Introduction I am fascinated by the origins of our food. It’s a little absurd to imagine our distant progenitors, searching for food by trying every random plant and mushroom. It's harder still to imagine the investment across generations ... READ MORE
Category: Blog Community, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, Recreation
The plants we eat often have interesting and surprising relationships, although “family” is a more distant relation in science than we use socially. These relations can be easy to see, as with the strong similarities between Cucurbitaceae ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Horticulture
Not many garden plants are as well-adapted to the intensity of Florida summers as those from Cucurbitaceae, the gourd family. An estimated 975 species of this family are used for food or ornamental purposes, making them an important component ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, UF/IFAS
Flowering plants, or angiosperms, are the most diversified type of plant on Earth, representing about 80% of all plant species. Excluding ferns, mosses, and pines, most couldn’t name a plant that doesn’t blossom. The exact origins of flowers ... READ MORE
Category: Blog Community, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Health & Nutrition, Horticulture, UF/IFAS
When my husband and I first moved to Florida in February of 2022, our apartment had an abandoned aloe plant on the balcony. It was in the shadiest corner, tilted almost completely over, and had obviously been there for some time. I pitied the ... READ MORE
Category: Blog Community, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Horticulture