The leaves of Selaginella willdenowii ( #Selaginellaceae ) are fantastically iridescent. In the right light, the vivid blue color is striking (but hard to photograph 😒). My photo doesn't do it justice. #TropicalBotany Fairchild Garden

Amorphophallus lambii is an astonishing flower from the northern #borneo #forest . Two flowers close to each other and in full bloom, it is rather rare to observe. #conservation #biodiversity #asia#herb #botany MO Botanical Garden @nybg National Parks Board photo Joremy Tony

Please help solve a botanical mystery--who is this #botanist and what plant is he holding? This #portrait is held by AMAM Oberlin College, and was apparently painted in 1629. Really hoping the greater botanical #taxonomy community can help, so please repost!

Don't bother doing this with the leaves of any other tree! 🌴💪🌴
Image courtesy of the US Coast Guard. U.S. Coast Guard U.S. Coast Guard
au.news.yahoo.com/sailors-help-s…

I didn't see a label on this Pentagonia sp. ( #Rubiaceae ). It's a litter-trapping plant, but the large, discolorous leaves and axillary clusters of tubular yellow flowers are ornamental. #TropicalBotany Fairchild Garden #Littertrapping

Thanks for celebrating International Palm Day with us! To learn more about what you can do to save palms, check out our website palms.org. For the latest news & to be a part of a global force for palm conservation, join us (memberships start at US$0).

Hawaii has just one genus of native palms, Pritchardia, but all 24 native species are endemic, i.e. found nowhere else in the world. 16 are Endangered or Critically Endangered. We are partnering with the National Tropical Botanic Garden to help save these special palms. #PalmDay

Palms are keystone species, and just like in an arch, if the keystone is removed, everything comes crashing down. For example, Lear’s Macaw depends on the palm Syagrus coronata, its favorite food. Conservation efforts for the bird include planting more palms! #PalmDay

Did you know one of the most amazing and endangered palms in the world was discovered through a posting on our PalmTalk forum? Posted photos of Tahina spectabilis led botanists to this amazing palm, & we helped conserve it through our Save the Species campaign. #PalmDay

This little charmer is Gynura pseudochina ( #Asteraceae ). Like every Gynura I've ever sniffed, its flowers smell foul.🤢 Fly pollination??? #TropicalBotany Fairchild Garden

#palmday

More palms at risk! Research on West Indian palms found that, of 134 taxa, 90% of them are endemic to the islands. 30 were estimated to be Endangered or Critically Endangered. So much work needs to be done to prevent these palms from slipping into extinction. #PalmDay

The fruits of Orania sylvicola ( #Arecacea ) are said to be so toxic that one fruit is sufficient to kill an elephant. 🐘😱 Could it be true? Why hasn't anyone analyzed the fruit to determine the toxic principle? #TropicalBotany Fairchild Garden

Palms at risk! Research published in 2014 found that 83% of 192 endemic palms in Madagascar are threatened, nearly 4x the proportion estimated for plants globally & exceeding the rate for all other plant groups in Madagascar. Habitat destruction is a huge problem. #PalmDay

On this day in 1794, the Father of Palms, Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, was born. Today is International Palm Day, a day to recognize the plight of endangered palms, their fragile ecosystems, and their roles in the environment. Join us in celebrating palms! #PalmDay

Nothing says #TropicalBotany like Ficus! This is F. brusii. The leaves are enormous, and the bracteose, softball-size figs are out of this world! I am obsessed with this #Ficus . #Moraceae Fairchild Garden

Lots of great #TropicalBotany to be seen at Fairchild Garden, including these Bauhinia ( #Fabaceae ) stems. These lianas have a curious zig-zag growth habit. Some of these lianas are known as 'escalera de mono' ('monkey's ladder'). 🐒