Beyond the Peanut
While George Washington Carver is forever associated with peanuts, his personal passion lay elsewhere. He had a special love for wildflowers and fungi, which he studied, collected, and painted throughout his life.
Wildflowers
Carver was entranced by wildflowers from childhood. He spent countless hours in the woods around the Carver farm studying and sketching wild plants. His artistic works primarily featured flowers, and he always wore a fresh flower in his lapel.
Fungi (Mushrooms)
Carver's master's thesis at Iowa State focused on fungi. He became one of America's leading experts on mycology (the study of fungi) and discovered several new species. His fungal research was considered groundbreaking.
The Amaryllis
Carver had a particular fondness for the amaryllis flower. He kept amaryllis plants in his room at Tuskegee and often gave bulbs to friends as gifts.
Carver studied peanuts, sweet potatoes, and other crops as part of his mission to help Southern farmers - it was practical, purposeful work. But his personal love was for nature's beauty: the intricate structures of fungi, the delicate colors of wildflowers, the mystery of plants in their natural settings.
He often said his best ideas came during his early morning walks in the woods, observing wild plants rather than cultivated crops.
As a child, Carver was known as "The Plant Doctor" because neighbors brought him sick plants to heal. This deep connection to plants - all plants - began in his earliest years and never left him. He saw each plant as a divine creation worthy of study and appreciation.
Throughout his life, Carver maintained collections of pressed flowers and botanical specimens. He also created beautiful paintings of flowers, many of which survive today at Tuskegee University. His artistic work focused almost exclusively on wildflowers rather than food crops.