Many non-flowering aquatic plants propagate through asexual reproduction, which is arguably more efficient than the process employed by terrestrial plants. It is common to think of flowering plants as more advanced, but in Yen's view, "Maybe plants that can reproduce without going through that process are actually the most advanced from an evolutionary standpoint."
許多不開花結果的水草，靠著增生、分裂，像酵母菌一樣繁衍，這種生殖方式說來比陸生植物更划算、省力，人們總認為開花植物才是高等植物，在顏聖紘眼裡，「或許不需開花結果就能繁殖的植物，在某種演化意義來說更進步。」