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Water limitation is an important determinant of the distribution, abundance and diversity of plant species. Yet, little is known about how the response to limiting water supply changes among closely related plant species with distinct ecological preferences. Comparison of the model annual species Arabidopsis thaliana with its close perennial relatives A. lyrata and A. halleri, […] More
Making Eden by David Beerling, 2019. Oxford University Press. Almost 12 years ago I reviewed David Beerling’s previous book The Emerald Planet. I was very impressed with that slim, but information-packed, volume; I’m even more impressed with his latest tome, Making Eden. Yes, Making Eden has a rather straightforward message: How plants transformed the bare […] More
Selection on duplicated plant volatile genes is thought to have enabled the evolution of floral volatiles crucial to plant-insect interactions. More
We might think of flowers in terms of their colour and scent, but what about their temperature? A new review in Annals of Botany looks at the thermal ecology of flowers. In the paper Casper van der Kooi and colleagues explore how flowers manipulate their temperature. Being able to raise or organs in the flower […] More
Floral colour in angiosperms can be controlled by variations in the expression of the genes of the anthocyanin pathway. Floral colour shifts influence pollinator specificity. Multiple shifts in floral colour occurred in the diversification of the genus Erica (Ericaceae), from plesiomorphic pink to, for example, red or white flowers. Le Maitre et al. investigated variation […] More
The ovule-bearing organs of the yew family Taxaceae differ from typical conifer seed-cones in possessing a fleshy structure surrounding the ovule/seed, which is variously interpreted either as an aril or a sarcotesta. Based on examination of anomalous teratological seed cones of Pseudotaxus and comparison with wild-type cones of both Pseudotaxus and Taxus, Dörken et al. […] More
Many plants produce colourful flowers that play a role in pollinator attraction. These floral visual signals may have distinct optical properties that differ in biological relevance. In this review, van der Kooi et al. discuss the optical properties and functional significance of common and uncommon aspects of floral visual signals. Drawing on a large body […] More
Finding out when the earliest ancestor of the flowering plants evolved has been difficult. Estimates have been wildly different, depending on the method you use. More
A polysaccharide found in the cell walls of land plants has now been found outside the cell. This chemical, Xyloglucan, could be one of clues as to how plants moved onto land. More
The more I learn about roots, the more amazing they appear. Not only do they provide essential support for, and anchorage of, the aerial, above-ground, parts of the plant, they are the prime organs for abstracting water and a wide range of chemicals from the soil and transporting those throughout the plant. Furthermore, their ancient […] More
At Cuttings HQ we love a new botany journal – even if it’s technically described as a serial. So, we were really pleased to find out about The Global Flora, whose first issue was launched in January 2018. Published by Plant Gateway Ltd, this new publishing initiative is intended as a “practical flora to vascular […] More
One of the most ancient forms of life on the planet might be more common than we thought. More
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