ON THE COVER

The surfaces of Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) fruit accumulate an exceptional quantity of surface wax (>30% fruit dry weight) that is composed of saturated glycerolipids, notably diacylglycerol (DAG) and triacylglycerol (TAG). The article by Simpson and Ohlrogge (pages 248–264) describes the development of the wax layer and uses [¹⁴C]-radiolabeling and transcriptomics to demonstrate that the fruit synthesizes TAG and DAG by a pathway related to cutin synthesis. The cover shows a scanning electron micrograph image of the surface of a Bayberry fruit that is actively accumulating wax. In this image, the wax layer separated from the epidermal cells, revealing the exceptional thickness of this unique surface wax.