Considerable give-and-take marks cultural exchanges. A prime example is the ritual family dish for the Brazilian Saturday meal, feijoada. It consists of several different pork parts,…
A scientist and a writer
A scientist and a writer
Considerable give-and-take marks cultural exchanges. A prime example is the ritual family dish for the Brazilian Saturday meal, feijoada. It consists of several different pork parts,…
How do naturalists — geneticists, in fact — establish where a given species comes from? This question is closely linked to those of domestication and hybridization…
Clove tree: Syzygium aromaticum, aka Eugenia caryophylatta (Myrtaceae). Why did the Dutch give up New Amsterdam? Considering what it has become, trading away the…
Plant of the month (©Pierre Laszlo, all rights reserved) Daucus carota (Apiaceae) Who said veggies are a dull topic ? Carrots are so common as…
Plant of the month (©Pierre Laszlo, all rights reserved)Euphorbia (Apocynaceae). Euphorbs — some of which are commonly known as ‟spurges‟ — are remarkable plants, numbering…
The cypress is inseparable from the landscapes of Tuscany. What do they offer of interest, if anything, apart from their exclamation mark shapes? Are they…
Ce-le-ry: three syllables. The etymology is reminiscent of the game, by children and by partying adults, when a word is whispered in an ear and…
Salsaparilla, genus Smilax (Smilacaceae) This particular entry for the ‟plant of the month‟ series is about culture. It purports to show that, far from being…
Cyclamen persicum (Myrsinaceae) In Edmond Rostand’s play, Cyrano de Bergerac’s delicate soul was belied by the monstrous appendage defacing him. Cyclamens are likewise, with a…
Genus Lupinus. Lupines — or lupins, both spellings coexist — are autonomous plants. Belonging to the Legume family, they supply nitrogen to the soil, from…