Vanishing Lakes: Salton Sea
Ingloriously described as “the biggest environmental disaster in California history,” and a…
Miltonia
Miltonia consists of 20 naturally occuring species and hybrids that are entirely…
Naming the Rainbow: Rubrum / Red
Rubrum, Latin for red, is often used to indicate firey red flowers…
Naming the Rainbow: Flavum / Yellow
Flavum (Latin for yellow) is often used to indicate yellow flowers, hairs, or…
Incised fumewort
A new invasive, this relative of the Bleeding Heart was recently found…
Naming the Rainbow: Coccineum / Scarlet
A close cousin of the color rubrum, coccineum (Latin for scarlet) is…
Vanishing Lakes: Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake is a shallow, highly saline, terminal lake situated in northern…
Dancing Lady Orchids Take Center Stage
Dancing Lady Orchid is the collective common name for the orchid genus…
Botany & Birds: Taking Flight
The exhibition on now at The New York Botanical Garden, is the work of…
Paphiopedilum
Paphiopedilum is genus of slipper orchid found in tropical Asia, from eastern…
Naming the Rainbow: Aurantiaco / Orange
Alas, the Latin name of the sweet orange that makes orange juice…
Vanishing Lakes: Lake Poopó
Lake Poopó is a saline lake in the Altiplano Mountains of Bolivia.…
Naming the Rainbow: Viola / Violet
In an etymological twist, the color violet takes its name from the violet…
Cattleya
Cattleya is a genus of 129 tropcial American orchids distributed from Costa…
NYBG 2021 New Species Review!
Every year, botanists describe hundreds of new plant, fungal, and lichen species from…
Naming the Rainbow: Purpurea / Purple
The deep color purpura, Latin for purple, is commonly used to indicate…
NYBG 2022 New Species Review!
Every year, botanists describe hundreds of new plant, algal, fungal, and lichen…
Honoring the Quechua Language
What's in a name?Specimen Stories
Quechua is a family of indigenous languages spoken by the Quechua peoples of…
Dendrobium
With over 1,800 know species, Dendrobium is one of the 10 most…
NYBG 2023 New Species Review!
Every year, botanists describe hundreds of new plants, algae, fungi, and lichens…
Exploring the Bahamas with Lewis Jones Knight Brace
The Bahamas suffered its worst natural disaster recently as Hurricane Dorian, a…
No Leaves, No Problem!
Although the vast majority of plants have leaves, not all plants do,…
Orchids in your Home!
Orchids are the largest plant family, with over 28,000 known species, and…
NYBG 2024 New Species Review!
Every year, botanists describe hundreds of new plants, algae, fungi, and lichens…
Orchids of Mexico!
Mexico is a 'mega' biodiversity hotspot, and it is particularly rich in…
Epidendrum of Mexico!
Epidendrum is one of the largest of all plant genera in addition to…
Spiranthinae of Mexico!
The orchid family is so diverse, researchers find it helpful to give…
Prosthechea of Mexico!
Prosthechea is a large tropcial American genus of 125 known species, occuring…
Stanhopea of Mexico!
Stanhopea are amongst the most impressive and beautiful of all orchids, with…
Pleurothallid orchids of Mexico!
The Pleurothallid orchids are a clade of related genera, meaning they are…
Orchids Named for Mexico!
Focus on ScienceWhat's in a name?
Scientific names for plants can indicate a number of different attributes, including…
Reindeer Lichens
In this most wonderful time of the year, Christmas is naturally on…
Madagascar periwinkle
Commonly known as Madagascar periwinkle, this member of the dogbane family has…
Alice Eastwood
Alice Eastwood was a self-taught Canadian-American botanist. After graduating from high school…
Plant species named after Alice Eastwood
Several botanists have honored Eastwood's contributions to science by naming new plant…
Love Potions & Charms
Love potions and charms are mentioned countless times throughout literature; from ancient…
Mary Agnes Chase: Mentor, Activist, Botanist
Mary Agnes Chase was a self educated, determined, and influential botanist. Early…
The Three Sisters
Companion planting is the technique of growing plants closely together for mutual…
Pollination after dark
Although sometimes overlooked, bats are vital pollinators for many economically important species…
Iconic plants of the Amazon
The Amazon Rain Forest, Earth’s largest tropical rain forest, is an immense…
Maize & Teosinte
Maize (Zea mays), or corn, is a domesticated cereal crop native to…
Picnic in Central Park
Since its completion in 1876, Central Park has been a favorite destination…
Rice and its Wild Relatives
Humans have been farming rice for approximately 10,000 years. The two major…
Plant Inspired Innovations: Nepenthes and Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous…
Most plants absorb nutrients from the soil through their roots. Carnivorous plants…
Being Loved To Death – A Third of…
As the many plants to be digitized in the Endless Forms project,…