Pawpaws: America’s Forgotten Fruit

The arrival of September brings the beginning of apple-picking season, but apples aren’t the only fall fruit that’s ripening at this time of year. Here in Missouri, there’s a lesser-known seasonal treat that’s well-loved by those who have encountered it: the pawpaw fruit. The Pawpaw is Native to Missouri Asimina triloba, or pawpaw, is a…

A Visitor’s Guide to Japanese Festival

After a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we couldn’t be more excited for Japanese Festival to return. Celebrating the history, culture, and people of Japan, the Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the largest and oldest festivals of its kind in the United States. Since 1977, the Garden has…

Colocasia and Alocasia

Colocasia and Alocasia are two closely-related genera of herbaceous plants in the Araceae—or aroid—family native to the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. Commonly called “elephant ears,” these plants are cultivated around the world as ornamentals for their large, showy leaves, and some species are also grown for their edible, bulb-like corms. Colocasia and Alocasia in…

Scroll Through the Garden: September

September is the final month of summer, and its autumnal equinox ushers in the fall season. Take a scroll through the bright blooms of late summer and the first hints of fall color.

Fighting for the Future of Plants in Mauritius

Ten-thousand miles from home, soaked in the relentless downpour of the Mauritian rainy season, and splattered with the mud of mountain trails, Kayla Flamm, Jean Claude Sevathian, Becky Sucher, and Andrew Wyatt found themselves peering over the edge of a 500-foot waterfall in search of any hint of the delicate, pale blue flowers of the Nesocodon.

Scroll Through Summer: July

The warmth of the July sun sets off a frenzy of growth as plants reach for the peak of their potential. The delicate greens of spring and early summer deepen, and plants that were small and humble just weeks ago now overwhelm the landscape with explosive color. Midsummer in St. Louis is not unlike weather…

Garden News and Notes: February 2020

Current Events: Orchid Show and Orchid Nights Black History Month Morpho Mardi Gras at the Butterfly House Solanum tuberosum: Apple of the Earth Photo by Marissa Billmeyer Black History Month Celebrate Black History Month at the Garden with these family-friendly events and more planned throughout February. Featured programming focuses on the legacy of George Washington…

Garden News and Notes: January 2020

The Garden in Madagascar, 71 Homes to Install Solar Power through Garden Program, The Conservation of Fraser Firs, Why Our Scientists Are Studying Guano