Blushing flowers

Blushing flowers Some flowers shift colour after pollination. In this way they signal to pollinators here is nothing more to get. Now Chinese and American researches discovered which gene is regulating this in Lotus species. The flowers of Lotus japonicus and Lotus filicaulis are both yellow. Only one of those, L. filicaulis, colours a blushingContinue reading “Blushing flowers”

Bullseye

Bullseye Flowers go all out for getting noticed by pollinators, like accentuating their centre with a different colour. Now Englisch researchers show in Science Advances that this pattern establishes itself early in hibiscus flower development. The dark yellow stamen full with pollen form a stark contrast with the blue-purple spot that forms the middle ofContinue reading “Bullseye”

Pollen navigation

Pollen navigation Multiple fertilizations of an ovule do not contribute to healthy offspring. Plants therefore have taken measures to prevent this. Now researchers from Japan show how a plant manages this. The landing of a pollen grain on a pistil of a flower is only the first hurdle of fertilization. After landing the pollen grainContinue reading “Pollen navigation”

Pollinated by roaches

Pollinated by roaches Thinking about the pollination of flowers most of us generally assume bees do all the hard work. While bees are busy as bees pollinating flowers, they are hardly the only ones recruited for the job. Loads of other insects are helping out, with bats and hummingbirds also part of the pollination workforce. AContinue reading “Pollinated by roaches”