NHM Botany

By sequencing the genome of 22 different species within the genus Solanum, which includes crops like potatoes, tomatoes and aubergines. A team of scientists has unveiled a breakthrough in plant genetics that could revolutionise global food security. nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/…

Botanist, Joseph Banks was born on this day in 1743. He took part in James Cook's first great voyage (1768-71) bringing 30,000 plant specimens home with him like this @NHM_botany  Banksia serrata, a woody shrub native to the east coast of Australia. data.nhm.ac.uk/object/559b919…

New open access paper exploring the scale and heterogeneity of Hans Sloane's botanical collections, the de facto foundation collection of the @NHM_London London #herbarium and the largest pre-Linnaean botanical collection in existence: doi.org/10.1080/147720…

New paper led by @DrLalJiSingh, colleagues and Ranee Om Prakash @NHM_London entitled ‘History and emended description of an endemic sp. M. indandamanensis L.J. Singh (Musaceae)’ @ doi.org/10.1080/238181… (Botany Letters) - Reports the world’s longest infructescence of wild banana

A weekend of #lichens has begun at the Natural History Museum, for the BLS AGM 2025. What a wonderful turnout from our friends & colleagues across the globe. We have a great selection of talk this weekend - so stay tuned!! #BLSAGM2025

An obituary celebrating the life and research of Professor Mary Gibby, Ph.D., OBE, FLS, FRSE, PPBPS (1949-2024) by Professor's Stephen Blackmore @TheBotanics and Johannes Vogel @mfnberlin published today #OpenAccess in #EJBotany @RBGE_Science : rbge.cc/4gsoNbc

A sneak preview of the advance copy of the new Field Guide to the wild flowers of the Canary Islands, published by Kew. I had the pleasure of coauthoring this book with the leading international expert on this flora, Alfredo Reyes-Betancort, and London Natural History Museum's Curator in Charge of botanical collections, Mark Carine. Together we cover more than 2000 species, and we hope to inspire people with one of the world's most iconic island floras 🌞

With two papers from @NHM_Science!

The @NHM_science @NHM_Botany team is conducting a fascinating project to extract DNA from ancient herbarium specimens, including samples dating back to 1770!

It's Friday, it’s nearly Christmas, what about a nice cup of mulled wine made from specimens? 🍷 Starting with some wine or Vitis vinifera - the common grapevine - you'll need some citrus like this wild orange (Citrus macroptera) from the Museum's collection 🍊 #FestiveSpecimens

To your grapes and citrus you are going to want to add to your #cupofcheer some sweetness with some sugar (Saccharum officinarum) and cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) #12DaysOfChristmas #NaturalHistoryMuseumLondon

@NHM_Botany Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) fresh bay leaves (Laurus nobilis) and cloves (Syzygium) will give your drink festive fragrance. * disclaimer - we would never eat or drink our collections - they provide global scientists with vital data about the natural world throughout history ✨

Fully-funded AHRC PhD studentship on 'Understanding ‘Place’ in Historical Botanical Collections: science, commerce, empire, and the early-modern herbarium'. Come and work on the Sloane Herbarium! For details, see: lahp.ac.uk/prospective-st…

This bound botanical collection is giving advent calendar vibes. There are 24 leaflets with cultivar names on, you can open the ‘door’ to reveal a stunning pressed flower. #FestiveSpecimens #ScienceOfChristmas #NaturalHistoryMuseumLondon #Botany

Microbiology can help us in mine restoration . PhD opportunity on Life in mines: exploring and harnessing the hidden microbiology of mine tailings, a journey of discovery and restoration @UniofReading @NHM_Botany @NHM_Science @PhylaEarth findaphd.com/phds/project/c… @bioplusmine

There is still a lot that we do not know about cyanobacteria that grow on glaciers. Therefore PhD opportunity that will looks a the diversity and ecology of glacier cyanobacteria in the Polar Regions @lizbagshaw_ice @arwynedwards @BristolUni @NHM_Science @NHM_Botany

Very proud to share the resources I've developed as a #SloaneLab🔬research fellow @ucl for my project "In the Margins of Early Modern Science: Pioneering Women in Sloane’s ‘Paper Museum’" 📜🌿 at ReconstructingSloane.org/women

New research on the Sloane Herbarium is providing new insights into Black resistance during the slave trade. Find out how chemicals in common plants helped enslave women control their fertility and in turn, disrupt, resist and dismantle slavery. nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/…

What can 300 year old plants tell us about slavery?  Researcher Akosua Paries-Osei has been using Sir Hans Sloane’s collection to understand how enslaved women’s knowledge of anti-fertility plants enabled them to actively resist slavery #BlackHistoryMonth #HansSloane