
News and Media Archive – 2018
Plant Research and Conservation at The New York Botanical Garden: News and Media Archive 2018
Science Magazine: This lily’s cousin is an ear of corn
As different as they may seem, corn, daylilies, towering palm trees, and diminutive lady’s slipper orchids have a lot in common. Now, a new genetic study published by 20 authors including NYBG’s Dr. Dennis Stevenson reveals why: Even though all of these plants are landlubbers today, their ancestor lived in water.

Spectrum News: Invasive Insect Species, Spotted Lanternfly, in New York State
The New York State DEC and USDA are shining the spotlight on an invasive insect species that has shown up in Albany and Yates Counties. What do we know about the Spotted Lanternfly?

The Riverdale Press: Thanks to technology, some plants are no longer invisible
The author provides a one-year assessment of the NYC EcoFlora Project: “This is clearly a staggering project from the logistical standpoint, yet the various [Symposium] presentations showed tremendous progress in just one year…one of the happiest surprises is how enthusiastically the public has responded.”

Smithsonian Magazine: On the Hunt for Unloved, Unstudied, Yet Super Important Lichens
NYBG lichenologist James Lendemer is one of the few people taking stock of one of the most peculiar lifeforms. The article follows James and NYBG graduate student Jordan Hoffman as they search for rare and interesting lichens on Long Island.

Yale Environment 360: Lessons Learned from Centuries of Indigenous Forest Management
In an interview with Yale Environment 360, NYBG botanist Charles M. Peters discusses how, in an era of runaway destruction of tropical forests, the centuries-old ecological understanding of indigenous woodland residents can help point the way to the restoration of damaged rainforests.

AP News: New Yorkers Document the City's Plants
NYBG’s New York City EcoFlora project is creating a one-stop, online database about the city’s ca. 2,000 naturally occurring plant species and their ecological roles. The project so far has attracted 730 volunteers armed with smartphones who’ve hit the streets for the quest.

Island Life Magazine: Plants as Calendars
The July 6, 2018, issue of Island Life Magazine features the work of NYBG researchers Drs. Michael Balick and Gregory Plunkett. The article examines the importance of calendar plants, whose flowering or fruiting provide an indication of the change of seasons and cues for certain activities, such as gardening, hunting, and fishing.

Popular Science: Mushrooms Might Save the World--If They Don't Kill Us First
Dr. Roy Halling is NYBG’s mushroom man. As curator of mycology, he splits his time between the lab and the field. On a tour of the Bronx-based herbarium, which houses almost 8 million specimens, Halling told PopSci about the kingdom’s incredible capacity for rot.

CNN en Español: Wild Medicine in the Tropics
“El poder curativo de las plantas” es parte de una exhibición que por estos días está realizando el Jardín Botánico de Nueva York. La encargada de hacer la selección, Dra. Ina Vandebroek, es una experta que se ha dedicado a estudiar el uso medicinal de las plantas en países tropicales. CNN en Español visitó la exhibición y nos tiene el informe.

WABC-TV Eyewitness News features Wild Medicine in the Tropics
Eyewitness News reminds us that some of the most effective medicines come from nature. The story features Wild Medicine in the Tropics, an NYBG exhibit with nearly two dozen plants and trees along with information about how they are used to cure ailments.

NYBG Botanist Dr. Michael Balick Awarded Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration
NYBG Ethnobotanist Dr. Michael Balick has been named the 2018 recipient of the David Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration. The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) recognized Dr. Balick for a career spanning over four decades of botanical fieldwork and research around the globe.

MSU Spartan Newsroom: Old Specimen Provides New Insight into Invasive Algae
Through a combination of old and new technologies, researchers at The New York Botanical Garden have come closer to pinpointing the time and place of the first arrival of the Starry Stonewort, an invasive green alga that is spreading throughout the northeast and upper Midwest.

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