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Plants

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One Fifth of World’s Plants Threatened

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The World’s Oldest Living Organisms

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Flowers May Adapt Faster than Thought to Climate Change

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UPDATED: Priceless Russian Fruit Plant Collection Faces Demolition

The discovery of new species is driven by new technologies, targeted surveys of little-studied ecosystems and a determined effort to identify plants and animals before their habitat is lost. The kipunji is one of 300 mammal species discovered in the past decade; it is thought to be Africa’s rarest monkey.

Meet the New Species

From old-world primates to patch-nosed salamanders, new creatures are being discovered every day

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Top 10 Science Volunteer Positions Around the Smithsonian

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Hidden Frog, A Photo Contest Winner

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American Wines With Native Vines?

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The Animals, Vegetables and Minerals of the States

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The Beauty, and Usefulness, of Pollen

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Smithsonian’s Amazing Natural History Collections

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The Aftermath of the Snow at the Smithsonian

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When the Soviet Union Chose the Wrong Side on Genetics and Evolution

One of only two plants worldwide that actively trap animal prey, the flytrap is at home in a surprisingly small patch of U.S. soil.

The Venus Flytrap’s Lethal Allure

Native only to the Carolinas, the carnivorous plant that draws unwitting insects to its spiky maw now faces dangers of its own

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Another Downside to Your Classic Green Lawn

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The Birds and the Bees and the…Crickets?

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Can Rain Start a Forest Fire?

The stinking passion flower (Passiflora foetida) is native to wet tropical areas in the West Indies and central South America.

Ten Plants That Put Meat on Their Plates

In addition to the well-known Venus flytrap, many other plant species feed on bugs or crustaceans

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Picture of the Week—Spiny Sowthistle

The spiny sowthistle (Sonchus asper) is a flowering plant that grows up to three feet tall and sprouts small yellow flowers

Everything that lives on the Galapagos Islands now flew in on the wind, rode a freak current, or floated on a raft of vegetation.

Top Ten Places Where Life Shouldn’t Exist… But Does

Smithsonian lists the most improbable, inhospitable and absurd habitats on Earth

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