Andrea Appleton

I am a botanist and evolutionary biologist interested broadly in the evolution and development of angiosperms and particularly in the evolution of floral morphological diversity. My graduate work focuses on the evolution of novel floral structures called staminodes, which are stamens that have been modified over evolutionary time such that they no longer produce viable pollen. I am studying staminodes in closely related taxa from the family Loasaceae, which have amazingly complex flowers, to understand the evolution of these novel organs and the genetic foundations of their diversity.