The Hidden Histories of Plant Science | Tumble Episode
- tumblepodcast
- Feb 3, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 22, 2025
A Black botanist is on a mission to discover the hidden stories of Black plant scientists throughout history. Shawn Abrahams shares how Black people are responsible for vanilla cupcakes, and the microscopes you use in science class! Plus, hear how Shawn started their own journey to becoming a botanist and historian, with the help of Wikipedia.
Learn more about how Shawn discovered their passion for plants in our bonus interview episode, available on Patreon!
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🔎About The Featured Expert
Dr. R. Shawn Abrahams (they/them) is a botanist, evolutionary biologist, and PhD fellow at Yale University. Of course, they study plants, but as you remember from the episode, they are passionate about black botanists throughout history.
Digging Up History
Shawn told us about Edmond Albius, a 12-year-old enslaved boy who discovered how to pollinate the vanilla orchid. Here's a video demonstrating that process, giving you a better look at what the orchid looks like:
Albius did all this in the French colony of Réunion. The island now features a statue and memorial dedicated to his life and work.
Here's the story of why Edmond Albius' discovery has been remembered, while many others like his may have been lost or forgotten.
Shawn also told us about Dr. Marie Clark Taylor, a professor at Howard University. She looked at how flowers responded to light and introduced the light microscope to the classroom.
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