Close Encounters
Glossy flowers allow for long distance romance
In the competitive world of plant-pollinator interaction, a little razzle-dazzle helps a flower be seen.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
What Made Two Distant Palm Species Choose the Same Sexual Strategy?
Rare sex chromosomes discovered in distant palm relatives reveal remarkable evolutionary convergence, potentially revolutionising crop breeding for fruit-bearing species.
Growth & Development
The surprising reason waterfowl make better gardeners when they’re airborne
Migrating ducks scatter plant seeds across continents, but research shows their botanical gift works best when the “wrapping” disappears.
Growth & Development
What Lies Beneath Matters for What Grows Above in Grapevines
Choosing the right rootstock can dramatically reshape a grapevine’s entire architecture, offering winemakers a powerful tool to match vines to challenging growing conditions.
Growth & Development
Banking seeds for tomorrow
Seeds banks provide a lifeline to species going extinct
Taxonomy & Evolution
This South African Gladiolus Might Actually Be Seven Species in Disguise
Gladiolas separated by space and time may be evolving into separate species
Growth & Development
Modern wheat grows deep
Modern wheat has deeper roots than ancient wheats: is this an adaptation to higher productivity?
Plant Profiles
Orchids
Orchids are a staggeringly diverse group of plants. There are almost five times as many species of orchid than mammals.
Close Encounters
Bait and switch: sweet Nepenthes nectar is toxic to the ants it lures
Pitcher plants prove, lethally, that there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Carnivorous plants lack genes to host arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
When friends abandon them, some plants go on a killing spree.
Growth & Development
Botanists track where a plant thief hides
Advanced imaging captures the growth of a parasite inside its host.
Taxonomy & Evolution
Taming the beasts: challenges of identification in big plant genera
Digital revolution provides perfect opportunity to identify species.