In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re having a month-long series focused on our work in Latin America. This week, we’re shining a spotlight on some of our St. Louis-based researchers – people dedicated to unraveling the secrets of Latin American plants and ecosystems. A Century-Long Quest The journey of our Latin American research is…
Category: Around the World
Hispanic Heritage Month: The Garden’s Bolivia Program
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re having a month-long series focused on our work in Latin America. This week, we’re learning about the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Bolivia program! The Heart of Our Mission in Bolivia Our Bolivia program, like other Latin American initiatives, aims to understand and preserve the rich variety of plant life…
Hispanic Heritage Month: The Garden’s Peru Program
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re having a month-long series focused on our work in Latin America. This week, we’re learning about the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Peru program! Leading the team is Program Director, Rodolfo Vásquez (below, first from left in front row), and Program Manager, Rocío Rojas (below, second from left in front row)….
Trying Chaya: Introducing a Superfood in Madagascar to Address Food Insecurity
In many parts of Madagascar, crop farmers face a food shortage every year between harvests. To try to help with this issue of food insecurity, the Missouri Botanical Garden is starting a trial introducing a super food to farmers: chaya, a perennial spinach-like crop native to Central America. The hope is that once a few…
Meeting Madagascar
Madagascar is home to the Missouri Botanical Garden’s largest international research program with more than 200 local staff members, all of whom but one are Malagasy. The Garden has had a research presence in Madagascar since the 1970s, and currently co-manages 13 protected sites jointly with local communities.
Scientific Resurrection: Bringing Extinct Plants Back from the Dead
Species in the hibiscus and sedge families, both extinct for decades but preserved at the Missouri Botanical Garden, are among those scientists want to target to bring back from the dead. Scientists from across the globe recently collaborated to create a list of plants targeted for “de-extinction.” They examined plant specimens preserved in herbaria, or…
Botanical Resonance: Learn More About Madagascar Instruments
Botanical Resonance: Plants and Sounds in the Garden is currently installed in the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum, which is open to visitors Tuesday – Sunday, 11:30 am-4:30 pm (winter hours through January 8, 2023, are 10:30 am-3:30 pm). The exhibition content is available online at the Museum’s Twitter account and the Museum’s Instagram account….
New Species Described by Garden Scientists in 2022
Each year, the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Science and Conservation staff discover and name about 200 plant species new to science. That’s roughly 10 percent of all plant species discovered by scientists worldwide annually.
Guardians of Mayan Knowledge and Traditions: Tz’utujil Women Dyers of San Juan La Laguna, Guatemala
Many indigenous communities have long traditions of natural dyes. In Guatemala, the Tz’utujil Mayan people, one of 25 recognized ethnic groups, are known for preserving knowledge and practices of natural dyes.
The Plants of Día de los Muertos
Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos, is a holiday celebrated from October 31—November 2 each year. A blend of precolonial rituals, Latin American traditions, European religion and Spanish culture, family and friends remember deceased loved ones with a joyous celebration that includes food, drink, and flowers. While frequently associated with Mexico, Día…
Garden Plans Restoration After Fire Burns 35 Acres of Precious Forest in Madagascar
When Dinasoa Tahirinirainy got a phone call in early October telling him there was a fire at a Missouri Botanical Garden conservation area in Madagascar, he wasn’t too worried. Tahirinirainy is the park manager of Ankafobe Forest, an area of rare highland forest where fires are common. He deals with three to four fires a…
Making the Mark
Earlier this year, Missouri Botanical Garden Botanist Patrice Antilahimena embarked on a field trip to a protected area managed by the Garden in southern Madagascar. The dry forest, thick with spiny plants was unlike anywhere he had collected before. But the trip was exciting for another reason: Patrice knew it was likely he would make…