Forensic Botany Archives

The Poison-Plant Lady: Julia Morton’s Brilliant and Perilous Garden of Knowledge

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 25, 1912 Dearest garden reader, On this day, the world welcomed Julia Francis McHugh Morton, an American botanist, author, and educator whose passion for plants was matched only by her courage in…

The Gardener Did It: How David Hall Pioneered Forensic Botany in Crime Solving

A botanical illustration of Banksia coccinea, also known as the scarlet banksia, waratah banksia, or Albany banksia.

Botanists and Gardeners December 16, 1982 On this day, the News-Press out of Fort Myers, Florida, shared a story called “Botanist Determines if the Gardener did it” by Walter Putnam. Here’s an excerpt: “When police investigators are stumped by a thorny problem, they sometimes call in University of Florida scientist David Hall to help them nip…

December 16, 2020 Madagascar Vanilla, Marshall Pinckney Wilder, Albert Spear Hitchcock, David Hall, Hal Borland, The Catskills Farm to Table Cookbook by Courtney Wade and a Plant Called Higgenses

The Daily Gardener Podcast Album Cover with a pot of rosemary - the herb for remembrance - beckoning gardeners to remember to listen to the show. Updated September 2025.

The Botanist Who Solved a Murder: Joyce Winifred Vickery

Dr. Joyce Winifred Vickery (1908-1979), a prominent Australian botanist, plant taxonomist, and conservationist.

Botanists and Gardeners December 16, 1982 On this day, the News-Press out of Fort Myers, Florida, shared a story called “Botanist Determines if the Gardener did it” by Walter Putnam. Here’s an excerpt: “When police investigators are stumped by a thorny problem, they sometimes call in University of Florida scientist David Hall to help them nip…

Arthur Koehler: The Forensic Botanist Who Solved the Lindbergh Case

Botanists and Gardeners December 16, 1982 On this day, the News-Press out of Fort Myers, Florida, shared a story called “Botanist Determines if the Gardener did it” by Walter Putnam. Here’s an excerpt: “When police investigators are stumped by a thorny problem, they sometimes call in University of Florida scientist David Hall to help them nip…

Murder Most Florid by Mark Spencer

As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast: Murder Most Florid by Mark Spencer The subtitle to this book is Inside the Mind of a Forensic Botanist. Mark is a passionate plantsman, a champion of plants and the study of Botany. Mark is also passionate about connecting people with the natural world. Creating a niche for…

The Botanical Detective: How Joyce Vickery Solved Australia’s Most Infamous Crime

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 29, 1979 On this day, we bid farewell to Joyce Winifred Vickery, a formidable Australian botanist whose sharp eye for detail and unrivaled knowledge of grass species would prove as useful in…

Julia Morton: The Botanical Detective Who Solved Plant Mysteries

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 25, 1912 On this day, dear garden enthusiasts, we celebrate the birth of Julia Francis McHugh Morton, an author and botanist whose life’s work reminds us that the plant kingdom, while beautiful,…