Lorelei Stierlen, 2014 –
Blackland Prairie native
coreopsis tinctoria or plains coreopsis
Photo by Lorelei StierlenBlackland Prairie native
coreopsis tinctoria or plains coreopsis
Photo by Lorelei Stierlen
Both photos are of the beautiful Blackland Prairie native coreopsis tinctoria or plains coreopsis. A member of the Asteraceae (Aster) family, it is an annual forb, and the blooms are described as yellow surrounding a reddish centre – but the blooms of one of these plants is all red. How can that be?
The underlying causes of flower colour polymorphism are an area of on-going research. Natural genetic mutation is one likely cause; pollinator selection, specifically bees, are also under study as a factor in determining flower colour. In self-pollinating species, biotic (herbivory) and abiotic (drought) stressors are under consideration as possible reasons for these variations.
Nature still has many mysteries to offer us – we’ll be looking for these all-red variants this spring.
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