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Botanize!
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The Botanize Podcast logo features the word Botanize! in bold white letters on a green background with black line drawings of various plants, ferns, mushrooms, and a leaf. The Encyclopaedia Britannica emblem and name appear at the bottom. “On Plant Blindness” “Plants on Fire” “Doting on Dodder” “Otters, Algae, and Plants, Oh My” “The Clone Giants” “Seeds on Ice” “Rare but Not Forgotten” “Stench of the Titans” “The Orchid and the Fungus”
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Botanize!
Botanize! Explore EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica's botanical podcast series.

Botanize!

Written by
Melissa Petruzzello
Melissa Petruzzello (she/her) is Assistant Managing Editor and covers plants, algae, fungi, insects, spiders, renewable energy and environmental engineering. She also handles certain topics in Christianity,...
Melissa Petruzzello
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Botanize! is a podcast series that will introduce you to some of the world’s most remarkable plants, fungi, and algae. These overlooked organisms have fascinating evolutionary stories to tell about survival, exploitation, adaptation, and general scrappiness, and every episode will pique your curiosity. From parasitic plants to kelp forests, Botanize! aims to showcase some of Earth’s finest nonanimal life-forms and their brilliant ecologies.

Episode 001: “On Plant Blindness”
  • “On Plant Blindness”Melissa Petruzzello of EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica discusses “plant blindness” as a form of cognitive bias and why understanding plants is important for humanity. This is the first installment of the Botanize! podcast series.
    Read the transcript and learn more here.
Episode 002: “Plants on Fire”
  • “Plants on Fire”Melissa Petruzzello of EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica and Emily Booth of Temple University discuss the effects of fire on plants and how climate change may alter the impacts of fire on plant communities. This is the second installment of the Botanize! podcast series.
    Read the transcript and learn more here.
Episode 003: “Doting on Dodder”
  • “Doting on Dodder”Melissa Petruzzello of EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica delves into parasitic plants and some of the unique adaptations found in dodder. This is the third installment of the Botanize! podcast series.
    Read the transcript and learn more here.
Episode 004: “Otters, Algae, and Plants, Oh My!”
  • “Otters, Algae, and Plants, Oh My”Melissa Petruzzello of EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica and Kyle (Kai) Shanebeck of the University of Alberta discuss the relationship between sea otters and the health of giant kelp forests and eelgrass meadows. This is the fourth installment of the Botanize! podcast series.
    Read the transcript and learn more here.
Episode 005: “The Clone Giants”
  • “The Clone Giants”Melissa Petruzzello of EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica explores two of the largest organisms on Earth and the asexual reproductive strategies that have facilitated their remarkable growth. This is the fifth installment of the Botanize! podcast series.
    Read the transcript and learn more here.
Episode 006: “Seeds on Ice”
  • “Seeds on Ice”Melissa Petruzzello of EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica and Åsmund Asdal of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault discuss crop diversity, seed banking, and the important work done by this remote facility. This is the sixth installment of the Botanize! podcast series.
    Read the transcript and learn more here.
Episode 007: “Rare but Not Forgotten”
  • “Rare but Not Forgotten”Melissa Petruzzello of EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica and Dr. Naomi Fraga of the California Botanic Garden discuss rare plants and their conservation. This is the seventh installment in the Botanize! podcast series.
    Read the transcript and learn more here.
Episode 008: “Stench of the Titans”
  • “Stench of the Titans”Melissa Petruzzello of EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica delves into the incredible life cycle of the titan arum, a massive corpse flower. This is the eighth installment of the Botanize! podcast series.
    Read the transcript and learn more here.
Episode 009: “The Orchid and the Fungus”
  • “The Orchid and the Fungus”Melissa Petruzzello of EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica and Dr. Lynnaun Johnson of Rush University, Chicago, discuss the relationship between orchids and fungi and the effect this dependence has on orchid conservation. This is the ninth installment of the Botanize! podcast series.
    Read the transcript and learn more here.
Episode 010: “Mangroves Matter”
  • “Mangroves Matter”Melissa Petruzzello of EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica and Dr. Stacy Baez of the Pew Charitable Trusts discuss mangrove conservation and explore the many services these critical plants provide humans and ecosystems. This is the tenth installment of the Botanize! podcast series.
    Read the transcript and learn more here.
Episode 011: “Little Lovely Lichens”
  • “Little Lovely Lichens”Melissa Petruzzello of EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica and Theo Llewellyn of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Imperial College London delve into the unusual biology of lichens and explore their ecological importance. This is the 11th installment of the Botanize! podcast series.
    Read the transcript and learn more here.
Episode 012: “Plant Chemicals: Tasty and Terrifying”
  • “Plant Chemicals: Tasty and Terrifying”Melissa Petruzzello of EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica delves into some of the flavourful and painful ways in which plant secondary metabolites can interact with the human body. This is part one of a two-part program and the 12th installment of the Botanize! podcast series.
    Read the transcript and learn more here.
Episode 013: “Wild, Wild Yeasts”
  • “Wild, Wild Yeasts”Melissa Petruzzello of EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica discusses the ecology and uses of yeasts. She is joined by Michele Metych to talk about wild yeasts and sourdough bread making. This is the 13th installment of the Botanize! podcast series.
    Read the transcript and learn more here.
Episode 014: “Plant Chemicals: Healing, Hallucinogenic, and Harmful”
  • “Plant Chemicals: Healing, Hallucinogenic, and Harmful”Melissa Petruzzello of EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica explores some of the medicinal, mind-altering, and deadly ways in which plant secondary metabolites can interact with the human body. This is part two of a two-part program and the 14th installment of the Botanize! podcast series.
    Read the transcript and learn more here.
Melissa Petruzzello