Johanna Oosterwyk referenced in Madison Magazine article

They fall into the category of ‘friendship plants,’” notes Johanna Oosterwyck, research program manager of the D.C. Smith Greenhouse on the UW–Madison campus. “We give them away to our friends.”

You bet. To me that makes them the true indigenous flower—the flower of the common folk. Oosterwyck tells me that they actually originated in Asia and probably followed the Spice Road to Europe, where they hitched a ride to America in the 1700s. “They have quite the history,” she says. “The flowers are edible and some people say they can be used for medicinal purposes.”

Read the complete article here.