Gardens Blog
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
Bioblitz Group in the field.The goal of the Sarasota-Manatee EcoFlora project is to enlist the help of citizens in documenting the diversity and distribution of plants in Sarasota and Manatee Counties, utilizing the iNaturalist app and website. You don’t have to be a...
Scott P. Egan, Rice UniversityLove vine on wasp gall on live oak!Love vine (Cassytha filiformis)In developing this month’s EcoQuest, Lookin’ for Love Vine, we came across the research of scientists from Rice University on the interaction between Cassytha filiformis...
Many visitors to Florida each winter ship or take back citrus for their friends and family up North. It would not be surprising if the guests at what was then the Webb Winter Resort on the Historic Spanish Point campus did the same. Evidence implies that packing...
Photo by Dave VitoloPhoto by Dave VitoloAloe marlothii (Mountain Aloe) is a beautiful succulent that displays grayish-green leaves all year long. During the winter months, it is in full bloom and at the downtown campus of Selby Gardens, visitors can find this...
Photo by Aaron FinkWritten by Shawn McCourt, Ph.D. When one thinks of flowers in southwest Florida, roses seldom come to mind, yet a handful of species, hybrids, and cultivars do thrive here. One noteworthy cultivar of the China rose (Rosa chinensis) called ‘Louis...
Love vine, Cassytha filiformis, is a parasitic vine native to Florida in the Lauraceae family, the same family as avocado. While the name “love vine” stems from its reputation as an aphrodisiac, this plant is anything but sweet! As a parasitic vine, it twines itself...
Written by Shawn McCourt, Ph.D. Plant Records Keeper On the west side of the Great Lawn that stretches southwards from the historic Selby House at MSBG’s downtown campus is a beautiful, golden-flowered small tree that is often overlooked by visitors until the winter...
When archaeologists are conducting a surface survey of an area they may discover artifacts on the surface, the location of these artifacts are recorded and are indicators of the use and human presence of that site. The artifacts that occur on the surface may be...
As we prepare our favorite holiday cookies and baked goods, you may be wondering where these popular ingredients originate from. Well, on your next visit to Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus, you will not have to look extremely far, as many of the common holiday...
This week, we continue our investigation of plants that have become culturally important during the winter holiday season. Previously, we looked at mistletoe and its significance both to humans and to the natural environment in which it is found. In this post, we will...