Completely Arbortrary

Latest Episodes:

Trunk Drawer (Governor's Plum) May 29, 2025

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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 those unlucky species who spend their lives in the taxonomic junk drawer?

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

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Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

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Bean Leaves in Bondage (Silk Tree) May 22, 2025

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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 our game series Fight Shrub!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

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Find Arbortrary merch on our store

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Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Reversion Therapy (White Spruce) May 15, 2025

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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 that way forever. Then, we have the second round of Fight Shrub!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

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Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

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Fight Shrub (Butternut) May 08, 2025

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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, and your neighbor's neighbor. Then we play a new game with one rule... you do not talk about Fight Shrub.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What a (Knobcone Pine)! May 01, 2025

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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 dispersing which includes fire, cones, and cannibalism.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

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Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Anomalous Secondary Growth (Ombú) Apr 24, 2025

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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 “anomalous secondary growth”, an endlessly interesting way to grow. Then, we answer a question about the perfect flower/tree pairings.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

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Find Arbortrary merch on our store

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Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Golden Cone Ratio (Austrian Black Pine) Apr 17, 2025

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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 nigra). Let’s discuss Phyllotaxis, the mathematical means by which plants remain in light.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BONUS: Lord of the Tree Rings Marathon Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

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 that includes all three episodes of our Lord of the Tree Rings series, originally published in March of 2022. New episodes starting next week! Take care, everyone.

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Inside Sprout: Joy (Money Tree) Apr 03, 2025

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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 synonymous with feng shui, harmonious qi, and interior design? Then we play a new game of Happy Go Lucky!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Inside Sprout: Sadness (Weeping Cherry) Mar 27, 2025

Show notes

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 plants just have it backward. Then, we listen to you tree-themed Beatles covers and announce the winner of THE HAT!

Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson

Support the pod and become a Treemium Member

Follow along on Instagram

Find Arbortrary merch on our store

Find additional reading on our website

Cover art by Jillian Barthold

Music by Aves and The Mini-Vandals

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.