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Kari Traylor

Kari Traylor (she/her) is a post-baccalaureate fellow in the Plant Humanities at Dumbarton Oaks. She holds an MPhil in World History from the University of Cambridge as well as a BA in Social Studies from Harvard University. A historian of the Black Atlantic, her work explores the intersection of law, environmental justice, food, and culture in transnational contexts.

Vibrant sassafras leaves create a colorful understory in the woods near the Great Marsh Area of the Massachusetts North Shore. Sassafras leaves are unique for their three distinct shapes: a simple oval, a two-lobed "mitten" shape, and a three-lobed shape.
Plant of the Month

Sassafras: From Scent to Science in American Medicine

How did sassafras go from cure-all to carcinogen? Its history links Indigenous knowledge, colonial trade, and modern scientific debate.
Source: https://collections.artsmia.org/art/36169/gathering-wild-rice-seth-eastman
Plant of the Month

Wild Rice and the Rights of Nature

A groundbreaking lawsuit asks whether wild rice, or manoomin, can hold legal rights under tribal law and the growing rights of nature movement.
Tonka beans
Plant of the Month

Tonka Bean: The Tale of a Contested Commodity

The rise and fall of the sweet-smelling seeds of Dipteryx odorata stands in stark contrast to the tree’s lasting presence in global markets.