Cultivated for centuries, the varieties of rose have been selected based on a number of flower traits. Understanding the genetic and molecular basis that contributes to these traits will impact on future improvements for this economically important ornamental plant. In this study, we used scanning electron microscopy and sections of meristems and flowers to establish a precise morphological cal...

Objective: The aim of this work was to perform preliminary screening of the phytoconstituents present in the leaf, flower, and bark of a valuable medicinal plant, Crataeva magna (Lour.) DC. Methods: Phytochemical analysis of the leaf, flower, and bark extracts was done using various solvent by standard methods as described by Harborne (1973). Results: Six different extracts each for leaf, flowe...

Most important breeding goals in ornamental crops are plant appearance and flower characteristics where selection is visually performed on direct offspring of crossings. We developed an image analysis toolbox for the acquisition of flower and petal images from cultivated carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) that was validated by a detailed analysis of flower and petal size and shape in 78 comme...

Geographic variation of flower size is potentially affected by various biotic and abiotic factors such as pollinator size, abundance of nectar robbers, and temperature. To elucidate the effect of geographic variation of flower-visitor fauna on flower size, we investigated two spring-flowering, bumblebee-pollinated herbs, Lamium album L. var. barbatum (seven populations) and Meehania urticifolia...

Diversification in flower shape and function is triggered by the high plasticity of flower meristems. Minute changes in space and time can profoundly affect the formation of adult structures. Dipsacoideae provides an excellent model system to investigate the evolutionary aspects of temporal and spatial changes in flower development due to its small size, the resolved phylogenetic framework, and...

Herein, we report a facile synthesis, characterization and dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) application of flower-shaped ZnO nanostructures. The flower-shaped ZnO nanostructures were synthesized by low-temperature hydrothermal process and characterized in detail by several techniques. The detailed morphological studies confirmed that the flower-shaped structures are formed by the accumulation o...

Flower pollination is an intriguing process in the natural world. Its evolutionary characteristics can be used to design new optimization algorithms. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm, namely, flower pollination algorithm, inspired by the pollination process of flowers. We first use ten test functions to validate the new algorithm, and compare its performance with genetic algorithms and...

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Oral premedication used to reduce the anxiety in patients undergoing dental treatment. Passion flower has been used as a sedative that can control the dental anxiety. PURPOSE This study determines the efficacy of Passion flower, in reducing anxiety during the dental procedures. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this randomized- one sided blind clinical trial, 63 patients, with mo...

The overall rate of self-fertilization can be viewed as the sum of two distinct processes: 1) self-pollination of all ovules in a flower (whole-flower self-pollination); and 2) self-pollination of some of the ovules in a flower, occurring together with outcrossing of the remaining ovules (part-flower self-pollination). In some situations these processes may be equated with different modes of se...

Several biotic and abiotic factors affect the seasonal and daily activities of flower-visiting insects, which, ultimately, influence the composition and abundance of a pollinator community and the extent of their pollination service. The aim of this four-year study was to assess the effect of some abiotic and biotic factors on the abundance and activity pattern of flower-visiting insects throug...