Herbarium of the Bizarre

Happy Dia de los Muertos! Here’s your second Spooky Season special episode. 🦇If you’ve been listening long enough to remember when I got the better microphone, well, it just decided to play a Halloween trick and break on me. Actually, I think it may have been broken when I recorded last time, and I didn’t notice. Anyway, I’ll probably be going back to the worse microphone for a while. Sorry.Music by James Milor from PixabayInformation provided by:https://www.thespruce.com/bat-flower-plant-profile-4842137https://bloomnovix.com/black-bat-flower-symbolism/https://gggp.org/curators-corner-tacca-chantrieri/Taccalonolides: Novel microtubule stabilizers with clinical potential by April L Risinger and Susan L Mooberry. (2009). Cancer Letters, 291(1), 14-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.canlet.2009.09.020.Taccalonolides E and A: Plant-derived steroids with microtubule-stabilizing activity by Tina L. Tinley, et al. (2003). Cancer Research, 63(12), 3211-3220.https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/bat-flower/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taccahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacca_chantrieriPredicting mating patterns from pollination syndromes: The case of “Sapromyiophily” in Tacca chantrieri (Taccaceae) by Ling Zhang, et al. (2005). American Journal of Botany, 92(3), 517-524. https://doi.org/10.3732%2Fajb.92.3.517

Get ready for the first of two special Spooky Season episodes! 💀Music by James Milor from PixabayInformation provided by:https://www.amusingplanet.com/2021/03/pisonia-tree-that-kills-birds.htmlhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1WqWNglZmzhMMz2zZVkQdcF/the-island-paradise-with-a-dark-heartJason Bittel. (2017, April 1). This tree lures birds with a free lunch and then kills them. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/this-tree-lures-birds-with-a-free-lunch-and-then-kills-them/2017/03/31/27aa04c0-1309-11e7-9e4f-09aa75d3ec57_story.htmlDispersal and germination of seeds of Pisonia grandis, an Indo-Pacific tropical tree associated with insular seabird colonies by Alan E. Burger (2005). Journal of Tropical Ecology, 21, 263-271. doi: 10.1017/S0266467404002159https://plantfinder.mobot.org/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=291705https://nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plants/pisonia-umbellifera/https://seychellesseabirdgroup.wordpress.com/2013/06/02/pisonia-grandisa-grand-problem/comment-page-1/https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/botany/news/plant-press/researchers-split-birdcatcher-trees-genus-pisonia-threehttps://www.tetiaroasociety.org/biosphere-tetiaroa/pisonia-grandis

Anyone feel like starting a campaign to make tomatoes the national fruit?Music by James Milor on PixabayInformation provided by:https://www.arborday.org/perspectives/americas-national-tree-mighty-oakhttps://www.congress.gov/bill/99th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/159/texthttps://www.congress.gov/committee-report/108th-congress/house-report/689/1https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF13097Dirksen and the Marigold https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwogofdiGys&t=158shttps://www.nybg.org/planttalk/elizabeth-brittons-roses-campaigning-for-the-national-flower/https://www.history.com/articles/oak-tree-national-tree-of-united-states-of-americahttps://extension.psu.edu/the-national-tree-and-national-floral-emblem-of-the-united-stateshttps://www.birdsandblooms.com/gardening/gardening-basics/national-flower-bird-tree-united-states/https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-or-officially-designated-item/state-flower/rosehttps://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-or-officially-designated-item/state-tree/mighty-oak-treehttps://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title36-section303&num=0&edition=prelim

Attendees at the Exotic and Carnivorous Plant Expo join the podcast to talk about their own favorite bizarre plants. I intended to post this episode a week or so after the expo, but then I caught the con crud from hell at ConCarolinas and have only just now gotten my voice back. Music provided by James Milor from PixabayAdditional Information:https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Woodcock/overviewhttps://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/american-woodcockhttps://www.sandiegocarnivorousplantsociety.com/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrmecophyte

Come see me at the Exotic and Carnivorous Plant Expo this weekend: https://www.carnivorousplants.org/about/CEPExpoDetailsMusic by James Milor from PixabayInformation provided by:https://www.burymeinthebog.com/grow/rainbow-plantshttps://botany.org/home/resources/carnivorous-plants-insectivorous-plants/byblis-the-rainbow-plants.htmlhttps://www.carnivorousplants.org/grow/guides/ByblisThe carnivorous rainbow plant Byblis filifolia Planch. secretes digestive enzymes in response to prey capture independently of jasmonates by A Pavlovič, et al. (2025). Plant Biology, 27(4), 549–557. https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.70029Chemonastic Stalked Glands in the Carnivorous Rainbow Plant Byblis gigantea LINDL. (Byblidaceae, Lamiales) by Simon Poppinga, et al. (2022). International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(19), 1151. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911514https://www.sarracenia.com/pubs/byblis.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byblis_(plant)

I learned some lessons from the 2024 discoveries episode, and I think this one is not quite so messy. I also managed to contain it all in one episode this time!Music by James Milor from PixabayInformation provided by:https://www.calacademy.org/press/releases/california-academy-of-sciences-and-partners-uncover-new-sunflower-species-in-big-bendDamian Carrington (2026, Jan 7). Fly-arousing orchid and zombie fungus among 2025 botanical and fungal finds. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/08/fly-arousing-orchid-zombie-fungus-among-new-plant-fungus-species-finds-2025Aaron P. Davis, et al. (2005). Galanthus subalpinus (Amaryllidaceae): A new species of snowdrop from the Western Balkans. Kew Bulletin, 80, 169-175. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-024-10239-8James Doubek (2025, Feb 26). Meet the 'wooly devil,' a new plant species discovered in Big Bend National Park. National Public Radio. https://www.npr.org/2025/02/26/nx-s1-5308248/wooly-devil-new-species-genus-big-bendGabriel A. Iturralde, et al. (2025) Telipogon cruentilabrum (Orchidaceae: Oncidiinae): A new species from mid-western Ecuador, long misidentified as T. dendriticus. Phytotaxa, 694(3), 271–280. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.694.3.6 [Abstract]https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/top-10-species-2025Yee Wen Low, et al. (2025). Eugenia venteri (sect. Jossinia, Myrtaceae): A new flagelliflorous tree from the rainforest of Manus Island, Papua New Guinea. Kew Bulletin, 80, 733-743. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-025-10264-1https://www.nps.gov/bibe/learn/news/new-plant-species-discovered-in-big-bend.htmhttps://www.nps.gov/im/chdn/ecoregion.htmRosa Villanueva-Espinoza and John R. I. Wood (2025). Two new species of Aphelandra (Acanthaceae) from Peru. Kew Bulletin, 80, 983-991. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12225-025-10334-4

Merry Christmas? Happy New Year? Happy Holidays! That covers it. Personally, I celebrated four this year. Enjoy this more-or-less seasonal episode about the New Zealand Christmas Tree.Music by James Milor from Pixabay.Information provided by:https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/pohutukawa-flame-of-the-north/https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-plants/pohutukawa/https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/pohutukawa-treeshttps://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/metrosideros-excelsa/https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/the-forgotten-pandemic/https://www.tanestrees.org.nz/species-profiles/pohutukawa/https://help.treesthatcount.co.nz/en/articles/8584808-pohutukawahttps://meaningoftrees.com/2019/02/05/pohutukawa-metrosideros-excelsa/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C5%8Dhutukawa

Pass the cranberry sauce! Did you read that to the tune of the Bob’s Burgers song? I hope so.Music by James MilorInformation provided by:https://www.cranberryinstitute.org/cranberry-health-researchhttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/the-botany-behind-why-cranberries-became-a-thanksgiving-staplePeterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America (3rd ed.) by Steven Foster and James A. Duke (2014)https://www.cranberries.org/Herbs at a Glance: A Quick Guide to Herbal Supplements by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2009)Cranberry: Chemical composition, antioxidant activity and impact on human health by Boris V. Nemzer, et al. (2022). Molecules, 27(5), pg. 1503. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27051503Peterson Field Guides: Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America by Lee Allen Peterson (1977)The Kitchen Witch Companion by Sarah Robinson and Lucy H. Pearce (2023)Domestication, genetics, and genomics of the American cranberry by Nicholi Vorsa and Juan Zalapa in Plant Breeding Reviews, Volume 43 by Irwin Goldman (Ed.) (2019). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119616801.ch8

Sorry it sounds so echo-y. I’m dog/housesitting for my parents, so I’m not in my usual recording space. Ruby the Beagle says “hi.” Music by James Milor from PixabayInformation provided by:Diphylleia grayi-inspired stretchable hydrochromics with large optical modulation in the visible–near-infrared region by Guofa Cai, et al. (2018). ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 10(43), pg. 37685-37693. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.8b12490 [Abstract]https://www.thespruce.com/skeleton-flower-plant-profile-4802581Cytological effects of chemicals on tumors, XXV: Further studies on the effect of Diphylleia grayi extracts on tumor cells by Kohtaro Yamamoto and Yanagi Kimura (1964). Journal of the Faculty of Hokkaido University, Series 6 - Zoology, 15(3), pg. 347-352.https://www.scienceabc.com/nature/skeleton-flowers-how-does-this-white-flower-turn-transparent-in-the-rain.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphylleia_grayihttps://www.bhg.com/how-to-plant-and-grow-skeleton-flower-8553286Diphylleia grayi-inspired intelligent hydrochromic adhesive film by Gang Yeol Yoo, et al. (2020). ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 12(44), pg. 49982-49991. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.0c13185 [Abstract]Diphylleia Grayi-inspired intelligent temperature-responsive transparent nanofiber membranes by Cengceng Zhao, et al. (2024). Nano-Micro Letters, 16(65). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-023-01279-z

There seems to be disagreement whether it ought to be spelled narrow-leafed or narrow-leaved. Neither is easy to say, for the record.Music by James Milor from PixabayInformation provided by:https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-17100574https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/120221-oldest-seeds-regenerated-plants-sciencehttps://www.livescience.com/2602-extinct-tree-christ-time-rises-dead.htmlhttps://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/02/22/3436826.htmGermination, genetics, and growth of an ancient date seed by Sarah Sallon, et al. (2008). Science, 320(5882), pg. 1464. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1153600 [Abstract]https://www.selinawamucii.com/plants/caryophyllaceae/silene-stenophylla/Exceptional seed longevity and robust growth: Ancient Sacred Lotus from China by J. Shen-Miller, et al. (1995). American Journal of Botany, 82(11), pg. 1367-1380. https://doi.org/10.2307/2445863https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_viable_seedhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silene_stenophyllaRegeneration of whole fertile plants from 30,000-y-old fruit tissue buried in Siberian permafrost by Svetlana Yashina, et al. (2012). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(10), pg. 4008-4013. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1118386109