Clusia minor: The Gem of the Caribbean Forests
Clusia minor is a small tree or shrub native to the Caribbean…
Exploring the Art of Paper Making
From its use of local and natural materials, the methods and artistry…
Cultivation and Ecology of Dates
The date palm requires ample sunlight, high temperatures (though it can survive…
The Nourishing Power of Dates
As the Islamic month of fasting – Ramadan – comes to a…
Date Syrup Jallab
There are many recipes featuring dates and their byproducts across many cultures,…
Ethnobotanical Uses of Dates
Although eating the fruit may be the most well-known use of the…
A Vanilla Voyage: Exploring the Spice's Legacy in…
Vanilla planifolia, commonly known as vanilla, is one of the most instantly…
Ancestral Achiote
In many Caribbean and Latin American households, most of us have known…
Eggplant
The eggplant, also known as aubergine (Solanum melongena), has no official date…
Sweetsop vs. Soursop: A Great Distinction
The Annonaceae family is the largest plant family within the Magnoliales. The…
Fruits of Rosaceae
Flowering plants differ from all other plants by producing seeds within fruits;…
Black Pepper: King of Spices
It’s hard to imagine entering a diner, sitting down on the shiny…
Ginger and Chiya
Ginger, also known as Zingiber officinale is native to tropical climates like…
Aloe: The Plant of Many Wonders
Aloe vera is one of the over 300 species of Aloe belonging…
Sugar Cane and the Tropical Traces of Empires
Take a moment and think about how easy is to get sweet…
Curious Indigo
Indigo: a profound shade of blue sourced from nature’s color palette; A…
Season it with Leaves
Culinary herbs are plants with aromatic properties and that are used for…
The Herbarium of Endangerment: Vanilla planifolia
One may be most familiar with vanilla’s taste and aroma. The fruit…
Okra’s journey to the United States
Many culinary delights that Americans enjoy today, especially in the Southern United…
Reindeer Lichens
In this most wonderful time of the year, Christmas is naturally on…
The Three Sisters
Companion planting is the technique of growing plants closely together for mutual…
The Sacred Plant of Peru: The San Pedro…
For thousands of years, the indigenous people of Peruvian Amazon have used…
Traditional Medicine: Momordica charantia
Momordica charantia L. is a plant species that is used in the…
Rainbow of Plant Dyes
People have been dyeing their clothing with plants since ancient times. All around…
Sticky Rice
Focus on ScienceWhat's in a name?
A couple of years ago I was asked by Michael Purugganan (Dean…
Exploring the Conservation Status of Jamaican Root Tonic…
Jamaican root tonics are fermented beverages composed of roots, bark, and other…
Plant Inspired Innovations: Nepenthes and Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous…
Most plants absorb nutrients from the soil through their roots. Carnivorous plants…
Wild Cinnamon
Although not related to true cinnamon, Cinnamodendron corticosum is a similar spice tree.…
Species that Work-from-Home
Like many of you, NYBG herbarium staff are currently working from home…
Black Botany: The Nature of Black Experience
Black Botany: The Nature of Black Experience seeks to acknowledge the complex…
Old Man's Beard: A Medicinal Lichen
Usnea is a genus of lichen, commonly known as Old Man’s Beard. …
Love Potions & Charms
Love potions and charms are mentioned countless times throughout literature; from ancient…
Eight Days of Oil
Oil has a special significance for those who celebrate Hanukkah. This Jewish…
Christmas Tree Species
Though most Christmas trees are in the pine family, Pinaceae, they are…
Mulled Cider
Put these fruits, seeds, bark, and flower buds together to get mulled…
Maize & Teosinte
Maize (Zea mays), or corn, is a domesticated cereal crop native to…
Rice and its Wild Relatives
Humans have been farming rice for approximately 10,000 years. The two major…
Bioremediation
Bioremediation is the use of living organisms to remove contamination from the…
Catnip: A Felicitous Herb
Focus on ScienceWhat's in a name?
Calling all cat lovers! As I was digitizing plants for the Southern…
The Calabash in Capoeira Music
The Berimbau is the musical instrument played in capoeira. It consists of a…
Celebrating Pride with Flowers
As the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots during…
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Cabinet of CuriositiesSpecimen Stories
The beloved children's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar is turning 50! See many of…
Plants of Sítio Roberto Burle Marx
Roberto Burle Marx was an artist, a landscape architect and an early…
Heard it through the grapevine
Vitis is the genus of one of the world’s favorite horticultural crop:…
Don't touch
Plants have evolved many ways to protect themselves, from growing barbs that…
#plantlove
Specimens contained in the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium represent the endless…
Wolf lichen
The Wolf Lichen is one of the most showy North American lichens,…