Cover image of show Herbarium of the Bizarre

Herbarium of the Bizarre

Podcast by Meredith Hemphill

English

Technology & science

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About Herbarium of the Bizarre

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

All episodes

93 episodes
episode Cranberry artwork

Cranberry

Pass the cranberry sauce! Did you read that to the tune of the Bob’s Burgers song? I hope so. Music by James Milor Information provided by: * https://www.cranberryinstitute.org/cranberry-health-research [https://www.cranberryinstitute.org/cranberry-health-research] * https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/the-botany-behind-why-cranberries-became-a-thanksgiving-staple [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/the-botany-behind-why-cranberries-became-a-thanksgiving-staple] * 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.cranberries.org/ [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/molecules27051503 [https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27051503] * Peterson 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 [https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119616801.ch8]

01 Dec 2025 - 11 min
episode Skeleton Flower artwork

Skeleton Flower

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 Pixabay Information 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 [https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.8b12490] [Abstract] * https://www.thespruce.com/skeleton-flower-plant-profile-4802581 [https://www.thespruce.com/skeleton-flower-plant-profile-4802581] * Cytological 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.html [https://www.scienceabc.com/nature/skeleton-flowers-how-does-this-white-flower-turn-transparent-in-the-rain.html] * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphylleia_grayi [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphylleia_grayi] * https://www.bhg.com/how-to-plant-and-grow-skeleton-flower-8553286 [https://www.bhg.com/how-to-plant-and-grow-skeleton-flower-8553286] * Diphylleia 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 [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 [https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-023-01279-z]

10 Oct 2025 - 11 min
episode Narrow-leafed Campion artwork

Narrow-leafed Campion

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 Pixabay Information provided by: * https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-17100574 [https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-17100574] * https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/120221-oldest-seeds-regenerated-plants-science [https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/120221-oldest-seeds-regenerated-plants-science] * https://www.livescience.com/2602-extinct-tree-christ-time-rises-dead.html [https://www.livescience.com/2602-extinct-tree-christ-time-rises-dead.html] * https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/02/22/3436826.htm [https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/02/22/3436826.htm] * Germination, 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 [https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1153600] [Abstract] * https://www.selinawamucii.com/plants/caryophyllaceae/silene-stenophylla/ [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/10.2307/2445863 [https://doi.org/10.2307/2445863] * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_viable_seed [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_viable_seed] * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silene_stenophylla [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silene_stenophylla] * Regeneration 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 [https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1118386109]

26 Sept 2025 - 13 min
episode Dutch Elm Disease artwork

Dutch Elm Disease

This episode ended up being way more involved that I expected, but I learned so much, and I thought I knew Dutch Elm Disease pretty well already. Hopefully, y’all will learn a lot, too. Music by James Milor from Pixabay Information provided by: * https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/pest_pathogen/dutch-elm-disease-html/ [https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/pest_pathogen/dutch-elm-disease-html/] * https://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/pdlessons/Pages/DutchElm.aspx [https://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/pdlessons/Pages/DutchElm.aspx] * https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/fthr/pest-and-disease-resources/dutch-elm-disease-ophiostoma-novo-ulmi/ [https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/fthr/pest-and-disease-resources/dutch-elm-disease-ophiostoma-novo-ulmi/] * A Dictionary of Plant Pathology by Paul Holliday (1989) * https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/native-elm-bark-beetle [https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/native-elm-bark-beetle] * https://themanitoban.com/2009/11/dutch-elm-vaccine-tested-in-winnipeg/530/ [https://themanitoban.com/2009/11/dutch-elm-vaccine-tested-in-winnipeg/530/] * https://www.unisci.com/stories/20013/0828015.htm [https://www.unisci.com/stories/20013/0828015.htm] * https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_elm_disease [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_elm_disease]

14 Sept 2025 - 17 min
episode Vegetable Lamb artwork

Vegetable Lamb

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/ [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.nybg.org/poetic-botany/barometz/] * https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/curious-tale-of-vegetable-lamb [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 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable_Lamb_of_Tartary]

06 Sept 2025 - 17 min
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En fantastisk app med et enormt stort udvalg af spændende podcasts. Podimo formår virkelig at lave godt indhold, der takler de lidt mere svære emner. At der så også er lydbøger oveni til en billig pris, gør at det er blevet min favorit app.
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