Herbarium of the Bizarre
Meredith Hemphill
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Top 10 Herbarium of the Bizarre Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Herbarium of the Bizarre episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Herbarium of the Bizarre for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Herbarium of the Bizarre episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Strangler Fig
Herbarium of the Bizarre
03/08/24 • 7 min
I’m back from vacation with a new microphone. So, how do you feel about murderous trees?
P.S. The new microphone is great. It is a lot more sensitive than the old one, though, so I’m sorry about the airplane (?) at about 4:35.
Music by James Milor from Pixabay
Information provided by:
- https://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/strangler_figs.php
- https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ST250
- https://www.nortonsimon.org/art/detail/F.1975.14.5.S/
- https://www.science.org/content/article/being-strangled-may-save-tree-s-life
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_aurea
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_benghalensis
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strangler_fig
- Tropical Plants of Costa Rica by Willow Zuchowski
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Wasp-Mimicking Orchids
Herbarium of the Bizarre
02/16/24 • 7 min
Happy Belated Valentine’s Day! 💚 These orchids definitely think that only fools rush in—in fact, they’re counting on it.
Music by James Milor from Pixabay
Information provided by:
- https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/995293
- https://www.science.org/content/article/orchids-deceive-amorous-male-wasps
- https://phys.org/news/2017-05-sexually-deceptive-spider-orchids-wasps.html
- https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/Plant_Strategies/mimicry.shtml
- https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2014/09/deceptive-orchids-luring-wasps-for-pollination/
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Carolina Horsenettle
Herbarium of the Bizarre
01/19/24 • 8 min
Today’s topic, Carolina Horsenettle, was suggested by Kate Shaw. Check out her podcast, Strange Animals Podcast, here: https://strangeanimalspodcast.blubrry.net/
My Experience with Solanum carolinense in the Treatment of Epilepsy, by Dr. C. F. Barber (1895): https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/458507
Music by James Milor from Pixabay
Information provided by:
- https://cals.cornell.edu/weed-science/weed-profiles/horsenettle
- https://equusmagazine.com/horse-care/how-toxic-is-this-weed/
- https://www.misin.msu.edu/facts/detail/?project=misin&id=393&cname=Horse+nettle
- https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/horse-nettle
- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/solanum-carolinense/
- "Pasture Weed Fact Sheet: Horsenettle" by G. Neil Rhodes, Jr. & William P. Phillips, Jr., University of Tennessee Extension
- https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/horse-nettle-poisoning
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Toothache Plant
Herbarium of the Bizarre
03/29/24 • 7 min
It’s electric! An Electric Daisy, that is, also known as Toothache Plant, Buzz Buttons, Jambu, and a bunch of other things.
Music by James Milor from Pixabay
Information provided by:
- The effect of toothpicks containing flavoring and flavoring plus jambu extract (spilanthol) to promote salivation in patients diagnosed with opioid-induced dry mouth (xerostomia) by Bennet Davis, et al. (2017) https://doi.org/10.5055/jom.2017.0402
- Phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of Spilanthes acmella: A review by Suchita Dubey, et al. (2013) https://doi.org/10.1155%2F2013%2F423750
- Rhamnogalacturonan from Acmella oleracea (L.) R.K. Jansen: Gastroprotective and ulcer healing properties in rats by Daniele Maria-Ferreira, et al. (2014) https://doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0084762
- https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/spilanthes-acmella-jambu
- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/acmella-oleracea/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/toothache-plant#summary
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acmella_oleracea
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Dyer's Croton
Herbarium of the Bizarre
07/06/24 • 9 min
I was hoping this plant was going to be a little more explode-y, but you can paint and make cheese with it, so that’s pretty cool.
I didn’t really think about the fact that my day off was also the day everyone sets off fireworks (even though they’re illegal in North Carolina) before I decided it would be a good time to record. At least it’s kind of on theme.
Music by James Milor from Pixabay
Information provided by:
- Prokinetic and Laxative Effects of Chrozophora tinctoria whole plant extract by Ayaz Ali Sher, et al. (2022) https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fmolecules27072143
- https://discoverpollinators.org/all-about-pollinators/ants/
- A review on medicinal aspects of Chrozophora tinctoria (L.) A. (Euphorbiaceae) by Sumaiya Fatima, et al. (2022)
- Desert Plants of Egypt’s Wadi El Gemal National Park by Tamer Mahmoud
- Pharmacological evaluation of Chrozophora tinctoria as wound healing potential in diabetic rat's model by Harikesh Maurya, Monika Semwal, & Susheel Kumar Dubey (2016) https://doi.org/10.1155%2F2016%2F7475124
- The book on how to make all the colour paints for illuminating books: unravelling a Portuguese Hebrew illuminators’ manual by Maria J. Melo, et al. (2018)
- https://www.maltawildplants.com/EUPH/Chrozophora_tinctoria.php
- A 1000-year-old mystery solved: Unlocking the molecular structure for the medieval blue from Chrozophora tinctoria, also known as folium by P. Nabais, et al. (2020) https://doi.org/10.1126%2Fsciadv.aaz7772
- Phytochemical analysis, antiproliferative and antioxidant activities of Chrozophora tinctoria: a natural dye plant by Feyza Oke-Altuntas, et al. (2017) https://doi.org/10.1080%2F13880209.2016.1277767
- https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/wildflowers/pollinators/who-are-the-pollinators/ants
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrozophora_tinctoria
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Venus Flytrap
Herbarium of the Bizarre
04/05/24 • 10 min
April is Carnivorous Plant Month! Because I said so. This week, we’re talking about one of Charles Darwin’s favorite plants, the Venus Flytrap.
Music by James Milor from Pixabay
Information provided by:
- https://www.zmescience.com/science/venus-flytrap/
- https://cnr.ncsu.edu/news/2021/01/five-things-about-venus-flytraps/
- Testing Darwin’s hypothesis about the wonderful Venus flytrap: marginal spikes form a ‘horrid prison’ for moderate-sized insect prey by Alexander L. Davis, et al. (2019) https://doi.org/10.1086%2F701433
- https://www.fws.gov/species/venus-fly-trap-dionaea-muscipula
- https://www.the-scientist.com/how-the-venus-flytrap-captures-its-prey-71429
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Audrey II
Herbarium of the Bizarre
10/19/24 • 13 min
Special thanks to the production of the Little Shop of Horrors stage musical I saw at NC State when I was in college. That was a first class play. I say as someone who goes to the theater maybe twice a year. But I have seen my fair share of horror musicals. There are more of them than you think.
I don’t quite have my recording setup ready in the new house yet, so sorry the audio is kind of bleh.
Music by James Milor from Pixabay
Information provided by:
- https://www.carnivorousplantresource.com/the-plants/audrey-ii/
- The Little Shop of Horrors (1960). Roger Corman [Dir.].
- https://playbill.com/article/did-you-know-that-audrey-ii-in-little-shop-of-horrors-is-a-female-man-eating-plant
- https://littleshop.fandom.com/wiki/Audrey_II
- Little Shop of Horrors (1986). Frank Oz [Dir.].
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Theobroma cacao
Herbarium of the Bizarre
02/23/24 • 10 min
Now that February is almost over, you’ll finally get to learn about a properly romantic plant. But hey, chocolate is always worth waiting for, right?
This episode references human sexual behavior. Only very mildly, but in case the kiddos like to listen, here’s your advance notice.
Music by James Milor from Pixabay
Information provided by:
- https://doi.org/10.1215/00141801-52-4-673
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/archaeology-chocolate-180954243/
- https://www.secondshistory.com/home/2021/2/21/chocolate-mesoamerican-aphrodisiac
- https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-americas/history-of-chocolate
- https://www.keithscacao.com/blogs/keiths-cacao-blog/the-taste-of-love-how-chocolate-became-the-world-s-favorite-aphrodisiac
- Chocolate, “food of the gods”: History, science, and human health by Maria Teresa Montagna, et al. (2019) https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fijerph16244960
- Cocoa and chocolate consumption: Are there aphrodisiac and other benefits for human health? By Eo. Afoakwa MPhil (2016) [Abstract] https://doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2008.11734163
- Tropical Plants of Costa Rica by Willow Zuchowski
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Yarrow
Herbarium of the Bizarre
06/14/24 • 7 min
Our plant today symbolizes both war and healing. It’s been used to make beer, soup, and tea, but if you see it in the wild, you would probably just think it’s a weed. Which it is, but a useful one.
Music by James Milor from Pixabay
Information provided by:
- Flowers and their Meanings by Karen Azoulay
- https://www.almanac.com/yarrow-and-its-medicinal-uses-healing-garden-herb
- https://www.almanac.com/plant/yarrow
- https://www.botanical.com/~botanid5/botanical/mgmh/y/yarrow02.html
- https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/herb/yarrow
- https://santafebotanicalgarden.org/march-2011/
- “Yarrow” from University of California Master Gardener Program
- https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-151/yarrow
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Butterwort
Herbarium of the Bizarre
04/19/24 • 8 min
This week’s carnivorous plant is bad news for gnats, flies, and mosquitoes, but maybe good for cows?
Music by James Milor from Pixabay
Information provided by:
- https://botany.org/home/resources/carnivorous-plants-insectivorous-plants/pinguicula-the-butterworts.html
- https://www.learnaboutnature.com/plants/carnivorous/butterworts/
- https://www.ukhouseplants.com/plants/pinguicula-butterworts
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinguicula
- https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/wildflowers/common-butterwort
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FAQ
How many episodes does Herbarium of the Bizarre have?
Herbarium of the Bizarre currently has 54 episodes available.
What topics does Herbarium of the Bizarre cover?
The podcast is about Life Sciences, Podcasts and Science.
What is the most popular episode on Herbarium of the Bizarre?
The episode title 'Maize' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Herbarium of the Bizarre?
The average episode length on Herbarium of the Bizarre is 10 minutes.
How often are episodes of Herbarium of the Bizarre released?
Episodes of Herbarium of the Bizarre are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Herbarium of the Bizarre?
The first episode of Herbarium of the Bizarre was released on Oct 13, 2023.
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