Cattleya cernua Cattleya cernua Cattleya cernua, commonly known as the Nodding Sophronitis, is a species of orchid occurring from Brazil to northeastern Argentina. It was the type species of the genus "Sophronitis" until the genus was made synonymous with "Cattleya". Twenty plants of "C. cernua" have received a total of 22 AOS awards. The described flowers range from 1.9 cm to 3.2 cm horizontal spread and from 2.0 cm to 3.0 cm vertical spread. In nature, "Cattleya cernua" is pollinated by hummingbirds drawn to the blooms' warm colors. The orchid's cryptic pollinia (masses of pollen which adhere together) provide an interesting adaptation
Flowering Locus C Flowering Locus C Flowering Locus C ("FLC") is a MADS-box gene that in late-flowering ecotypes of the plant "Arabidopsis thaliana" is responsible for vernalization. In a new seedling "FLC" is expressed, which prevents flowering. Upon exposure to cold, less "FLC" is expressed (to a degree depending on the amount of cold), and flowering becomes possible. "FLC" is extensively regulated through epigenetic modifications and transcriptional control. The expression of "FLC" is affected by other genes including "FLK", "FCA" and "VERNALIZATION2" ("VRN2"). Wild "Arabidopsis" plants have different alleles for the "FLC" gene, which correspond to ecotypes which either (a) flower rapidly and