Herbarium of the Bizarre

By Meredith Hemphill

A podcast about strange, spooky, and misunderstood plants (and sometimes fungi).

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FAQs about Herbarium of the Bizarre:

How many episodes does Herbarium of the Bizarre have?

The podcast currently has 89 episodes available.

Herbarium of the Bizarre episodes:

October 13, 2024Wolfsbane
a.k.a Monkshood or Aconite
This episode has it all: murderers, witches, werewolves, vampires, and tips for your poison garden! And it would have been on time, if not for Spectrum. 😒

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8492936.stm

https://www.chicagobotanic.org/blog/plants_and_gardening/monsters_magic_and_monkshood

https://www.britannica.com/plant/monkshood

Aconite poisoning by Thomas Y. K. Chan (2009) https://doi.org/10.1080/15563650902904407 [Abstract]

https://www.drugs.com/npp/aconite.html

Mode of antinociceptive and toxic action of alkaloids of Aconitum species by U. T. Gutser, et al. (1997) https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00005136 [Abstract]

Botanical Curses and Poisons: The Shadow Lives of Plants by Fez Inkwright (2021)

https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-toxic-root-president-four-patients-hospital-poisoning/31215533.html

https://www.uaex.uada.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-week/aconitum-napellus-monkshood-wolfsbane-05-13-2016.aspx

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aconitum
...more
15min
October 04, 2024Ghost Fungus
Spooky, scary mushrooms are glowing in the forest. 👻

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https:/id.biodiversity.org.au/node/fungi/60094367#overview

“Fungus of the Week: Ghost Fungi Bioluminescence” by Alison Downing, et al. from McQuarie University

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/apr/15/hunting-the-ghost-fungus-glowing-mushrooms-in-australias-forests

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tTWBt00vVU

https://theconversation.com/the-glowing-ghost-mushroom-looks-like-it-comes-from-a-fungal-netherworld-111607

The ghost fungus Omphalotus nidiformis (Berk.), new to Indonesia, poisoned foragers by Ivan P. Putra, et al. (2023) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kjs.2023.01.002

Bioluminescence in the ghost fungus Omphalotus nidiformis does not attract potential spore dispersing insects by Philip Weinstein, et al. (2016) https://doi.org/10.5598/imafungus.2016.07.02.01
...more
10min
September 27, 2024Plantain (Plantago)
Someday I should cover the plantain fruit, too, just to be chaotic—I mean informative.

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/plantain-weed

https://burkeherbarium.org/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Plantago%20major

https://www.weedsandwildmedicine.co.uk/blog-1/plantain-the-sacred-herb-under-our-feet

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2013)

Plantago major in Traditional Persian Medicine and modern phytotherapy: A narrative review by Younes Najafian (2018)

Therapeutic uses and pharmacological properties of Plantago major L. and its active constituents by Ali Nazarizadeh, et al. (2013)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/plantago-major/

The traditional uses, chemical constituents and biological activities of Plantago major L.: A review by Anne B. Samuelsen (2000)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major
...more
9min
September 22, 2024Death Caps
We’re getting a bit of a head start on Spooky Season. Poisonous mushrooms! Political intrigue! Murder most foul! Like, seriously. So foul. And I’m pretty sure this is at least the second time Nero has come up on this show. I can’t escape that guy.

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/05/17/1175494500/new-hope-for-an-antidote-to-death-cap-mushrooms-and-other-poison-fungi

https://www.britannica.com/science/death-cap

“Death Cap mushrooms can kill” from British Columbia Centre for Disease Control

https://www.akcchf.org/canine-health/your-dogs-health/death-cap-mushrooms.html

https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/mushroom-poisoning-has-unreported-consequence-dog

The death of Claudius, or Mushrooms for murderers by R. Gordon Wasson (1972)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_phalloides
...more
13min
September 14, 2024Sunflowers
Happy Friday the 13th! This plant has nothing to do with that, I just wanted to say it. We’re actually talking about Sunflowers, because they’re seasonal and they have taken over our front yard for some reason.

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
https://gardencollage.com/change/sustainability/scientists-using-sunflowers-clean-nuclear-radiation/

https://www.kew.org/plants/sunflower

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/a32638/sunflower-fun-facts/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-sunflowers-are-ukraines-national-flower-180979850/

The National Sunflower Association (https://www.sunflowernsa.com/)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/helianthus/

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-disaster-sunflowers-idUSTRE77I0PG20110819/

https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/helianthus_annuus.shtml

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_sunflower
...more
12min
September 06, 2024Kudzu
I’m back, everyone! My voice doesn’t sound the best still, but I’m plowing ahead anyway. For the belated final week of Southern Plant Month, let’s meet the most hated plant in the South: kudzu.

If you’re in North Carolina and would like to try some of the kudzu delicacies I mentioned, look up Carolina Kudzu Crazy (https://www.facebook.com/p/Carolina-Kudzu-Crazy-100063473593361/).

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/true-story-kudzu-vine-ate-south-180956325/

https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/dining/kudzu-edible-why-aren-eating/BXAct9CtIshpWaB8f9D2PO/

https://conservingcarolina.org/get-rid-of-kudzu/

https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/forestry-wildlife/the-history-and-use-of-kudzu-in-the-southeastern-united-states/

https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/indiana/stories-in-indiana/kudzu-invasive-species/

A single dose of kudzu extract reduces alcohol consumption in a binge drinking paradigm by David M. Penetar, et al. (2015) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.05.025

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudzu

Fundamentals of Weed Science (6th ed.) by Robert L. Zimdahl
...more
13min
August 23, 2024Cotton
Today, we’re talking about the world’s favorite natural fiber. It’s pretty strange, if you think about it, that Cotton plants grow these fluffy, candy floss clouds.

To be clear, it’s cotton boll, not bowl. My accent is not my friend in this episode.

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
https://www.fairindigo.com/blogs/news/what-is-pima-cotton-and-how-is-it-different

https://www.cottoninc.com/cotton-production/quality/classification-of-cotton/overview/

https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/cotton-and-wool/cotton-sector-at-a-glance/

http://www.historyofclothing.com/textile-history/history-of-cotton/

“Cotton: From Field to Fabric” from the National Cotton Council of America

“The Story of Cotton” from the National Cotton Council of America

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/what-cotton

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/gossypium-hirsutum/

https://nymag.com/strategist/article/what-is-egyptian-cotton-explainer.html

https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cotton/evolution/

https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cotton/what/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossypium
...more
10min
August 16, 2024Magnolia
This one goes out to you, D’Bravius. I have never known anyone else to get so excited about a Magnolia tree.

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
https://shop.arborday.org/treeguide/333

https://gardens.si.edu/learn/blog/the-botany-of-magnolias/

https://www.gardenia.net/genus/magnolia-tree

https://www.gardenia.net/plant/magnolia-virginiana-sweet-bay-magnolia

https://blog.natureplusme.com/types-of-magnolia

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/magnolia-acuminata/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/magnolia-fraseri/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/magnolia-macrophylla/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/magnolia-tripetala/

A review of pollination of Magnolia by beetles, with a collecting survey made in the Carolinas by Richard S. Peigler (1988) in Magnolia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_grandiflora
...more
12min
August 10, 2024Tobacco, Part 2
With (sort of) special appearances by Tobin Bell, Rosalind Franklin, and a 19th-century Dutch scientist whose name I certainly did not get right.

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) - A model system for tissue culture interventions and genetic engineering by Thumballi R. Ganapathi, et al. (2004) [Abstract]

In vitro transformation of cultured cells from Nicotiana tabacum by Agrobacterium tumefaciens by L. Marton, et al. (1979) [Abstract]

https://www.pmiscience.com/en/smoke-free/nicotine/tobacco-plant-research/

On the historical significance of Beijerinck and his contagium vivum fluidum for modern virology by Neeraja Sankaran (2018)

Therapeutic potential and phytoremediation capabilities of the tobacco plant: Advancements through genetic engineering and cultivation techniques by Nidhi Selwal, et al. (2023) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcab.2023.102845

PLANT vs. PATHOGEN: Enlisting Tobacco in the Fight Against Anthrax by Graeme Stemp-Morlock (2006) https://doi.org/10.1289%2Fehp.114-a364

“Tobacco Research and Its Relevance to Science, Medicine and Industry” by T.C. Tso (2006) DOI: 10.2478/cttr-2013-0824

Phytochemicals derived from Nicotiana tabacum L. plant contribute to pharmaceutical development by Wenji Zhang, et al. (2024) https://doi.org/10.3389%2Ffphar.2024.1372456
...more
13min
August 03, 2024Tobacco, Part 1
I actually planned to have two parts this time. And I hope this goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: this podcast is for entertainment and educational purposes, not medical advice. Please, please do not attempt using tobacco for any of the historical medical purposes mentioned in this episode just because I said it’s been done before. Not everything that has been done should be repeated.

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
Medicinal uses of tobacco in history by Anne Charlton (2004) https://doi.org/10.1258%2Fjrsm.97.6.292

Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) by Marianna Jennifer Datiles & Pedro Acevedo-Rodriguez (2014) https://doi.org/10.1079/cabicompendium.36326

https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/tobacco-in-colonial-virginia/

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1677/a-brief-history-of-tobacco-in-the-americas/

https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/tobacco-the-early-history-of-a-new-world-crop.htm

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/nicotiana/tabacum/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/nicotiana-tabacum/

https://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/plants400/Profiles/MN/Nicotiana

Tobacco smoking: the leading cause of preventable disease worldwide by Jonathan M. Samet (2013) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.thorsurg.2013.01.009

https://www.st-group.com/about-us/our-tobacco/history-of-tobacco/

https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Nicotiana+tabacum
...more
14min

FAQs about Herbarium of the Bizarre:

How many episodes does Herbarium of the Bizarre have?

The podcast currently has 89 episodes available.