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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

00:07:39

Yarrow

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/06/14

Our plant today symbolizes both war and healing. It’s been used to make beer, soup, and tea, but if you see it in the wild, you would probably just think it’s a weed. Which it is, but a useful one.Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Flowers and their Meanings by Karen Azoulay https://www.almanac.com/yarrow-and-its-medicinal-uses-healing-garden-herb https://www.almanac.com/plant/yarrow https://www.botanical.com/~botanid5/botanical/mgmh/y/yarrow02.html

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00:10:15

Mad Honey

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/06/08

I forgot to mention this in the episode, so bonus fact: mad honey poisoning can theoretically be fatal, but no one has actually died from it since the 1800s. These days, we have treatments for severe poisonings, one of which is actually atropine!Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://theapiarist.org/mad-honey/ https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/mad-honey-red-hallucinogen Risks for human health related to the presence of grayanotoxins in certain honey by the

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00:09:22

Catnip

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/05/31

Featuring several detours into catmint, which is almost, but not quite, the same thing.Article on catnip from my defunct blog: https://encyclopaediafelidae.com/crazy-for-catnip/ Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Catnip: Its raison d’être by T. Eisner (1964) https://www.bhg.com/gardening/flowers/perennials/catmint-vs-catnip/ www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181211103125.htm https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/catnip-nepeta-cataria/

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00:11:33

Deadly Nightshade

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/05/25

It’s one of history’s favorite poisons, Deadly Nightshade! It’s also one of my favorite plants, because it is both pretty and horribly toxic. The flowers are my favorite color!Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Atropa Belladonna intoxication: a case report by Mohamed Adnane Berdai, et al. (2012) https://www.europeana.eu/en/exhibitions/magical-mystical-and-medicinal/belladonna https://sites.evergreen.edu/plantchemeco/deadly-nightshade/

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00:08:59

Guanacaste Tree

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/05/18

There is COVID in our house, and I still have to get up at 5 a.m. tomorrow. I can’t think of a clever description, but I managed to make an episode on time, so be proud of me, please. This tree is named after intestines. That’s pretty interesting, right? Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FR372 https://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb2/speciesprofile.php?Spid=734 Chemical composition, secondary metabolites and nutritive value of

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00:09:32

Stinging Nettle

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/05/11

Meet the stinging nettle, a plant you don’t want to touch but might want to eat…or wear. Alysse Creations: https://alysse-creations.info/ The website is in French, because they are in France. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Nettle as a distinct Bronze Age textile plant by C. Bergfjord, et al. (2012) https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fsrep00664 https://www.britannica.com/plant/stinging-nettle Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica L.): Nutritional Composition, Bioactive Compounds,

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00:10:34

Bladderwort

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/04/26

It’s the last week of Carnivorous Plant Month. 😢 But we’re finishing up with a real overachiever. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://entomologytoday.org/2024/03/27/bladderwort-carnivorous-plant-mosquito-biological-control/ https://www.britannica.com/plant/bladderwort http://www.batladyherbals.com/2021/03/bladderwort.html Evaluating the carnivorous efficacy of Utricularia aurea (Lamiales: Lentibulariaceae) on the larval stages of Anopheles stephensi, Culex

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00:08:06

Butterwort

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/04/19

This week’s carnivorous plant is bad news for gnats, flies, and mosquitoes, but maybe good for cows?Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://botany.org/home/resources/carnivorous-plants-insectivorous-plants/pinguicula-the-butterworts.html https://www.learnaboutnature.com/plants/carnivorous/butterworts/ https://www.ukhouseplants.com/plants/pinguicula-butterworts https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinguicula

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00:07:19

Pitcher Plants

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/04/12

Make sure you celebrate International Plant Appreciation Day tomorrow!Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: Carnivorous plants: Phylogeny and structural evolution by Victor A. Albert, Stephen E. Williams, & Mark W. Chase (1992) https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1523408 Fluid physico-chemical properties influence capture and diet in Nepenthes pitcher plants by Vincent Bazile, et al. (2015) https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcu266

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00:10:24

Venus Flytrap

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/04/05

April is Carnivorous Plant Month! Because I said so. This week, we’re talking about one of Charles Darwin’s favorite plants, the Venus Flytrap.Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.zmescience.com/science/venus-flytrap/ https://cnr.ncsu.edu/news/2021/01/five-things-about-venus-flytraps/ Testing Darwin’s hypothesis about the wonderful Venus flytrap: marginal spikes form a ‘horrid prison’ for moderate-sized insect prey by Alexander L. Davis, et al. (2019)

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00:07:00

Toothache Plant

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/03/29

It’s electric! An Electric Daisy, that is, also known as Toothache Plant, Buzz Buttons, Jambu, and a bunch of other things.Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: The effect of toothpicks containing flavoring and flavoring plus jambu extract (spilanthol) to promote salivation in patients diagnosed with opioid-induced dry mouth (xerostomia) by Bennet Davis, et al. (2017) https://doi.org/10.5055/jom.2017.0402 Phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of Spilanthes acmella: A

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00:17:07

Silphium

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/03/23

I forgot to plug in my microphone, but it’s late and that took a long time to record, so it’s just going to sound however it sounds. 🙃 I’m totally a professional.Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170907-the-mystery-of-the-lost-roman-herb https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/miracle-plant-eaten-extinction-2000-years-ago-silphion https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/silphium-mystery Next chapter in the legend of

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00:08:27

Shamrock

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/03/15

Beware the Ides of March…and happy early Saint Patrick’s Day! Who doesn’t love some history? Today’s history lesson is about shamrocks. What actually is a shamrock, anyway? ☘️ It’s a more complicated question than you might think.Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.britannica.com/plant/clover-plant https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/22170#page/113/mode/1up https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/30126#page/235/mode/1up

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00:07:34

Strangler Fig

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/03/08

I’m back from vacation with a new microphone. So, how do you feel about murderous trees?P.S. The new microphone is great. It is a lot more sensitive than the old one, though, so I’m sorry about the airplane (?) at about 4:35. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/strangler_figs.php https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ST250 https://www.nortonsimon.org/art/detail/F.1975.14.5.S/

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00:10:40

Theobroma cacao

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/02/23

Now that February is almost over, you’ll finally get to learn about a properly romantic plant. But hey, chocolate is always worth waiting for, right?This episode references human sexual behavior. Only very mildly, but in case the kiddos like to listen, here’s your advance notice. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://doi.org/10.1215/00141801-52-4-673 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/archaeology-chocolate-180954243/

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00:07:19

Wasp-Mimicking Orchids

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/02/16

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day! 💚 These orchids definitely think that only fools rush in—in fact, they’re counting on it. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/995293 https://www.science.org/content/article/orchids-deceive-amorous-male-wasps https://phys.org/news/2017-05-sexually-deceptive-spider-orchids-wasps.html https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/Plant_Strategies/mimicry.shtml

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00:07:19

Mandrake, Part 2

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/02/09

Welcome back to Mandrakes! In part two, I’m covering the magical uses and folklore of Mandrake, as well as some of the places it has sprouted up in pop culture. This is another plant we learned about in my ethnobotany class, so shout out #2 to Dr. De Gezelle. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: The rise and fall of mandrake in medicine by Guillermo Benítez, et al. (2023) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2022.115874 https://youtu.be/xSdD-mVsjRg?si=sfyNighAK-K3ZmPb Myths

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00:08:02

Mandrake, Part 1

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/02/02

I accidentally made my first two-parter! Oops? Mandrake is just a really interesting plant, and there was a lot I wanted to tell you about it. In part one, I’ll cover what a Mandrake is, why this plant was so important to the ancient world, and why it’s one of my “romantic” plants for February. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: The rise and fall of mandrake in medicine by Guillermo Benítez, et al. (2023) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2022.115874

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00:12:03

Datura

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/01/26

Scary story time! But like, seriously. Thanks to Dr. Jillian De Gezelle for introducing me to this beautiful, nightmarish flower. Apologies if the sound editing is not my best work. It’s been that kind of week. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://www.unilad.com/news/worlds-scariest-drug-crime-gangs-20220822 “Pharmacological properties of Datura stramonium L. as a potential medicinal tree: An overview” by Priyanka Soni, et al. (2012)

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00:08:55

Carolina Horsenettle

Herbarium of the Bizarre ·

2024/01/19

Today’s topic, Carolina Horsenettle, was suggested by Kate Shaw. Check out her podcast, Strange Animals Podcast, here: https://strangeanimalspodcast.blubrry.net/ My Experience with Solanum carolinense in the Treatment of Epilepsy, by Dr. C. F. Barber (1895): https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/458507 Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: https://cals.cornell.edu/weed-science/weed-profiles/horsenettle

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