People for Scale
A picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes it's easier to…
Mulled Cider
Put these fruits, seeds, bark, and flower buds together to get mulled…
Christmas Tree Species
Though most Christmas trees are in the pine family, Pinaceae, they are…
Yuletide Greetings
European winter traditions that predate Christianity have a large focus on plants.…
Eight Days of Oil
Oil has a special significance for those who celebrate Hanukkah. This Jewish…
Confetti
No party is complete without confetti—especially when ringing in the new year.…
Ascension Island: Volcanoes, Castaways, and Darwin’s Manmade Forest
One million years ago, a volcano broke the surface in the middle…
Typical: Christmas in the clouds
Bassett Maguire (1904–1991), a botanist who spent the majority of his career…
Myanmar Mystery Solved
Working in a Herbarium sometimes requires detective work. This Myanmar mystery started…
Surviving the Fires of Australia
Amid the tragedy of the Australian fires, the Wollemi Pine is a…
An Unrequited Botanical Love Story
The love of botany is responsible for both fostering and hindering this…
Fungi of Australia
As the continent of Australia continues to burn, scientists wonder what these…
Love Potions & Charms
Love potions and charms are mentioned countless times throughout literature; from ancient…
Old Man's Beard: A Medicinal Lichen
Usnea is a genus of lichen, commonly known as Old Man’s Beard. …
The Saguaro Cactus: Emblematic Plant of the American…
Specimen StoriesWhat's in a name?
With its tall, columnar shape and upward-bending branches, the cactus we know…
Black Botany: The Nature of Black Experience
Black Botany: The Nature of Black Experience seeks to acknowledge the complex…