Why Learning the Names of Trees Is Good for You
Getting to know trees can lead to new ways of looking at the world.
Plant of the Month: The Runner Bean
From Aztec medicinal remedies to Darwin’s study of flower pollination, local knowledge about the runner bean reveals the importance of biodiversity.
Five Ways To Help the Environment While in Lockdown
We can’t be wandering outside much right now, but there are still ways to go green.
Plant of the Month: Stanhopea Orchids
How did some orchids transform from rare, all-but-inaccessible flowers into popular houseplants you can purchase at a supermarket?
The Marvelous Experiments of Amateur Plant Breeders
Over 100 years ago, a horticulturalist introduced hybrid plants to California gardeners. Up sprouted a movement of amateur experiments in plant biology.
Plant of the Month: Mint
From the fields of ancient Egypt to the present-day American Pacific Northwest, the history of mint goes beyond the search for fresh breath.
Plant of the Month: Turmeric
The plant’s golden color has inspired a long—and potentially deadly—fascination.
Are Galls Miracle Cures or Just Weird Growths on Plants?
For millennia, humans have exploited galls for medicine, fuel, food, tanning, and dyeing. Some people have considered them miraculous.
Plant of the Month: The Sensitive Plant
This plant’s animal-like behavior and alleged love-provoking abilities have sparked the imagination of everyone from early modern yogis to today’s scientists.
Plant of the Month: Agave
The international popularity of tequila threatens the quantity, health, and biodiversity of all species of agave.