The Week in Botany May 25, 2026
This week: Flower economics, the Columbian Exchange, an interview with Dr Damilola Olanipon and more.
Carlos A. Ordóñez-Parra
123 posts
Carlos (he/him) is a Colombian PhD candidate at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Brazil). He works as an Editor at Botany One and a Communications Officer at the International Society for Seed Science. Follow him at @caordonezparra.bksy.social.
© 2026 Botany One. Published with Ghost
The Hidden Economics of Flowers
By comparing flowers and leaves across 245 species, researchers reveal that flowers follow hidden water-use strategies shaped by the same environmental pressures as the rest of the plant.
Damilola Olanipon: "Making the Invisible Visible"
Botany One interviews Dr Damilola Olanipon, a plant and microbial ecologist investigating the hidden fungal networks that connect plants, support forests, and help regulate Earth’s climate.
Diego Paredes-Burneo: From Geranium Seeds to Genomic Histories
Botany One interviews Dr Diego Paredes-Burneo, a Peruvian botanist investigating how the extraordinary biodiversity of the Tropical Andes emerged through rapid and complex evolutionary processes.
Open Sesame! The Tiny Doorway That Wakes a Seed
New research shows that Dodonaea viscosa seeds rely on a tiny slit to let water in, and understanding how it opens could help germinate them.
Fire Signals and Dry Soils: How Cerrado Seeds Time Their Germination
By testing how seeds respond to drought and smoke together, scientists uncover how plants in Brazil’s Cerrado survive the harsh mix of fire, dry spells and unpredictable rain.
Pedro F. Cruz-Júnior: Finding Life After Fire and Drought
Botany One interviews Pedro Firme da Cruz-Júnior, a PhD student who aims to understand how smoke and water stress shape seed germination and early plant development in one of the world’s most diverse savannas.
The Cerrado’s Secret Carbon Stores at Risk
Newly revealed peatlands in the Cerrado hold millennia of carbon, but shifting water and climate regimes could turn them from allies into threats.
What Tiny Orchid Seeds Reveal About Their Evolution
New research on Central African orchids reveals that even the smallest seeds can preserve clues about how plants evolved and adapted over time.
The Invisible Cost of Seed Ageing
Researchers found that ageing Brassica napus seeds lose not only vigour, but also microbial diversity, raising new questions about how we store seeds for the future.
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