News in Brief
Plant ID Apps Can Match Expert Botanists at Species Recognition
Artificial intelligence can now identify plants with up to 99% accuracy, challenging expert botanists at their own game.
News in Brief
Plants in Parks May Not Tell the Full Pollen Story
What you see growing in city parks isn’t always what’s floating in the air you breathe there, scientists discover.
Ecosystems
Small Islands Pack a Big Biodiversity Punch
New research shows that islands make an outsize contribution to the diversity of plants.
News in Brief
Plant Parasites Fool Scientists with Stealth Evolution
Parasitic plants show surprising differences when growing on different host species, despite looking alike.
News in Brief
Afterglow of Plant Warmth Illuminates Pollination Millions of Years Later
Thermogenesis in plants may have driven insect pollination for over 200 million years, shaping plant-insect relationships.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Heather Species Reveal Surprising Evolutionary Secrets
Cape heathers show rapid shifts between bird and insect pollination, despite ongoing hybridisation.
News in Brief
Herbaria Hold Hidden Treasures for Biodiversity Research
Old plant specimens hold the key to understanding Canada’s diverse plant life better than smartphone apps.
Taxonomy & Evolution
Electronic Eyes Spy an Invasive Species
In the age-old battle against invasive species, conservationists have a new ally: social media users and their geotagged photos.
Taxonomy & Evolution
A Universal Theory of Sex
Plants and animals overwhelmingly reproduce sexually, but why gamble with the DNA like that?
Taxonomy & Evolution
Scientists Discover How New Caledonia Birthed Over 40 Unique Palm Species
Scientists used DNA to create a family tree of New Caledonia’s unique palm trees and discover how they arrived on the islands over many millions of years through long distance travel and evolving to different environments.
Growth & Development
Interpreting Elatinaceae’s Tiny Flowers in The Evolutionary Saga of Malpighiales
To understand the evolution of the flowers of a megadiverse group, Brazilian researchers had to delve into the floral anatomy of a family whose position on the evolutionary tree of plants has been controversial.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Green Goldmine: The Surprising Role of Plants in Rare Earth Element Accumulation
By analysing herbarium specimens, scientists found new plants that take rare earth elements from the ground, which could help get more of these important metals in a more sustainable way.