24.04.2026 – 12.09.2027
It’s not just humans and animals that have a love life – no, plants do too; and this is precisely the theme of the exhibition ‘Blümchensex’. It sheds light on the diverse and surprising love life of plants: their ‘centre of pleasure’ is the flower – this is where the stamens and ovaries, their sexual organs, are found. Gender relations in flowers are extremely diverse: males, females, hermaphrodites and even sterile plants – anything is possible, in every conceivable combination. Plant sex is all about how the pollen grains reach the right stigma. Not so simple, considering that plants are usually firmly rooted and cannot move towards one another. To bridge the distance, they are therefore assisted by a host of helpers during the act: bumblebees, beetles, butterflies, and even birds play the role of postillon d’amour. Other plants entrust their pollen to the wind. And some avoid this whole business altogether – they remain asexual for their entire lives. So what’s the point of all this sex? Solely to allow seeds to mature, from which a new generation of genetically diverse plants can grow. We humans benefit from this too, as many fruits and seeds form the basis of our diet.
Blümchensex – The Colourful World of Plants
24.04.2026 – 12.09.2027
Naturkundemuseum
Joanneumsviertel, 8010 Graz
www.naturkunde.at
