Completely Arbortrary

The tree you don’t know that you know, but you know it! The Japanese zelkova (Zelkova serrata) is the center of a fascinating tale of isolationism, plant espionage, and gunboat diplomacy.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

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Don't go chokin' on this cherry (Prunus virginiana) or else you may turn red! And Canadian!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

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Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

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A mystery cone… a mystery tree! What the maxipiñon has to say about genetic bottlenecking may unlock its secrets!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

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What happens when trees have to run for their lives and the only way is up? The Vietnam cypress (Xanthocyparis vietnamensis), that's what!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

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It’s a BANANZA with the banana (Musa acuminata), a fruit so popular that it helped shape the political landscape of the world.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

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Lazy, back problems, or just a Fonzie-esque casual attitude? Whatever the reason, the Cook Island pine (Araucaria columnaris) leans mysteriously toward the equator. Let’s discuss the possibilities! Then, we play a game about Filipino pines and oaks—The Filipineoak Affair.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

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Introducing... TROPICAL VACATION! 🌺 a series all about tropical trees! Our first visit is Brazil, where the ipê (𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘢) reigns supreme. This tree has no shortage of strengths, quite literally! From decking to medicine, this tree has it all. Then, we play a special musical edition of The Slang Game.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

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Kick back with Casey and Alex while we play you our favorite jams from recent days. Become a Treemium Member at arbortrarypod.supercast.com to enjoy bonus episodes like this one, ad-free listening to mainline episodes, 20% off our merch store, and join the Cone Club to get monthly botanical stickers mailed directly to you!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

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Parthenowhatnow? Parthenocarpy! Why are 90% of the paperbark maple's (Acer griseum) infertile? Only nature knows.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

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Cover art by Jillian Barthold

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It's a bit of governor's plum, innit? (Flacourtia indica) But where to put it? This wayward species finally found a home with the willows, but what happens to those unlucky species who spend their lives in the taxonomic junk drawer?

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

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Let's get kinky with the silk tree (Albizia julibrissin). This beautiful tree has a very curious way of keeping its leaves close to the stem. Then we finish our game series Fight Shrub!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson 

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What happens when a tree mutates? In the case of the white spruce (𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘢 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘤𝘢) it creates a dwarf version of itself. But that version doesn't always grow that way forever. Then, we have the second round of Fight Shrub!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

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Put up your dukes, for a battle between the city, the people, and the trees. At the center is butternut (Juglans cinerea), and it's shading you, your neighbor, and your neighbor's neighbor. Then we play a new game with one rule... you do not talk about Fight Shrub.

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Who started the fire? It may have been the knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata) in a ditch attempt to RELEASE THE SEEDS! This curious pine has a curious way of dispersing which includes fire, cones, and cannibalism.

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Anomalous secondary growth! What in the world is it? Just ask the ombú (Phytolacca dioica), pokeweed’s tree-like cousin. It doesn’t make wood, it makes “anomalous secondary growth”, an endlessly interesting way to grow. Then, we answer a question about the perfect flower/tree pairings.

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The Golden Ratio: a fact of life on Earth, or an copy and pasted alien blueprint? Perhaps the answer lies in the cones of the Austrian black pine (Pinus nigra). Let’s discuss Phyllotaxis, the mathematical means by which plants remain in light.

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What's up, Middle-Earthlings! Casey and I are taking a much-needed break this week, and so we present to you a hilariously massive extended edition episode that includes all three episodes of our Lord of the Tree Rings series, originally published in March of 2022. New episodes starting next week! Take care, everyone.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

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What makes you happy? Is it money? Or maybe it’s the money tree (Pachira aquatica). This famous houseplant is also a forest tree, so why did it become synonymous with feng shui, harmonious qi, and interior design? Then we play a new game of Happy Go Lucky!

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What makes trees weep? Perhaps the answer lies in the aptly named weeping cherry (Prunus x subhirtella 'Pendula'). Today we talk gravitropism and why some plants just have it backward. Then, we listen to you tree-themed Beatles covers and announce the winner of THE HAT!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

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