The evolutionary secret of the California poppy's alkaloids

Characteristic features of plants, such as their active ingredients or flower color, may have developed through very different evolutionary histories. This is shown by an international study on the orange-flowering California poppy led by researchers at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU). The multidisciplinary research team compared the biosynthesis of alkaloids and carotenoids as well as flower control factors of this plant at the genetic level.