Lukas VFN 🇪🇺#Philippines research offers hope for conserving enigmatic Rafflesia #plants https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/philippines-research-offers-hope-for-conserving-enigmatic-rafflesia-plants/
The seed #transcriptome of Rafflesia reveals #HorizontalGeneTransfer and convergent #evolution: Implications for conserving the world's largest flower: Jeanmaire Molina et al. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ppp3.10370
"They found no genes pointing to a symbiotic relationship between #Rafflesia and #fungi, suggesting that unlike #orchids, Rafflesia may not need nutrients from fungi for successful germination."
Philippines research offers hope for conserving enigmatic Rafflesia plants
Found only in Southeast Asian rainforests, the Rafflesia genus produces the world’s largest flowers. Their prodigious size is no small feat, considering that Rafflesia possess neither roots, leaves nor stems. They are also incapable of photosynthesis, relying entirely on their hosts (certain species of Tetrastigma vines) for nourishment. These parasitic plants remain one of botany’s […]