ROOTED Plant Videos

One Wild Plant. One Wild Story.

Each episode features one wild plant species, an unlikely ecologist, and a distinctive habitat. Funny, gritty, and occasionally beautiful, Rooted videos follow field botanist Jared Rosenbaum on a tour of some of the most compelling habitats and native plant species in his home state of New Jersey. Documentary filmmaker Jared Flesher directs the series. Rooted is distributed free to all viewers on YouTube.

Cliffs of Cactus: How Prickly Pear Hangs On

Plants are the ultimate storytellers about place. Join Jared in exploring wild cactus in a most unexpected place, and see how plants and place reflect each other.

Bee Balm: What’s Native, and Why Does It Matter?

On a steep ridge along the Delaware River, Jared tells the story of bee balm and an ancient relationship. Is this rare plant species native here, and what does native really mean anyway?

Wild Ginger: Mystery of an Ancient Migration

Jared visits an isolated patch of wild ginger and ponders how it got there…

Fringed Gentian: Vanishing Autumn Beauty

Jared visits an open meadow to seek out a stunning autumn wildflower and share the story of the special conditions that help this plant persist….

Black Cohosh: Old Growth Herb?

We visit a colony of black cohosh and ask: how old could this herb be?