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Research and Science of Flowers

Research and Science of Flowers
The flowers that bloom on trees and shrubs are wonders of nature. They are buds of trees that develop into flowers instead of leaves and may be auxiliary or apical depending on the unique flowering pattern.

Plants can be flowering or non-flowering plants. The flowering plants have buds developing into flowers which are really extensions of shoots. Bees have a big role in pollination of flowers, by carrying the pollen from one flower to another.

Flowers growth, according to science

The growth of flowers takes place from being a bud and the gradual opening up of the bud to bloom a flower. After pollination is over, the flower wrinkles up and becomes dry. At times, the external carpals or petals fall off and the ovary and ovules of the flower turn into a fruit and seed or seeds.

The process of falling off of the petals and a part of the attachment remaining on the stem is called desiccation. Flowers have unique functions of being alluring or attractive, being helpful as a source of food, decoration, and revitalization of senses and propagating its own kind.

How to slow down aging of flower

The seeds of a plant get disseminated by birds, wind, rain and even man. Once they reach germinating conditions the seeds give rise to saplings which eventually turn into flowering plants. The plants are very unique with their unique look and fragrance. Seed dispersal is important for the plant growth as they require adequate quantity of air, soil and water along with sunlight for their full fruition.

And recent science is making some headway in developing methods to slow down the process of aging of these wonders of nature. Scientists in Japan have come across a growth hormone in flowers, which actually is responsible for accelerating the growth of flowers and plants. These scientists have made some headway to stall the process of degeneration of flowers.

Researchers at the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization in Tsukuba, in Ibaraki Prefecture, worked with the Morning Glory and found the gene Ephemerali, responsible for the aging of the flowers. Under normal circumstances, the flowers remained fresh for 13 hours, but when intervened with gene suppression methods, the flowers continued to be at their best for 24 hours. Florists are currently using a chemical to suppress ethylene a plant hormone required for ripening of flowers, but Irises, Lilies and Tulips, do not respond to chemicals for their longevity.