#flowers
Questions about “flowers”.
12 articles
Do sunflowers really follow the sun?
True to its name, it is the flower that turns its head to track the sun. Spend a whole summer day watching a sunflower field, though, and you may be surprised.
How rare is a four-leaf clover?
Remember crouching in the grass, searching intently? We unpack the rarity of this lucky charm through numbers and genes.
What is the biggest flower in the world?
No leaves, no stem, no roots, and a powerful stench. The plant world’s great eccentric, living in the rainforest, sits at the very top of the flower-size rankings.
Can seeds thousands of years old still sprout?
Seeds have lain asleep in the mud of ancient ruins for thousands of years. Add water, and might they wake up? Meet the people who brought ancient plants back to life.
Are all Somei-yoshino cherry trees really clones?
Every spring, the cherry trees in a given area burst into bloom all at once. Behind that remarkable timing lies a secret dating back to the Edo period.
What is the world’s most expensive spice?
A spice like fine red threads turns paella and bouillabaisse a brilliant gold. Behind its eye-watering price lies a staggering amount of work.
Are tomatoes and potatoes related?
One bears red fruit on its branches; the other swells into tubers underground. These two vegetables look nothing alike, yet they share a surprisingly deep connection.
Do plants sleep at night?
When the sun goes down, the plants in your garden may quietly change shape. Meet the “night face” of plants, which has intrigued people for more than 2,000 years.
How far can dandelion seeds fly?
One puff of breath and a dandelion clock bursts into a cloud of tiny parachutes drifting skyward. Just how far do those little travelers go?
How many Sunflowers paintings did Van Gogh make?
London, Amsterdam, Munich, Tokyo: museums around the world display Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. So just how many of them are there?
Why does the sensitive plant fold up when touched?
Touch it with a fingertip and its leaves fold shut, then the whole stalk sags as if bowing. What is this unusually quick-moving plant doing it for?
What is the smallest flower in the world?
Green specks smaller than sesame seeds float on a pond. They look like nothing more than algae. But what if each one were a flowering plant?