If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? What about when a tree “talks” to another tree? Have you ever heard whisperings in the forest? Trees are abuzz with conversation beneath the soil. They share life-sustaining...
“Coneflower” refers to the entire Echinacea genus, which includes about nine species. The most popular and studied one is Echinacea purpurea, with its striking purple blooms. Native American tribes used Echinacea for centuries to treat wounds, toothaches,...
The oddly beautiful bottlebrush plant comes from Australia, a land of bizarre creatures like the platypus and leafy sea dragon. Its cylindrical, long-blooming flowers resemble, well, a brush to clean bottles. The flower’s bright red “bristles” are...
Some azaleas are old enough to collect Social Security. These “royal” shrubs can live 50 years or more. Several plants in historic Japanese temples are centuries old. Azaleas belong to the Rhododendron genus and are native to Asia, North America, and...
Humans and hollyhocks go way back. Archaeologists have discovered hollyhock pollen in Neanderthal burial sites in Iraq, suggesting it had spiritual or medicinal importance as early as 50,000 years ago. Sumerian clay tablets mention plants with large, showy blooms,...
