This lovely lily’s cousin is an ear of corn. Now, scientists know how they are related
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/11/lovely-lily-s-cousin-ear-corn-now-scientists-know-how-they-are-related
This lily leek (Allium moly) is one of 85,000 monocots that now have a better-defined family history.
As different as they may seem, corn and daylilies have a lot in common. So do towering palm trees and diminutive lady’s slipper orchids. Thanks to a common ancestor 137 million years ago, the roots, seeds, and sometimes leaves of these flowering plants—known as monocots—look alike. Now, a new genetic study reveals why: Even though all of these plants are landlubbers today, their ancestor lived in water.