Fig. 6

Seasonal expression of the FT ortholog and a working model of seasonality in C. japonica and C. azalea. a A representative photo of a C. azalea at flushing and floral bud initiation. Due to the continuous flushing and flowering, the periodic flowering activities can be traced based on the location of flush. b The expression of FT in mature leaves of different batches of flushes. The mature leaves from second flush are obtained year-round to detect the expression of FT in C. japonica (c) and C. azalea (d). One-way ANOVA and multiple comparisons are performed for significance tests (p-value < 0.01), and different letters indicate significant changes. The stars indicate not detectable of expression. Subtle and dispersed expression of FT during summer and autumn is indicated by red arrowheads in C. azalea. e Combining the previous results together, we propose the seasonal cues (e.g., daylength, temperature, etc.) can be perceived and conveyed to regulate annual vegetative and reproductive growth in C. japonica, while in C. azalea, the flushing and flowering processes are continuous and fluctuating mainly due to the missing or disruption of the bud dormancy. The growth processes are mainly manifested as flowering (red), bud dormancy (dark blue) and flushing (green), which are color shaded