In honor of the 96th Academy Awards, the Missouri Botanical Garden is taking a look at the nominations for Best Picture and deciding which plant we think these films would be.
“American Fiction“
In this Best Picture nominated film, a frustrated novelist-professor who writes an outlandishly stereotypical “Black” book as satire, only for the book to be published to high sales and praise.
Photo 2: Dahlia Photo by Tom Incrocci/Missouri Botanical Garden.
Our plant pick: Dahlia
In the movie, a character remarks “Dahlias are my favorite. There’s a whole world inside them,” reflecting the film’s themes of the complexity of human character. Dahlia is a genus of plants comprising nearly 50 species that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and shades.
“Anatomy of a Fall”
A writer must prove her innocence in her husband’s death in this French legal drama/thriller.
Photo 2: Salix purpurea. Photo by Willow from the Wikipedia Creative Commons.
Our plant pick: Purple willow (Salix purpurea)
Native to the region in France where the film is set, this is one of the many willow species traditionally used to treat inflammation and pain, containing a compound from which aspirin was synthesized.
“Barbie”
In this record-breaking hit, Barbie and Ken must leave Barbieland behind to face the joys and perils of being human.
Photo 2: Rosa ‘Ausbord’ GERTRUDE JEKYLL Photo by Steve Frank.
Our plant pick: Rose shrub species Rosa ‘Ausbord’ GERTRUDE JEKYLL
This species is named after a female horticulturalist/gardener who created more than 400 gardens in the UK, Europe, and the United States. And, it’s perefectly pink!
“The Holdovers”
A strict teacher at a New England boarding school is forced to chaperone a handful of students with nowhere to go on Christmas break.
Photo 2: Abies balsamea courtesy of the Missouri Botanical Gardens Living Collections database.
Our plant pick: Balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
This common Christmas tree is native to New England where the film takes place.
Did you know? The Garden works to preserve endangered Christmas tree species. Learn More>
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
This Western crime drama depicts the conspiracy and murders of the Osage people by white settlers in Oklahoma.
Photos 2: Claytonia virginica. Photo by Matilda Adams/ Missouri Botanical Garden.
Our plant pick: Spring beauties (Claytonia virginica)
In the nonfiction book of the same name, the author explains why the Osage people call the May moon the flower-killing moon, also serving as a metaphor for what happened to the Osage people.
“In April, millions of flowers spread over the blackjack hills and vast prairies in the Osage territory of Oklahoma. There are Johnny-jump-ups and spring beauties and little bluets….In May, when coyotes howl beneath an unnervingly large moon, taller plants, such as spiderworts, and black eyed Susans, begin to creep over the tinier blooms, stealing their light and water. The necks of the smaller flowers break and their petals flutter away, and before long they are buried underground.”
“Maestro”
This biopic sees Bradley Cooper portraying Leonard Bernstein – an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian.
Photo 2: Hylotelephium ‘Maestro’ from the Missouri Botanical Gardens Living Collections.
Our plant pick: Stonecrop (Hylotelephium ‘Maestro’)
This Stonecrop species (Maestro) shares a name with the Oscar-nominated film. Its Genus name (Hylotelephium) likely honors Telephus, King of Mysia and son of Hercules in Greek mythology.
“Oppenheimer”
Cillian Murphey portrays J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American theoretical physicist credited with being the “father of the atomic bomb” for his role in the Manhattan Project.
Photo 2: Nelumbo nucifera. Photo by Erika Anderson/Missouri Botanical Garden.
Our plant pick: Japanese Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)
Lotus flowers bloom in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park to symbolize how the city rose from the ashes to forge its own renaissance after US forces dropped an atomic bomb over the city, killing tens of thousands of people, in 1945.
“Past Lives”
This romantic drama follows two childhood friends over the course of 24 years, starting with their childhood in South Korea, while they contemplate the nature of their relationship as they grow apart, living different lives on different continents.
Photo 2: Hibiscus syriacus. Photo by Tom Incrocci/Missouri Botanical Garden.
Our plant pick: Mugunghwa or Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
Mugunghwa is the national flower of South Korea and also is a symbol for eternal life, a theme touched on in the film in its themes of reincarnation and past lives.
“Poor Things”
A journey of self-discovery told as a fantastical revision of Frankenstein, complete with an unorthodox scientist engaging experimenting on human subjects, including brain swapping and reanimation.
Photo 2: Euphorbia neriifolia and Euphorbia lactea. Photo from creative commons.
Our plant pick: Coral cactus (Euphorbia neriifolia and Euphorbia lactea)
This “Frankenstein” plant is created by grafting two different plants together.
“Zone of Interest”
German Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss strives to build a dream life with his wife, Hedwig, in a new home next to the German Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz.
Our plant pick: Daffodils (Narcissus)
The Daffodil Project aspires to build a worldwide Living Holocaust Memorial by planting 1.5 million Daffodils in memory of the children who perished in the Holocaust and in support for children suffering in humanitarian crises in the world today.
Thanks to the team at the William T. Kemper Center for Home Gardening for their expert advice and insight.
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