One way to preserve plants suffering from rising temperatures is to relocate them in new areas that have become suitable for them. But when a plant grows in the sands of a harsh desert, you don't want that habitat to...
Landrein et al. explore the genetic and morphological consequences of natural selection and selective breeding in the genus Abelia (Caprifoliaceae). The genus comprises ornamental shrubs, endemic to China, that have...
Despite acceptance in the scientific community that population information and suites of characters are crucial for circumscription of taxonomic groups, new taxa continue to be published on the basis of few herbarium...
Have you ever wondered how the monthly Plant Cuttings’ collection comes to be? Do you think Mr P Cuttings knows in advance what he’s going to write about each month? He has a notional idea of the items he wants to...
The phylogeography, the study of the spatial and temporal history of a species, remains largely unclear for plant species in sub-tropical China. Zhang et al. use Tapiscia sinensis, an endemic tree species, as a model to...
Imagine you’re a young and eager pollen. You’re eager for a hot date with an ovule, but first you have to get to her doorstep. How do you travel? The popular way is to fly and many pollen grains are light...
Knowledge of tylose formation is mainly based on observations of extant species, and their developmental and functional significance are less well understood in fossil plants. Feng et al. study a permineralized stem of...