Last year we ran our first #AdventBotany challenge – @DrMGoesWild and @botanyRNG writing an account each day (with some help from @DawnBazeley and others) through advent of plants associated with Christmas. This year, with help from many more colleagues on Twitter we are about to launch an entirely new 25 plants of advent. Here is a reprise of last year’s calendar. All new species for 2015!
Day 1 – A selection of Hedera helix leaves from a single plant showing adult and juvenile forms
Day 2 – Viscum album in Lyte’s Herball of 1578
Day 3 – Holly Ilex spp.
Day 4 – Gold – A tiny test block of cold press paper on fibreboard, used to create a miniature for varnish testing
Day 5 – Frankincense
Day 6 – Samples of Myrrh along with bark of Commiphora myrrah
Day 7 – Almonds, Prunus dulcis, the almond
Day 8 – Cranberry fruit (c) Jonathan Mitchley
Day 9 – Dogwood, Cornus sericea
Day 10 – Mulled wine
Day 11 – The Christmas rose, Helleborus niger
Day 12 – The curious cone like inflorescences of Zingiber officinale
Day 13 – Paper
Day 14 – String
Day 15 – Christmas tree, Young tree of Abies pinsapo (Spanish fir) in the Sierra de Gracelema
Day 16 – Chocolate & Cocoa
Day 17 – Raisins, Currants & Sultanas
Day 18 – Hippeastrum x johnsonii illustration by Priscilla Susan Bury
Day 19 – Parsnip – Pastinaca sativa
Day 20 – Christmas Box – Sarcococca confusa (c) Nikki SImpson 2014
Day 21 – Dates – Young dates changing from golden to brown
Day 22 – Pear
Day 23 – A poinsettia from a UK supermarket providing Christmas colour.
Day 24 – Brussels sprout
Day 25 – Star of Bethlehem
The 2014 blogs are indexed here:
Day 1 – Hedera helix
Day 2 – Viscum album
Day 3 – Ilex
Day 4 – Gold
Day 5 – Frankincense (Boswellia sacra)
Day 6 – Myrrh (Commiphora myrrah)
Day 7 – Almonds (Prunus dulcis)
Day 8 – Cranberry (Vaccinium spp.)
Day 9 – Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea)
Day 10 – Mulled Wine
Day 11 – Christmas rose (Helleborus niger)
Day 12 – Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
Day 13 – Paper
Day 14 – String
Day 15 – the Christmas tree
Day 16 – Chocolate (Theobroma cacao)
Day 17 – Raisins, Currants & Sultanas
Day 18 – Amaryllis (Hippeastrum spp.)
Day 19 – Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)
Day 20 – Christmas Box (Sarcococca confusa)
Day 21 – Dates (Phoenix dactylifera)
Day 22 – A Partridge in a Pear tree
Day 23 – Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima)
Day 24 – The Brussels Sprout (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera)
Christmas Day – The Star of Bethlehem from GOD
Now see what #AdventBotany 2015 has to offer!
About Alastair Culham
A professional botanist and biologist with an interest in promoting biological knowledge and awareness to all.
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