Charles Darwin described it as the most complex mating system in the natural world. Famed statistician Ronald Fisher was fascinated by it. And this episode’s interviewees braved 40 °C heat and caimans to unravel some of its mysteries. What is it? Tristyly — a rare and mysterious plant mating system. Tune in to hear what Dr Nicolay Cunha and Prof. Spencer Barrett learnt about this system from the pickerel weeds of Brazil’s Pantanal.

Associated article: Architectural constraints, male fertility variation and biased floral morph ratios in tristylous populations

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-019-0237-8