Where’s Your Head at? Plant Intelligence and Medicinal Plants as a New Window Into This Complex Case
Can plants think? It is a controversial question that inspires both skepticism and interest. This article will highlight instances in which plants (though not in the same manner as animals), demonstrate kinship and altruism, the presence of reasoning or control centers, and the capacity to communicate with the surrounding environment.
Lauren A E Erland and Praveen K Saxena /
November 3, 2016
Trees ‘N’ Traits: Cedars and “Resilience”
Neil Baldwin explores the extent to which our temperament might embody characteristics of certain tree species.
Neil Baldwin /
November 3, 2016
Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.)
Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is the national flower of India and Vietnam and is widely employed for religious or spiritual purposes around the world. In honour of our first issue, the plant profile is dedicated to the ethereal sacred lotus, the flower which graces our spiritual botany logo.
Christina E. Turi and Praveen K. Saxena /
November 3, 2016
Mycomagicians
Maya Goel marvels the world of saprophytes through poetry
Maya Goel /
November 3, 2016
Peony Nascent
Sylvia Woods a visual artist based in Guelph, Ontario presents her painting of the European peony (Paeonia officinalis L.), a plant once regarded as a healing symbol during the Renaissance.
Sylvia D. Woods /
November 3, 2016
What We Don’t See in Light’s Dark Reactions
An excerpt from a book of poetry entitled "A New Index for Predicting Catastrophes" by Madhur Anand
Madhur Anand /
November 3, 2016
Plants: Nature’s Treasure Chests
Did you know that in the last 30 odd years approximately 73% of all small molecule antibacterial drugs are from or derived from natural sources including plants? Devanshi Shukla a high school student from Guelph, ON shares her experience while investigating plant antimicrobials during a recent visit to the Gosling Research Institute for Plant Preservation.
Devanshi Shukla /
November 3, 2016
Seeing Plants as Persons
The notion that plants are intelligent beings capable of responding to their environment in a strategic and planned manner is a controversial topic amongst members of the scientific community. Sonnet L’Abbé questions how our intellectual embarrassment to accept plants as persons might hinder scientific advancements in plant science.