Austrobaileya scandens Flowering

Ancient angiosperms are blooming in the Friedman Lab of the Arnold Arboretum! This time lapse video captures the long-awaited flowering of Austrobaileya scandens, an ancient liana (woody vine) found only in the tropics of Queensland, Australia. Note its hermaphroditic flower, which functions first as a female organ, able to receive pollen, and hours later, as a male organ, with the exposure of its pollen-bearing anthers. This reproductive strategy, called protogyny, decreases the likelihood of self-pollination. This species has weathered millions of years of changing environmental conditions, and despite its early origins, is the sole remaining species of its family, Austrobaileyaceae. A recent expedition and accompanying study by William (Ned) Friedman, Juan Losada and Julien Bachelier, examined prolonged embryo development in this extraordinary species. For more information, visit arboretum.harvard.edu