Herbarium of the Bizarre

While researching this episode, I stumbled across an Insta called @horrorcultureplants that I highly recommend giving a follow. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Biological flora of Central Europe: Aldrovanda vesiculosa L. by Lubomír Adamec (2018). Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 35, pg. 8-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2018.10.001 Studies on...

"They took all the trees, and put ‘em in a tree museum…” —Counting Crows That will kind of make sense in about 10 seconds. I should totally make a playlist for this podcast. Drop your recommendations in the comments. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/serviceberry-early-flowering-maryland-native-tree/ Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal...

I would like to introduce you to a tree that you can eat, brush your teeth with, and also use to make nanoparticles. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Islam Today: A Short Introduction to the Muslim World by Akbar S. Ahmed (1999) Salvadora persica L. Toothbrush Tree with health benefits and industrial applications: An updated evidence-based review by Mohamed Farag, et al....

The Snowflake Fairy Robed in white comes Snowflake Fairy, braving wintry winds and ice, pearly "Maid of February," whom the glistening frosts entice. Gladly welcome Snowflake Fairy, on your terrace give her room. She alone in February braves the cold to shed her bloom. —Elizabeth Gordon Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Lang...

I finally got to break out my Ancient Egyptian Herbal for this one! Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-benefits-of-moringa-oleifera Moringa oleifera : A review on nutritive importance and its medicinal application by Lakshmipriya Gopalakrishnan, Kruthi Doriya, and Devarai Santhosh Kumar (2016). Food Science and Human Wellness, 5 (2), p...

Today is No-Buy Friday in the U.S. Aren’t you glad you can listen to this podcast for free? ;) Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms by Karen Azoulay (2023) Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (2nd ed.) by Scott Cunningham (2014) https://www.flowermeaning.com/bleeding-heart-flower-meaning/ Wi...

Roses are red, But can never be blue. Thanks for listening, Welcome back for part two! Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms by Karen Azoulay (2023) https://bouqs.com/blog/roses-meaning-symbolism-what-roses-signify/ https://www.britannica.com/plant/rose-plant Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Her...

This episode appears not to have published last week when it was supposed to, and I don't know why. I'm sorry about that. It was finished and scheduled, but it still said "draft." Today's topic is the Musk Plant. No relation to Elon. It’s a flower that smells like that stuff that’s in all the perfumes and colognes. Except, it doesn’t anymore, and that’s a mystery! Music by Ja...

I’ve been humming “Every Rose Has it’s Thorn” for a week. 🌹🌹🌹 Music by James Milor and LuminousPresence from Pixabay Information provided by: Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms by Karen Azoulay (2023) Herbaceous: Growing, Harvesting, and Using Herbs by Sarah Baker (ed.) (2003) https://bouqs.com/blog/roses-meaning-symbolism-what-roses-signify/ https://...

Let’s take a Peyote trip (sort of)! 🌵 This cute, little, hallucinogenic cactus was one of the first plants I put on my list when I started this podcast. It's had a special place in my heart since my college ethnobotany class. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://apnews.com/article/indigenous-spirituality-protecting-peyote-sacred-d4855e65f6b011c6677d8050af9a2f8d H...

This plant is deadly poisonous. But there seems to be some disagreement on how deadly, which seems like something that would be easy to come to a conclusion on. Just don’t eat it. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.jeremybartlett.co.uk/2017/01/24/corncockle-agrostemma-githago/ https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/488938/Poisonous-Corncockle-spotted-in-the-UK Botani...

You remember that time I forgot to plug my microphone in? 😅 Well, I didn’t do that again, but I think I didn’t have the recording settings correct because the audio sounds like it recorded through the laptop mic. Which is to say, it's terrible. The script will be publicly available on Patreon, for free, for anyone who has trouble hearing/understanding this one. That aside, this week, we’re going...

Fun Fact: Sweet Gum seeds were carried onboard the space shuttle in 1984. The seeds were brought back down to earth and planted, and the trees survive to this day. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (2nd ed.) by Scott Cunningham (2014) Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America (3rd ed.)...

Let me tell you a little story about how star slime took over the world. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://bygl.osu.edu/index.php/node/2115 https://www.britannica.com/science/Nostoc https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/nostoc/ https://themeaningofwater.com/2024/06/02/when-a-cyanobacteria-takes-over-the-world/ https://www.plant-lore.com/plantofthemonth/nostoc-commune/...

Happy Holidays! This tree tastes like gingerbread! Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://500wordsmag.com/food/everything-you-need-to-know-about-doum-palm-fruit/ Influence of doum ( Hyphaene thebaica L.) flour addition on dough mixing properties, bread quality and antioxidant potential by Waleed Aboshora, et al. (2015) https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-015-2063-1 https://i...

It’s festive Friday the 13th! Today we’re looking at English Ivy, a plant that makes me want to rage. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms by Karen Azoulay (2023) Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (2nd ed.) by Scott Cunningham (1985) Garden Witch’s Herbal by Ellen Dugan (2009) Herbal Magic...

I’m returning to my tradition of wintry and holiday-themed plants for December. You can call it a tradition once you’ve done it two years in a row, right? First up is Holly, which I’ve always considered a bush, but apparently it’s a tree? Maybe it’s just a matter of perspective. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.cloudforests.ie/blog/the-holly-tree Cunningham’s...

Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in the U.S., so Happy Harvest! This week, we’re reviewing the year in new botanical discoveries. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/new-fungus-species-at-worlds-end.htm Exophiala chapopotensis sp. nov., an extremotolerant black yeast from an oil-polluted soil in Mexico; phylophenetic approach to species hypoth...

I broke out my Intro to Plant Biology textbook from college for this. I just want you to know that. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.britannica.com/plant/banana-plant Raven Biology of Plants (8th ed.) by Evert Eichhorn (2013) A Dictionary of Plant Pathology by Paul Holliday (1989) https://asm.org/articles/2021/june/clone-wars-how-fusarium-fungi-control-the-ban...

If you’ve ever eaten a Pawpaw, let me you what you think it tastes like. Is it “sunny and electric”? You can buy frozen Pawpaw pulp (and other forest-foraged goodies) from Integration Acres: https://integrationacres.com/ Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.seriouseats.com/what-are-pawpaws-wild-fruit-midwest-how-to-prep-and-eat-pawpaws https://wilkes.ces.ncsu.edu/...

Oh my stars, I finished editing early this time! Which is good, because I’ll be in Berlin next week, and I need to hustle to get an episode banked for when I’m gone. Give a holler in the comments if you also have childhood head lice trauma. 🙃 Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.feedipedia.org/node/594 Bitter apple ( Citrullus colocynthis ) - A review of a wild p...

Less late than last time! We are approaching being back on schedule! Moving into my first house is harder than I thought, y’all. Recipe for Bengali Mashed Elephant Food Yam: https://seasonalflavours.net/ol-bhaate-elephant-foot-yam/#google_vignette Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2002/amorphophallus-paeoniifolius.html https://conservato...

This time, we’re going to talk about something truly terrifying: medical fraud! 😱 But also a bleeding plant, because you have to have balance. And no, we are not going to talk about how late this episode is. In fact, I don’t even know what you’re talking about. If you want to know more about black salve, check out episode 253 of Sawbones (link below). Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information...

Special thanks to the production of the Little Shop of Horrors stage musical I saw at NC State when I was in college. That was a first class play. I say as someone who goes to the theater maybe twice a year. But I have seen my fair share of horror musicals. There are more of them than you think. I don’t quite have my recording setup ready in the new house yet, so sorry the audio is kind of bleh. M...

a.k.a Monkshood or Aconite This episode has it all: murderers, witches, werewolves, vampires, and tips for your poison garden! And it would have been on time, if not for Spectrum. 😒 Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8492936.stm https://www.chicagobotanic.org/blog/plants_and_gardening/monsters_magic_and_monkshood https://ww...