Plants

Alan Carle was hunting otherworldly fruit with fluorescent tentacles and bubbly flesh that folks back home had never even heard about, much less tasted — and he was willing to risk his life to find it.

How a tin miner living in remote Tasmania helped discover what may be the world's oldest and most mysterious clone that has excited scientists for years.

Mild temperatures in July are tricking some plants into budding — and that'll be bad when the frost returns.

When Francesco needs water, sunlight, or even company, he can talk to let his owner know. It wouldn't be that impressive, except he's a plant pot.

Duckweed proliferates, handles stressful conditions and is dense in nutrition. Now scientists say it may hold the key to enabling humans to live in space.

Rosalind Lawson says sometimes she felt someone guided her to a certain place, and then suddenly there'd be a fungus that she'd never seen before.

This massive plant archive holds more than a million plants collected from Australia over 250 years. Each one tells a story about our past.

Fiona Murdoch describes the plant as being less than 10-centimetres tall with a red stem surrounded by a small rosette of leaves and white flowers.

The Tumut grevillea is the focus of a project studying how ecosystems benefit when Aboriginal people are involved in looking after traditional lands.

Twenty years ago, scientists noticed many trees in Perth's Kings Park were dying. Now two decades of testing and research are finally paying off, and the solution could help revive trees around the world. 

The Limestone Coast in regional South Australia is well known for its magic-like ghost mushrooms, but massive fungi are sparking the curiosity of locals.

It is "mushroom photography" season and sightings of fungi glowing in the dark on the NSW South Coast are captivating photographers and researchers alike.

These 3D-printed biodegradable structures are helping to restore mangrove forests in eroding coastal areas.

Naomi Lewis said nothing could have prepared her for the excruciating and long-lasting pain of an encounter with a venomous stinging tree in Queensland's far north. 

Fernanda Sosa's dream was for Costa Georgiadis to know about her rooftop garden and his impact on her life. Here's how it came true.

A field of endangered native wildflowers is damaged after a truck drives through a protected field in Melbourne's outer west, sparking fears of extinction as the city's sprawling population growth threatens grassland ecosystems.  

Gillian Brown is in charge of a collection of more than 900,000 botanical species, and has even identified a new genus of plant that she found on the side of an outback road. Her favourite specimen though is the zombie fungus, which grows on insects' bodies.

An innovative project in this regional city shows how an urban landscape can be transformed into an agricultural oasis — and a perfect spot to have lunch on busy workdays.

Citizen scientists prove again how valuable they can be after researchers confirm four of the six new sundew species discovered recently were found by everyday people. 

Historically, women's contributions to the agricultural sector often occurred outside of professional roles. 'Lady' Maud Williams, who discovered the Lady Williams apple, is one of those women, writes Susan Broomhall.

A pathogen branded a "biodiversity bulldozer" is the second biggest threat to native flora and fauna after rabbits but has not received the same attention as other pests. A new trial aims to change that.

It's often referred to as the "corpse flower" for its distinctive smell, but one visitor flew all the way from Brisbane to Cairns over Christmas for the chance to see — and sniff — a titan arum in bloom. 

New research reveals legislation changes made to help protect Australia's natural habitats may have intensified catastrophic bushfires in south-east Australia.

The  Australian wine industry is future-proofing itself by collecting the most valuable grape varieties and storing them in high-security labs similar to doomsday vaults.

The dank smell of the ornamental pear blossom attracts honey bees and flies, specifically, hover flies. And there's a good, but smelly, reason.