![Bee flying towards a Cape jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) flower](https://globalplantcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/csm_20210201_Impatiente_pollinisation_2_2af6aa94de-e1614929685880.jpg)
People often thing of flowers as a bright and showy splash of contrasting colors. But some plant species actually produce two types of flowers: normal ones with a colorful appearance, and “runts” that are small, never open. Why do some plants produce small and unattractive flowers? Two researchers think they’ve figured out why, supporting a hypothesis dating back 150 years to Charles Darwin.