Sibbaldia - the Journal of Botanic Garden Horticulture (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Journals)
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Passiflora Subgenus Astrophea: Curiosities Amongst the Passionflowers
Get PDFThis paper examines an unusual group of Passiflora L., providing an overview of all aspects related to the members of Passiflora subgenus Astrophea (DC.) Mast. It gives an account of their classification, morphology, distribution, habitats and ecology in order to provide a better understanding of the species included in this group. These examinations are factored into the recommendations forsuccessful ex situ cultivation which is generally regarded as difficult. More depth of information on cultivation is provided for the four species most commonly found under cultivation: Passiflora jussieui Feuillet, P. lindeniana Planch. ex Triana & Planch., P. macrophylla Spruce ex Mast. and P. pittieri Mast. Despite the problems these plants present in cultivation they are rewarding additios to any plant collection which in future is likely to be of great importance due to many being threatened in their natural habitats. This project is an extract from the author’s dissertation that was written for the Kew Diploma in Horticulture in 2012
Sabal bermudana L.H. Bailey (The Sabal Palm) :: The Oldest Palm at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Get PDFSabal bermudana, known as the Sabal palm, is, at over 200 years of age, frequently listed as the oldest living specimen growing at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (Bown, 1992; Fletcher & Brown, 1970; Govier et al., 2001; Rae, 2011; RBGE, 2012). Edmondson & Rowley (1998) even speculated that the Sabal dated from John Hope’s time as Regius Keeper of RBGE between 1760 and 1786. However, the earliest date most commonly cited is 1822, the year that the plant was transferred, along with much of the collection, from the Leith Walk garden to RBGE’s current site at Inverleith. This article is a summary of its history and cultivation, and offers a description of recent horticultural activities to replace existing supports using novel and possibly unique materials
The Renovation of the Lower Woodland Garden at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Get PDFThe origins and history of the Lower Woodland Garden at the Royal Botanic Garden at Edinburgh are described along with the rationale for their restoration. The concept of a Stumpery or Rootery a precursor to the Peat Walls, is also described. The method of restoration, reconstruction and replanting of the area is discussed and examples of species planted in the area are given
Arbuscular Mycorrhiza in the Living Collections at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Get PDFMost plants have mutualistic symbioses (mycorrhizas) with certain fungi that occupy their roots, the most common of which fall into the category known as arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM). Although most of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are entirely subterranean, some form spore masses or sporocarps sufficiently large to be seen with the unaided eye on the surface of the substrate. During several decades of casual observation in the research greenhouses at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), such clumps of spores from several species of AMF have been recorded. A brief introduction to mycorrhizas, with an emphasis on AM, is provided. A list of host plants grown in botanic gardens or similar situations from which AMF have been identified is given. The possible value of AMF is discussed in relation to the ‘ecosystems’ that develop in mature botanic garden greenhouses. Ways of using AMF to improve the establishment or growth of plants are discussed, including a suggestion that adequate controls must always be used, particularly when using previously untested commercially available products
The History and Cultivation of Etlingera – The Torch Gingers – at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Get PDFThe ginger family, Zingiberaceae, is a pan-tropical family comprising 51 genera and c. 1,200 species predominantly found in Asia and the Pacific regions. The collection at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) has been actively researched since the 1950s (Newman, 2000) and taxonomists from a variety of institutions around the world have discovered, described, verified, named and renamed many taxa within this diverse group of plants. One genus, Etlingera has been extensively worked on recently, with over 30 new species identified from Sulawesi alone and probably between 150 and 200 species altogether within the genus (Poulsen, 2012). A list of the 25 species of Etlingera cultivated at RBGE is provided. Most of these were collected from the wild as seed. Scientific and horticultural field trips to collect members of the ginger family have provided an extensive and ever-expanding unique living research resource and over the last ten years the collection has doubled in size. This paper describes the cultivation of Etlingera at RBGE and discusses some of the features and challenges associated with the genus at RBGE
Native Plant Project at the University of Dundee Botanic Garden
Get PDFThis paper summarises the work undertaken at the University of Dundee Botanic Garden with regard to their native plants area and Target 8 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation since 2009. Propagation, micropropagation and growing techniques for ten native plant species are summarised and the successes and failures of these are discussed. The work demonstrates what can be achieved with even just a small amount of financial support
The Importance of Polyploidy in Meconopsis with Particular Reference to the Big Perennial Blue Poppies
Get PDFA comparison is made between evolution of the genus Meconopsis through natural selection, which takes a long time, and rapid evolution through polyploidy. The possible formation of the tetraploid Meconopsis grandis from the diploid M. baileyiis considered in detail. The possibility of an extended diploid to hexaploid chromosome series in the ‘Big Blue Poppies’ is discussed. Each component of the series is described. The formation of Meconopsis \u27Linghol\u27 as an example of a probable new hexaploid species with its evolution through somatic chromosome doubling is considered in detail. The possibiliity of pentaploids, a new ploidy level or cytotype in the proposed series, is discussed with putative examples. A glossary of terms used is provided
Living Collection of Flora Graeca Sibthorpiana: From the Folios of the Monumental Edition to the Beds of a Botanic Garden in Greece
Get PDFThe results of a survey of vascular plants illustrated in the 19th-century publication Flora Graeca Sibthorpiana (FGS) and grown in Diomedes Botanic Garden (DBG) in Athens metropolitan area in Greece reveal a total number of 274 taxa belonging to 67 families, using the Raunkiaer system of categorising plants by life form (Raunkiaer, 1934). Therophytes dominate with 36 per cent, while hemicryptophytes, chamephytes and geophytes follow with 16 per cent, 14 per cent and 14 per cent respectively. In terms of life cycle, 60 per cent are perennials, 36 per cent annuals and 4 per cent other growth forms adapted to environmental disturbance. Although anthropogenic pressures and environmental stresses have caused loss of habitat and resulted in profound landscape transformation in the eastern Mediterranean, DBG contributes to the maintenance of approximately one-third of the plants collected in territories of the Levant in 1787. This living collection constitutes an important testimony to the scientific value, heritage and plant diversity described in FGS. Statistics are provided comparing the plants collected and illustrated for FGS and those now growing in DBG