Botany

In a high-traffic city like Denver, a booming cannabis industry could make air quality even worse.

ByJesslyn Shields

Thinking allows us to solve problems, plan ahead and defend ourselves from outside threats. It's what separates us from "lower" life-forms like plants, right? Well, maybe not.

ByLaurie L. Dove

Though they may be stuck in one place, plants have proven to possess a surprising array of capabilities. But the ability to feel pain? Scientists are learning that the possibility isn't as crazy as it sounds.

ByLaurie L. Dove&Desiree Bowie

A newly discovered plant on a subtropical Japanese island survives without sunlight, and only rarely rears its head above ground. How is that possible?

ByLaurie L. Dove

Mangroves provide a habitat for wildlife such as fish, birds, deer and insects. They also stabilize shorelines, protect against storm surges and improve water quality. What's not to love?

ByStephanie Parker

Snake plants are attractive and virtually ironclad houseplants, almost impossible to kill, though some of the hype about them acting as air purifying filters has been overblown.

ByJesslyn Shields

毒漆树更有毒its cousins, poison ivy and poison oak, in its ability to cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems.

ByAlia Hoyt

An interesting defense mechanism recently observed in tomato plants has caterpillars turning on themselves rather than remaining vegetarian.

ByLaurie L. Dove

How does a plant — incapable of waving its arms or screaming — attract attention and spread its seed? By evolving a powerful stink or an attractive color, of course.

ByJesslyn Shields

Hundreds of crops in developing countries are relatively unknown in the developed world because they're often hard to grow or export. But scientists have found that CRISPR editing can speed up traditional plant breeding techniques.

ByDave Roos

Machines can translate some of the biological functions of plants into synthesizer sounds. But are these synthesized translations the same thing as music?

ByJesslyn Shields

Germinated in medieval times, the pine named Italus now holds the record as Europe's oldest tree.

ByJesslyn Shields

Nine of the 13 oldest baobab trees researchers examined over the past 12 years have died. What's killing off these majestic trees?

ByJohn Donovan

The towering, invasive giant hogweed has been discovered in Virginia, and residents are understandably concerned.

ByJesslyn Shields

Like a phoenix from the ashes, fireweed is the first thing to sprout, helping reestablish areas decimated by fire and deforestation.

ByMark Mancini

Are trees and shrubs as cute as pandas? As awe-inspiring as whales? Maybe not, but many are in danger of going the way of the dodo — just like countless leafy greens before them. Learn about some amazing plants we lost to history.

ByClint Pumphrey

There is a good chance that if you go to the grocery store and buy a bunch of grapes that they will be of the seedless variety. If the grapes are seedless, how are they able to produce new grapes? Find out the answer to that question in this article.

Poison ivy is often very difficult to spot. But if you come into contact with it, you'll soon know by the itchy, blistery rash that forms on your skin. Learn how poison ivy causes that rash, and how to get rid of it.

ByStephanie Wilson

Orchids might be the sexiest flower in the greenhouse. Its very name comes from the Greek word for "testicle!" And its reproduction methods are pretty exotic too.

ByAlia Hoyt

漆酚的活性化学毒葛。Learn more about urushiol and how to properly remove poison ivy.

ByHowStuffWorks.com Contributors

Pollen grains are, in essence, plant sperm. But how do the grains get where they need to go, and what's the advantage of trusting your genetic future to the winds?

ByJessika Toothman

Like pretty well all living things, plants are equipped with natural defense mechanisms that help protect them from all the vicious animals out there that might want to eat them. In addition to stinging spikes and thorns, some plants are filled with deadly toxins that can make us violently ill or even kill us if […] The post The 12 Deadliest Plants In The World appeared first on Goliath.

By Wes Walcott

You can't find trees taller than these behemoths. But do you know which is the tallest tree in the world?

ByJesslyn Shields

In the quest for the title of world's oldest tree, there's some stiff competition, as well as questions surrounding the way we define "oldest."

ByLaurie L. Dove

Found along beaches and in the mangrove swamps of tropical climates, the fruit of the manchineel tree was called the 'little apple of death' by Spanish conquistadors.

ByKatie Carman