeply flawed article based on a poorly designed experiment and reflects significant author bias in the interpretation of the results,” wrote Washington State University horticultural physiologist Linda Chalker-Scott in a blog post earlier this year.
Plants having some form of vision doesn't that extraordinary of an idea to me. They can clearly detect light because of photosynthesis. Plants will also grow/turn towards the light. Ie they have a way to detect light. It doesn't seem that crazy to me that they could have some mutation that uses the information the plant gets from light.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boquila