Latest Plant morphology Stories
The researchers discovered that a rainforest vine, pollinated by bats, has evolved dish-shaped leaves with such conspicuous echoes that nectar-feeding bats can find its flowers twice as fast by echolocation. The study is published today in Science.While it is well known that the bright colours of flowers serve to attract visually-guided pollinators such as bees and birds, little research has been done to see whether plants which rely on echolocating bats for pollination and seed dispersal...
MIT researchers have created a new model that predicts maximum tree height across the U.S. According to the researchers, knowing how tall trees can grow in a region gives ecologists knowledge about the potential density of a forest and size of its tree canopy to the amount of carbon stored in woodlands and the overall health of an ecosystem.The new model takes in basic meteorological data like average annual temperature, precipitation, humidity and solar radiation. The team said the model...
By Stuart Wolpert, UCLAThe size of leaves can vary by a factor of 1,000 across plant species, but until now, the reason why has remained a mystery. A new study by an international team of scientists led by UCLA life scientists goes a long way toward solving it.In research federally funded by the National Science Foundation, the biologists found that smaller leaves are structurally and physiologically better adapted to dry soil because of their distinct vein systems.The research will be...
BLODGETT, Ore., July 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Renowned Scientists from around the world presented their latest berry research at last week's 4th Biennial Berry Health Benefits Symposium. New studies further demonstrate the profound impact berries have against age-related disease including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mental decline. Members of the science and health communities gathered to hear nearly two dozen presentations, ranging from the role berries play in...
New technology proves more cost-effective than traditional single-head systemGreenhouse vegetable production in North America has more than doubled in the past 10 years. While heavy investments have been made in modern greenhouses, improved cultivation technologies are essential for producers to realize the high productivity potential afforded by the improved facilities.Gaining popularity in greenhouse vegetable production is a high-wire system in which cucumbers plants are trained into a...
International Conference to Feature Latest International Research on Berries and Human Health Four Seasons Hotel, West Lake Village, California June 27-29, 2011 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., June 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Berry Crops Initiative today announced the 4th Biennial Berry Health Benefits Symposium that will highlight international research that builds on the growing body of scientific knowledge that demonstrates the profound effect that berries have on human...
A new smartphone application is now available that allows any budding botanist to instantly identify tree types by snapping a picture of its leaf, reports the Associated Press (AP). The free iPhone and iPad app, called Leafsnap, instantly searches a growing library of leaf images amassed by the Smithsonian Institution. Seconds after taking the photo, the program returns a likely species name, high-resolution photographs and information on the tree's flowers, fruit, seeds and bark. Users...
Researchers sat that climate change is expected to alter the global industry in fruits and nuts dramatically as tree crops like pistachios and cherries struggle in the rising temperatures. The study found that even if polluters took more action to cut carbon emissions, the impact of climate change will likely be severe enough that the $100 billion-a-year fruit and nut industry needs to reassess planning. Trees in temperate regions evolved to need a chilly period so they can grow in the...
Maintaining the world's threatened animal and plant species may rest with something as simple as knowing how far a bird can fly before it must answer nature's call.Birds disperse seeds as they travel, but deforestation can mean those seeds might land where they can't sprout and grow, according to a University of Florida researcher who co-wrote a study in last month's issue of Ecology that looks at how tropical birds disperse plant seeds in Brazil's Amazon rainforest.If birds spread plant...
The genetic 'wiring' that helps a seed to decide on the perfect time to germinate has been revealed by scientists for the first time.Plant biologists at The University of Nottingham have also discovered that the same mechanism that controls germination is responsible for another important decision in the life cycle of plants "” when to start flowering.Their discovery throws light on the genetic mechanisms that plants use to detect and respond to vital environmental cues and could be a...
Latest Plant morphology Reference Libraries
Kelp forests are areas that are underwater with a high density of kelp. They’re recognized as one of the most dynamic and productive ecosystems on Earth. Smaller regions of anchored kelp are known as kelp beds. Kelp forests can be found worldwide throughout polar and temperate coastal oceans. In the year 2007, kelp forests were discovered in tropical waters near Ecuador as well. While they are physically formed by brown macroalgae of the order Laminariales, kelp forests offer a unique...
The Lily of the Nile or Calla Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) is a species of plant native to southern Africa in Lesotho, South Africa, and Swaziland. It has been introduced to Western Australia where it occurs in high periodical water tables and sandy soil. Several hybrids have been established and introduced to other areas around the world. Some hybrids are more suited to cooler climates. One hybrid, Crowborough, grows better in the British Isles and the northwestern United States than it...
The Paper Flower (Bougainvillea glabra), is the most common species used for bonsai.A Brazilian native, it features glossy green leaves with fine hairs and fuchsia colored stalks. It is an evergreen climbing vine whose trunk is typically twisted amid narrow stems with deep green foliage and prickly thorns. Clusters of small white flowers bloom among vividly colored paper like bracts. It is from these bracts that the name "paper flower" is derived. Paper Flowers are versatile and...
Giant Salvinia (Salvinia molesta), also known as kariba weed after it infested a large portion of the reservoir of the same name, is an aquatic fern, native to south-eastern Brazil. It is a free floating plant that does not attach to the soil, but instead remains buoyant on the surface of a body of water. The fronds are .25 to 1.5 inches long and broad, with a bristly surface, and produced in pairs also with a third modified root-like frond that hangs in the water. This is an example of an...
Daylily comprises the small genus Hemerocallis of flowering plants in the family Hemerocallidaceae. The name Hemerocallis is based on the Greek words for day and beauty, which reflects the fact that the individual flowers last for only one day. They open at sunrise and wither at sunset, to be replaced by another one (sometimes two or none) on the same stem the next day. Originally from Eurasia, a native from Europe to China, Korea, and Japan, their large showy flowers have made them...
