Taxonomy & Evolution
Botanists say the largest amber-preserved flower is a new species
The flower, first discovered over 150 years ago, has yielded new clues from its pollen.
Taxonomy & Evolution
Learn how to look at Lichen
April Windle presents The Wonderful World of Lichens: Introduction to Saving Devon’s Treescapes
Taxonomy & Evolution
When Birches Become Wasps
Birches may have developed white bark to warn herbivores that they’re not good to eat.
Taxonomy & Evolution
Pansies undergo high-speed evolution when pollinators disappear
French researchers used ‘resurrection ecology’ to compare 2012 pansies with plants from twenty years earlier to see the evolutionary changes in the flowers over time.
Taxonomy & Evolution
Lessons from magnolias about past climatic events and plant evolution
Chinese scientists used data from Magnolia plastid genomes to peer back millions of years to understand Cenozoic climatic changes.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Species delimitation and a new Betula species in section Costatae
Botanists have developed an integrated approach to identify differences between closely related species.
Taxonomy & Evolution
New Leaf Database Could Help Identify Extinct Plants
A new database of leaves promise not only to help identify plants around us, but also to identify plants known only from fossils.
Taxonomy & Evolution
Cycads studied to reconcile fossil and molecular evidence for evolutionary timescales
Scientists used plastomic and biogeographical data to determine when different types of cycads first evolved. Their findings challenge previous ideas about when cycads first appeared and where they come from.
Taxonomy & Evolution
Morphological characterisation of trichomes
Can we use electron microscopy and statistical analyses to better classify the trichomes of the large plant genus Solanum?
Cells, Genes & Molecules
What does chlorophyll leave behind after a billion years?
Scientists have identified one of the earliest multicellular algae. Their new method could help unlock much more information from Precambrian fossils.
Computational Models
Measuring the hidden phenotype using novel mathematical techniques
A new study quantifies the shape of barley seeds using topological methods.
Taxonomy & Evolution
Piecing together the Zamiaceae family tree reveals the evolution of how plants ‘breathe’
The Zamiaceae are often considered ‘living fossils’, but a close study of how they have evolved over millions of years can give a glimpse into the lives of past plants.