The Star of Bethlehem guided the Magi from the east to the stable in which Jesus lay. This classic part of the Christmas story has given rise to the star…Read More >
Herbarium RNG
2014 Advent Botany – Day 24 – The Brussels Sprout (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera)
The Brussels Sprout is the true plant of Christmas! So says Professor John Warren, and he has statistics to prove his point! The British have a strange love-hate relationship with…Read More >
2014 Advent Botany – Day 23 – Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima)
The supermarkets in the UK currently have shelves full of Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) with the distinctive bright red bracts, but poinsettia production is a risky business with high fuel costs…Read More >
2014 Advent Botany – Day 22 – A Partridge in a Pear tree
A partridge in a pear tree is the first verse of the Christmas song “The Twelve Days of Christmas“. This is “cumulative song” each verse building on the previous one…Read More >
2014 Advent Botany – Day 21 – Dates (Phoenix dactylifera)
What would Christmas be without dried dates? My personal Christmas favourite is to remove the date seeds and fill the void with a piece of marzipan (almond paste). However there…Read More >
2014 Advent Botany – Day 20 – Christmas Box (Sarcococca confusa)
Day 20 – Christmas Box – No, not getting ahead of ourselves here with Christmas boxes of the cash kind, traditionally given to tradesmen on Boxing Day (as a thank you…Read More >
2014 Advent Botany – Day 19 – Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)
The parsnip is a classic Christmas lunch vegetable, usually eaten roasted but sometimes boiled or steamed. The edible part is the taproot, and this contains high quantities of dietary fibre…Read More >
2014 Advent Botany – Day 18 – Amaryllis (Hippeastrum spp.)
By Dawn Bazely Amaryllis (Hippeastrum spp.). Today’s entry owes thanks to Professor Dawn Bazely (York University, Toronto, Canada) who suggested the idea (Dawn was last seen on #AdventBotany Day 9…Read More >
2014 Advent Botany – Day 17 – Raisins, Currants & Sultanas
Clearly the most key link between preserved dried grapes and Christmas is their use in Christmas cake, Christmas Pudding and sweet mincemeat for mince pies. These are all based heavily…Read More >
2014 Advent Botany – Day 16 – Chocolate (Theobroma cacao)
Surely, no series of Advent Botany would, could or should be complete without the divine chocolate! Linnaeus named the cocoa tree Theobroma cacao which literally means “Food of the Gods”…Read More >
