Evolution and development of complex floral displays.

Flowering plants - angiosperms - display an astounding diversity of floral features, which have evolved in response to animal pollination and have resulted in the most species-rich plant clade. Combinations of macroscale (e.g.

Complex petal spot formation in the Beetle Daisy (Gorteria diffusa) relies on spot-specific accumulation of malonylated anthocyanin regulated by paralogous GdMYBSG6 transcription factors.

Gorteria diffusa has elaborate petal spots that attract pollinators through sexual deception, but how G. diffusa controls spot development is largely unknown. Here, we investigate how pigmentation is regulated during spot formation.