Rhododendrons are grown in many North American and European gardens; however, the rhododendron species originated from the East, brought to Europe by plant explorers. The rhododendron species belong to the Ericaceae plant family; rhododendrons are botanically related to azaleas, blueberries,…
What is Brazilian Elodea?
Invasive plant species can cause immense ecological and financial damage to the areas they enter; Brazilian elodea is no exception. Invasive plant species are a major threat to many waterways around the world; one of them in particular costs millions…
An Overview of the Cactaceae Botanical Family
The cactus family is an ancient botanical family which is native to dry, desert regions of the Americas; the Cactaceae plant family includes many familiar cacti. The Cactaceae plant family is a botanical family of over 2,000 species of cacti,…
Cacti with Christmas Names
Christmas cactus, desert Christmas cactus and mistletoe cactus are different plant species; learn the differences between cacti with Christmas names. The cactus family is a plant family which is not traditionally associated with Christmas, yet some cacti have Christmas names;…
Chaparral Bushmallow in Southern California
This extremely drought-tolerant plant, which can be seen along canyon walls and in coastal scrub while hiking, also makes a great garden plant in dry coastal climates. Chaparral bushmallow (Malacothamnus fasciculatus) is a species of plant indigenous to coastal sage…
Perennial Flowers for Cottage Gardens
Traditional cottage garden flowers include many species of plants; delphinium, peony and sweet william are perennial flowers which will bloom more than once. Traditional country cottage gardens can be traced back to England but today there are many variations on…
Annual Flowers for Cottage Gardens
Traditional cottage garden flowers are a mix of annual and perennial flowers; annual flowers for a cottage garden include stock, pansy and sweet pea. Cottage gardens are a tradition which began in England and Europe, yet today can be found…
California Native Red Willow in Laguna Canyon
The red willow is found throughout the western United States, and it is a common species seen by hikers in Southern California where it grows along canyon bottoms. Plants in the genus Salix are commonly known as willows, and the…
Common Tree Species in New England
Certain types of trees dominate the landscape in New England, and by knowing a few distinguishing details, it is easy to find them. The overall forest of trees in North America is divided into a few distinguishable communities, such as…
The Magical Plants of Harry Potter
Magical plants described in the hugely successful Harry Potter books by J K Rowling are, in fact, based on real plants; the Mandrake, Belladonna and Wolfsbane do exist. In Harry Potter’s world, Herbalogy lessons were taught by Professor Pomana Sprout…
Hallucinogenic Plants – Morning Glory
Seeds of morning glory contain a chemical component which is capable of causing hallucinations; considered a weed by many, morning glory is both deadly and beautiful. Morning glory is one species of a number of a plants in the botanical…
The Ecological Effects of Coffee Farming
Coffee growing practices have changed over the years; the practice of traditional coffee farming has many ecological benefits over newer coffee growing methods. Coffee, like chocolate, is one of the world’s favorite commodities and has a number of health benefits;…
Northwest Wildflowers of Lewis and Clark
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark collected dozens of wildflowers previously unknown to botanists during their 1804 -1806 journey to the mouth of the Columbia River. The explorers set out in 1804 with their 45-man Corps of Discovery to survey a…
Where Does Coffee Come From?
Coffee is one of the world’s favorite commodities; but where does coffee originate from? Coffee has been an important economical commodity since historical times. Although many people are familiar with a morning cup of coffee, many are not so familiar…
Trees with Simple Leaves
Leaf shape, while often a distinctive identifying feature of trees, can also be confusing when many trees share leaves of similar shape. In separate articles we discuss oaks and maples and the most common shape, the roughly oval leaves borne…
A Guide to Oak Tree Identification in Britain
Leaves, bark, acorns and location can be used to differentiate between types of Quercus or oak tree that grow in the British isles Worldwide, there are over 600 species of oak tree or Quercus-the Latin term for the oak tree.…
Identifying Trees by Their Bark
When there are no leaves on the trees, we have to rely on bark, buds, and growth patterns to identify the species, a fascinating challenge. It is useful to start by determining whether the tree has opposite or alternate twigs…
Identifying Trees in Winter
Tree identification is always a matter of detective work, and especially so in winter, when the leaves are not present to offer their distinctive clues. It takes time to learn to recognize the patterns of bark and buds, but the…
Identifying Features of Trees
When learning to identify trees, it helps to know the features by which trees are grouped, and the terms that are used to describe them in literature and field guides. Most trees have simple leaves, with one leaflet per stem,…
Treespotting
Learn how to identify the common British trees even in winter and get started on a fascinating new hobby. Cloudspotting has become a popular pastime in recent years, while treespotting has largely been overlooked. Perhaps this is because most people…