There are many ways in which botanical ecology can be studied in the field or in the laboratory setting. Botanical ecology involves two areas of human activity: seeking to satisfy curiosity and striving to find out how what is learned…
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Orchids are a very diverse and visually appealing group of flowering plant. They typically require certain conditions in order to grow and can be found sporadically in their habitats or in large numbers depending on the species. One of these…
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For those of you baby boomers, yes, “Moonflower” is an album by Santana, but it’s also a plant in the morning glory family with a lovely white bloom. The Moonflower is named for its round white shape, like the moon,…
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Ethnobotany is a hybrid of botanical science and anthropology. This is interesting because of the ways in which humans and plants are so closely dependent upon, affect and are affected by each other. Studying plants and human cultures together seems…
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The theory has long been that non-human mammals simply can’t keep the beat. In fact, it was increasingly suggested that mammals needed the ability for vocal mimicry before even beginning to have a sense of musical rhythm – apparently highlighted…
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The unique Grass tree is indigenous to Australia. The taxonomic name is Xanthorrhoea – difficult to say and even more difficult to spell! For many years the plant was called a ‘blackboy’ as the species that develops a trunk is…
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In 1848 the American explorer and future President of the United States discovered a rather unusual plant “on barren hills in the lower part of Northern California”. Fremont took his find to John Torrey, the leading botanist of the day…
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Cycads are not related to palms at all but appear similar because of their leathery, feathery foliage. Because of the similarity in appearance, cycads often have common names ending in ‘palm’. One difference between the two is that, while cycads…
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Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) is a familiar plant throughout the temperate northern hemisphere. It is frequently found in open fields, along roadsides and in clearings within the boreal forest. It might be thought that plant is named after the vivid purple…
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It may be strange to hear certain kinds of trees being associated with morel mushrooms, but these great mushroom morsels are most often found under or close to some species of trees. This doesn’t mean that they aren’t occasionally found…
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