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The impacts of climate change continue to pose a threat to our food systems. Alternative food crops like the drought resistant Enset (Ensete ventricosum) are more important than ever as they could potentially support our food security under climate change. The Enset, a relative of the Banana (Musa species), is a staple crop in Ethiopia cultivated for human food and medicine, animal feed and fiber. They are starchy in nature and are fermented before making into porridge or bread. Currently, Enset is an important part of the diet for about 20 million Ethiopians. Scientists predict that it can be successfully grown over a wider range of environmental and climate conditions in Africa, potentially supporting over 100 million Africans in the future. However, adoption of Enset as a crop outside of Africa has its hurdles, especially with other competing staple crops that are faster to harvest, have higher nutritional value and are less labour-intensive to process.

Begonias are known for their striking and attractive foliage and are often small to medium in size, growing close to the ground and cultivated in pots and terrariums. Researchers surveying wild Begonias in Tibet discovered a huge Begonia flowering on the forest slopes next to a stream bank - Begonia giganticaulis was confirmed as a new species in December 2021. Distinctive for its tall height, dioecious flowers with late and longer flowering time, one of the specimens collected was 3.6 metres tall with the thickest part of the stem close to 12 cm wide, these dimensions are record breaking for the genera! Due to the fragmented distribution of Begonia giganticaulis with less than 5 known populations under 1000 individuals each, it is classified as Endangered under the IUCN Red list.

It was long assumed that plants evolved gradually over hundreds of millions of years to become the complex flowering plants we see today. Through new quantifying methods the evolution of land plants is now believed to have occurred in 2 distinct phases with a gap of 250 million years after the initial seed plants, restarting again with the diversification of flowering plants about 100 million years ago. Researchers based these findings off a novel method of quantifying evolutionary change by counting the reproductive structures (form and function) in flowers, categorising about 1,300 terrestrial plant species that were in existence between 420 million years ago until the today.

A fossilised pine cone with germinated seeds encased in Baltic amber was discovered. Researchers of Oregon State University explained that precocious germination is very rare in gymnosperms like pine, with only one naturally occuring example described from 1965. However, germination of seeds inside the fruits of angiosperms or flowering plants is not uncommon especially in the absence of seed dormancy. This discovery in amber is the first record of fossil seed viviparity in plants. The research also found that this vegetatitve viviparity may have connections to winter frost, suggesting that it may have happened much earlier than the discovery.

For the first time in two decades, researchers in British Columbia identified a new carnivorous plant; Triantha occidentalis! This carnivorous plant grows in nutrient-poor, boggy but brightly lit areas on the west coast of North America, from California to Alaska. The delicate flower stalk of Triantha occidentalis might seem like a nice perch for insects. However, the sticky hairs on the flower stalk means certain death as the plant ensnares passing prey and absorb its nutrients with the help of digestive enzymes it secretes. This plant is unique in that it traps insects near its insect-pollinated flowers, showing a careful balance of carnivory and pollination. Only smaller insects like midges are captured while larger and stronger pollinators like bees and butterflies can escape from its sticky trap. The discovery of the plant in this well-studied eco-system shows that there are more surprises yet to be discovered in nature.