Herbarium of the Bizarre

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 Easter

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 ht

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-h

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/rele

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-mysti

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.worlda

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.

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 car

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-

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 plant