EVOLUTION OF FLOWERING: EXPLORING LFY AND ITS TARGET GENES
Maize ears format the axils of leaves. In the barren stalk fastigiate1 (baf1) mutant, ears either do not form, or if they do, they develop fused to the internode. This defective organ separation causes the formation of notches along the internode, as seen in the cover image (leaves were removed to show the ear). Gallavotti et al. (pages 1756–1771) show that Baf1 encodes an AT-hook DNA binding protein involved in the initiation of axillary meristems.