We will resume my trilogy of invasive plants next week once I find my mind. Has anyone seen it?

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/running-ponies/animal-or-vegetable-legend-of-the-vegetable-lamb-of-tartary/
• The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary: A curious fable of the cotton plant by Henry Lee (1887)
• https://www.nybg.org/poetic-botany/barometz/
• https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/curious-tale-of-vegetable-lamb
• The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary by Alice F. Tryon (1957). American Fern Journal, 47(1), pg. 1-7.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable_Lamb_of_Tartary

Don't worry, I'm okay. My car is very much not okay, unfortunately.

If you’re thinking of planting a Privet, you should pivot and plant something else. Well, if you live in North or Central America, anyway, but that doesn’t rhyme.

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• https://www.lewisginter.org/chinese-privet/
• https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/terrestrial/plants/chinese-privet
• https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ligustrum-japonicum/
• https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ligustrum-sinense/
• https://triangleland.org/company-news/species-spotlight-chinese-privet
• https://www.se-eppc.org/manual/privet.html
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligustrum_sinense

I have a complicated relationship with this stinky dead fish tree.

For your entertainment, a Reddit thread about Bradford Pears: https://www.reddit.com/r/arborists/comments/1bn1wpv/why_bradford_pear_is_so_hated/

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• https://indiananativeplants.org/2013/callery-pear-a-bad-bad-plant-in-bloom-right-now/
• https://www.bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/trees/bradford-pear-tree/
• https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/callery-pear-bradford-pear
• https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/terrestrial/plants/callery-pear
• https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pyrus-calleryana/
• https://extension.umd.edu/resource/bradford-pear/
• https://www.invasivespeciesva.org/species/callery-pear
• https://dyckarboretum.org/callery-pear-cut-them-down/

Meet the world’s biggest (and possibly stinkiest) flowers.

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/03/world/worlds-largest-flower-indonesia-scn-trnd/index.html
• https://www.britannica.com/plant/Rafflesia
• Plants That Kill: A Natural History of the World’s Most Poisonous Plants by Elizabeth A. Dauncey and Sonny Larson (2018)
• https://www.kew.org/plants/rafflesia-arnoldi
• https://parasiticplants.siu.edu/Rafflesiaceae/Raff.arn.page.html
• https://richardniesenbaum.com/plants-people-2/rafflesia/
• https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2017/02/colossal-blossom
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafflesia

If you’re in the U.S., I hope you try and have a happy 4th of July. And as a public safety professional in my day job, I must remind you to please not start any fires or injure anyone with fireworks. ‘Kay thanks.

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• https://www.popsci.com/environment/fairy-lantern-japan-extinct-fungi/
• https://www.discoverwildlife.com/plant-facts/thismia-malayana-facts
• https://www.livescience.com/61925-fairy-lantern-plant-rainforest.html
• https://phys.org/news/2024-02-species-story.html
• Rediscovery of Thismia neptunis (Thismiaceae) after 151 years by Michal Sochor, et al. (2018). Phytotaxa, 340(1), 71-78. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.340.1.5
• Fairy lanterns in focus by Chris J. Thorogood and Siti-Munirah Mat Yunoh (2021). Plants People Planet, 3(6), 680-684. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10217
• Fairy lanterns may lure pollinators by mimicking fungi by Kenji Suetsugu and Masahiro Sueyoshi (2021). Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 19(4), 233. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2342
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thismia
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thismia_rodwayi

Be a lavender menace.

Music provided by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms by Karen Azoulay (2023)
• https://bouqs.com/blog/capricorn-birth-flower/
• https://www.britannica.com/plant/lavender
• https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lavender-Scare
• Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (2nd ed.) by Scott Cunningham (2014)
• Herb Magic for Beginners: Down-to-earth Enchantments by Ellen Dugan (2016)
• https://www.hrc.org/resources/lavender-graduation
• The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World’s Greatest Drinks by Amy Stewart (2013)
• https://www.osgf.org/blog/2020/6/29/vi0rxptrmtd4v8n2epbm3otxj56z5o
• Lavender and the nervous system by Peir Hossein Koulivand, Maryam Khaleghi Ghadiri, and Ali Gorji (2013). Evidence-Based Complementary Alternative Medicine, https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/681304
• Herbs at a Glance: A Quick Guide to Herbal Supplements by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2009)
• https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/lavender
• https://daily.jstor.org/four-flowering-plants-decidedly-queered/
• A Floral Grimoire: Plant charms, spells, recipes, and rituals by Patricia Telesco (2024)
• Nature’s Remedies: An Illustrated Guide to Healing Herbs by Jean Willoughby (2016)
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavandula
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender_Scare

Support the Pansy Project and get a cute shirt: https://birdscanflystore.com/collection/the-pansy-project/

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms by Karen Azoulay (2023)
• https://bouqs.com/blog/capricorn-birth-flower/
• Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (2nd ed.) by Scott Cunningham (2014)
• Garden Witch’s Herbal by Ellen Dugan (2011)
• https://www.osgf.org/blog/2020/6/29/vi0rxptrmtd4v8n2epbm3otxj56z5o
• Peterson 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.kew.org/read-and-watch/plants-LGBTQ-symbols
• https://daily.jstor.org/four-flowering-plants-decidedly-queered/
• A Floral Grimoire: Plant charms, spells, recipes, and rituals by Patricia Telesco (2024)
• https://thepansyproject.com/about/
• https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/pansies/

Roses are (sometimes) red,

Violets are (sometimes) blue,

And if you ask Sappho,

Violets are gay, too!

Happy Pride Month 🌈

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms by Karen Azoulay (2023)
• https://bouqs.com/blog/violet-flower-meaning-symbolism/
• Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (2nd ed.) by Scott Cunningham (2014)
• Peterson 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.osgf.org/blog/2020/6/29/vi0rxptrmtd4v8n2epbm3otxj56z5o
• Wild Flowers of North Carolina and Surrounding Areas by William S. Justice and C. Ritchie Bell (1979)
• https://botanicgardens.uw.edu/about/blog/2021/12/21/queer-botany-the-sapphic-violet/
• Peterson Field Guides: Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America by Lee Allen Peterson (1977)
• PinkNews. (27 November 2024). Violet necklaces have become a sought-after lesbian accessory, but what is the history behind the trend? [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/DC49dz8thuV/?igsh=X2xVeEQ2Y0Jl
• https://daily.jstor.org/four-flowering-plants-decidedly-queered/
• National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Eastern Region (2nd ed.) by John W. Thieret, William A. Niering, & Nancy C. Olmstead (2001)
• Collins Gem: Wild Flowers by Martin Walter (2002)
• https://wildfoods4wildlife.com/monographs/violets/
• https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants/wild-flowers/sweet-violet/

These extra-special trees are similar to both conifers and fruit trees, but they are actually something much, much older. Ginkgoes are the only tree species around today that was alive at the same time as dinosaurs! 🦕 How cool is that?

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ginkgo-biloba-benefits
• Medicinal Plants at Home by Maria Transito Lopez Luengo and Carlota Manez Ariso (2015)
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-ginkgo/art-20362032
• Herbs at a Glance: A Quick Guide to Herbal Supplements by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2009)
• https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/guest-blog/botanical-sexism-cultivates-home-grown-allergies/
• https://www.obga.ox.ac.uk/article/seeds-from-hiroshima-atomic-bomb-survivor-trees-planted-at-oxford-botanic-garden
• https://tylerarboretum.org/ginkgo-biloba-an-ancient-species-in-a-modern-world/
• https://arboretum.ua.edu/whats-growing-on/ginkgo-ginkgo-biloba/
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo_biloba
• Nature’s Remedies: An Illustrated Guide to Healing Herbs by Jean Willoughby (2016)

Is it really possible that these trees walk around the rainforest like the Ents in Lord of the Rings?

I forgot to mention that there won’t be an episode next week. Here’s your one-week notice that I’ll be on vacation next Friday. ✈️

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• Stilt-Root Walking by an Iriateoid Palm in the Peruvian Amazon by John H. Bodley and Foley C. Benson (1980). Biotropica, 12(1), pg. 67-71. https://doi.org/10.2307/2387775
• https://www.sciencealert.com/a-persistent-rumor-suggests-this-tree-can-walk-around-but-is-it-true
• The function of stilt roots in the growth strategy of Socratea exorrhiza (Arecaceae) at two neotropical sites by Gregory R. Goldsmith and Rakan A. Zahawi (2007). International Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation, 55(3). https://doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v55i3-4.5955 [Abstract]
• https://www.treeres.com/the-walking-tree-phenomenon-unraveling-the-secrets-of-socratea-exorrhiza/
• https://www.natureandculture.org/directory/walking-palm-trees/
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratea_exorrhiza
• The epiphyte vegetation of the palm Socratea exorrhiza: Correlations with tree size, tree age and bryophyte cover by Gerhard Zotz and Birgit Vollrath (2003). Journal of Tropical Ecology, 19, pg. 81-90. DOI: 10.1017/S0266467403003092
• Tropical Plants of Costa Rica by Willow Zuchowski (2007)

Today, at long last, I am revealing my favorite fact about witches’ flying ointment. 🧹

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• https://www.gothichorrorstories.com/witches-garden/witch-garden-feature/witches-garden-plants/henbane/
• Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms by Karen Azoulay (2023)
• https://www.britannica.com/plant/henbane
• Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (2nd ed.) by Scott Cunningham (2014)
• Plants That Kill: A Natural History of the World’s Most Poisonous Plants by Elizabeth A. Dauncey and Sonny Larson (2018)
• Herbal Magick: A guide to herbal enchantments, folklore, and divination (2nd ed.) by Gerina Dunwich (2019)
• https://www.europeana.eu/en/exhibitions/magical-mystical-and-medicinal/henbane
• https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/henban23.html
• https://sites.evergreen.edu/plantchemeco/henbane-medicine-andor-magic/
• Collins Gem: Wild Flowers by Martin Walter (2002)
• https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/ethnobotany/Mind_and_Spirit/henbane.shtml
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyoscyamus_niger

A.k.a. the California Pitcher Plant or the Cobra Lily. It’s not a lily, not even a little bit, but it does look surprisingly serpentine. 🐍

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• The cobra's tongue: Rethinking the function of the “fishtail appendage” on the pitcher plant Darlingtonia californica by David W. Armitage (2016). American Journal of Botany, 103(4), pgs. 780-785. https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.1500524
• https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/darlingtonia_californica.shtml
• https://www.kqed.org/science/12317/predatory-plant-lure-of-the-cobra-lily
• https://www.carnivorousplantresource.com/the-plants/cobra-lily/
• Pollination Biology of Darlingtonia californica (Sarraceniaceae), the California Pitcher Plant by George A. Meindl and Michael R. Mesler (2011). Madroño, 58(1), pgs. 22-31. [Abstract] https://doi.org/10.3120/0024-9637-58.1.22
• https://www.cnps.org/citizen-science/carnivorous-plants-in-meadows-and-fens-6749
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darlingtonia_californica

The carnivorous plants are back, and this time we’re looking at my favorite bug traps, Sundews!

I forgot to mention in the intro that I’m going to be at RavenCon in Richmond, VA this weekend—actually, as this airs, I’m probably already on my way—and AtomaCon in North Charleston, SC next weekend. Come say “hi!”

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• Peterson 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.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Plants-and-Fungi/Sundews
• National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Eastern Region (2nd ed.) by John W. Thieret, William A. Niering, & Nancy C. Olmstead (2001)
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosera
• Nanofibers and nanoparticles from the insect-capturing adhesive of the Sundew (Drosera) for cell attachment by Mingjun Zhang, et al. (2010). Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 8(20). https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-3155-8-20

Watch the real-life Zombie Fungus in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuKjBIBBAL8

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• https://screenrant.com/girl-all-gifts-fungal-infection-hungries-explained/
• https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/cordyceps
• Interkingdom host jumping underground: Phylogenetic analysis of entomoparasitic fungi of the genus Cordyceps by Naruo Nikoh and Takema Fukatsu (2000). Molecular Biology and Evolution, 17(4), pg. 629-638. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a026341
• https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/but-not-simpler/the-fungus-that-reduced-humanity-to-the-last-of-us/
• https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/cordyceps
• Unique bioactives from Zombie Fungus (Cordyceps) as promising multitargeted neuroprotective agents by Himadri Sharma, Niti Sharma, and Seong Soo A An (2023). Nutrients, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16010102
• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cordyceps-benefits
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps

Sometimes plants come in very silly shapes.

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• https://sarracenia.proboards.com/thread/3891/nepenthes-bokorensis-wild
• Species composition of ant prey of the pitcher plant Nepenthes bokorensis Mey (Nepenthaceae) in Phnom Bokor National Park, Cambodia by Shingo Hosoishi, et al. (2012). Cambodian Journal of Natural History, 5(1), pg. 3-7.
• Report of carnivorous plants (Droseraceae, Lentibulariaceae and Nepenthaceae) from seasonally dry savannahs in Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia by Pierre-Olivier Maquart, et al. (2021). Cambodian Journal of Natural History, 14(1), pg. 1-4.
• Nepenthes bokorensis, a new species of Nepenthaceae from Cambodia by Francois Sockhom Mey (2009). Carniflora Australis, 7(1), pg. 6-15.
• Nepenthes holdenii (Nepenthaceae), a new species of pyrophytic pitcher plant from the Cardamom Mountains of Cambodia (2010) by Francois Stockhom Mey, et al. In: Carnivorous Plants in their Habitats by Stewart McPherson.
• https://www.livescience.com/carnivorous-penis-pitcher-plant-picked
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepenthes_bokorensis

While researching this episode, I stumbled across an Insta called @horrorcultureplants that I highly recommend giving a follow.

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• Biological flora of Central Europe: Aldrovanda vesiculosa L. by Lubomír Adamec (2018). Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 35, pg. 8-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2018.10.001
• Studies on the leaf movement of Aldrovanda vesiculosa L., part I: Process and mechanism of the movement by Joji Ashida (1932). Memoirs of the College of Science, Kyoto Imperial University, Series B, 9(3), pg. 143-246.
• https://www.carnivorousplantresource.com/the-plants/waterwheel-plant/
• Fossil Aldrovanda by John D. Degreef (1997). Carnivorous Plant Newsletter, 26(3), pg. 93-97. https://doi.org/10.55360/cpn263.jd244
• Prey capture analyses in the carnivorous aquatic waterwheel plant (Aldrovanda vesiculosa L., Droseraceae) by Simon Poppinga, et al. (2019). Scientific Reports, 9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-54857-w
• “This Carnivorous Plant Invaded New York. That May Be Its Only Hope.” by Mario Renault (13 August 2019). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/13/science/waterwheel-plants-carnivorous.html
• How the carnivorous waterwheel plant (Aldrovanda vesiculosa) snaps by Anna S. Westermeier, et al. (2018). Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 285(1878). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.0012
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldrovanda_vesiculosa

"They took all the trees, and put ‘em in a tree museum…”

—Counting Crows

That will kind of make sense in about 10 seconds. I should totally make a playlist for this podcast. Drop your recommendations in the comments.

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• https://extension.umd.edu/resource/serviceberry-early-flowering-maryland-native-tree/
• Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America (3rd ed.) by Steven Foster and James A. Duke (2014)
• https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/amelanchier/
• Peterson Field Guides: Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America by Lee Allen Peterson (1977)
• The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl (2023)
• Magnificent Trees of Indiana by Caroll D. Ritter (2022)
• Trees of the Carolinas by Stan Tekiela (2007)
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelanchier

I would like to introduce you to a tree that you can eat, brush your teeth with, and also use to make nanoparticles.

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• Islam Today: A Short Introduction to the Muslim World by Akbar S. Ahmed (1999)
• Salvadora persica L. Toothbrush Tree with health benefits and industrial applications: An updated evidence-based review by Mohamed Farag, et al. (2021). Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, 29(7), pg. 751-763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsps.2021.05.007
• Desert Plants of Egypt’s Wadi El Gemal National Park by Tamer Mahmoud (2010)
• https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Salvadora+persica
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvadora_persica

The Snowflake Fairy

Robed in white comes Snowflake Fairy,

braving wintry winds and ice,

pearly "Maid of February,"

whom the glistening frosts entice.

Gladly welcome Snowflake Fairy,

on your terrace give her room.

She alone in February

braves the cold to shed her bloom.

—Elizabeth Gordon

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:

• Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms by Karen Azoulay (2023)
• https://www.bloomandwild.com/the-blog/snowdrop-flowers-meaning
• https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/plant_profiles/snowdrops
• Plants That Kill: A Natural History of the World’s Most Poisonous Plants by Elizabeth A. Dauncey and Sonny Larson (2018)
• Galanthus trojanus: a new species of Galanthus (Amaryllidaceae) from north-western Turkey by Aaron P. Davis and Neriman Ozhatay (2001). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 137, pg. 409-412. DOI: 10.1006/boj1.2001.048.
• Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America (3rd ed.) by Steven Foster and James A. Duke (2014)
• https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77118772-1/general-information
• Galantamine for Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment by Clement Loy and Lon Schneider (2006). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001747.pub3
• https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/galanthus-nivalis/
• Homer's Moly identified as Galanthus nivalis L.: Physiologic antidote to stramonium poisoning by Andreas Plaitakis and Roger C. Duvoisin (1983). Clinical Neuropharmacology, 6(1), pg. 1-6. [Abstract].
• Collins Gem: Wild Flowers by Martin Walter (2002)
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galanthus
• https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants/wild-flowers/snowdrop/