Lianas are particularly abundant in seasonally dry tropical forests, where most species flower during the dry season. Although the hydraulic differences in the vegetative organs of lianas and trees have been well documente, the floral hydraulic strategies and their potential role in liana expansion remain unclear.

In a study published in New Phytologist, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and their collaborators provided the first organ-level evidence that lianas and trees employ fundamentally different hydraulic strategies in their flowers. The study offered a key explanation for the increasing dominance of lianas in seasonally dry tropical forests under climate change.

The researchers systematically compared 32 species (16 lianas and 16 trees) from the genus Bauhinia (Fabaceae) under common garden conditions in Xishuangbanna. By analyzing 24 floral traits related to water transport, storage, drought resistance, and pollinator attraction, they sought to uncover divergent hydraulic strategies between the two growth forms.

The results showed that while both life forms coexist, their reproductive organs have evolved contrasting solutions to cope with seasonal water deficits. Liana flowers adopt a “drought-tolerant” strategy. They have denser veins in their petals, higher stomatal density and size, and tougher, more structurally reinforced flowers. These traits enable them to bloom in the canopy under conditions of high heat and dry air.

In contrast, tree flowers rely on a “drought-avoidance” strategy. They store more water and have greater hydraulic capacitance, which helps delay dehydration. However, they are less resistant to drought overall.

Interestingly, the hydraulic efficiency–safety trade-off showed divergent patterns between life forms. Liana flowers maintained a clear trade-off between efficiency and safety, whereas tree flowers did not. This reverses the pattern commonly observed in vegetative organs, where lianas often decouple these traits.

The researchers also found that lianas and trees occupy distinct regions in floral hydraulic–reproductive trait space, reflecting contrasting coordination between structure, function, and reproduction.

“Our findings demonstrate that even closely related species have evolved contrasting floral hydraulic strategies shaped by their life form. Therefore, it’s significantly important to consider hydraulic traits of reproductive organs, when assessing plant drought tolerance and predicting reproductive performance under future climate change,” said ZHANG Jiaolin of XTBG.

Flower of Bauhinia plants. (Image by KE Yan)

Flower of Bauhinia plants. (Image by KE Yan)

First published: 17 March 2026