Growth & Development

5 cm of volcanic ash leads to the loss of seedling emergence on the volcanic island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, likely affecting succession for decades after a recent eruption.

Only invasive weeds thrived when scientists warmed island soil, while native plants stayed hungry despite being surrounded by potential food.

In the forest understorey, Spring fires the starting gun on a race to catch sunlight before the forest canopy fills. But changing climates means different plants now start at different times.

High-speed cameras capture squirting cucumbers shooting seeds at 29 mph across 12-meter distances using perfectly angled, pressurised fruit explosions.

Adding tiny amounts of organic waste transforms sterile lunar dust into farmland, but the secret lies in managing competing bacterial communities around plant roots.

The dream of crops that could drink seawater has taken a hit as botanists prove that Nolana mollis, a desert survivor long believed to hydrate itself from atmospheric brine, actually relies on conventional deep-root water uptake to survive Chile’s bone-dry Atacama Desert.

Scientists reveal how pitcher plants develop their deceptively slippery rims that send unsuspecting insects to their doom.