Reviews
A date with history: The past, present, and future of palms…
Palm by Fred Gray 2018. Reaktion Books Ltd. Fred Gray’s Palm [hereafter referred to as … Palm] is the second title in Reaktion Books’ Botanical series
annals-of-botany
How are monospecific stands of invasive trees formed? Spatio-temporal evidence from Douglas fir invasions
Invasive plant species can have many, often detrimental, impacts on native plant communities, especially when they reach high densities and form monospecific stands. Monospecific stands are
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LEGO’s new sustainable plastic plants are made from plants, but are they green?
From August 1 2018, LEGO will begin distribution of the company’s first set of sustainable bricks, “Plants from Plants”, in the form of botanical elements,
annals-of-botany
Grass-legume mixtures in a cool climate
In the marginal regions of Europe, grassland-based livestock systems are dominated by grass monocultures receiving relatively high levels of fertilizer. Would the inclusion of clovers
Close Encounters
Plant defences can be overwhelmed by a snail’s sweet tooth
Building up toxic metals in the leaves won’t deter snails from taking a nibble, if the leaf is sweet enough.
Plant Cuttings
Some more summer (and autumn…) reading
News of two new journals. Although neither is strictly a botanical or plant science publication, they both cover plant science-relevant topics. First is The Cell
annals-of-botany
Embolism resistance and dehydration tolerance in a perennial grass
More intense droughts under climate change threaten species resilience. Hydraulic strategies determine drought survival in woody species but are hardly explored in herbaceous species. Volaire et
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Amaranthus tricolor: eat your greens (and reds and purples)
While leafy green vegetables are wilting under the summer heatwave, the drought and heat tolerant leafy vegetable, amaranth, provides a nutritious alternative.
annals-of-botany
Trait variation across a plant hybrid zone 25 years in the making
In natural hybrid zones, traits often show clines, gradual variation across a gradient reflecting a balance between natural selection and gene flow. Changes over time in
annals-of-botany
Ammonium uptake promotion by silicon in rice
Turgor-driven plant cell growth depends on cell wall structure and mechanics. Strengthening of cell walls on the basis of an association and interaction with silicon
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The War Between Trees and Grasses by Howard Thomas: The Book I wished I’d had as an Undergraduate.
What drives the author to spend time on the piano to re-establish calm or why did the song The Teddy Bears’ Picnic leave an unsettling
annals-of-botany
Integration between developmental pathways during reserve mobilization in palm seeds
Palm seeds are interesting models for studying seed reserve mobilization at the tissue level due to the abundance and complexity of reserves stored in their living