Latest Plant morphology Stories

An international team of scientists has uncovered the first evidence of a non-human species cultivating plants for use other than as food. Instead, bowerbirds propagate fruits used as decorations in their sexual displays. The researchers discovered male bowerbirds had unusually high numbers of fruit-bearing plants growing around their bowers, and used these fruits in order to attract females. Published today (24 April), in Current Biology the research was carried out by the Universities of...

When unproductive plants were given the working protein, their flowering time was restored Flowering is the most crucial act that plants undergo, as the fruits of such labor include crops on which the world depends, and seeds from which the next generation grows. While classic experiments have demonstrated that plants are able to adjust the timing of their flowering in response to environmental conditions, such as light, temperature and the availability of nutrients, very little has...

Flowering is the most crucial act that plants undergo, as the fruits of such labor include crops on which the world depends, and seeds from which the next generation grows. While classic experiments have demonstrated that plants are able to adjust the timing of their flowering in response to environmental conditions, such as light, temperature and the availability of nutrients, very little has been known about what exactly triggers plants to make flowers instead of leaves, under various...

MODESTO, Calif., April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Redwood Creek wines invites the country to take part in an exciting nationwide tree planting initiative with the Arbor Day Foundation. The winery, whose name pays homage to the iconic California redwood trees, has made a donation to plant a total of 35,000 trees to support the nonprofit conservation and education group in its mission of inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. (Photo:...

Seed size is controlled by small RNA molecules inherited from a plant's mother, a discovery from scientists at The University of Texas at Austin that has implications for agriculture and understanding plant evolution. "Crop seeds provide nearly 70 to 80 percent of calories and 60 to 70 percent of all proteins consumed by the human population," said Z. Jeff Chen, the D.J. Sibley Centennial Professor in Plant Molecular Genetics at The University of Texas at Austin. "Seed production is...

The color and scent of flowers and their perception by pollinator insects are believed to have evolved in the course of mutual adaptation. However, an evolutionary biologist from the University of Zurich has now proved that this is not the case with the arum family at least, which evolved its scent analogously to the pre-existing scents of scarab beetles and thus adapted to the beetles unilaterally. The mutual adaptation between plants and pollinators therefore does not always take place....

New research from the University of Adelaide could help protect one of the world's most globally threatened tree species - the big leaf mahogany - from extinction. Big leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) is the most prized mahogany timber around the world. It is at risk of extinction in its native habitats because of the timber trade, particularly in Central and South America. To better understand how such a threatened species can be brought back from the brink of extinction,...

For more than a century, Vincent Van Gogh's series of paintings depicting overly-bushy sunflowers were thought to be the result of his alleged mental illness at work, but now could actually be realistic impressions of a genetic mutation seen in some strains of the flowers, according to a new study. Most typical sunflowers have a brown, seed-filled middle and a single ring of yellow petals. But some seem overgrown with double rows of petals -- like the "Teddy Bear" variety -- and others...

In addition to being among his most vibrant and celebrated works, Vincent van Gogh's series of sunflower paintings also depict a mutation whose genetic basis has, until now, been a mystery In addition to being among his most vibrant and celebrated works, Vincent van Gogh's series of sunflower paintings also depict a mutation whose genetic basis has, until now, been a mystery. In a study published in PLoS Genetics, a team of University of Georgia scientists reveal the mutation behind the...

New research reveals Artemisia tridentata seeds can form a persistent seed bank, ensuring its survival in an invasive, fire-prone system Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is a key foundational species in an ecosystem that is threatened by invasion of cheatgrass and the subsequent increase in fire frequency. Critical to the conservation, reestablishment, and restoration of the sagebrush steppe ecosystem (which comprises 63 million hectares of the Great Basin of North America) is...