Paris japonica (G)

World's largest genome belongs to slow-growing mountain flower

An unremarkable and slow-growing plant has stunned scientists after they found it had the world's largest genome – 50 times bigger than that of our own species.
It is an unremarkable and rather fragile plant, but a flowering herb that frustrates gardeners for being notoriously difficult to grow has stunned scientists after they discovered it has the world's largest genome.
The DNA contained within Paris japonica dwarves all other plant and animal genomes that have been analysed so far. It is 50 times longer than the human genome, even though our species is thought to be one of the most complex and advanced on the planet.
A genome - the biological code which directs how every organism develops - is made up of the DNA found inside almost all living cells.
The slow-growing plant, which is native to the mountains of the Japanese island of Honshu but is also found in gardens in the UK, boasts more than 150 billion base pairs – the basic building block that links together to form DNA – in its genome. Humans have just three billion base pairs. If stretched out, the genetic information contained within just one cell of Paris japonica would stretch more than 328 feet – taller than Big Ben – while the genome from a human cell would stretch just 6.5 feet.
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8196572/Worlds-largest-genome-belongs-to-slow-growing-mountain-flower.html