Taxonomy & Evolution
Endangered Vanilla Orchids Hiding in Plain Sight
What was thought to be a single vanilla orchid species turns out to be two distinct plants, both fighting for survival.
Computational Models
Digital Botany to Protect Plants
A combination of modern methods and indigenous knowledge could help conserve endangered plants.
The Week in Botany
The Week in Botany February 17, 2025
This week’s round-up includes a wolf, a chance to be editor of an AoB journal and DEIA.
News in Brief
Compassion Can Transform Plant Conservation
A withering houseplant can tug at our heartstrings just like a suffering animal, showing how emotions could help save plant species.
Ecosystems
The Natural Spies Inside Bird Feathers
Tiny grains of pollen are revealing the secret lives of birds, acting as natural tracking devices that tell scientists where they have been.
Close Encounters
Botanists Trip Over The Light Fantastic When They Try To Understand Flower Colour
What humans see in a flower is nothing like the multi-stage sensory journey that guides insects to blooms.
News in Brief
Strangely, Pitcher Plants Might Try To Warn Their Prey Not To Enter
Pitcher plants may be using red colouration to warn potential pollinators away from their traps.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Hidden Networks Inside Brazilian Savanna Plants
Deep in the cells of a pink-flowered Brazilian plant, researchers have found unexpected living highways of connected cells.
The Week in Botany
The Week in Botany February 3, 2025
A weekly roundup of the news and papers you’re sharing on social media.
News in Brief
An Anonymous Botanist has Poisoned a Herbarium in New York in an Unusual Way
My guess: Professor Plum, in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, with the suspicious green bottle.
News in Brief
#WhoIsABotanist?
With plant knowledge touching so many parts of our lives, what is it that makes someone a Botanist?
Computational Models
How Trees’ Responses to Rainfall Frequency Could Help Improve Climate Models
Climate models often struggle to capture the timing of leaf drop. A new study finds that scientists haven’t been looking at rainfall the way plants have.