Botany
Smithsonian Scientists Are Using Ginkgo Leaves to Study Climate Change—They Need Your Help
Citizen scientists can submit leaf samples from their hometowns through the end of August
The Pioneering Female Botanist Who Sweetened a Nation and Saved a Valley
One of India’s finest plant scientists, Janaki Ammal spurred her country to protect its rich tropical diversity
U.K.'s Oldest Tree Is Being Besieged by Tourists
Visitors to the Fortingall Yew are snapping twigs, stealing needles and tying beads and ribbons to branches, which experts believe may be stressing it out
Decoding the Mathematical Secrets of Plants’ Stunning Leaf Patterns
A Japanese shrub’s unique foliage arrangement leads botanists to rethink plant growth models
1,000-Year-Old Pouch From Bolivia Contains Traces of Five Mind-Altering Drugs
The ingredients include coca leaves and two compounds used in modern ayahuasca rituals
Allergy Season Is Getting Longer and Nastier Each Year
An extended and intensified allergy season is one of the most visible effects of climate change
This Is the World's Tallest Tropical Tree
The yellow meranti in Malaysia's Sabah state is 330 feet tall and weighs more than a jetliner
Flooding Creates a 10-Mile-Long Lake in Death Valley
The rare ephemeral lake was caused when the compacted, dry desert soil wasn't able to absorb the .87 inches of rain that recently fell on the national park
Here’s How Horticulturalists Made the Michelle Obama Orchid
This year’s orchid show takes over the cavernous naturally-lit Kogod Courtyard with thousands on view
In Search of George Washington Carver’s True Legacy
The famed agriculturalist deserves to be known for much more than peanuts
Dornith Doherty's Mesmerizing Photos Capture the Contradictions of Seed Banking
"Archiving Eden," now at the National Academy of Sciences, shows how guarding against an ecological catastrophe is both optimistic and pessimistic
How a Love of Flowers Helped Charles Darwin Validate Natural Selection
Though his voyage to the Galapagos and his work with finches dominate the narrative of the famed naturalist, he was, at heart, a botanist
Southern California Will Soon See Another Booming Superbloom
If the rain keeps up, the deserts and burn scars will soon explode with acres of colorful poppies, lupines, lilies and other ephemeral flowers
Flowers Sweeten Up When They Sense Bees Buzzing
A new study suggests plants can 'hear' the humming of nearby pollinators and increase their sugar content in response
Restored Mughal Gardens Bloom Once More Along Agra's Riverfront
Two of the 44 original historic gardens and structures have been rescued in an ambitious conservation project
Could These Fossils Push Back the History of Flowers?
A study analyzing 200 tiny flowers from 174 million years ago suggests angiosperms were around during the Jurassic, but paleobotanists are skeptical
How the Poppy Came to Symbolize World War I
The red flowers blooming on a battlefield in Belgium, inspired John McCrae to write the war poem “In Flanders Fields”
The Science of Good Chocolate
Meet the sensory scientist who is decoding the terroir of chocolate—and working to safeguard the cacao plant that gives us the sweet dark treat
136,000 Varieties of Rice Are Now Protected in Perpetuity
An annual $1.4 million funding grant will allow the International Rice Research Institute to help develop drought, heat- and flood-resistant rice varieties
Genome Reveals When Opium Poppy Became a Painkiller
A combination of two genes over 7.8 million years ago was the first step to producing morphine and other narcotic compounds
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