Branch Out

You might think the National Herbarium of NSW is where we keep our finest coriander, mint and basil. Actually, this vital facility contains over 1 million plant specimens used for scientific research, and some are almost 250 years old! Walk through the corridors of this 165-year-old building and discover this historical hub and heart of plant sciences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

Some communities can't access green space, depriving them of the physical, mental and social benefits that nature brings. Discover how the Community Greening program is changing the health and wellbeing of communities one garden at a time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr Barbara Briggs is one of Australia’s leading botanists and police used her skills in the 1960’s to assist a kidnapping-murder case. But over the course of her 59 years of research at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, she’s been part of an even bigger investigation: EVOLUTION. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They're among the first types of land plants to appear on Earth about 470 million years ago, but bryophtes are easy to overlook - unless you're Matt or Trevor. On a field trip to the very tip of Far North Queensland, they came across a curious new species growing in a highly unusual place... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a back-up plan for plants going extinct in the wild - it's called seedbanking. Scientists from the Australian PlantBank spend weeks in the field tracking down native plant material from all over the country to bring back to the incredible facility in Western Sydney, so they don’t disappear forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Wollemi Pine was thought to be extinct for 60 million years until it was accidentally discovered by David Noble in 1994 during a weekend bushwalk, 150km from Sydney. Our living fossil captures the imagination and attention of the world because it offers a window into the past, but now scientists are focused on protecting its future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...

Discover how the remarkable digestive ability of the endangered Southern Cassowary keeps itself, rainforests, and us alive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Put on your detective hat and lab coat and enter the strange and microscopic world of deadly plant diseases threatening our food crops and native flora. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the deadly and life-saving chemicals found in plants. From tea tree oil to morphine, we use nearly 15,000 different plant species for medicinal purposes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices