Having Siblings is a mixed bag of crazy experiences – sometimes fun, sometimes not-so-fun but always an adventure. And while we might not always see eye-to-eye with our brothers and sisters, we are intrinsically linked with them, and for many of us there’s something reassuring about that connection. Plant siblings are, surprisingly, not all that different from human ones.

In a 2007 study, scientists noted that Sea Rockets grown from seeds from the same mother not only recognized each other, but when out of their way to make life easier for their brethren over nonrelative plants. When placed near their siblings, the sea rockets were noticeably less aggressive in their growth habits. They didn’t set out at many roots and were more willing to share natural resources like soil nutrients instead of having an “every plant for himself” lifestyle. The exact opposite was true when the subjects were situated near strangers. To unrelated neighbors the sea rockets fought tooth and nail (or root and leaf) for their resources and spared nothing to the other plant.

As if that weren’t incredible enough, plant siblings also liked to hold hands. When grown in close proximity, siblings would reach out and touch their leaves together and even intertwine them, but around strangers the plants would grow straight and avoid contact with each other.

This begs the question how can a plant with no sensory organs differentiate between its kin and its competitors? It turns out that these clever sea rockets communicate through chemical secretions released into the soil. These secretions marked the plants as either family or non-family which then determined whether the plant would be treated with brotherly love or open hostility. Amazing right? Even in the botanical world it seems the old adage “blood is thicker than water” still holds true.

Some of you skeptics reading this are beginning to raise your eyebrows about now, but trust me on this, it’s all true. Just imagine, if plants can play nice with their brothers and sisters maybe there’s hope yet for our own strained sibling relationships.

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