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PODCAST

Herbarium of the Bizarre

Meredith Hemphill

A podcast about strange, spooky, and misunderstood plants (and sometimes fungi). Support the podcast at https://www.patreon.com/HerbariumoftheBizarre

science life sciences

All Episodes

00:08:44

Serviceberry

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2025/03/29

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

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00:08:58

Toothbrush Tree

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2025/03/21

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 PixabayInformation 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.2021.05.007Desert

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00:13:16

Snowdrops

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2025/03/15

The Snowflake FairyRobed 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 Februarybraves the cold to shed her bloom.—Elizabeth GordonMusic by James Milor from PixabayInformation provided by:Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms by Karen Azoulay

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00:10:16

Moringa

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2025/03/08

I finally got to break out my Ancient Egyptian Herbal for this one!Music by James Milor from PixabayInformation provided by:https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-benefits-of-moringa-oleiferaMoringa oleifera: A review on nutritive importance and its medicinal application by Lakshmipriya Gopalakrishnan, Kruthi Doriya, and Devarai Santhosh Kumar (2016). Food Science and Human Wellness, 5(2), pg. 49-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fshw.2016.04.001Desert Plants of Egypt’s Wadi El Gemal National Park by

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00:10:16

Bleeding Heart

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2025/02/28

Today is No-Buy Friday in the U.S. Aren’t you glad you can listen to this podcast for free? ;)Music by James Milor from PixabayInformation provided by: Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms by Karen Azoulay (2023) Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (2nd ed.) by Scott Cunningham (2014) https://www.flowermeaning.com/bleeding-heart-flower-meaning/ Wild Flowers of North Carolina and Surrounding Areas by William S. Justice and C. Ritchie Bell (1979)

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00:12:10

Roses, Part 2

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2025/02/21

Roses are red,But can never be blue.Thanks for listening,Welcome back for part two!Music by James Milor from PixabayInformation provided by: Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms by Karen Azoulay (2023) https://bouqs.com/blog/roses-meaning-symbolism-what-roses-signify/ https://www.britannica.com/plant/rose-plant Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (2nd ed.) by Scott Cunningham (2014) Herb Magic for Beginners: Down-to-earth Enchantments by Ellen

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00:08:39

Musk Flower

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2025/02/14

This episode appears not to have published last week when it was supposed to, and I don't know why. I'm sorry about that. It was finished and scheduled, but it still said "draft."Today's topic is the Musk Plant. No relation to Elon. It’s a flower that smells like that stuff that’s in all the perfumes and colognes. Except, it doesn’t anymore, and that’s a mystery!Music by James Milor from PixabayInformation provided by: Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History

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00:11:08

Roses, Part 1

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2025/02/14

I’ve been humming “Every Rose Has it’s Thorn” for a week. 🌹🌹🌹Music by James Milor and LuminousPresence from PixabayInformation provided by:Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms by Karen Azoulay (2023)Herbaceous: Growing, Harvesting, and Using Herbs by Sarah Baker (ed.) (2003)https://bouqs.com/blog/roses-meaning-symbolism-what-roses-signify/https://www.britannica.com/plant/rose-plantCunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (2nd ed.) by Scott Cunningham

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00:10:39

Peyote

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2025/01/31

Let’s take a Peyote trip (sort of)! 🌵 This cute, little, hallucinogenic cactus was one of the first plants I put on my list when I started this podcast. It's had a special place in my heart since my college ethnobotany class.Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://apnews.com/article/indigenous-spirituality-protecting-peyote-sacred-d4855e65f6b011c6677d8050af9a2f8d Hallucinogenic drugs in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures by F.J. Carod-Artal (2015) “Peyote

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00:08:39

Corncockle

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2025/01/24

This plant is deadly poisonous. But there seems to be some disagreement on how deadly, which seems like something that would be easy to come to a conclusion on. Just don’t eat it.Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.jeremybartlett.co.uk/2017/01/24/corncockle-agrostemma-githago/ https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/488938/Poisonous-Corncockle-spotted-in-the-UK Botanical Curses and Poisons: The Shadow Lives of Plants by Fez Inkwright (2021)

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00:11:03

Lobelias

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2025/01/17

You remember that time I forgot to plug my microphone in? 😅 Well, I didn’t do that again, but I think I didn’t have the recording settings correct because the audio sounds like it recorded through the laptop mic. Which is to say, it's terrible. The script will be publicly available on Patreon, for free, for anyone who has trouble hearing/understanding this one.That aside, this week, we’re going to take a shallow dive into a very large and diverse genus of plants by meeting three of its most

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00:13:26

Sweet Gum

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2025/01/10

Fun Fact: Sweet Gum seeds were carried onboard the space shuttle in 1984. The seeds were brought back down to earth and planted, and the trees survive to this day.Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: 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)

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00:10:27

Nostoc

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2025/01/03

Let me tell you a little story about how star slime took over the world.Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://bygl.osu.edu/index.php/node/2115 https://www.britannica.com/science/Nostoc https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/nostoc/ https://themeaningofwater.com/2024/06/02/when-a-cyanobacteria-takes-over-the-world/ https://www.plant-lore.com/plantofthemonth/nostoc-commune/ https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/nostoc-commune-star-jelly-zzs2rwhrb

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00:07:19

Gingerbread Tree

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/12/20

Happy Holidays! This tree tastes like gingerbread!Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://500wordsmag.com/food/everything-you-need-to-know-about-doum-palm-fruit/ Influence of doum (Hyphaene thebaica L.) flour addition on dough mixing properties, bread quality and antioxidant potential by Waleed Aboshora, et al. (2015) https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-015-2063-1 https://infonet-biovision.org/trees/doum-palm Desert Plants of Egypt’s Wadi El Gemal National Park by Tamer

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00:10:03

English Ivy

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/12/14

It’s festive Friday the 13th! Today we’re looking at English Ivy, a plant that makes me want to rage.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) Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (2nd ed.) by Scott Cunningham (1985) Garden Witch’s Herbal by Ellen Dugan (2009) Herbal Magick: A Guide to Herbal Enchantments, Folklore, and Divination by Gerina Dunwich (2019) The

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00:10:33

Holly

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/12/07

I’m returning to my tradition of wintry and holiday-themed plants for December. You can call it a tradition once you’ve done it two years in a row, right? First up is Holly, which I’ve always considered a bush, but apparently it’s a tree? Maybe it’s just a matter of perspective.Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.cloudforests.ie/blog/the-holly-tree Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (2nd ed.) by Scott Cunningham (1985) Garden Witch’s Herbal by Ellen

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00:15:53

Plants and Fungi Discovered in 2024

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/11/30

Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in the U.S., so Happy Harvest! This week, we’re reviewing the year in new botanical discoveries.Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/new-fungus-species-at-worlds-end.htm Exophiala chapopotensis sp. nov., an extremotolerant black yeast from an oil-polluted soil in Mexico; phylophenetic approach to species hypothesis in the Herpotrichiellaceae family by Martin R. Ide-Perez, et al. (2024)

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00:13:07

Bananas, feat. Fusarium

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/11/23

I broke out my Intro to Plant Biology textbook from college for this. I just want you to know that.Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.britannica.com/plant/banana-plant Raven Biology of Plants (8th ed.) by Evert Eichhorn (2013) A Dictionary of Plant Pathology by Paul Holliday (1989) https://asm.org/articles/2021/june/clone-wars-how-fusarium-fungi-control-the-banana-i https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/8-things-you-didnt-know-about-bananas PBS News

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00:12:15

Pawpaw Tree

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/11/15

If you’ve ever eaten a Pawpaw, let me you what you think it tastes like. Is it “sunny and electric”?You can buy frozen Pawpaw pulp (and other forest-foraged goodies) from Integration Acres: https://integrationacres.com/ Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.seriouseats.com/what-are-pawpaws-wild-fruit-midwest-how-to-prep-and-eat-pawpaws https://wilkes.ces.ncsu.edu/2024/01/establishing-a-pawpaw-tree-in-your-backyard/ https://www.nps.gov/articles/pawpaw.htm

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00:09:20

Desert Squash

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/11/08

Oh my stars, I finished editing early this time! Which is good, because I’ll be in Berlin next week, and I need to hustle to get an episode banked for when I’m gone.Give a holler in the comments if you also have childhood head lice trauma. 🙃 Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.feedipedia.org/node/594 Bitter apple (Citrullus colocynthis) - A review of a wild plant growing from Asia to Africa with high medicinal potentials by Sidra Jabeen, et al. (2017)

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93 results

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