Latest Plant morphology Stories
Plants that can pollinate themselves are more likely to go extinct, says new study of nightshade plant familyMany plants can pollinate themselves and reproduce without the aid of a mate, thanks to having both male and female parts. But the short-term perks of being able to go it alone come with long-term costs, says a new study in the journal Science. The reason is because plants that can pollinate themselves are more prone to extinction, scientists say.Flowering plants are incredibly...
Mechanical properties of explosive seed dispersal in CardamineCatapults are often associated with a medieval means of destruction, but for some plants, they are an effective way to launch new life. Dispersing seeds greater distances by catapulting can provide selective advantages, including the establishment of populations in new environments and escape from certain threats.In new work published in the recent October issue of American Journal of Botany, Dr. Ellerby, students, and postdoctoral...
PHOENIX, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- A 110-foot-tall fresh-cut Christmas tree, the tallest in the nation, arrives at Outlets at Anthem at 6:30 a.m. today, Oct. 26 following a four-day journey from northern California. "It's going to be very exciting to see this huge truck carrying such a gigantic tree exit I-17 for its final destination here," said Sallyann Martinez, marketing director at Outlets at Anthem. "It's a holiday tradition for the center to have the tallest tree in Arizona at 80 feet,...
High in an alpine meadow, Gesine Pufal, from the University of Wellington, New Zealand, crouched low to the ground and splashed some water from her water bottle on a low green plant cushion, then sat back waiting to see if something would move. Sound crazy? Many hikers passing by her may have thought so, but Pufal was trying to find potential plant species that possess a type of plant movement called hygrochasy.Although the ability to move is typically thought to be a characteristic unique to...
LSU breeding program produces new fig selection for home orchardsThe ancient fig tree, first imported to the United States during the 16th century, thrives in areas of California and the South Atlantic and Gulf Coast areas of the U.S. One of the most popular trees grown in Southern backyards, fig is favored for its versatile fruit and low-maintenance production.Charles E. Johnson, Ed O'Rourke, and James E. Boudreaux, from the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge,...
Patterns of flower biodiversity point to the importance of having 'room to grow'What, in nature, drives the incredible diversity of flowers? This question has sparked debate since Darwin described flower diversification as an 'abominable mystery.' The answer has become a lot clearer, according to scientists at the University of Calgary whose research on the subject is published today in the on-line edition of the journal Ecology Letters.Drs. Jana Vamosi and Steven Vamosi of the Department of...
Why do some insect-eating plants like sundews keep their flowers so far away from their traps? New research suggests that it isn't a clever trick to keep pollinators safe, it's about getting pollinatedSex can be complicated at the best of times, but plants have an extra difficulty. If you're a plant who relies on insects to pollinate your flowers and reproduce, you will want your flowerstalks to be long. That way your flowers are on display to insects above the crowd. But if your stalk is too...
SACRAMENTO, Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- If Alfred Hitchcock had made a movie to scare pet owners, he might have called it "The Foxtails." Many outdoor animals can suffer from these sharp stickers, warns the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA). Foxtails may get lodged around the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, coat, and paws. Pet owners should be aware of the following signs, which may indicate the presence of foxtails: Eye swollen shut or squinting with sticky dischargeSneezing or...
Genetic analysis of Guam's cycads shows promising genetic diversityCycads, "living fossil" descendents of the first plants that colonized land and reproduced with seeds, are rapidly going extinct because of invasive pests and habitat loss, especially those species endemic to islands. But new research on Cycas micronesica published recently as the cover article in Molecular Ecology calls into question the characterization of these plants as relicts (leftovers of formerly abundant...
Some of the molecular machinery that governs flower formation has been uncovered in the daisy-like Gerbera plants. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Plant Biology have published a pair of articles detailing how the complex Gerbera inflorescence is formed and how this process differs from other model plants, such as the more simple flowers of Arabidopsis species.Teemu Teeri, from the University of Helsinki, Finland, worked with a team of researchers to carry out the studies....
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...
