Reviews
Botany in the 317 years-long century…
The Botany of Empire in the Long Eighteenth Century. Yota Batsaki, Sarah Burke Cahalan and Anatole Tchikine (Editors). Dumbarton Oaks, 2016. Notwithstanding the importance of botany
annals-of-botany
The role of nitrogen in plant defence
Plants need nitrogen (N) for growth, development and defence against abiotic and biotic stresses. The widespread use of artificial N fertilisers and the agricultural impact of
annals-of-botany
Revising Corner’s rule: how to best partition twig leaf area
Corner’s rule states that in woody plants, twigs (current-year shoots) with thicker stems support larger leaves. Larger leaf areas require thicker twigs for hydraulic
annals-of-botany
Animal NLRs provide structural insights into plant NLR function
Since the characterisation of the gene-for-gene concept in plant disease resistance by Flor in the 1940s, resistance (R) genes have played a central role
AoB PLANTS
Seed priming confers rice cold tolerance during seed germination
Mechanization and simplification are inevitable trends in agriculture to decrease input demands and simultaneously improve resource use efficiency. Dry direct-seeded rice is a resource-saving
annals-of-botany
Snow addition and warming impacts on arctic leaf anatomy and gas exchange
Climatic changes can result in modified leaf anatomy and gas exchange in arctic plants. In a one-year-old field experiment in Greenland, Schollert et al.
Plants & People
Sharing scientific code: A short introduction to Git and GitHub
Planning to work with code? Git and Github are free tools to help share your source code.
annals-of-botany
New insights into the evolution of the florally diverse Detarioid legumes
The Brazilian tree Goniorrhachis marginata is the only species of its genus in the bean family (Leguminosae) with striking flowers consisting of a long floral tube
annals-of-botany
Evolution of genome size and GC content in Droseraceae
Previous studies have suggested that carnivory and holokinetic chromosomes might be associated with genome downsizing in plants. Veleba et al. analysed genome evolution in sundews (Droseraceae)
Plant Cuttings
Iridoplasts, out of the shadows at last
Why can you find colourful plants, where they’re hardest to see? Iridoplasts, an overlooked plastid, improve photosynthesis and look great while doing it.
annals-of-botany
Geraniales flowers revisited: evolutionary trends in floral nectaries
Investigating floral morphology in the order Geraniales, Jeiter et al. present data to demonstrate that even the most disparate floral morphologies are derived from a common
annals-of-botany
Ghost orchid symbiotic seed germination
Successful orchid germination, embryo development and seedling establishment require the presence of mycorrhizal fungi. However, little is known about the orchid seed germination niche requirements in