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.
Tag: science
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…
Climate Change and Common Violets
In many Missouri backyards, a carpet of small purple or white violets is a sure sign of spring. In future springs, we’re likely to see more of these cheerful flowers earlier in the season as a result of climate change, a recent study from Garden researchers found. This may seem like an unexpected positive outcome…
Spotlight on Science: Jordan Teisher
Jordan TeisherDirector, Herbarium Jordan Teisher still vividly remembers visiting the Missouri Botanical Garden when he was exploring graduate school opportunities in plant research. He started his visit in the Lehmann Building, which holds part of the Garden’s herbarium, and then took a walk around Garden grounds. He was in awe. “You have this combination of…
Three Black Scientists Overlooked by History
Who is Percy Julian? Percy Julian was a chemist who participated in the synthesis and large-scale production of steroids from plant compounds. The grandson of enslaved people, Julian studied chemistry and graduated as valedictorian of his class in 1920 from DePauw University. Among his many accomplishments, Julian collaborated with his colleague Josef Pikl on the…