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News Release 06-030

Making Sense of Plant Smells

New analytical tools are giving researchers better insight into plant aromatics

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Brewer's clarkia flowers produce and emit more than 10 different volatiles.

Researchers are using Brewer's clarkia, a member of the evening primrose family, to study plant volatiles. Brewer's clarkia flowers produce and emit more than 10 different volatiles. Eran Pichersky's research group at University of Michigan has identified the enzymes responsible for the synthesis of the five main volatiles.

Credit: Pichersky Laboratory, University of Michigan