Pteridomania, also known as Victorian Fern Fever, or Fern Madness, swept across Victorian England and almost wiped out an entire plant group.
In this episode, we talk about this strange 19th century obsession and how the the predecessor of the modern terrarium, Wardian Case, changed the world forever.
Books to check out:
The Victorian Fern Craze by Sarah Whittingham - https://amzn.to/3PY38vY
The Wardian Case: How a Simple Box Moved Plants and Changed the World by Luke Keogh - https://amzn.to/3xnKyaf
The Botanists: A History of the Botanical Society of the British Isles - https://amzn.to/43VqloH
The Crystal Palace and the Great Exhibition - https://amzn.to/3U9OqVo
00:00 Intro
00:42 London's First Great Exhibition
01:07 The Crystal Palace
01:44 Wardian Case
03:00 Ferns Become Cool
04:14 Fern Hunters
05:00 Pteridomania
05:50 Fern Fashion
06:45 Over Hunting and Extinction
07:20 Legacy and Conclusion