NJB Botany 2024 drawing competition winner Patricia Chan
Submitted by editor on 17 July 2024.
The winner of the "draw your study organism"-competition at Botany 2024 is Patricia Chan, University of Wisconsin-Madison, who is working alongside researchers at Kings Park Botanic Garden and the Western Australian Herbarium to better understand the curious pollination ecology of these plants.
Sketches of three species in the genus Darwinia (Myrtaceae), that are endemic to largely dry hot regions of southwestern Australia. Within this genus, species vary greatly in floral scent and appearance, which we believe to correlate with different pollinator types that may range from insects to birds and marsupials. Darwinia flowers often feature long, brushy styles that present pollen along their stylar hairs. Some flowers are small, pale, upright, and held individually, while others are collected into closed "bottle-shaped" tubes, or downturned "bell-shaped" heads surrounded by brightly-colored bracts. While some smell like citrus and honey, others are reminiscent of ozone or decomposing cheese.