Plants

Plants, fertility and antifertility have been intertwined throughout time. 

Species can influence each other’s evolution – this is known as coevolution. Discover more about this phenomenon.

Rain generated by the Amazon rainforest could be worth up to £15 billion every year.

Find out about the incredible evolutionary history of trees.

Horneophyton lignieri is changing what we know about plant evolution.

A new fossil fungus discovered in Scotland shows evidence of plants and fungi sharing nutrients to survive on land.

Crisps and mash owe their existence to a series of precise events that took place nine million years ago.

Rhododendron ponticum is a problematic, ornamental species that has left a lasting legacy across the UK.

Nettles tend to have a bad reputation but they’re very important!

Photographer Greg Basco talks us through capturing this otherworldly vista, high up in the Colombian Andes. 

Understanding one of the largest groups of plants in the world could help tackle world hunger.

Some of Earth’s most successful herbivores may have had hundreds of thousands of teeth in their lifetime.

Find out the facts about palm oil and its impact on the health of rainforests.

Plant infections can now be detected in our crops before they’re even visible.

Genetically removing the prickles from crops could have huge benefits for agriculture.

Growing food on land can be challenging and costly for the planet. Discover how seaweed farming offers a solution.

By the end of the Jurassic Period, dinosaurs ruled our planet. But how they became such a diverse group remains a mystery.

Amalophyllon miraculum reveals that the region’s biodiversity may not have suffered as badly as first feared.

Dandelions, buttercups and brambles might help to answer some of the biggest questions in botany.

It is the first time a wild animal has been seen applying a medicinal plant to an injury.

With their soft unfurling fronds, ferns are fabulous. In fact, we love them so much, we’ve filled our new Evolution Garden with them.

This rare find gives scientists an insight into how trees shaped life on land 390 million years ago.

Invasive ants are reducing tree cover on the savannah, causing lions to hunt buffalo over zebra.

A case of mistaken fossil identity has been resolved after 20 years.

The oldest disease-causing fungus on record has been found in the Natural History Museum’s collection.

Our Evolution Garden shows how plant life has changed over time and includes lots of examples that dinosaurs would recognise.

If the worst case predictions of climate change come to pass, rainforests could be at serious risk.

Artificial reefs attract fish, which can improve the ability of seagrass to lock up more carbon dioxide beneath the waves.

A newly described palm species from Borneo has been discovered with the unusual phenomenon of producing its fruit and flowers below ground.

A new report offers a path to recover England's woodlands, one that could increase the country's biodiversity from the mid-2040s onwards.

An unprecedented look at potato genetics could help to tackle world hunger.

Scientists have recorded plants producing airborne sounds in response to lack of water or having their stems damaged.

Despite its global popularity, the origin and history of the henna plant remains hidden.

While species focusing on bees produce more floral odours, those focusing on fruit flies make fruitier smells. 

The Cretaceous Period is famous for ending with a massive asteroid impact, but what was our planet like in the millions of years before that?

The date palm plays a significant role in evolution, religion and culture.

Almost a third of Mauritius' native fruits are no longer being dispersed as no animals are big enough to swallow their seeds.

Of the almost 3,500 British plant species, non-native plants now outnumber native species by 51% to 49%.

The oldest colonial animal might actually be one of the oldest types of seaweed.

Explore the stories of the giant redwoods and the extraordinary Cherokee man Sequoyah, who influenced their name.

Shrubs, climbers and small trees provide important food and shelter for insects, birds and other animals.

Two Museum experts highlight the stories and science behind some of our most festive flora.  

The climate crisis and biodiversity loss are closely connected but the good news is, so are the solutions.

Museum plant specialist Ana Claudia researches global biodiversity decline.

Catch up on season one of our interactive behind-the-scenes live stream.

Leeches, mites and plants found at the site are revealing the ecosystems ancient animals walked over 260 million years ago.

Left alone over time, many graveyards have become secluded sanctuaries where plant and animal life can thrive.

A new project aims to use the Museum's historic collections to investigate how the genome of wheat has changed.

Termites could reduce the amount of carbon stored in wood as the world gets hotter and drier. 

In spring and summer, you might notice something looking like spit on a plant. 

Over 40% of the world's rivers could contain harmful levels of pharmaceuticals.

The world's largest waterlily has been discovered in the wetlands of northern Bolivia.

Nepenthes pudica is changing what we know about carnivorous species, but may already be Critically Endangered.

Measuring over a centimetre long, Thiomargarita magnifica is over 5000 times bigger than the average microbe. 

Believed to be at least 4,500 years old, Shark Bay's Posidonia australis covers an area bigger than Washington DC. 

While the plants flowered, lunar soils negatively affected their growth, meaning there is still some way to go until farming on the Moon becomes a viable prospect.

Though Gasteranthus extinctus may be Critically Endangered, there is hope it can be brought back from the brink.

Tumbleweeds have starred in many movies, but their representation in popular media may be somewhat misleading.

White clovers are adapting to face the dryness of cities globally by reducing production of anti-herbivore compounds.

Ancient plants measuring just two centimetres long could show what the ancestor of vascular plants looked like.

Structures inspired by pollen could make electric car batteries cheaper and more efficient.

Plants in the UK now flower around a month earlier than they were hundreds of years ago. 

Pandas develop a supercharged gut for part of the year, allowing them to gain weight when they chow down on the most nutritious parts of bamboo.

The historic loss of large mammals such as wolves and aurochs means that plants are much less able to spread their seeds to suitable climates.

A newly described species of tree has received international attention after being named in honour of actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Over 30 species around the world are named after Christmas Day because of their bright colours, where they come from or when they reproduce.

Most plants get the energy they need through photosynthesis, but some get their nutrition by stealing it from another plant instead. 

Sewage in Britain's waterways has been hitting the headlines recently. But what effect does raw waste have on our rivers, streams and oceans? 

Microbes in the air could be among the victims of climate change, with 15% of airborne species of bacteria predicted to go extinct.

Discover this creepy collection of nature’s strangest plants.

In nature, species will sometimes form unexpectedly close bonds and work to their mutual benefit. 

A garden pond is one of the best ways you can help Britain's wildlife. You can create one in even the tiniest of gardens.

Get answers to the most frequently asked questions about garden pond set-up, maintenance and care.

Turn your kitchen food scraps into fantastic fertiliser by making a wormery.

Growing native wildflowers helps provide the right food for pollinating insects, making life better for your local wildlife.

For a summer gardening project and a sustainable swap, luffa fruits can be grown to be used in place of synthetic sponges.

Plants' many health benefits are helping fight some of humankind's biggest killers, such as heart disease and cancer.

How people power is saving plants from local extinction in North West England.

Canisius Kayombo is a remarkable researcher who is enriching our understanding of plants and science.  

The extinction risk to plants could be worse than previously thought, according to a landmark report.

They cover an enormous area of the UK and are home to many rare and declining wild plants, insects, amphibians and more.

Making Sun prints is a fun activity that can turn leaves and flowers into simple but distinctive artworks.

The first taxonomically verified checklist of the plants of New Guinea is complete.

Can you find these usual summer suspects on your walk?

Invasive species are a much bigger threat to nature than many people realise.

Like small signposts, lichens can tell us a lot about the air we’re breathing. 

Some trees keep their distance from one another, but why do they do it?

Attract bees to your lawn with clover, grow a mini wildflower meadow, add areas of aromatic thyme and more ideas.

Sequencing the wheat genome could help to protect food supplies in the future.

The great diversity of life on Earth can become a literal support system.

Our cities are damaging our health. Here’s how plants can help us.

Find out how to help urban nature and attract more wildlife to your garden.

This scavenger hunt will take you and your family back to the time of the dinosaurs.

Discover the story of the 11-tonne fossil that’s been welcoming our visitors since 1887.

Discover the most common trees in Britain's towns and cities and what helps them to thrive in an urban environment.

How did potatoes come to Europe and how did they adapt to a new environment?

Follow our simple instructions to prepare pressed flowers for craft projects or create your own plant herbarium.

The new amoeba species is the earliest of its kind ever discovered.

They include new dinosaurs, an ancient wombat and a giant shark.

Take our quiz to find out how familiar you are with the UK's plants and animals and their strategies for surviving winter.

Though visitors can spot his namesake on the iconic gilded ceiling of our Hintze Hall, few will have heard of Graman Kwasimukambe.

Researchers are delving into the origin of the aubergine by sequencing its DNA.

Bees’ pollinating prowess often overshadows many of the insects working just as hard as them.

Meet the first person to illustrate a book with photographic images.

Plants appeared on Earth 100 million years earlier than scientists previously thought.

Hear from researcher Dr Anne Jungblut as she explores the abundance of life in the glaciers of South Georgia.

Scientists have for the first time a clear baseline figure for the number of plant species that grow in the vast lowland rainforests of the Amazon.

Discover the flowers that go to extraordinary lengths to attract insect pollinators.

You don’t have to go to exotic locations to see weird and wonderful wildlife.

One fifth of the world's plant species are threatened with extinction. Museum scientists and collaborators discuss this shocking statistic.