Branch Out

Mistletoe is in love potions, ancient medicines to ward off epilepsy and ulcers and even a Justin Bieber Christmas song and Australia is the true home of mistletoe with about 90 different sap-sucking species. Discover why so many people throughout the ages are fascinated by the mystery and magic of these paradoxical parasites.

Who do you think spends the least amount of time outdoors: Chickens, inmates or kids? Discover the growing movement of nature play at various forest schools and kindergartens around the world, including one right here in the heart of Sydney.

Bees predate the dinosaurs and they've been doing some crazy and complex things inside the hive. From using a 'waggle dance' to communicate where food is, to making 'bee bread' using pollen. It's a short and sweet life for most, but be warned, there are a couple of gruesome ways to die...

How was a cow paddock in Western Sydney transformed into the biggest botanic garden in Australia? And what's the difference between a park and a botanic garden anyway? Join the legendary Graham Ross and the Garden's Curator John Siemon as they share the incredible story of the Australian Botanic Garden and its best features.

Check out what's coming up in the next season of Branch Out. Hit subscribe to make sure the fortnightly episodes appear in your podcast app.

What makes a plant a killer? Join one of Australia's foremost experts on carnivorous plants, and discover the different tactics these murderous munchers use to lure, trap and trick their prey.

You might think the National Herbarium of NSW is where we keep our finest coriander, mint and basil. Actually, this vital facility contains over 1 million plant specimens used for scientific research, and some are almost 250 years old! Walk through the corridors of this 165-year-old building and discover this historical hub and heart of plant sciences.

Some communities can't access green space, depriving them of the physical, mental and social benefits that nature brings. Discover how the Community Greening program is changing the health and wellbeing of communities one garden at a time.

Dr Barbara Briggs is one of Australia's leading botanists and police used her skills in the 1960's to assist a kidnapping-murder case. But over the course of her 59 years of research at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, she's been part of an even bigger investigation: EVOLUTION.

They're among the first types of land plants to appear on Earth about 470 million years ago, but bryophtes are easy to overlook - unless you're Matt or Trevor. On a field trip to the very tip of Far North Queensland, they came across a curious new species growing in a highly unusual place...

There's a back-up plan for plants going extinct in the wild - it's called seedbanking. Scientists from the Australian PlantBank spend weeks in the field tracking down native plant material from all over the country to bring back to the incredible facility in Western Sydney, so they don't disappear forever.

The Wollemi Pine was thought to be extinct for 60 million years until it was accidentally discovered by David Noble in 1994 during a weekend bushwalk, 150km from Sydney. Our living fossil captures the imagination and attention of the world because it offers a window into the past, but now scientists are focused on protecting its future.

Discover how the remarkable digestive ability of the endangered Southern Cassowary keeps itself, rainforests, and us alive.

Put on your detective hat and lab coat and enter the strange and microscopic world of deadly plant diseases threatening our food crops and native flora.

Explore the deadly and life-saving chemicals found in plants. From tea tree oil to morphine, we use nearly 15,000 different plant species for medicinal purposes.