This odd vine contradicts long-standing evolutionary theory

'They don't follow the classic ideas of how we would have imagined the species evolved.' Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. A tiny tropical flower is challenging a longstanding model for plant evolution. According to researchers at the Field Museum in Chicago, an oddball member of the lipstick vine family evolved to attract more pollinators spreading to other parts of the world, and not the other way around. "It was really exciting to get these results, because they don't follow the classic ideas of how we would have imagined the species evolved," explained Jing-Yi Lu, a botanist and coauthor of a study published today in the journal . Most lipstick vines look like their name implies: lengthy plants featuring vibrantly red, tubular flowers.