S02E01 | Interview with Dr. Tom Croat (Part 1)

Happy New Year and Welcome to Season 2! We made it back. Tanya is (mostly) healthy, Jos is caffeinated, and we are starting 2026 with a guest we’ve been dreaming of hosting since Day 1: Dr. Thomas Croat. The Man Behind the Name You likely know Dr. Croat as the “Godfather of Aroids”—the man who has described over 1,300 species and collected more plants than probably anyone in history. But in Episode 1 of Season 2, we got to hear the stories before the fame. He told us about his early adventures sailing from St. Thomas to South America on a sloop, a journey he chronicled in his memoir Under the Spinnaker. Lacking the equipment to dry and press plants, he spent months just observing—visiting thousands of habitats and learning Spanish by immersion on the back of trucks and trains. It’s a fascinating look at how a young botanist built the foundation for a legendary career. Also: Can Moss Survive Space? In our news segment, we discussed a mind-blowing study from Science News. Scientists attached spores of the moss Physcomitrium patens to the outside of the International Space Station. The conditions: Vacuum of space, intense UV radiation, extreme freeze/thaw cycles. The result: After 9 months, 86% of the spores came back to life and grew. The takeaway: If we ever move to Mars, this moss is definitely coming with us. Plus: Jos breaks down the history of the Philodendron spiritus sancti bubble. Is it still the “Holy Grail” now that you can buy it in a tissue culture bag? Rate That Weird Plant We close each episode with a segment we call “Rate That Weird Plant”. Check this episode’s weird plants below. Eulychnia castanea f. Spiralis Posted on Reddit by Planta_Samantha. Dendrobium wassellii Posted on Houzz by malteseproverb. Cynomorium coccineum Posted on Science Photo Gallery by Bob Gibbons.