View source for The largest genome size known today: Paris japonica

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<font size="4">Paris Japonica: Researchers Claim Simple White Flower Has World's Longest Genome&nbsp;<br />
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</font><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/07/paris-japonica-researcher_n_754557.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/07/paris-japonica-researcher_n_754557.html</a><br />
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[[Image:Paris japonica Kinugasasou in Hakusan 2003 7 27 openfree.jpg|thumb]]<br />
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<font size="5">About Paris japonica</font><br />
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<p><em><strong>Paris japonica</strong></em> (<a title="Japanese language" href="/wiki/Japanese_language"><font color="#0645ad">Japanese</font></a>: <span lang="ja" xml:lang="ja">キヌガサソウ属, <em>Kinugasasou</em> meaning 'canopy plant'</span>) is a species of the genus <em><a title="Paris (genus)" href="/wiki/Paris_(genus)"><font color="#0645ad">Paris</font></a></em> in the family <a title="Melanthiaceae" href="/wiki/Melanthiaceae"><font color="#0645ad">Melanthiaceae</font></a>, which has the largest <a title="Genome" href="/wiki/Genome"><font color="#0645ad">genome</font></a> of any organism yet assayed, about 150 billion <a title="Base pair" href="/wiki/Base_pair"><font color="#0645ad">base pairs</font></a> long.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-0"><font size="2"><font color="#0645ad"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></font></font></a></sup> An <a class="mw-redirect" title="Octoploid" href="/wiki/Octoploid"><font color="#0645ad">octoploid</font></a> and suspected <a class="mw-redirect" title="Allopolyploid" href="/wiki/Allopolyploid"><font color="#0645ad">allopolyploid</font></a> hybrid of four species, it has 40 chromosomes. It is native to <a class="mw-redirect" title="Sub-alpine" href="/wiki/Sub-alpine"><font color="#0645ad">sub-alpine</font></a> regions of <a title="Japan" href="/wiki/Japan"><font color="#0645ad">Japan</font></a>.</p>
<h2><span id="Characteristics" class="mw-headline">Characteristics</span></h2>
<p>A slow growing perennial, it flowers in July. The showy white star-like flower is borne above a single <a title="Whorl (botany)" href="/wiki/Whorl_(botany)"><font color="#0645ad">whorl</font></a> of about eight stem leaves. It prefers cool, humid, shady places.</p>
<p>The rare flower has a genome 50 times bigger than humans. With 150 billion base pairs of DNA per cell, it is the biggest genome in the world, and the DNA from a single cell stretched out end-to-end it would be taller than 300&nbsp;feet (91 m), such as <a title="Big Ben" href="/wiki/Big_Ben"><font color="#0645ad">Big Ben</font></a>.</p>
<p>The flower has 19 billion more base pairs than the previous record holder, the <a title="Marbled lungfish" href="/wiki/Marbled_lungfish"><font color="#0645ad">marbled lungfish</font></a>, whose 130 billion base pairs weigh in at 132.83 picograms per cell.</p>
<h2><span id="References" class="mw-headline">References</span></h2>
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    <li id="cite_note-0"><strong><a href="#cite_ref-0"><font color="#0645ad">^</font></a></strong> <a class="external text" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.kew.org/news/kew-scientists-discover-largest-genome.htm"><font color="#3366bb">Kew scientists discover the largest genome of them all</font></a></li>
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<h2><span id="External_links" class="mw-headline">External links</span></h2>
<p><a class="external text" rel="nofollow" href="http://rareplants.co.uk/page.asp?id=parisjapon"><font color="#3366bb">Rareplants page</font></a><br />
<a href="http://www.kew.org"><font color="#399800">http://www.kew.org</font></a>&nbsp;<br />
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