Botanic Gardens Conservation International’s Post

The Purple Fringe Lily (Thysanotus multiflorus) is a perennial wildflower native to Western Australia. It belongs to the Asparagaceae family and is also known as the Many-flowered Fringe Lily or the Purple Fringe.Here are some key points about the history and significance of the Purple Fringe Lily:- Indigenous Australians used the plant for food and medicine.- The species was first described by British botanist Robert Brown in 1810.- Thysanotus multiflorus is featured on the Western Australian coat of arms.- The plant is a popular choice for gardens in Western Australia due to its vibrant purple flowers and low maintenance requirements.- It typically blooms from September to November, producing clusters of small, bell-shaped flower.

It is indeed trying to tell you something… The Corpse flower's bloom is unique due to its massive size, rare blooming cycle, and the strong, unpleasant odor it emits. This odor, resembling rotting flesh, attracts pollinators like carrion flies and beetles. The bloom itself is the largest unbranched inflorescence in the plant kingdom and occurs only once every few years. In contemporary contexts, especially in media and literature, the corpse flower can be used as a symbol of exoticism, mystery, and the grotesque. Its infrequent blooming and the striking visual and olfactory experience it provides make it a compelling symbol for themes related to the unusual, the macabre, and the extraordinary aspects of nature. Western Interpretations: In the Western world, the corpse flower might be referenced in discussions about nature’s extremes and curiosities. Its smell and appearance lend themselves to metaphors about the duality of beauty and repulsion, and the idea that something can be simultaneously fascinating and off-putting. In others words, appearances can be deceiving.

We did not only produce a technical review on tackling the #illegalplanttrade but also a webinar on the issue. This webinar includes presentations from BGCI and botanic garden partners, sign up to learn more about the issue & what you can do. https://buff.ly/3ABxwaL #PlantConservation #GlobalConservationNetwork

A major aim of the world's botanic gardens is to protect the most threatened plants from extinction. But unless they work together as a global 'meta-collection', it's going to be a struggle. A study led by Cambridge University Botanic Garden's Samuel Brockington found that restrictions on wild-collecting, and changing weather patterns, are making it harder for individual gardens to grow the diverse range of plants necessary to study and protect them. Find out more 👉 https://bit.ly/42ouRNs #CambridgeUniversity #CambridgeResearch

MAY PLANTS OF THE MONTH 🌱 This month's tour at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney features rare and resilient plants that have survived for millennia. The plant of the month, which you can see at all our sites, is the #WollemiPine (Wollemia nobilis): 🌲It was thought to be extinct until it was serendipitously discovered in 1994 🌲This critically endangered conifer is one of the world’s rarest plants 🌲Less than 50 adult trees remain in the wild 🔬Recent research using advanced genomic sequencing has detected some genetic variation in surviving trees. To help save the species from extinction Botanic Gardens of Sydney horticulturists and scientists launched a project last year whereby a meta-collection of trees representing the genetic diversity of the species was sent to botanic gardens around the world to create vital ex-situ conservation collections. 🌱 Translocation populations have also been created in natural areas similar to the wild habitats of the Wollemi Pine in the Blue Mountains. 🦠 Critical research also continues to investigate ways of combatting the deadly fungal pathogen Phytophthora cinnamoni threatening the wild population. These and other research projects are vital to ensure that this unique tree survives for future generations. ⬇️ Discover more

Want to learn more about Putricia, the extraordinary Corpse Flower, or Titan Arum, while waiting for it to open at Botanic Gardens of Sydney? Read Matt Coulter's article in the summer issue of THE BOTANIC GARDENer, https://lnkd.in/g7747NcE Matt, from Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, South Australia, is the proud 'grandfather' of the Sydney and Geelong Corpse Flowers, having donated the tubers from which the flowers formed. Image: L: The cross-pollination process, where pollen is applied to all female flowers on the inflorescence. Credit: Debra McDavid. R: Fully formed infrutescence from cross-pollination. Credit: Matt Coulter

Want to learn more about Putricia, the extraordinary Corpse Flower, or Titan Arum, while waiting for it to open at Botanic Gardens of Sydney? Read Matt Coulter's article in the summer issue of THE BOTANIC GARDENer, https://ow.ly/wGkg50UKKP8 Matt, from Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, South Australia, is the proud 'grandfather' of the Sydney and Geelong Corpse Flowers, having donated the tubers from which the flowers formed. Image: L: The cross-pollination process, where pollen is applied to all female flowers on the inflorescence. Credit: Debra McDavid. R: Fully formed infrutescence from cross-pollination. Credit: Matt Coulter

Hickories and walnuts belong to the same family — the walnut family (Juglandaceae). Up until the early 1800s, American botanists considered hickories to be walnuts (genus Juglans), and no distinction was made between the two groups of trees. In the 1800s, hickories became recognized as being taxonomically distinct from walnuts and were given their own genus to reflect this distinction — the Carya genus. An observable difference between hickories and walnuts involves the fruits. Hickories are dehiscent — the fruits completely or partially split open at maturity, and their husks are composed of sections or valves. With few exceptions, walnuts are typically indehiscent — the fruits do not split open at maturity. Pictured here are 5 hickories and 2 walnuts that grow in eastern North America. Bark isn’t always the best feature to help distinguish between species, but it can be useful in some circumstances. For example, the bark of shagbark hickory is similar to the bark of shellbark hickory, but the bark of both trees is very different from the bark of bitternut hickory.

#Juniperus virginiana - often referred to as cedarwood and always confused with the #biblical cedar, whether as an essential oil or an incense plant.  #Anyone who writes this or passes it on in lectures and seminars has already #proven one thing: To have zero knowledge about plants, their biochemical #orientation and history. I cannot #understand why there is still confusion in the use of Juniperus virginiana and the two #Cedrus species - Cedrus atlantica (Atlas cedar) and Cedrus #deodora (Himalayan cedar). #People - you have a smartphone - no matter where you are in the world, you have it with you. Not only can you use it for #social media, phone calls and #photos or videos - no, you can use it to quickly find out which plant is behind which #botanical name on the internet. Finally try it out and act accordingly. Essential #oils always have a botanical name on the label, but it's a bit more #difficult with incense plants if you don't know them. What is the #difference between cedar and cedarwood or red cedar? For a #better understanding of the plant spirit, think about this #Red Cedar - Juniperus virginiana comes from the culture of the indigenous #North American peoples. What traditions, legends or myths can you think of #spontaneously? The plant was first brought to our culture by ship in 1664 and then #planted in some botanical gardens. The #cedar originates from the culture of the Orient and has been used there since the beginnings of #mankind in Mesopotamia and the ancient centers of Egypt, Greece and Rome. It is part of the oldest surviving incense recipe in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the famous biblical plant. The botanical name for the Atlas cedar is Cedrus atlantica, the Himalayan cedar is Cedrus deodora. The much older biblical plant - the Lebanon cedar - Cedrus libani was already eradicated in biblical times, apart from a few protected specimens. Incidentally, there is also no historical evidence that the ancient centers of Egypt, Greece and Rome had a lively timber trade with ships across the Atlantic. The discovery of America is still attributed to Christopher Columbus in 1492, but by then the biblical times were already history. Red cedar or cedarwood was never used in Europe as a substitute for cedar wood in a Christian context. This should finally make it clear that the spirit carried by the red cedar is something completely different from the biblical cedar wood. If you now use Juniperus virginiana in the context of the biblical cedar, this does not work on the energetic side. A plant does not change its spirit. Every plant carries its own identity, DNA, energy, spirit and plant deva. You are setting something in motion here that does not work because your intention and the spirit of the plant are moving in two different energetic directions. This is why plant adulteration, whether on the physical, emotional or spiritual side, is so harmful. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/egzFuNdj