Botany | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/botany/RSS feed for BotanyenWed, 25 Mar 2026 14:05:38 +0000How a Small Winter Flower Has Attracted Droves of Admirers—and Offers a Symbol of Resiliencehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-a-small-winter-flower-has-attracted-droves-of-admirersand-offers-a-symbol-of-resilience-180988423/The snowdrop, or Galanthus, blooms when the world is still frozen. Gardeners enamored with the plant gather each year in Pennsylvania to celebrate its subtleties and enduranceWed, 25 Mar 2026 14:05:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-a-small-winter-flower-has-attracted-droves-of-admirersand-offers-a-symbol-of-resilience-180988423/Newly Digitized Records Reveal How Indigenous People Shared Their Knowledge of New Zealand's Plants With Captain Cook's Crewhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/newly-digitized-records-reveal-how-indigenous-people-shared-their-knowledge-of-new-zealands-plants-with-captain-cooks-crew-180987953/Long-overlooked documents housed at London's Natural History Museum testify to the exchange of information between 18th-century European botanists and their Indigenous counterpartsThu, 08 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/newly-digitized-records-reveal-how-indigenous-people-shared-their-knowledge-of-new-zealands-plants-with-captain-cooks-crew-180987953/Before the First Brilliantly Colored Flowers Bloomed, Dinosaur-Era Plants Emitted Heat to Attract Pollinatorshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/before-the-first-brilliantly-colored-flowers-bloomed-dinosaur-era-plants-emitted-heat-to-attract-pollinators-180987865/Some plants produce heat, which has long puzzled botanists. But a new study suggests that infrared radiation is an ancient method to lure beetle pollinatorsMon, 15 Dec 2025 20:02:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/before-the-first-brilliantly-colored-flowers-bloomed-dinosaur-era-plants-emitted-heat-to-attract-pollinators-180987865/Moss Spores Survived Nine Months Outside the International Space Station. Then, They Grew Normally on Earthhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/moss-spores-survived-nine-months-outside-the-international-space-station-then-they-grew-normally-on-earth-180987736/While lunar gardens are still out of reach, the study sheds more light on terrestrial biology that may not be limited to our planet's surfaceMon, 24 Nov 2025 18:31:06 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/moss-spores-survived-nine-months-outside-the-international-space-station-then-they-grew-normally-on-earth-180987736/Colorful Snapdragons in the Valleys of the Pyrenees Offer a Rare Window Into How Evolution Happenshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/colorful-snapdragons-in-the-valleys-of-the-pyrenees-offer-a-rare-window-into-how-evolution-happens-180987673/Studying the ways that magenta and yellow flowers intermingle paints a vibrant picture of how the plants exchange genetic information—and what keeps each color variety uniqueMon, 10 Nov 2025 21:24:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/colorful-snapdragons-in-the-valleys-of-the-pyrenees-offer-a-rare-window-into-how-evolution-happens-180987673/The Giant Pumpkin World Record Just Crept Closer to 3,000 Pounds. Here's How Science, Sweat and 'Soul Crush' Keep Growers Reaching for the Heaviest Fruit Possiblehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-giant-pumpkin-world-record-just-crept-closer-to-3000-pounds-heres-how-science-sweat-and-soul-crush-keep-growers-reaching-for-the-heaviest-fruit-possible-180987563/Twin brothers in the United Kingdom grew the biggest pumpkin ever documented, tipping the scales at 2,819.3 poundsTue, 28 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-giant-pumpkin-world-record-just-crept-closer-to-3000-pounds-heres-how-science-sweat-and-soul-crush-keep-growers-reaching-for-the-heaviest-fruit-possible-180987563/These Beautiful Microscope Photos Capture Tiny Pests, Spores, Sensory Neurons and Sunflower Hairshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-beautiful-microscope-pictures-capture-tiny-pests-fern-spores-sensory-neurons-and-sunflower-hairs-180987531/Nikon has announced the winners of its 51st annual photomicrography competitionFri, 17 Oct 2025 21:01:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-beautiful-microscope-pictures-capture-tiny-pests-fern-spores-sensory-neurons-and-sunflower-hairs-180987531/Scientists Are Uncovering the Secrets of How Fluffy, White Dandelions Spread Their Seedshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-are-uncovering-the-secrets-of-how-fluffy-white-dandelions-spread-their-seeds-180987447/Their seed dispersal strategies have helped these ubiquitous plants flourish all over the world, new research suggestsMon, 06 Oct 2025 18:50:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-are-uncovering-the-secrets-of-how-fluffy-white-dandelions-spread-their-seeds-180987447/Researchers Just Developed a Tasty New Tomato Called the Scarlet Sunrisehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-just-developed-a-tasty-new-tomato-called-the-scarlet-sunrise-180987355/The snackable grape variety is the brainchild of scientists at Rutgers University, who have spent more than a decade trying to produce a firm, crack-resistant fruit with a vibrant reddish-yellow colorMon, 22 Sep 2025 14:08:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-just-developed-a-tasty-new-tomato-called-the-scarlet-sunrise-180987355/A Deep Look Into the Wild and Not-So-Wild World of Bumblebeeshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-deep-look-into-the-wild-and-not-so-wild-world-of-bumblebees-180987202/Over the past several decades the lives of the domesticated and native pollinators have increasingly overlappedWed, 17 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-deep-look-into-the-wild-and-not-so-wild-world-of-bumblebees-180987202/