Vernalization shapes shoot architecture and ensures the maintenance of dormant buds in the perennial Arabis alpina

What is it about?

In temperate and alpine environments trees and herbaceous perennials initiate flowering the year before anthesis so that they can flower rapidly in the spring and set seeds or fruits before the following winter. After flowering, perennials have a complex architecture and apical or axillary meristems behave in a different way. Some may outgrow just after formation, some may flower whereas some may remain dormant, i.e. they do not outgrow after formation. Dormant buds are very important for the perennial life cycle because they are used as potential sites for growth in case of damage. Here we provide a functional link between flowering in perennial plant and the maintenance of dormant buds over multiple seasons.

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Photo by Jan Huber on Unsplash

Photo by Jan Huber on Unsplash