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The vast diversity of form and function in the plant kingdom was a major puzzle for 19th-century botanists, and continues to be important for modern day geneticists. Variation is observed in all species, and offspring have a unique combination of the characteristics inherited from their parents. Since Darwin, biologists have studied the way that the characteristics are passed on. In 1866, Gregor Mendel published work on patterns of inheritance in pea plants. He bred many generations of plants and noted the ratios of inherited characteristics. This new and very scientific approach generated patterns in the ratios which no-one had seen before. Unfortunately, at the time his work was not understood and its importance was not appreciated.