Alexander von Humboldt is one of the most influential people you’ve probably never heard of. Yet you’ve likely heard the name, whether you know it or not. His name adorns cities and schools, mountains and glaciers, and a dozen plants and animals including the Humboldt penguins at the St. Louis Zoo. When combined, there are…
Category: Collections
Leafing Through History: The Plants That Make Paper
After one year back in operation, the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum presents its first fully interdisciplinary exhibit: Leafing Through History: The Plants that Make Paper. “I know how intimidating a science museum can be to a non-science audience,” says Nezka Pfeifer, curator of the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum at the Missouri Botanical Garden….
Moon Trees and Space Gums
From moon trees to shuttle gums, trees are tied to the history of space exploration.
The Case for More Plantmoji
There are nearly 3,000 emoji available at your fingertips ☝️. These images depict everything from emotions 🤪 to animals 🦎, national flags 🇺🇸 to sports equipment 🏒. Emoji have become an integral part of how we communicate in a digital world 📱. Emoji have grown to be more diverse 👶🏻👩🏽🦱👨🏾🦱 and inclusive 👳🏼♂️👨🏿🌾👩🔬, at least…
The Botany of Beer
It’s no secret that St. Louis is one of the best places to be if you find yourself with a hankering for beer. Starting this July at Garden Party Lights, the Garden joins in the fun with a biergarten that’s open through the rosy glow of summer evenings. But even in the midst of a…
Shaw Nature Reserve and Route 66
Almost immediately after it opened to traffic, Garden leaders looked to put their own stamp on Route 66.
World’s Smallest Water Lily Debuts in Garden Pools
Nymphaea thermarum isn’t just tiny, it’s also incredibly rare.
St. Louis Plants
First opening its gates in 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden has a rich history of connecting St. Louis with plants. But did you know St. Louis’ ties to plants also include multiple cultivars bearing its name? The following are stories of three cultivars linked to the Gateway to the West. Nymphaea ‘St. Louis’ Nymphaea ‘St….
Cajun Cooking, Chubby Cheeks, and Dumbledore: The Iris Name Game
Everybody knows to stop and smell the roses, but do you stop to read the signs? Peak Iris bloom is expected to hit around the second week of May, and if you read the name plates, you’ll notice something unusual in the Goodman Iris Garden: the flower names. Among the Irises, you’ll see names like…
Have Ewe Herd? The Sheep Are on the Move
For the first time in over a decade, the Garden’s scientists have noted a change in the behavior of that famous flock of sheep. They have now migrated to a fresh new grazing patch 20 feet from their original location. Anyone who knows the Garden knows the sheep sculptures just as well. A familiar staple…
From the Library: Rebuilding the Bateman Book (Part 7)
Conservation work on the Peter H. Raven Library’s copy of The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala is underway! Follow along as we document this painstaking restoration of one of the largest and grandest volumes in the Garden’s rare book collection. As of March 2019, Bateman’s Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala had been surface cleaned, mended, filled…
The Science of Looking: The Vast World of Botanical Art
Science and the arts are often treated like totally separate worlds, but the two are not incompatible. They have more in common than meets the eye. “Science and art are really intertwined,” says Nezka Pfeifer, Museum Curator at the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum. “They’re not these two separate specializations like we sometimes…