Contact: Carl Blesch
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Rutgers University

Fruiting Branches of Spigelia genuflexa Bending Down to Release Seeds from Capsules

Caption: A newly discovered plant species, appropriately named Spigelia genuflexa, displays a particular and rare characteristic that gives it its name. After fruits are formed, the fruiting branches "bend down," depositing the capsules with seeds on the ground and sometimes burying them in the soft cover of moss. This ensures that the seeds end up as close to the mother plant as possible, facilitating its propagation the following season.

Credit: Alex Popovkin

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Related news release: Amateur botanists discover a genuflecting plant in Brazil