April is #EarthMonth! 🌎 In our efforts to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment, we invite you to learn with us this Earth Month as we explore the Garden’s sustainability resources, key tips & tricks to sustainable living, and more! 📸 Cassidy Moody #MOBOTGarden

9 am to 3 pm Friday-Saturday, April 3rd-4th @mobotgarden.bsky.social event 🌳 Missouri Arbor Day Tree Giveaway www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/missouri-arb... Garden Admission Free until Noon on Saturdays & Wednesdays to St Louis City & County residents, otherwise Garden Fee applies.

(🧵 1/2) Missouri celebrates Arbor Day on the first Friday in April! 🌳 As you prep your yard for planting, view the William T. Kemper Center for Home Gardening's recommendations for native trees to plant this year on our Discover + Share blog: buff.ly/Njb2Dos

Stay tuned! Next exhibition @mobotmuseum.bsky.social opens on May 8, 2026 and readers will rejoice! 🌿📚 THE LITERARY GARDEN: THE CULTIVATION OF PLANTS & GARDENS IN NARRATIVES will explore the myriad ways that plants & gardens are represented through literary media. #TheLiteraryGarden

Hey, St. Louisans Last day to enjoy Smelling the Bouquet at @mobotmuseum.bsky.social @mobotgarden.bsky.social Admission Fee to MoBot applies

FOUR more days to sniff this exhibition!

Don't miss out! Time is winding down to visit the Smelling the Bouquet exhibition. 💐 📅 Open now–March 31, 2026 📍 mobotmuseum.bsky.social 🔗 buff.ly/wgtmR8d This exhibition is included in Garden admission. 📸 Mary Lou Olson, Claire Cohen #MOBOTGarden

Happy National Fragrance Day! Check out #SmellingTheBouquet @mobotmuseum.bsky.social @mobotgarden.bsky.social thru March 31. If you can't visit in person, head to the linktree in bio to download the UNCOVERING THE FRAGRANT in the Sachs Museum Mural guide and exhibition catalogue to explore scents.

We're in the final days of the Smelling the Bouquet exhibition! 💐 📅 Open now–March 31, 2026 📍mobotmuseum.bsky.social 🔗 buff.ly/wgtmR8d Plan your visit to explore scents inspired by the diverse live and scientific collections at the Garden!

#SmellingTheBouquet Oud or agarwood (also called aloeswood) is a fragrant resinous wood created by chance when Aquilaria genus trees are wounded by a fungal infection (Phaeoacremonium parasitica) that infects the heartwood of the tree, and in response the tree produces a dark, fragrant resin.

#SmellingTheBouquet Copper alembic still, made in Turkey, is a 2-part vessel used to heat liquids and botanical compounds to separate the volatiles, essential oils, or distillate for use in making perfumes (steam distillation). Its name comes from the Arabic al-inbīq, meaning “cup” or “beaker.”

Perfume 101: Distillation #SmellingTheBouquet presents a scent lab in the lower level gallery @mobotmuseum.bsky.social where panels give information on the extraction methods used on plants for scent.

Let's hear it for perfumers! #SmellingTheBouquet @mobotmuseum.bsky.social @mobotgarden.bsky.social was made possible through the talent, expertise, & artistry of Shawn Maher and Weston Adam who created and provided all the scents to sniff! Thanks to their thoughtfulness, dedication, & inspiration!

Happy #314Day, St. Louis! ⚜️ 📸 Nathan Kwarta #MOBOTGarden #STLProud

Magnolias are blooming @mobotgarden.bsky.social! Visit now to see and sniff the blooms 👃💐

Magnolias are blooming @mobotgarden.bsky.social! Visit now to see and sniff the blooms 👃💐

Want to find your new favorite scent? Take a trip to the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum's Smelling the Bouquet exhibition! 📅 Open now–March 31, 2026 📍mobotmuseum.bsky.social 🔗 buff.ly/wgtmR8d The exhibition is included in Garden admission. 📸 Claire Cohen #MOBOTGarden

@mobotgarden.bsky.social bryologists in the news!

The Garden has been ✨nominated ✨for Best Botanical Garden, as part of @usatoday.com 10BEST’s Readers’ Choice Awards! The deadline to vote is Monday, March 9th at noon. Cast your vote in today here: buff.ly/RTKCtsz 📸 Cassidy Moody #MOBOTGarden

Discover top and trending #PlantSciences research in BioOne Complete featuring articles from Cryptogamie, Mycologie @mnhn.fr, Lindbergia, and Novon @mobotgarden.bsky.social. Free to read through March 31: bio-one.co/3NzW2jc #PlantScience #PlantBiology #botany #moss #fungi #flower #plants #scisky

One more month to visit #SmellingTheBouquet! Closes March 31, 2026.

What an exciting start to 2026! Today may be the final day of the Orchid Show, but we hold deep appreciation for the love, care, and support of the Garden's orchid collection shown by our visitors, volunteers, and staff.

Learn more about how #SmellingTheBouquet came together @mobotmuseum.bsky.social at the Olfactory Contractor blog post olfactorycontractor.com/stephen-and-...

#SmellingTheBouquet catalogue drop! Thanks to Stefanie Hermsdorf for the publication, to all the lenders, researchers, & olfactory contributors, perfumers Shawn Maher & Weston Adam, Virginia Harold for photography, & to donors Nancy Ridenour, and Nancy and Ken Kranzberg! Download at linktree in bio

Learn more about @mobotmuseum.bsky.social's #SmellingTheBouquet with the curator and @mobotgarden.bsky.social's Mónica Carlsen's scent research in Colombia 👃💐

#SmellingTheBouquet Known for its scent, jasmine is an important plant whose flower buds are used in perfumery. 200+ varieties exist worldwide, yet only three species: (left) J. grandiflorum, J. auriculatum, & (right) J. sambac are commercially cultivated for their flowers. @mobotgarden.bsky.social

#SmellingTheBouquet Gardenia is an evergreen flowering plant native to SE, E, & S Asia where its fragrant white blooms have long been desired by horticulturists. Cultivated in China for over 1000 years, it was introduced to English gardens in the mid-18th century. @mobotgarden.bsky.social Herbarium

#LunarNewYear #SmellingTheBouquet Pomander, ca. 20th c.; Courtesy of Eric Hoffman Collection Nephrite jade has been revered in Chinese culture for 8,000y, is tough to break, and a perfect material for this carved openwork. It would have been filled with aromatic spices or fragrant flower petals.

#SmellingTheBouquet Vanilla planifolia is the only orchid that bears edible fruit, and is endemic to SE Mexico & Belize. The cylindrical fruit pods containing tiny black seeds are the source of vanilla used in food and perfumery, commonly (and incorrectly) called beans. Pix: Shutterstock: Jiri Hera

#SmellingTheBouquet Vanilla comes from the fruit of the orchid Vanilla planifolia. Over 600ya, it was integral to the Totonac, Mayan & Aztec people in the plant’s native region of Mesoamerica. They practiced curing methods to enhance the aroma, making a paste to be blended with copal for incense.

Read the latest Discover + Share blog on how Garden scientist Dr. Mónica Carlsen is currently aiming to provide the first comprehensive characterization of floral scent across the genus Anthurium. 🔗 discoverandshare.org/2026/02/06/m...

➕ Catch Dr. Carlsen and mobotmuseum.bsky.social curator, Nezka Pfeifer this week as they offer visitors an in-depth look of Dr. Carlsen's scent research and the Smelling the Bouquet exhibition (open now–March 1)! 🗓️ Wednesday, February 11 from 9 a.m.–Noon 📍 Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center

When describing a new species, we often hear about the size, shape, and color of its leaves, flowers, and fruits. But what about its smell?

#chypre #SmellingTheBouquet Cistus ladanifer is a resinous, flowering shrub native to the western Mediterranean. Fragrant resin is exuded from the woody stems and leaves (labdanum) that is harvested by boiling the twigs and leaves, and skimming the resin that floats to the surface. Pix: @mobotgarden

#SmellingTheBouquet Chypre fragrances are an alchemy of contrasts, described as evoking an earthy and damp forest floor. Oak moss is a lichen with a complex scent characterized as green, seaweedy, earthy, smoky, woody, and animalic; in perfumes, it adds depth, warmth, and a forest-like quality.

#SmellingTheBouquet While all have some scent, liverworts (low-growing moss relatives) are renowned for their volatile compounds, which likely evolved to protect them from predation and include turpentine, carrots, mushrooms, and seaweed. Great scented liverwort is known for its subtle earthy scent.

(🧵1/3) This February marks the 100th anniversary of #BlackHistoryMonth! Over the course of U.S. history, Black individuals have immensely contributed to art, literature, music, sports, politics, sciences, and more.

Don't miss out! The first Orchid Nights kicks off tomorrow evening. 🍷🌸 🗓️ February 5 & February 19 from 6.–8 p.m. 🔗 buff.ly/q7ZeLSr Tickets are required to be purchased in advance for this event. This event is for those 21+. 📸Mary Lou Olson #MOBOTGarden

⚠️CLOSURE REMINDER⚠️ The Garden is closed today, January 26 due to inclement weather conditions. Please plan your visit for another date. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation! 📸 Nathan Kwarta #MOBOTGarden

⚠️ANNOUNCEMENT⚠️ The Garden will be closed on Saturday, January 24 and Sunday, January 25 due to inclement weather conditions. Please plan your visit for another date. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation! 📸 Nathan Kwarta #MOBOTGarden

How does scent change the way we curate museum exhibitions? #SmellingTheBouquet In a recent episode of the Internet of Senses Institute Podcast, Sofia Ehrich spoke with @mobotmuseum.bsky.social curator Nezka Pfeifer @mobotgarden.bsky.social. Read and listen olfactorycontractor.com/conversation...

Scent trapping Madagascar plants for #SmellingTheBouquet exhibition on display from @mobotgarden.bsky.social Herbarium Helichrysum ibityense is a small perennial herbaceous plant with white flowers that is found in dry forests, grasslands, and rocky areas in Madagascar. It has a minty fragrance.

Since the 1970s @mobotgarden has been working in Madagascar to explore, conserve, and restore unique flora in collaboration with local communities and the national government. One protected area is Ibity Massif, where Garden staff scent-trapped 13 species for the #SmellingTheBouquet exhibition.

Saving plants through scent: a perfumed collaboration The Red List Project focuses on conservation of endangered plants, with direct action supported by profits generated from the sale of products based upon the scent of threatened species by Spyros Drosopoulos, Baruti perfumes. #SmellingTheBouquet

The Climatron® maintains a toasty temperature of 85 degrees Fahrenheit year round. Inside you can find more than 2,800 plants (and some animals!) that typically thrive in tropical environments. 🌴 Explore the wonders of the 📍 Climatron on your next Garden visit! 📸 Nathan Kwarta #MOBOTGarden

Special exhibition @mobotgarden.bsky.social this summer! 🤩🤩🤩 Stay tuned for more details in April 2026.

#SmellingTheBouquet Late winter/early spring in Missouri is brightened by the blooming of the inflorescences of witch hazel trees, with their brightly colored stringy petals (yellow, orange, and red) and intoxicating scents, ranging from lemon and citrus to the jasmine fragrance.

#TreeOfLife #SmellingTheBouquet Baobabs are one of the largest & oldest angiosperms (flowering plants), & are widespread across continental Africa savannas, & near the border of Yemen & Oman. Nearly all of the plant is usable: saplings, leaves, the fruit, & seed oil. Pix: Dr. Nisa Karimi