Shows / Completely Arbortrary
Completely Arbortrary
Tree advocate Casey Clapp and his tree-curious friend Alex Crowson bring you a podcast about trees and other related topics. History, culture, art, religion, science... trees affect and are affected by everything. Join Casey and Alex on their silly and educational journey to prove it.
Episodes
- Completely Arbortrary
Baklava (Pistachio)
It's Plant Based Diet: Just Desserts, where we talk about 4 of the world's sweetest trees. First up, the pistachio! (Pistacia vera) Hear all about its origins…
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Buzz Pollination (Bigberry Manzanita)
Buzz buzz! Let’s connect some pollen the new fashioned way with the Bigberry Manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca). Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by…
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BONUS EPISODE: What is Bark? + Alex's Hawaiian Adventure
What's up Fungal Associates!? This week we have part 2 of our bonus episode fortnight and bring you "What is Bark?" Which asks the question.... well, what is…
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BONUS EPISODE: What is Soil? + Casey's Throat Catastrophe
What's up Fungal Associates! For the next two weeks we bring you some OLD SCHOOL bonus episodes (circa 2021). Why? Well, because Casey took a frisbee to the…
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All Trees Go To Heaven (American Beech)
I think, therefore I am... a tree - American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson Support the…
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Keyaki (Japanese Zelkova)
The tree you don’t know that you know, but you know it! The Japanese zelkova (Zelkova serrata) is the center of a fascinating tale of isolationism, plant…
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Insultivar (Chokecherry)
Don't go chokin' on this cherry (Prunus virginiana) or else you may turn red! And Canadian! Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and…
- Completely Arbortrary
Dial M for (Maxipiñon)
A mystery cone… a mystery tree! What the maxipiñon has to say about genetic bottlenecking may unlock its secrets! Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted…
- Completely Arbortrary
Zombie Survivors (Vietnam Cypress)
What happens when trees have to run for their lives and the only way is up? The Vietnam cypress (Xanthocyparis vietnamensis), that's what! Completely…
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There's Always Money in the (Banana Tree)
It’s a BANANZA with the banana (Musa acuminata), a fruit so popular that it helped shape the political landscape of the world. Completely Arbortrary is…
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The Lean (Cook Island Pine)
Lazy, back problems, or just a Fonzie-esque casual attitude? Whatever the reason, the Cook Island pine (Araucaria columnaris) leans mysteriously toward the…
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The New Mahogany (Ipê)
Introducing... TROPICAL VACATION! 🌺 a series all about tropical trees! Our first visit is Brazil, where the ipê (𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘢) reigns supreme…
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BONUS EPISODE: Treeasy Listening #1
Kick back with Casey and Alex while we play you our favorite jams from recent days. Become a Treemium Member at arbortrarypod.supercast.com to enjoy bonus…
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Parthenocarpy (Paperbark Maple)
Parthenowhatnow? Parthenocarpy! Why are 90% of the paperbark maple's (Acer griseum) infertile? Only nature knows. Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted…
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Trunk Drawer (Governor's Plum)
It's a bit of governor's plum, innit? (Flacourtia indica) But where to put it? This wayward species finally found a home with the willows, but what happens to…
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Bean Leaves in Bondage (Silk Tree)
Let's get kinky with the silk tree (Albizia julibrissin). This beautiful tree has a very curious way of keeping its leaves close to the stem. Then we finish…
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Reversion Therapy (White Spruce)
What happens when a tree mutates? In the case of the white spruce (𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘢 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘤𝘢) it creates a dwarf version of itself. But that version doesn't always grow…
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Fight Shrub (Butternut)
Put up your dukes, for a battle between the city, the people, and the trees. At the center is butternut (Juglans cinerea), and it's shading you, your neighbor…
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What a (Knobcone Pine)!
Who started the fire? It may have been the knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata) in a ditch attempt to RELEASE THE SEEDS! This curious pine has a curious way of…
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Anomalous Secondary Growth (Ombú)
Anomalous secondary growth! What in the world is it? Just ask the ombú (Phytolacca dioica), pokeweed’s tree-like cousin. It doesn’t make wood, it makes…
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Golden Cone Ratio (Austrian Black Pine)
The Golden Ratio: a fact of life on Earth, or an copy and pasted alien blueprint? Perhaps the answer lies in the cones of the Austrian black pine (Pinus…
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BONUS: Lord of the Tree Rings Marathon
What's up, Middle-Earthlings! Casey and I are taking a much-needed break this week, and so we present to you a hilariously massive extended edition episode…
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Inside Sprout: Joy (Money Tree)
What makes you happy? Is it money? Or maybe it’s the money tree (Pachira aquatica). This famous houseplant is also a forest tree, so why did it become…
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Inside Sprout: Sadness (Weeping Cherry)
What makes trees weep? Perhaps the answer lies in the aptly named weeping cherry (Prunus x subhirtella 'Pendula'). Today we talk gravitropism and why some…
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Inside Sprout: Anger (Jeffrey Pine)
What makes you angry? Is it the Jeffrey pine (𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘫𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘺𝘪)? Perhaps it’s the smell, a controversial topic among tree lovers that causes all sorts of anger…
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Inside Sprout: Fear (Silver Maple)
Why are we so afraid of the silver maple (Acer saccharinum)? Perhaps because of the risk involved. In today’s episode of Inside Sprout, we discuss tree risk…
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Inside Sprout: Disgust (Black Locust)
Welcome to Inside Sprout, a 5 part mini-series on trees that best embody and illicit our most basic human emotions. Today we start with disgust and the black…
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Ball is Life (Rubber)
Take me out to the ball game… the one where they bounce a solid rubber (Castilla elastica) ball between their hips. Today we take it way back for a discussion…
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Little Kid (Balsa)
The lightest wood there is, the balsa (Ochroma pyramidale) is one excited little kid. It grows fast, has ice cream cone flowers, and you can even carry it…
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The Chipko Movement (Banj Oak)
In the second part of our eco-feminism series, we discuss the Chipko movement, a practical manifestation of eco-feminist ideologies out of India…
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Parent Earth (Sitka Spruce)
What makes a tree innately "feminine"? We can't explain it, but we can roughly explain eco-feminism, and how it affects our opinions of, and behaviors toward…
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Low-Hanging Fruit (Jaboticaba)
Oh, what fun is the jaboticaba (Plinia cauliflora) with it’s curiously growing fruit. Learn about this tree before diving headlong into a discussion about…
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Clickbait Tree (Walking Palm)
The tree that walks! (not really) The walking palm (Socratea exorrhiza) is beloved by Tik-Tok clickbait content creators for its astounding ability to “walk”…
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Ironheart (ʻŌhiʻa Lehua)
ʻŌhiʻa Lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) is Hawaii's most populous tree, and perhaps its most adaptable! For a tree that grows on literal lava flows, this tree…
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Artificial Instemination (Florida Torreya)
Happy 2025! Let’s start with a tree so out of time and place that it’s suffering the most endangered situation of any conifer in the world. Then, we play a…
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SEEDPOD: Whittlin' with Justin Davies
Today we whittle spoons alongside woodworking gem Justin Davies, and hear about Justin's dos-and-dont's while carving, how he got into the hobby, and where…
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Christmas in Australia (Moodjar)
Merry Christmas! Let’s gather ‘round the Moodjar (Nuytsia floribunda). But look out, this fascinating tree has a few quirks that make it an expert parasite…
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Myrrh & (Frankincense)
Only two wise men showed up. But, good news: they brought frankincense (Boswellia sacra) and myrrh (Commiphora myrrha), two storied plants known for their…
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That Hummock Life (Gumbo-Limbo)
The gumbo-limbo (Bursera simaruba) is living that hummock life, and loving every minute of it. This resiliant tree stays low to the ground and says “who cares”…
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Worm! Worm! Worm! (Yellow Birch)
In an episode heavy with rants and strong opinions, we discuss the yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis). Leafblowers, giant earthworms, and birches all collide…
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Yerba-maté (Gourd Herb)
Would you like a cup of tea? Try the gourd herb (Ilex paraguariensis), a tropical tree famous for its massive contribution to the world of drinkables…
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Life Goes On (Curlleaf Mountain-Mahogany)
Life goes on... and on... and on... for the curlleaf mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius). What can we learn from this long-lived, tough-as-nails tree?…
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A Place for Everything (Keteleeria)
In the second of our “odd Pine family distant cousins” we talk Keteleeria (Keteleeria davidiana), and the perfect pocket of China where this and many other…
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Larchy Bark and the Trunky Bunch (Golden-Larch)
In this episode, we explore the golden-larch (Pseudolarix amabilis), a unique member of the pine family that feels a bit like the “weird cousin at the Pine…
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NOT A MANGO, DO NOT EAT (Sea-Mango)
WARNING: This is not a mango. Do not eat this non-mango, this Lord of Lies, this Great Deceiver, for it is the sea-mango (Cerbera manghas) and it absolutely…
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Stung By Thirty Wasps (Giant Stinging Tree)
In this episode, we explore Australia’s infamous giant stinging tree (Dendrocnide moroides) and its neurotoxic hairs that cause agonizing pain. How fun(?)!…
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Parenchyma Schmarenchyma (Boojum Tree)
Join us as we get weird with the Boojum tree (Fouquieria columnaris), a quirky desert oddball with some fascinating parenchyma. Plus, Casey reads an…
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The 𝘹 Files (Munz Oak)
Join us on a mysterious journey through time to discuss the Munz oak (Quercus x munzii), a curious hybrid of UNKNOWN ORIGIN! Completely Arbortrary is produced…
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Sitting Under a (Western Sycamore)
Join us for an afternoon chat under this gorgeous Western sycamore (Platanus racemosa) and hear about what Casey and Alex and reflecting on lately. Completely…
- Completely Arbortrary
Dam! (China-Fir)
Dam! Let’s talk about them, and about the China-fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) and the ingenious agroforestry methods of the Kam people of China. Completely…
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SEEDPOD: Alie Ward from OLOGIES
The Fabulous, Funny, Smart, and Warm woman we all love, ALIE WARD graces the podcast today. We can hardly believe it. Alie was a very important part of the…
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Yellow Die (American Smoketree)
“I’d rather see a smoketree than a tree smoking.” Enter the American smoketree (Cotinus obovatus), a beautiful little tree that was nearly used to extinction…
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Weirder Sex (Striped Maple)
Welcome to the Alternative Sex Experience, featuring the striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum). In our continued discussion on dioecy, this one takes a curiously…
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A Tale of Two Houses (English Holly)
It’s beginning to look a lot like… an invasive pokey nightmare, with the English holly (Ilex aquafolium). Learn all about dioeciousness, and what makes this…
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Let Your Neighbors See You Naked! (Leyland Cypress)
Just another arborvitae, the Leyland cypress (Cupressus × leylandii et al) has to be one of the most deplorable species we’ve investigated on Completely…
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Smokey Bad (Western White Pine)
The Great Fire of 1910 greatly changed the (literal) landscape of northern Idaho, as well as the continent’s population of western white pine (Pinus…
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Xiāngfěi (Chinese-Nutmeg)
A fascinating tree with no shortage of fun facts, the Chinese-nutmeg (Torreya grandis) is a cornerstone of Chinese history and traditional medicine. And man…
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Sweet Pea (Tamarind)
We continue our plant-based diet with a giant of the culinary world, the tamarind (Tamarindus indica). Whether in chamoy or pad thai, this sweet pea is the…
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Banana Sundae (Ice-Cream Bean)
You think ice cream grows on trees?! The ice-cream bean (Inga edulis) is one of nature’s greatest gifts to humanity. This agroforestry behemoth is South…
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Chewing Gum (Sapodilla)
This is Plant-Based Diet: Part Chew, a new series from Completely Arbortrary all about trees that give us food! In this episode, we discuss the sapodilla…