Soltis, D. E. 2016. Floral flexibility: Diversification of the flower. Nature Plants 2:15211. [View on publisher’s site]

Angiosperm evolution involves a major transition from spiral to whorled arrangements of floral organs. Examination of the genetic programs specifying floral organ identity in Nigella damascene, a species of Ranunculaceae with spiral flowers, illuminates the molecular basis of how spiral flowers can have flexible numbers of floral organs.