All the Dirt on Gardening

Duke University published in the Duke Today newsletter disclosed the results of a study that indicates that half of the plants in the Appalachian US have their closest DNA relatives in eastern Asia. So, does this change the conversation about native plants? Does it make the argument against Asian plants weaker? You have to read this one. Here's the link  http://today.duke.edu/2015/05/easternforests Below is the article -  Plant hunters traveling between North America and Asia in the 1800s noticed a bizarre pattern: collections they brought back from China and Japan were strikingly similar in their leaves, flowers and fruits to plants from southern Appalachia. A new analysis of DNA studies shows that over half of all the trees and shrubs in the southern Appalachians can trace their ancestry to relatives a half a world away in Asia. Most of the rest likely arose within North America, the researchers say. “Our southern Appalachian tree species split from their closest ...

From Duke Today Graduate Student Fay-Wei Li at the moment he discovered Gaga germanotta alive in Costa Rica. Durham, NC - Pop music megastar Lady Gaga is being honored with the name of a new genus of ferns found in Central and South America, Mexico, Arizona and Texas. A genus is a group of closely related species; in this case, 19 species of ferns will carry the name Gaga. At one stage of its life, the new genus Gaga has somewhat fluid definitions of gender and bears a striking resemblance to one of Gaga's famous costumes. Members of the new genus also bear a distinct DNA sequence spelling GAGA. Two of the species in the Gaga genus are new to science: Gaga germanotta from Costa Rica is named to honor the family of the artist, who was born Stefani Germanotta. And a newly discovered Mexican species is being dubbed Gaga monstraparva (literally monster-little) in honor of Gaga's fans, whom she calls “little monsters.” "We wanted to name this genus for Lad...