Alastair Culham
@thebotanist.bsky.social
Life through botany goggles. Botany, phylogeny, plants, horticulture. Enjoys baking. Has a pet red eared terrapin.
Last week, I met Hydrolea spinosa (photo) at Cambridge Botanic Garden. Tomorrow, I'll hear a talk on taxonomy of Hydroleaceae at Edinburgh Botanic Garden. The family has 1 genus & 11 species. Part of Solanales. This species doesn't even have its own Wikipedia page :(
@cubotanicgarden.bsky.social
@cubotanicgarden.bsky.social
August 27, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Last week, I met Hydrolea spinosa (photo) at Cambridge Botanic Garden. Tomorrow, I'll hear a talk on taxonomy of Hydroleaceae at Edinburgh Botanic Garden. The family has 1 genus & 11 species. Part of Solanales. This species doesn't even have its own Wikipedia page :(
@cubotanicgarden.bsky.social
@cubotanicgarden.bsky.social
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Not a typical British front garden!
Not a typical British front garden!
Gardener's delight after giant rare plant flowers in Hartford - BBC News
A man says he is overjoyed that an agave americana has bloomed after 20 years in his front garden.
www.bbc.co.uk
August 21, 2025 at 5:27 PM
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Not a typical British front garden!
Not a typical British front garden!
A nail biting Botanical University Challenge semi-final between Reading and Plymouth. Plymouth won on the fourth tiebreak question. Congratulations Plymouth!
August 20, 2025 at 1:49 PM
A nail biting Botanical University Challenge semi-final between Reading and Plymouth. Plymouth won on the fourth tiebreak question. Congratulations Plymouth!
Botanical University Challenge Semi final 1 is about to start.
www.youtube.com/live/bX_sdw1...
Follow luve on You Tube
#Botany #Plants
www.youtube.com/live/bX_sdw1...
Follow luve on You Tube
#Botany #Plants
August 20, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Botanical University Challenge Semi final 1 is about to start.
www.youtube.com/live/bX_sdw1...
Follow luve on You Tube
#Botany #Plants
www.youtube.com/live/bX_sdw1...
Follow luve on You Tube
#Botany #Plants
Drimia/Squilla coming in to flower in Gozo. It amazes me how plants can invest such energy into flowering in the peak dry season. #geophyte #Asparagaceae #Bulb
August 13, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Drimia/Squilla coming in to flower in Gozo. It amazes me how plants can invest such energy into flowering in the peak dry season. #geophyte #Asparagaceae #Bulb
Visited Comino today. Pancratium maritimum in bloom. My first ever experience of a rubbish bin dedicated to waste pineapples. Instagram craze of pineapple based cocktails on Comino, Blue Lagoon. No idea why. There is a somewhat whimsical 'history' of the craze here lovinmalta.com/opinion/sati...
August 12, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Visited Comino today. Pancratium maritimum in bloom. My first ever experience of a rubbish bin dedicated to waste pineapples. Instagram craze of pineapple based cocktails on Comino, Blue Lagoon. No idea why. There is a somewhat whimsical 'history' of the craze here lovinmalta.com/opinion/sati...
Reposted by Alastair Culham
🌱🌾🌍🍄🌺🌿🧪What is it actually like to work and study for a PhD degree? Read one woman's account in latest newsletter from Botanical University Challenge #BUC2025. @drmgoeswild.bsky.social @thebotanist.bsky.social
April 14, 2025 at 9:14 AM
🌱🌾🌍🍄🌺🌿🧪What is it actually like to work and study for a PhD degree? Read one woman's account in latest newsletter from Botanical University Challenge #BUC2025. @drmgoeswild.bsky.social @thebotanist.bsky.social
As a long-time Cyclamen researcher, this is my first encounter with a cheese named Cyclamen! Looking forward to tasting it!
August 7, 2025 at 4:07 PM
As a long-time Cyclamen researcher, this is my first encounter with a cheese named Cyclamen! Looking forward to tasting it!
Reposted by Alastair Culham
UK heatwaves led to hosepipe bans across the country. With limited watering opportunities, which garden plants should we prioritise? @thebotanist.bsky.social writes for @theconversation.com:
theconversation.com/hosepipe-ban...
🧪🌍🌱💧
theconversation.com/hosepipe-ban...
🧪🌍🌱💧
Hosepipe ban survival guide: which garden plants to save and which to sacrifice
The expert guide to triaging your garden through a water shortage.
theconversation.com
July 24, 2025 at 12:21 PM
UK heatwaves led to hosepipe bans across the country. With limited watering opportunities, which garden plants should we prioritise? @thebotanist.bsky.social writes for @theconversation.com:
theconversation.com/hosepipe-ban...
🧪🌍🌱💧
theconversation.com/hosepipe-ban...
🧪🌍🌱💧
More on droughted gardens theconversation.com/hosepipe-ban...
Hosepipe ban survival guide: which garden plants to save and which to sacrifice
The expert guide to triaging your garden through a water shortage.
theconversation.com
July 22, 2025 at 7:04 PM
More on droughted gardens theconversation.com/hosepipe-ban...
What happens when you photograph a plant next to a mooring bollard and ask AI to identify it? You get told you've photographed a mushroom. What i was siming for was Carduus tenuiflorus. Context is crucial.
July 8, 2025 at 6:17 PM
What happens when you photograph a plant next to a mooring bollard and ask AI to identify it? You get told you've photographed a mushroom. What i was siming for was Carduus tenuiflorus. Context is crucial.
doi.org/10.1002/ppp3... out today! It's great to write about an area of #Botany that is growing. @seburbanbotany.bsky.social @herbarium.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social @botsocamerica.bsky.social
The Botanical University Challenge: Bridging isolation and empowering plant‐aware students
Societal Impact Statement In some indigenous languages, plants are referred to as ‘those who care for us’, reflecting their essential role in tackling global challenges. Yet, urbanisation and other ...
doi.org
February 11, 2025 at 11:11 AM
doi.org/10.1002/ppp3... out today! It's great to write about an area of #Botany that is growing. @seburbanbotany.bsky.social @herbarium.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social @botsocamerica.bsky.social
Are you looking for a PhD post for September 2025? Fieldwork, computational & molecular biology skills will be developed in this project to understand climate change & speciation. Applications by 20th January.
Botany PhD available via CROCUS DLP. www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Open to UK & overseas applicants with interest in botany, evolution, genetics.
Open to UK & overseas applicants with interest in botany, evolution, genetics.
CR2025_48: The mystery of widespread endemics: why do some species spread while others don’t? at University of Reading on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - CR2025_48: The mystery of widespread endemics: why do some species spread while others don’t? at University of Reading, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
December 30, 2024 at 11:45 AM
Are you looking for a PhD post for September 2025? Fieldwork, computational & molecular biology skills will be developed in this project to understand climate change & speciation. Applications by 20th January.
#PhD available for UK student on phylogeny of paleotropical #Acanthaceae with @iaindarbyshire1.bsky.social www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Start September 2025, applications open now.
Start September 2025, applications open now.
CR2025_41: The diversity and evolutionary history of the shrimp plants (Acanthaceae: Justiciinae) in the palaeotropics. at University of Reading on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - CR2025_41: The diversity and evolutionary history of the shrimp plants (Acanthaceae: Justiciinae) in the palaeotropics. at University of Reading, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
December 3, 2024 at 7:38 AM
#PhD available for UK student on phylogeny of paleotropical #Acanthaceae with @iaindarbyshire1.bsky.social www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Start September 2025, applications open now.
Start September 2025, applications open now.
Reposted by Alastair Culham
Botany PhD available via CROCUS DLP. www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Open to UK & overseas applicants with interest in botany, evolution, genetics.
Open to UK & overseas applicants with interest in botany, evolution, genetics.
CR2025_48: The mystery of widespread endemics: why do some species spread while others don’t? at University of Reading on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - CR2025_48: The mystery of widespread endemics: why do some species spread while others don’t? at University of Reading, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
December 3, 2024 at 7:25 AM
Botany PhD available via CROCUS DLP. www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Open to UK & overseas applicants with interest in botany, evolution, genetics.
Open to UK & overseas applicants with interest in botany, evolution, genetics.
The HTA just released the latest Unlocking Green Growth reports - It makes me feel good to be a Botanist!
Lots here of relevance to botanists and environmental scientists. Our University of Reading alumnus Alistair Griffiths has been closely involved in much of this work.
hta.org.uk/policy/resea...
Lots here of relevance to botanists and environmental scientists. Our University of Reading alumnus Alistair Griffiths has been closely involved in much of this work.
hta.org.uk/policy/resea...
Research Documents and Policy Papers
hta.org.uk
November 28, 2024 at 6:15 PM
The HTA just released the latest Unlocking Green Growth reports - It makes me feel good to be a Botanist!
Lots here of relevance to botanists and environmental scientists. Our University of Reading alumnus Alistair Griffiths has been closely involved in much of this work.
hta.org.uk/policy/resea...
Lots here of relevance to botanists and environmental scientists. Our University of Reading alumnus Alistair Griffiths has been closely involved in much of this work.
hta.org.uk/policy/resea...
It's UN #WorldToiletDay. As usual, plants got there first -several Nepenthes (tropical pitcher plants) adapted to benefit from poo. N. lowii, N. rajah & N. macrophylla absorb rodent fecal matter while N. hemsleyi eats bat poo.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
academic.oup.com/aob/article/...
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
academic.oup.com/aob/article/...
Mutualism between tree shrews and pitcher plants
Three species of Nepenthes pitcher plants from Borneo engage in a mutualistic interaction with mountain tree shrews, the basis of which is the exchange of nutritional resources. The plants produce ...
www.tandfonline.com
November 19, 2024 at 1:23 PM
It's UN #WorldToiletDay. As usual, plants got there first -several Nepenthes (tropical pitcher plants) adapted to benefit from poo. N. lowii, N. rajah & N. macrophylla absorb rodent fecal matter while N. hemsleyi eats bat poo.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
academic.oup.com/aob/article/...
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
academic.oup.com/aob/article/...
Peat free cultivation of Sarracenia - trials at Royal Horticultural Society, Wisley. Seen on Saturday. It looks as if Schnell's 1970s recommendation to use Sphagnum still holds true!
October 15, 2024 at 6:50 PM
Peat free cultivation of Sarracenia - trials at Royal Horticultural Society, Wisley. Seen on Saturday. It looks as if Schnell's 1970s recommendation to use Sphagnum still holds true!
Reposted by Alastair Culham
🌱🌍🌿🍄🌾 In Defense of Plants is a great podcast from Matt Candeias.
Interviews with conservation biologists, lab scientists - all with fascinating stories about plants. Based in USA but includes plants and topics of world-wide interest.
indefenseofplants.com
Interviews with conservation biologists, lab scientists - all with fascinating stories about plants. Based in USA but includes plants and topics of world-wide interest.
indefenseofplants.com
July 14, 2024 at 9:58 AM
🌱🌍🌿🍄🌾 In Defense of Plants is a great podcast from Matt Candeias.
Interviews with conservation biologists, lab scientists - all with fascinating stories about plants. Based in USA but includes plants and topics of world-wide interest.
indefenseofplants.com
Interviews with conservation biologists, lab scientists - all with fascinating stories about plants. Based in USA but includes plants and topics of world-wide interest.
indefenseofplants.com
Currently at #MonocotsVII in San Jose, Costa Rica. Had nearly a whole day of mycoheterotrophs - Thismia & Corallorhiza among others.
March 12, 2024 at 11:51 AM
Currently at #MonocotsVII in San Jose, Costa Rica. Had nearly a whole day of mycoheterotrophs - Thismia & Corallorhiza among others.
Reposted by Alastair Culham
Magnolia denudata (#Magnoliaceae) is another beetle-pollinated species. The pollinators are large #Coleoptera (#Scarabaeidae). The thermal image shows that the stamens & carpels heat up. AOX respiration generates the heat. Thermal image from bit.ly/3S58s0V
#Botany #PlantScience 🌾🧪
#Botany #PlantScience 🌾🧪
February 23, 2024 at 12:16 PM
Magnolia denudata (#Magnoliaceae) is another beetle-pollinated species. The pollinators are large #Coleoptera (#Scarabaeidae). The thermal image shows that the stamens & carpels heat up. AOX respiration generates the heat. Thermal image from bit.ly/3S58s0V
#Botany #PlantScience 🌾🧪
#Botany #PlantScience 🌾🧪
Happy bissextile day 🙂
February 29, 2024 at 7:32 AM
Happy bissextile day 🙂
Reposted by Alastair Culham
Each nut of Hernandia sp. (#Hernandiaceae) is subtended by a white, cup-shaped bract. When the fruits drop, the bracts act like boats, ferrying the fruits away. Once in New Guinea, I waded through a shallow pool covered by rafts of tiny Hernandia boats. #dispersal #hydrochory #Botany 🌾🧪
February 27, 2024 at 5:11 PM
Each nut of Hernandia sp. (#Hernandiaceae) is subtended by a white, cup-shaped bract. When the fruits drop, the bracts act like boats, ferrying the fruits away. Once in New Guinea, I waded through a shallow pool covered by rafts of tiny Hernandia boats. #dispersal #hydrochory #Botany 🌾🧪
Congratulations to Tomos Jones, University of Reading, Biology for passing his PhD on gardens as a source of invasive plants. #gardenescapers #invasives
@herbarium.bsky.social @drmgoeswild.bsky.social
@herbarium.bsky.social @drmgoeswild.bsky.social
February 17, 2024 at 10:22 AM
Congratulations to Tomos Jones, University of Reading, Biology for passing his PhD on gardens as a source of invasive plants. #gardenescapers #invasives
@herbarium.bsky.social @drmgoeswild.bsky.social
@herbarium.bsky.social @drmgoeswild.bsky.social