E06: Meeting a Legend: Joep Moonen, The 'Stranger Things' Plant Fail & The Ghost Orchid

In Episode 06, we are fan-girling hard! Jos and Tanya sit down with a true icon of the plant world, Joep Moonen, to hear the wild (and funny) true story behind the Philodendron that bears his name. Plus, we catch Netflix making a major botanical error and discuss why plant collectors are "a special kind of crazy."

In this episode:

• Spilling the Tea (News):

  • Stranger Things Blooper: Jos spots a Philodendron Birkin in a scene set in 1987. Why is that a problem? (Hint: The plant didn't exist yet!)

  • The Plant Villain: We discuss the series Absentia, where the bad guy plots world domination from a stunning greenhouse.

  • Stereotypes: Are plant collectors nerds, socially awkward, or just diverse? We reveal the results of our latest survey.

  • Ghost Orchid Crisis: The Dendrophylax lindenii is disappearing from Florida swamps. We discuss the heartbreaking reality of poaching "The Canary in the Coal Mine."

• The Interview: Joep Moonen:

  • Joining us from his tropical paradise in French Guiana, the naturalist and legend shares his life story.

  • The P. joepii Story: How a rare plant eaten by ants fell into his canoe, and how a joke with Julius Boos led to it being named after him.

  • Daily Life: From waking up with the birds to exploring the Oyapock River.

  • A Message to Collectors: Joep’s philosophy on respecting nature and why we must protect the rainforests.

• Rate That Weird Plant:

  • Haworthia cooperi: The "Boba Tea" succulent. LINK

  • Selaginella ostenfeldii: The "Mermaid" spike moss that looks almost neon. LINK

  • Pterisanthes polita: A plant so weird it looks like a toddler made it out of Play-Doh. LINK

Mentioned in this episode:

• Joep Moonen LINK

• International Aroid Society (IAS): https://www.aroid.org

• Plant Provenance: https://plantprovenance.com

Connect with us:

• Email: [e-mail]

• Website: https://hortikult.com