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. LINKSelaginella ostenfeldii: The "Mermaid" spike moss that looks almost neon. LINKPterisanthes polita: A plant so weird it looks like a toddler made it out of Play-Doh. LINKMentioned in this episode:Joep Moonen LINKInternational Aroid Society (IAS): https://www.aroid.orgPlant Provenance: https://plantprovenance.comConnect with us:Email: [email protected]: https://hortikult.com