Herbarium of the Bizarre

Spooky, scary mushrooms are glowing in the forest. 👻 Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https:/id.biodiversity.org.au/node/fungi/60094367#overview “Fungus of the Week: Ghost Fungi Bioluminescence” by Alison Downing, et al. from McQuarie University https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/apr/15/hunting-the-ghost-fungus-glowing-mushrooms-i...

Someday I should cover the plantain fruit, too, just to be chaotic—I mean informative. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/plantain-weed https://burkeherbarium.org/imagecollection/taxon.php? Taxon=Plantago%20major https://www.weedsandwildmedicine.co.uk/blog-1/plantain-the-sacred-herb-under-our-feet Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom,...

We’re getting a bit of a head start on Spooky Season. Poisonous mushrooms! Political intrigue! Murder most foul! Like, seriously. So foul. And I’m pretty sure this is at least the second time Nero has come up on this show. I can’t escape that guy. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/05/17/1175494500/new-hope-for-an-antidote-to-d...

Happy Friday the 13th! This plant has nothing to do with that, I just wanted to say it. We’re actually talking about Sunflowers, because they’re seasonal and they have taken over our front yard for some reason. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://gardencollage.com/change/sustainability/scientists-using-sunflowers-clean-nuclear-radiation/ https://www.kew.org/plants/su...

I’m back, everyone! My voice doesn’t sound the best still, but I’m plowing ahead anyway. For the belated final week of Southern Plant Month, let’s meet the most hated plant in the South: kudzu. If you’re in North Carolina and would like to try some of the kudzu delicacies I mentioned, look up Carolina Kudzu Crazy (https://www.facebook.com/p/Carolina-Kudzu-Crazy-100063473593361/). Music by James Mi...

Today, we’re talking about the world’s favorite natural fiber. It’s pretty strange, if you think about it, that Cotton plants grow these fluffy, candy floss clouds. To be clear, it’s cotton boll, not bowl. My accent is not my friend in this episode. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.fairindigo.com/blogs/news/what-is-pima-cotton-and-how-is-it-different https://w...

This one goes out to you, D’Bravius. I have never known anyone else to get so excited about a Magnolia tree. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://shop.arborday.org/treeguide/333 https://gardens.si.edu/learn/blog/the-botany-of-magnolias/ https://www.gardenia.net/genus/magnolia-tree https://www.gardenia.net/plant/magnolia-virginiana-sweet-bay-magnolia https://blog.natur...

With (sort of) special appearances by Tobin Bell, Rosalind Franklin, and a 19th-century Dutch scientist whose name I certainly did not get right. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum L.) - A model system for tissue culture interventions and genetic engineering by Thumballi R. Ganapathi, et al. (2004) [Abstract] In vitro transformation of cultured c...

I actually planned to have two parts this time. And I hope this goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: this podcast is for entertainment and educational purposes, not medical advice. Please, please do not attempt using tobacco for any of the historical medical purposes mentioned in this episode just because I said it’s been done before. Not everything that has been done should be repeated. M...

Special thanks to Brooke for suggesting today’s episode topic, Mariposa Lilies. Also, “mariposa” and “lily” have ceased to sound like words to me. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://smmtc.org/plantofthemonth/Mariposa_Lily.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calochortus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpentine_soil Butterfly Mariposa Lily Phylogeography and population...

Should there ever be another toilet paper shortage, just grow this plant in your yard, and you’ll be good to go. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2016/jul/29/plant-lambs-ears-and-keep-wool-carder-bees-happy https://hilltop.indiana.edu/news-events/_news/news9i.html https://mimiciftligi.com/en/blogs/gastronomi_ve_dogal...

We haven’t done a fungus in a while, and this one was separately sent to me by both of my parents. So, it was practically an order from on high. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.purdue.edu/fnr/extension/dead-mans-fingers-purdue-landscape-report/ Xylaria polymorpha (Pers.)Grev. (Dead man's fingers) and its ethnomycological study by Ganesh Hedawoo (2021) htt...

I was hoping this plant was going to be a little more explode-y, but you can paint and make cheese with it, so that’s pretty cool. I didn’t really think about the fact that my day off was also the day everyone sets off fireworks (even though they’re illegal in North Carolina) before I decided it would be a good time to record. At least it’s kind of on theme. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Infor...

I’m trying a new thing today. Y’all will get to hear my “radio voice.” Is that a treat or a punishment? You tell me. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.carnivorousplantresource.com/the-plants/triffid-triffidus-celestus/ Steve Sekeley (Director). (1963). The Day of the Triffids [Film]. Security Pictures, Ltd. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triffid https://en.wikip...

Our plant this week is Desert Cotton, which is also known as Kapok Bush. It turns out there is also a Kapok Tree, and that was totally not confusing at all when we were researching this episode. 😵‍💫 Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Association of Morphological, Ecological, and Genetic Diversity of Aerva javanica Populations Growing in the Eastern Desert of Egypt by Noha...

Our plant today symbolizes both war and healing. It’s been used to make beer, soup, and tea, but if you see it in the wild, you would probably just think it’s a weed. Which it is, but a useful one. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Flowers and their Meanings by Karen Azoulay https://www.almanac.com/yarrow-and-its-medicinal-uses-healing-garden-herb https://www.almanac.com/p...

I forgot to mention this in the episode, so bonus fact: mad honey poisoning can theoretically be fatal, but no one has actually died from it since the 1800s. These days, we have treatments for severe poisonings, one of which is actually atropine! Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://theapiarist.org/mad-honey/ https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/mad-honey-red-hallucinog...

Featuring several detours into catmint, which is almost, but not quite, the same thing. Article on catnip from my defunct blog: https://encyclopaediafelidae.com/crazy-for-catnip/ Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Catnip: Its raison d’être by T. Eisner (1964) https://www.bhg.com/gardening/flowers/perennials/catmint-vs-catnip/ www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/1812111031...

It’s one of history’s favorite poisons, Deadly Nightshade! It’s also one of my favorite plants, because it is both pretty and horribly toxic. The flowers are my favorite color! Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Atropa Belladonna intoxication: a case report by Mohamed Adnane Berdai, et al. (2012) https://www.europeana.eu/en/exhibitions/magical-mystical-and-medicinal/bellado...

There is COVID in our house, and I still have to get up at 5 a.m. tomorrow. I can’t think of a clever description, but I managed to make an episode on time, so be proud of me, please. This tree is named after intestines. That’s pretty interesting, right? Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FR372 https://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb2...

Meet the stinging nettle, a plant you don’t want to touch but might want to eat…or wear. Alysse Creations: https://alysse-creations.info/ The website is in French, because they are in France. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Nettle as a distinct Bronze Age textile plant by C. Bergfjord, et al. (2012) https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fsrep00664 https://www.britannica.com/plant/sti...

It’s the last week of Carnivorous Plant Month. 😢 But we’re finishing up with a real overachiever. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://entomologytoday.org/2024/03/27/bladderwort-carnivorous-plant-mosquito-biological-control/ https://www.britannica.com/plant/bladderwort http://www.batladyherbals.com/2021/03/bladderwort.html Evaluating the carnivorous efficacy of Utric...

This week’s carnivorous plant is bad news for gnats, flies, and mosquitoes, but maybe good for cows? Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://botany.org/home/resources/carnivorous-plants-insectivorous-plants/pinguicula-the-butterworts.html https://www.learnaboutnature.com/plants/carnivorous/butterworts/ https://www.ukhouseplants.com/plants/pinguicula-butterworts https://e...

Make sure you celebrate International Plant Appreciation Day tomorrow! Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Carnivorous plants: Phylogeny and structural evolution by Victor A. Albert, Stephen E. Williams, & Mark W. Chase (1992) https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1523408 Fluid physico-chemical properties influence capture and diet in Nepenthes pitcher plants by Vincent Bazile...

April is Carnivorous Plant Month! Because I said so. This week, we’re talking about one of Charles Darwin’s favorite plants, the Venus Flytrap. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.zmescience.com/science/venus-flytrap/ https://cnr.ncsu.edu/news/2021/01/five-things-about-venus-flytraps/ Testing Darwin’s hypothesis about the wonderful Venus flytrap: marginal spikes...