#AdventBotany Day 11 brings the Christmas rose (Helleborus niger). This handsome herbaceous perennial is native to the Balkans but widely planted in gardens in Britain for its large white flowers…Read More >
2014 Advent Botany – Day 10 – Mulled Wine
Dr M offers a botanical extravaganza with mulled wine, a drink supposedly invented by Hippocrates and for which there are recipes in English from as early as the 16th century….Read More >
2014 Advent Botany – Day 9 – Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea)
Dawn Bazely tells us that in North America the Red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) plays a major role in Christmas decorations. It’s not surprising that the red stems of this native…Read More >
2014 Advent Botany – Day 8 – Cranberry (Vaccinium spp.)
The cranberry is a small bog plant in the U.K.; Vaccinium oxycoccus, the wild cranberry is a diminutive plant of acid bog-lands, and most British botanists will tell you that…Read More >
2014 Advent Botany – Day 7 – Almonds (Prunus dulcis)
Day7 of #AdventBotany – did the almond tree grow from Agdistis’ severed genitals or was it created to honour Phyllis’ wait for Demophon? Almond, Prunus dulcis – a tree that…Read More >
2014 Advent Botany – Day 6 – Myrrh (Commiphora myrrah)
Day 6 #AdventBotany – staying in the Burseraceae, Commiphora myrrah or Myrrh is an anti-inflammatory, flavouring and scent but over use can lead to side effects including rashes and nausea. …Read More >
2014 Advent Botany – Day 5 – Frankincense (Boswellia sacra)
Day 5 #AdventBotany – resinous sap of Boswellia sacra (and other related species), from southern Arabia, called Arabia Felix for its providence in having such a valuable plant. Frankincense was…Read More >
2014 Botanical Advent Calendar – Day 4 – Gold
Perhaps the most obvious plants to write about are the numerous species with gold (aurea and its forms) in their names. These range from Abrus aureus, a climbing vine in…Read More >
2014 Botanical Advent Calendar – Day 3 – Ilex
3rd day of #AdventBotany – Ilex is the only genus in the family Aquifoliacaeae. In Europe we know Holly (Ilex aquifolium) which is the third of our Christmas evergreens alongside…Read More >
2014 Botanical Advent Calendar – Day 2 – Viscum album
2nd December – Viscum album (Mistletoe) 2nd day of #AdventBotany – Viscum album – another evergreen but this time more sinister. This hemi-parasitic plant grows on a range of broadleaved…Read More >
