In praise of the Botanical Society of the British Isles And in further proof that there's really nothing new, it also turns out that Charles Darwin noticed this too, in 1880. Given the recent publicity around the urban myth that a pampas grass in the front garden advertises the inhabitants" availability for swinging, a short piece by James Armitage (senior botanist at RHS Wisley) caught my eye: "The sex forms of Cortaderia selloana." Fortunately it's the sex life of the pampas grass itself that is under scrutiny. Pampas grass is dioecious, i.e. it has separate male and female plants, and the flowering plumes look rather different: the female is upright, symmetrical, and generally white. Males are one-sided, slightly drooping, often pink-tinged, and don't last as well as female plumes. Most named cultivars are female, but some are male, and Armitage gives a complete list. Finally, there is longish piece in the latest issue from Simon Harrap, who is writing a guide to wildflowers and wants to ventilate some serious irritation about the inconsistent use of capital letters and hyphens in English names of plants. Indispensable reading if you ever wondered whether to write Marsh Marigold or marsh-marigold. And believe me, even if you were never puzzled by such a question, you will be after you've read this. I'm not privy to the editorial policies of BSBI News, but an examination of its content suggests something along the lines of "print everything we are sent, as long as it's not actually libellous or offensive." In other words, it's extremely democratic and inclusive, which is one reason it's such a good read. One side effect of such a policy is that botany is no more free of cranks and nutters than any other walk of life and occasionally an item appears that is downright bonkers. Of course, this only makes the magazine even more fun to read. In short, BSBI News is an insight into a quintessentially British (and Irish) organisation. Long may it provide a home for the musings of all those who think plants are just the most marvellous, fascinating things. If you like plants, you have £25 to spare and you're not a member, I can only ask: why not? For more, visit bsbi.org.uk. Ken Thompson is a plant biologist with a keen interest in the science of gardening. He writes and lectures extensively and has written four gardening books, including No Nettles Required. His latest is Do We Need Pandas? The Uncomfortable Truth About Biodiversity.