Plants

  1. Plants

    Forest invades tundra

    The Arctic tundra is under assault from trees, with serious implications for global climate change.

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  2. Agriculture

    A vanilla Vanilla

    The orchid that gives us vanilla beans has startlingly low genetic diversity, suggesting crops might be susceptible to pathogens, researchers report.

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  3. Archaeology

    Resurrection of a biblical tree

    Date palm pit found at Masada sprouts at age 2,000, becoming the oldest known seed to germinate.

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  4. Climate

    Goldilocks tree leaves

    Leaves mostly keep their cool (or warmth) wherever they live, a finding that might affect reconstructions of past climates.

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  5. Ecosystems

    Better than a local lady

    Orchids lure male pollinators by mimicking the scent of out-of-town female bees.

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  6. Plants

    One gene, many shapes

    A single genetic change may lead to the notable diversity of leaves seen in Galapagos Island tomato plants.

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  7. Plants

    BOOK LIST | Winter Trees

    In this picture book, a child uses sight and touch to identify seven common trees, even after they’ve lost their leaves. Charlesbridge Publishing, 2008, 30 p. $15.95 WINTER TREES

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  8. Agriculture

    Study decodes papaya genome

    Scientists have added another plant to the genome-sequencing roster: the tropical fruit tree papaya.

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  9. Plants

    Floral Shocker: Blooms shake roots of flowering-plant family

    A tiny aquatic plant, once thought to be related to grasses, raises new questions about the evolution of the earliest flowering plants.

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  10. Plants

    Attack of the skinny tomato

    An extra copy of one gene slims down tomatoes.

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  11. Plants

    City life changes style of weed seeds

    City living pushes for rapid evolution in the seed strategy of a little yellow flower along French sidewalks.

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  12. Plants

    Promiscuous orchids

    When pollinators aren't loyal to a single species of orchid, the plants maintain their species integrity by stymieing reproduction.

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