Sibbaldia - the Journal of Botanic Garden Horticulture (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Journals)
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Propagation of Dry Habitat Fern Species Using Spore Collections from Historic Herbarium Specimens
Get PDFSpores sourced from historic herbarium specimens have been used to introduce wild-collected material to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) living plant collection. The ability of dry habitat ferns to maintain spore viability for prolonged periods makes it possible to grow plants from the historically important RBGE herbarium collections. The factors that affect the ability of spores to germinate from herbarium collections are described. Three fern species from the Pteridaceae – Actiniopteris semiflabellata, Anogramma leptophylla and Aleuritopteris scioana – which were not previously in cultivation at RBGE were germinated from herbarium material of different ages. Germination was observed from all three species. Plants produced in this experiment were accessed into the RBGE living plant collection for future horticultural research and germination trials
Working Towards Green Tourism Accreditation at Dawyck Botanic Garden: a Case Study
Get PDFDawyck Botanic Garden was awarded a Silver accreditation in the Green Tourism Business Scheme in December 2010. The award was the result of a sustained focus to pursue an industry award as a measure of Dawyck’s achievements in sound environmental management. The award followed the construction of a new Visitor Centre in 2008 and also built upon green initiatives already achieved by staff. This case study follows the stages of the process up to the point of the award being made
Starting a conservation collection of Sorbus pseudomeinichii: the Catacol Whitebeam
Get PDFThere are three endemic Sorbus species on the Isle of Arran in Scotland: Sorbus arranensis, S. pseudofennica and S. pseudomeinichii. The latter is the most recently discovered and is represented in the wild by a single individual. Seed propagation and vegetative propagation by chip budding were initiated for all three species at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE). This has been successful and there are now conservation collections of these species growing at RBGE
Developing a Carbon Management Plan for the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Get PDFRoyal Botanic Garden Edinburgh joined the Carbon Management-Lite Programme run by the Carbon Trust in November 2009. This paper provides details of the programme and the process of writing a Carbon Management Plan
Review and Verification of the Birch Collections at the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland
Get PDFWithout careful record-keeping and a rigorous verification process, living plant collections are of limited scientific value. Living collections need to be managed to ensure that plants are correctly identified, that full provenance information is collated and recorded, that current taxonomic or classification systems are used and, lastly, that nomenclature is accurate. To achieve this, a number of tasks need to be undertaken, including maintaining accurate records of a plant’s provenance, collecting and preparing voucher specimens in a herbarium, reviewing the scientific literature and identifying and correctly naming the individual plant. Every plant in a collection essentially has three elements to its identity: first, its provenance (how it came into the collection, and from where); second, that the individual plant is correctly associated with the correct provenance information (there may be several accessions of the same taxon in a collection); and third, that it is correctly identified and named. The first element is supported by a (preferably electronic) record system; the second is evidenced through the use of an accession number and qualifier that identify the individual plant. The third element of identity is open to reinterpretation when, for example, a specimen reaches maturity and flowers for the first time, or through taxonomic or nomenclatural changes. The entire process involves a range of disciplines and techniques, from record-keeping, archiving, mapping, literature searching, taxonomy, labelling and herbarium techniques, and provides a student with the opportunity to experience the full compass of activities undertaken at a botanic garden
A preliminary investigation into the relationship between plant health and branch labelling technique at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Get PDFAnecdotal evidence exists at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) to suggest that branches bearing plant labels are more prone to die-back than those without labels. During 2010–2011 a preliminary study was undertaken in order to assess the accuracy of this hypothesis and to investigate the possible causes and viable alternatives. The study focused on whether there were patterns of damage with respect to label material and wire, plant species or the location of plantings. The study involved a survey of the Living Collection in the four RBGE Gardens, a web-based questionnaire sent out to Botanic Gardens Conservation International member gardens and analysis of branch material and labelling wire. This report provides the information obtained when the hypothesis was investigated and makes recommendations. An extended version, along with the data gathered, is available in the Library at RBGE (Bradley, 2011)
Kumpula Botanic Garden, Helsinki, Finland
Get PDFKumpula Botanic Garden was founded in 1987 on the grounds of an old manor estate. The garden is not particularly big but it was designed and subsequently realised with ambitious scientific and educational goals. It is divided into two main parts: the geobotanical garden and the garden of cultivated plants. The plants in the geobotanical garden are grouped according to their origin and are acquired according to rigorous criteria: only wild-collected plants are accepted and the source areas have been chosen on the basis of the Bioclimatic Zone System that Finnish researchers have been developing since the 1930s. The collection is thus exceptionally valuable for research and conservation. It has already been used for statistical tests on the validity of the bioclimatic vegetation scheme on which it is based. The road from an ambitious vision to a plant collection that is of a scientifically high standard yet also aesthetically pleasing has been long and winding. Here the history and design of the garden and the build-up of the plant collection is described, concluding with a brief account of the inauguration for the general public in June 2009
A New Network of Botanic Gardens in the Baltic Sea Region
Get PDFThe establishment of a network of botanic gardens in the countries which surround the Baltic Sea is described. The development, funding and terms of reference for the group are described. A list of members and a map showing their locations is also included
