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 76 episodes available.

Herbarium of the Bizarre episodes:

February 02, 2024Mandrake, Part 1
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

https://youtu.be/xSdD-mVsjRg?si=sfyNighAK-K3ZmPb

Myths and mandrakes by Anthony John Carter (2003) https://doi.org/10.1258%2Fjrsm.96.3.144

https://www.europeana.eu/en/exhibitions/magical-mystical-and-medicinal/mandrake

https://www.wired.com/2014/06/fantastically-wrong-mandrake/

https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/ethnobotany/Mind_and_Spirit/mandrake.shtml
...more
9min
January 26, 2024Datura
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)

https://sunrisehouse.com/herbal-drugs/datura/

“Million dollar ride: Crime committed during involuntary scopolamine intoxication” by Sonja Reichert, et al. (2017)

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/poisonous-flower-tiktok-angels-trumpet-b1877286.html

https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/ethnobotany/Mind_and_Spirit/datura.shtml

“World’s Scariest Drug: Columbian Devil’s Breath” from VICE (2012)

https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/datura/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura
...more
13min
January 19, 2024Carolina Horsenettle
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

https://equusmagazine.com/horse-care/how-toxic-is-this-weed/

https://www.misin.msu.edu/facts/detail/?project=misin&id=393&cname=Horse+nettle

https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/horse-nettle

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/solanum-carolinense/

"Pasture Weed Fact Sheet: Horsenettle" by G. Neil Rhodes, Jr. & William P. Phillips, Jr., University of Tennessee Extension

https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/horse-nettle-poisoning
...more
9min
January 12, 2024Jack-o-Lantern Mushroom
It’s the first listener suggestion! Thanks to Ryan for today’s topic: Jack-o-Lantern Mushrooms. And my regards to your step-dad. I hope he learned from his mycological mistake.

Jack-o-Lantern Identification: https://youtu.be/gwjabCshMI4?si=EsJaSrsjhcgByyfs

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
https://foragerchef.com/know-thy-enemies-jack-olantern-mushrooms/

https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/omphalotus-illudens.php

https://defector.com/an-ode-to-the-jack-o-lantern-mushroom-a-poisonous-friend

https://grocycle.com/jack-o-lantern-mushroom/

“Irofulven – Halloween Trick or a Beacon of Light” by Elinoar Shavit in Medicinal Mushrooms, Vol 1(1), Spring 2008

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omphalotus_olearius
...more
9min
January 05, 2024Century Plant
Happy New Years! 🧨 It’s not a new century, but we’re going to talk about the Century Plant anyway. Because I wanted to. It’s big and spiky, and once in a great while, it makes an asparagus tree (sort of).

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
https://facts.net/nature/plants/13-astounding-facts-about-century-plant/

https://www.gardenia.net/plant/agave-americana-century-plant

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=agam

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

https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/an-ode-to-the-century-plant/

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

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/century-plant-bloom-palmdale-agave-americana/3190660/
...more
8min
December 29, 2023Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric)
I want to tell you about one of my favorite botanicals! It’s a fungus you’re sure to recognize. The mushrooms are red with white spots. It’s called Amanita muscaria or fly agaric, and it is both hallucinogenic and poisonous. What’s not to love? 🍄

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkCS9ePWuLU

“Amanita muscaria: Chemistry, ecology, myths” by Carboue, Q. & Lopez, M. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia1030069

“The deceptive mushroom: Accidental Amanita muscaria poisoning” by Rampolli, F.I. et al. https://doi.org/10.12890%2F2021_002212

https://www.acslab.com/mushrooms/amanita-muscaria-vs-psychedelic-mushrooms

https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/ethnobotany/Mind_and_Spirit/flyagaric.shtml

“Fly agaric and man” by R. Gordon Wasson in Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs (1967)

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/fungi-and-lichens/fly-agaric/
...more
14min
December 15, 2023Mistletoe
It’s time for our holiday surprise! What’s green, sits in treetops, and makes people weirdly romantic? Yes, it’s mistletoe, my favorite festive parasite. 🎄

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
https://www.dictionary.com/e/mistletoe/

https://blog.nwf.org/2012/12/12-things-to-know-about-mistletoe/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/biology-mistletoe-180976601/

https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/mistletoe/

https://www.britannica.com/plant/parasitic-plant
...more
10min
December 09, 2023Myrrh
I apologize if you can hear my mom wrapping presents in the background of this episode, but ‘tis the season. For Part 2 of our festive plant trio, we meet a tree that cries bitter tears and kills intestinal worms. Happy Holidays!

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
“Commiphora myrrh: a phytochemical and pharmacological update” by Gaber El-Saber Batiha et al. https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs00210-022-02325-0

https://www.botanicalrepublic.com/blogs/beauty/what-is-myrrh-oil-used-for-in-skincare

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

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/myrrh

“The Role of Myrrh Metabolites in Cancer, Inflammation, and Wound Healing: Prospects for a Multi-Targeted Drug Therapy” by Rasha Saad Suliman et al. https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fph15080944
...more
9min
December 01, 2023Frankincense
Welcome to the first of three holiday-themed episodes! Thanks for the suggestion, Mom. This week’s subject is Frankincense. Not a plant, exactly, but a plant product that has enormous importance in human history and culture.

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/frankincense

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/frankincense-trees-declining-overtapping

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/05/science/frankincense-trees-collapse.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

https://doi.org/10.3923/pjn.2009.1472.1479

https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/boswellia

https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/brief-history-frankincense
...more
9min
November 24, 2023Maize
Happy Native American Heritage Day in the United States! We’re talking about a plant that featured heavily in traditional Native American agriculture which has now become a huge global crop. In the U.S., it’s called corn, but the international name is maize.

Music by James Milor from Pixabay

Information provided by:
https://www.britannica.com/plant/corn-plant

https://cfaes.osu.edu/news/articles/%E2%80%98all-corn-is-the-same%E2%80%99-and-other-foolishness-about-america%E2%80%99s-king-crops

“A single domestication for maize shown by multilocus microsatellite genotyping” by Yoshihiro Matsuoka, et al. https://doi.org/10.1073%2Fpnas.052125199

https://www.popcorn.org/All-About-Popcorn/History-of-Popcorn

https://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN2632641520080226/

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_maize
...more
9min

FAQs about Herbarium of the Bizarre:

How many episodes does Herbarium of the Bizarre have?

The podcast currently has 76 episodes available.