Earth’s oldest, knotted and scarred pine trees are a boon for forest life. These old mountain pines (Pinus uncinata) offer food and shelter for lichens and insects not just because…
Category: News
Here’s why blueberries are blue
The secret to a blueberry’s hue is in the structure of its wax coat. Waxy coverings on blue-colored fruits such as blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum), grapes (Vitis vinifera) and some plums…
This weird fern is the first known plant that turns its dead leaves into new roots
To get by in the waterlogged, low-nutrient soil of the Quebrada Chorro forest in western Panama, a species of tree fern repurposes its dead fronds, turning them into roots. The…
A rare 3-D tree fossil may be the earliest glimpse at a forest understory
With its fluffed, spiraling top and thin trunk, the Sanfordiacaulis densifolia tree looks like it came straight out of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. But this isn’t a truffula come to…
This first-of-its kind palm plant flowers and fruits entirely underground
Palm trees are often associated with Hollywood Boulevard and tropical resorts, but their relatives in the palm family Arecaceae can come in many different shapes and sizes. And one shuns…
On some Australian islands, sea level rise may be helping mangroves thrive
Some mangrove forests off Australia have flourished in the last several decades, a new study reports. And, counterintuitively, rising sea levels may be responsible. Off Australia’s northern coast, the skeletal…
Salty sweat helps one desert plant stay hydrated
Sweat keeps some animals cool in scorching heat. Salty secretions also serve one desert shrub a refreshing sip of water. The Athel tamarisk uses a special selection of salts excreted…
The first citrus fruits may have come from southern China
Citrus fruits’ hometown is in China, a genetic analysis suggests. An extensive look at wild members of the orange family tree hints that the first species in the Citrus…
The fastest-evolving moss in the world may not adapt to climate change
The world’s oldest moss has seen three mass extinctions — but may not survive climate change. The genus Takakia has the highest number of fast-evolving genes of any moss, researchers…
Flowers pollinated by honeybees make lower-quality seeds
Flowers pollinated by honeybees make fewer and lower-quality seeds than flowers visited by other pollinators. That could be because honeybees spend more time buzzing between flowers of the same plant…
