Rum is most commonly made from molasses, which is made from sugarcane. Yeast and water are added to the molasses, allowing it to ferment. It must then be distilled, to pull out the alcohol, and then aged for at least a year. Sugarcane is in the Poaceae family, making it a grass. [x]  

Dandelions are in full swing where I live. They are in the Asteraceae  family, which is one of the largest plant families known, alongside the orchid family. Dandelions spread with their wind-carried seeds, and their yellow flowers close at night. They are all in the Taraxacum genus, and the weeds found globally are T. officinale and T. erythospermum. [x]

This is Brassica nigra, a member of the Brassicaceae family, the mustard family. Members of the Brassicaceae family have four petals, and it was once called the Cruciferae family, referring to the cross-shape of the flowers. [x]

Stachys byzantina, Lamb’s Ear, is originally from Turkey, Armenia and Iran, but has been introduced globally as an ornamental. It is in the Lamiaceae family, which also contains most of the herbs you are familiar with, such as rosemary, basil and mint. It is commonly known as the mint family. [x]

Wheat is in the grass family, Poaceae. It is the third-most produced grain, behind maize and rice. 

A message from Anonymous
I'm a high school student looking to major in botany in college. However, I really don't have much experience with plants and the only formal education I've had on the subject is 9th-grade Biology... Can you recommend a way I could expand my knowledge of plants? Or do they start with the basics in college?

A great way to start learning is by reading! I have a short list of books here, all about different areas of botany. [Followers, if you have any suggestions, please send them my way!] Getting outside and identifying plants can be a great way to learn. If you happen to live in the northeastern US, Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide is awesome, otherwise get a local field guide (your local library should have some) and go on hikes. Wikipedia is actually a great place to find plant information, so if you see a plant or plant family, on here or anywhere else, it’s worth googling to learn more!

That said, my experience with botany degrees is that they do teach you the basics. I was required to take entry-level biology in my freshman year, as well as a basic ecology course my sophomore year. 

~ Claire

Nerium oleander is in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. It contains several toxic chemicals, including cardiac glycosides. Cardiac glycosides are medicinal in small amounts, but are poisonous in large amounts. [x]

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Poison sumac, Toxicodendron vernix, is far more poisonous than poison ivy or poison oak. If inhaled, smoke from burning poison sumac can cause pulmonary edema. This is because of the urushiol, the same compound in poison ivy. [x]

Sudden Oak Death, Phytophthora ramorum, is a devastating disease found primarily in California and Oregon. It is a strange, eukaryotic plant pathogen that causes affected trees to leak dark, gross sap. It is found in oaks, but also other tree species. The above picture shows dead trees among unaffected ones. [x]