By Andrew Doran It’s not a moss, it’s a lichen! Cladonia rangiferina and Cladonia portentosa are both known as reindeer moss or reindeer lichens. This lichen takes its specific epithet…Read More >
Herbarium RNG
Advent Botany 2015 – Day 8 – Wassailing
By Yvette Harvey and Maria Christodoulou After last year’s relatively well behaved advent plants, it is time for the more obscure and yet omnipresent ingredients of a good Christmas. Time…Read More >
Advent Botany 2015 – Day 7: Saffron: A light in the darkness
By Charlie Campbell In Scandinavia, particularly Sweden and Norway, Saffron is associated with advent, Christmas, yule and especially Saint Lucia’s night. The convoluted history of solstice celebrations may be read…Read More >
Advent Botany 2015 – Day 6: White Cedar
By Dawn Bazely Eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) is popular in garlands and ropes used for door and window decorations during the Christmas holiday season in Canada. White cedar fronds are floppy,…Read More >
Advent Botany 2015 – Day 5: By Jove, its a walnut!
By Rachel Webster In my humble opinion, the hazelnut is OK, but in my stocking I’ll be sure to find some walnuts. Clearly I’m not the only one to put…Read More >
Advent Botany 2015 – Day 4: Lore of Hazelnuts, Corylus avellana
By Sophie Marley Purple quality streets, pralines and ferrero rocher are always the first to vanish from chocolate tins during the festive grazing period. Their crunchy moreish hazelnut centres are…Read More >
Advent Botany 2015 – Day 3: Galanthophilia
By Alastair Culham It’s not a heavy metal band, but Galanthophilia sounds as if it could be. It is the name for those with a true love of snowdrops. These…Read More >
AdventBotany 2015 – Day 2: Yule Log – a carbon neutral heat source?
By Alastair Culham The Yule log was traditionally a large branch, trunk or whole tree brought indoors to burn slowly over the Christmas period and in to the New Year. …Read More >
Advent Botany 2015, Day1: Balsam Fir – a popular Christmas tree in Canada
By Dawn Bazely Much of Canada’s landmass is dominated by the boreal forest ecosystem. The characteristic tree species of the boreal biome are conifers such as pines, firs and spruces. Another boreal evergreen…Read More >
Getting Ready for #AdventBotany – here’s a reprise of 2014
Last year we ran our first #AdventBotany challenge – @DrMGoesWild and @botanyRNG writing an account each day (with some help from @DawnBazeley and others) through advent of plants associated with…Read More >
