I noticed that Polypodium vulgare, which I saw in Denmark, seems to develop two distinct types of fronds. (1) Some have a somewhat triangular outline with slightly curved pinnae, while (2) others show a more rounded arrangement, with the pinnae extending almost orthogonally from the central vein. The second type lacks pinnation at the tip and has an elongated “central” pinnae (see 2nd image, not taken of this plant though), whereas the first type does.

This photo isn’t very representative. I should have taken a comparative image while I was still there.

I initially thought this fern might be dimorphic, but both frond types can bear sporangia, and according to the internet it is not considered dimorphic.

Does anybody why? I’m intrigued.

Yeah, their growing pretty well but I'm worried if their roots are going to come out of the pot.

I wasn’t sure at all what tag to put this under, so I’m sorry if it’s misidentified. I know they grow near or in the Altai, and that generally(?) irises seem to be frost-resistant. How do they interact with their environment, and how do they survive the weather? Do they naturally occur in clusters/flower fields out in the wild, and what plants do they tend to grow near? Do they need to be cultivated?

Again, I’m sorry if this is the wrong tag or wrong subreddit for this. I almost posted it on gardening, but it felt wrong because the question is more about the habit and nature of the plant than how to nurture it.

Thank you so much to any responses :)

Hello Guys,

I was looking at a longitudinal section of a Phytolacca americana stem (pic attached) and noticed something weird: the xylem/phloem or whatever you call it seems to form clear strips, and there are these blank spaces repeating every ~1 cm.

So my brain is screaming: how is water actually moving upward like this? I thought the xylem was supposed to be continuous, but these visible gaps make it look… segmented?

Can someone explain how water transport works in stems like this, and why it still manages to move efficiently despite these apparent “breaks”?

Thanks in advance.

I'm trying to recall an old scishow video I saw years ago that said that lettuce and other plants can release airborne chemicals under stress (like being eaten by pests) that trigger other plants in the area to produce a chemical that the pests don't like.

I'm curious about both these things but particularly about the natural pest repelling abilities some plants have when being eaten. What is the name for this?

Howdy! This is quite a long one, so you might want to grab some popcorn… I am an amateur horticulturist who started with growing succulents three years ago at the age of 15; I am now 17, and am most intrigued by plant genetics. The petunias shown in the images above have been naturalized to a family member’s yard for over 25 years and likely MUCH longer than that. There are several distinct solid colors and a few unique specimens with hybrid traits. All I know about the history of these petunias is that my great aunt inherited the place 25 years ago and they were already naturalized there at the time.

I will provide all the backstory I can and then ask a few questions. As mentioned, the petunias have been growing there for at least 25 years, but likely much longer than that. The solid colors are white, pink, and purple, while a few specimens show a mixture of colors, or other unique traits. All the varieties seem to be upright and leggy. I suspect that these varieties are the result of natural hybridization between an old vining petunia (purple and pink varieties) and a white multiflora petunia. That would explain why they show all three colors and a semi-vining/semi-mounding growth pattern.

I have MANY questions, but I will just list some of them so as not to get ahead of myself, or waste anyone’s time:

1. Could I be correct in my origin hypothesis? Could I be right in believing the hybridization between vining and multiflora varieties? How can I test this theory? I can compare phenotypic traits, but I am not sure where I can find reliable descriptions of the original varieties to compare. (I have tried USDA, and National Gardening Association).

2. Would I be dumb to attempt breeding? I would like to breed the solid colored lines out to stabilize their traits, while also watching for genetic mutations and the occasional unique specimen. By isolating unique specimens, I would then breed them as their own lines to stabilize their unique traits. In the end I would ideally have been able to document their traits thoroughly, and gain several unique varieties with their own traits.

3. What other varieties can I use for breeding? I would like to also incorporate new genetics into the mix through F1/F2 hybridization. I already have another old variety from my great grandma’s property that I intend to use as an experiment, and I would like to incorporate one or more other varieties that have well documented phenotypic traits; these varieties would be used as control so I can properly document the performance of my other varieties. I could also use these control varieties as further breeding material for hybridization, so they would ideally carry over their mounding genetics to the offspring to get rid of the legginess found in my other varieties.

You can find my petunia breeding plan on my website. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Link is not working, so DM me for that.

Lastly, I completely understand that I am not entitled to even a single answer. These questions may be dumb, but I have learned that you will never find out unless you ask. I hope that this post is received well and not taken incorrectly. I am not trying to say that this is some big breakthrough. I know that another variety of petunia is nothing monumental and would not have any effects outside of my small town. This is simply a passion of mine and I am seeking guidance from those willing to share.

Thank you greatly for your time reading this post. Any and all guidance is greatly appreciated. As I said, I have many more questions and much to learn. If you would like to be of assistance to me throughout this process, please let me know. If nothing else, I would appreciate some guidance on what recourses or contacts could be helpful for me (E.G. online databases of petunia cultivars, information on controlled breeding and documenting traits, etc.)

Thank you, Petunia Pal ~

So I went four-leaf clover hunting (I've never found one) but I found this! It doesn't look like it's from bugs, and the abnormal leaf growth is on each leaf...

Is this rarer than a four leaf clover? 😂

Self-heal (Prunella grandiflora). Pic 1: Pollen illuminated iwth UV light. Pic 2: without UV light, for comparison. Pollen often shows fluorescence, often in the bluish range, due to phenylpropanoids (e.g. ferula acid). The photo was taken with a longpass filter, tonenhance the contrast and to remove reflected blue light from the UV light source.

I'd like to appreciate the fuzzy little leaf I found. It looks pretty neat to me ☺️

*[Not an expert with IDing plants... Yet ;) this isn't an ID post but do lmk if I'm wrong please]

The Amargosa niterwort (Nitrophila mohavensis) grows exclusively in alkali wetlands in the Amargosa River Basin of Nevada & California. Just a couple of inches tall at most, growing in scattered clumps in salt crust, the niterwort thrives in some of the most extreme environments on Earth. Summer temperatures within its range regularly exceed 115°F and average precipitation is 3.5 inches. It has populations at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada and nearby Carson Slough in California; as well as down the Amargosa River about 35 miles in the town of Tecopa, California. It is listed as endangered under both the federal and California Endangered Species Acts. Its groundwater-dependent habitat is threatened by overexploitation of groundwater resources for agriculture and mining, as well as by climate change.

I have a background in invertebrate zoology, i want to work with native western australian plants, probably taxonomy for for the herbarium or stay in academia

Really keen to do an online course. Would love some recommendations!! I’m currently housebound so cannot partake in field trips or in-person courses. Also limited funds, so I’m wondering if there’s any free or cheap courses (even if they’re not as amazing in quality just to get started). I’m not fussed about getting accreditation, just want to keep learning whilst I’m physically limited

I am an undergraduate botany student, and I would like to improve my employability for my time after college.

One certification I found would be an arborist certification offered by the ISA. Are there any other certifications I should consider? I'm not worried about at the time required, I just want to know what is out there.

Thanks

Hi, I’ve been wondering why poppies, often with their striking red flowers, seem to appear in wheat/barley crop fields.

I’ve seen this phenomenon in different locations more than three times and I wonder if there is a reason for it.

My research attempts have not been very fruitful. Apparently, the hardiness of the grass gives floppy-stemmed poppies structure, and the poppy’s strikingness attracts pollinators. But is it really mutualism if grasses are wind pollinators? Is it to do with soil quality?

I live in the UK and it seems poppies were previously considered ‘weeds’ in crop fields. Is it simply that they thrive in the same conditions, or is there an ecological relationship between the two?

Thanks in advance.

Apologies if this type of post is not allowed. But lots of feelings resurfaced as August 22, 2025 looms near, and I wanted to shed some light on a very special person that has done so much for the field of botanical study in the Philippines.

Though the Philippines is a jackpot for botany enthusiasts, interest in the field is relatively sparse in the country. But those who take up biology, or other related courses, have heard about the unfair loss of Leonard Co, a beloved botanist of the Philippines, and his companions on November 15, 2010. The victims, unarmed, were doing forest-restoration work in Kananga, Leyte, when they were gunned down by the Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army. It was said to be 245 rounds of gunfire.

The military defended their actions to be based upon a "mistaken identity," thinking that Co and his team were members of the New People's Army (an armed communist group in the Philippines). The items on their person, thought to have been guns, were simply their diaries and forest tools. This case is still ongoing, and the next hearing dates are on August 22 and September 5. It's been nearly 15 years since their deaths, and no justice has been served. But we still hold on to hope.

Leonardo Legaspi Co, as succinctly put by Julie Barcelona, another well-known botanist of the Philippines, was "the Filipino peoples' botanist, conservation biologist, acupuncturist, ethnopharmacologist, and professor." He published many books dedicated to local flora and founded many botanical societies in the country. One of his greatest achievements, at least to me, a struggling biology student with a deep love for botany, was taking up the task of revising American botanist E.D. Merrill's work of enumerating Philippine flowering plants. He had amassed a large list and photographs of Philippine plants by the time of his list, which has been added to and continued by his friends and colleagues on the website, Co's Digital Flora of the Philippines (philippineplants.org).

Two native plants have been named after him, namely, the Raflessia leonardi (slide 4) and Mycaranthes leonardoi (slide 5).

All pictures and information have been taken from the Co's Digital Flora of the Philippines website, as well as a published post by the UP Dilliman College of Science Student Council, which have been helping Co's family garner financial support for the ongoing legal battle, regarding the hearing dates.

See also: The study as published in Nature Plants.

Is there anything I should be aware of before?

Hey guys, i was wondering if we can integrate hydroponics on a microfluidic chip. like growing a full plant from seed using a microfluidic chip instead of the normal pot and soil method or by using the conventional hydroponics technique. My idea is to have the channel wide and tall enough to accommodate the roots while having an opening at the top of the chip so that the plant can grow. Now the channel dimensions should have to be in the range of 2 or even 3 mm, which makes it out of the microfluidic ranges, but for now let us consider that to be ok. i would appreciate your thoughts on this idea.

This petunia seems to continue growing its sepals after its flower has faded.