International – My Favorite Trees

June 27, 2023June 27, 2023

Episode 79: The Sycamore/Planetree

The American Sycamore is one of the most iconic forest trees in the eastern United States and I frequently have friends and family showing me pictures of it asking for its name. But I’ve held off on covering it for so long because history mostly points to it just being loved as a fantastic shade tree. Turns out, there’s a ton human history surrounding this tree exactly because it’s such a good shade tree! Hear how we’ve immortalized this figure in fable, how it softened the rapport of multiple emperors, and why it’s such a lonely member of the Plant Kingdom.
Music is by Academy Garden (academygarden.bandcamp.com)
Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram
Script Editing and Social Media is by Laurie Hilburn (lhilburn.journoportfolio.com)
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast

Sources:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1636/1636-h/1636-h.htm

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167198705001042?via%3Dihub

https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Abook%3D12%3Achapter%3D3

https://kashmirreader.com/2022/03/17/chinar-the-living-heritage-of-kashmir/

https://www.tripoto.com/india/trips/the-chinar-legacy-57dc319f28a66

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/platanus-occidentalis/

https://read.gov/aesop/009.html

https://www.jstor.org/stable/641993

https://www.opera-arias.com/handel/xerxes/synopsis/

https://www.treesforcities.org/stories/the-mysterious-story-of-the-london-plane-tree

https://www.hackerscreek.org/page-1075180

https://www.yourleaf.org/blog/brenna-anstett/feb-11-2015/roots-run-deep

https://www3.nd.edu/~wcawley/corson/cors022.htm

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331029690_The_reticulate_origin_of_modern_plane_trees_Platanus_Platanaceae_A_nuclear_marker_puzzle

https://www.connexionfrance.com/article/Mag/Culture/Shade-and-chic-France-s-history-of-planting-trees-in-a-row

May 16, 2023May 16, 2023

Episode 76: The Pear Tree

In Part 2 of my second Fruit Tree Miniseries, I cover the Pear Tree. My reaction to this tree will certainly be varied, because despite its connection to untold cultures in the Caucuses and symbolism of longevity and generosity in China, I really just can’t get into liking the fruit. I think Pears are gross! But today, listen as I open myself to new experiences and try to find love in what I believe to be the wrong places. This episode does not go in depth on the Bradford Pear, to kick that bee’s nest please listen to Episode 17.
Music is by Academy Garden (academygarden.bandcamp.com)
Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram
Social Media and Script Editing is by Laurie Hilburn (lhilburn.journoportfolio.com)
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast.

Sources:

The Chechens: A Handbook (2004), Amjad M. Jaimoukha, pg 108

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-rose-family/

https://www.homedepot.com/c/ah/how-to-grow-pears/9ba683603be9fa5395fab901e96155c2

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/108738-oldest-pear-tree

https://thestarryeye.typepad.com/newage/2009/09/baby-buddha-shaped-pears.html

https://www.ehow.com/info_8087297_significance-pear-tree-chinese.html

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/pear/

https://spiritoftrees.org/the-magic-pear-tree

http://trade.usapears.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/USA-Pears-Pear-Handling-Manual.pdf

https://www.etymonline.com/word/pear

https://www.thespruceeats.com/korean-pear-bae-2118641

http://1174.sanin.jp/en/

https://candlewineproject.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/history-of-pears/

https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/endicott-pear-tree-still-alive-massachusetts-nearly-400-years/

January 10, 2023January 10, 2023

Episode 67: The Coffee Tree

The roasted seed of the Coffee Tree helps me, and a billion other people, wake up and be productive every day. This alone gives it significance in our lives, but our relationship with this drink and the plant it comes from has left footprints throughout human history in the Common Era. Learn about where coffee came from, how it fueled modern capitalism, how it reflects our diverse cultures, and more. The music is by Academy Garden. Cover art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast. Share this episode and see if you can get the attention of Folgers or Starbucks!

Sources:

https://mastergardener.extension.wisc.edu/files/2015/12/Coffea.pdf

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/coffea-arabica/

https://sprudge.com/what-is-the-coffee-belt-179028.html

Uncommon Grounds by Mark Pendergast

https://www.statista.com/statistics/263311/worldwide-production-of-coffee/

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/caffeine

https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2007/june/coffee-consumption-over-the-last-century/

December 27, 2022December 27, 2022

Episode 66: The Yew

To cap off 2022, we are returning to the Celtic Ogham Tree Calendar to look at the representative of the Winter Solstice: the Yew. This evergreen’s toxicity has led it to carry heavy death symbolism and thus is used to mark the longest night and the end of the solar year. But its importance to humans is extensive beyond this time of year, with ancient evidence of tool use and modern application in medicine. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast. Join my brand new Patreon at patreon.com/myfavoritetrees!

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6344100/

https://www.conifers.org/ta/Taxus.php

https://www.conifers.org/ta/Taxaceae.php

https://www.iceman.it/en/equipment/

https://nhm.openrepository.com/bitstream/handle/10141/622351/Clacton%20Spear%202.pdf

https://ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk/how-to-record/species-guides/yew/

http://www.ecoenchantments.co.uk/myogham_yewpage.html

https://www.bellarmine.edu/faculty/drobinson/englishyew.asp

https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/10/31/beneath-the-yew-trees-shade/

https://scotlands-yew-trees.org/history-culture-myth/yew-taxus-a-sensational-survivor/

http://bohemianbudgie.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-sacred-yew-of-yule.html

https://mountpisgaharboretum.org/learn/plant-list/taxus-brevifolia/

https://www.news-medical.net/health/Paclitaxel-Production.aspx

https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/lmh/lmh32.pdf

December 8, 2020January 31, 2021

Episode 5: The Aspen

In this episode, I talk about the Aspen, a tree with incredibly unique biological adaptations that holds great importance in the realm of forest conservation. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees. Special thanks to fesliyanstudios.com for a fun audio clip.