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ISSUE 42 | AUTUMN 2010
Official Gateway openingHer Majesty The Queen opens the John Hope Gateway
A world of begoniasRBGE’s global Begonia research
An enlightened VictorianJames Duncan’s Benmore legacy
2 | T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0
This August saw the first ever award of
the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh medal
which has been introduced to recognise an
individual who has made an outstanding
contribution in a field of endeavour related
to the work of the Garden. There is no
requirement that the medal be awarded
every year or that the recipient should
necessarily have served on the staff of
the Garden. The only criterion is the
distinction achieved by the recipient.
The idea was conceived some years ago
and recently the medal, which has a bust
of Robert Sibbald on one face and the
Sibbaldia plant on the other, was struck
in silver. Sibbald was one of the Garden’s
founders and the small snow-bed herb that
commemorates him, and that we use as
our logo, was named by the great Swedish
botanist Linnaeus. Many of the great
names in botany and horticulture have
been associated with RBGE in its long and
distinguished history. We chose to award
the medal for the first time this year to
honour a truly outstanding horticulturist on
the occasion of his one hundredth birthday.
Dr Edward Edmund Kemp first came to
RBGE in 1932 as a student gardener
and soon after joined the Propagation
Department. After serving in the Royal
Artillery and Intelligence Corps during the
Second World War, Eddie was appointed
Curator of RBGE in 1950 and over the
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a Charity registered in Scotland (number SC007983) and is supported by the Scottish Government Rural and Environmental Research and Analysis Directorate.
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LRTel: 0131 552 7171Fax: 0131 248 2901Web: www.rbge.org.uk
Enquiries regarding circulation of the Botanics should be addressed to Hamish Adamson.
Opinions expressed within the Botanics are those of the contributors and do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
ForewordIn this issue�...4 �Brilliant BegoniaA look at the genus at the centre of much research at RBGE
7 �Beyond the Golden GatesExploring the legacy of James Duncan, Laird of Benmore 1870-1889
8 �Her Majesty The Queen opens the GatewayA Royal opening for RBGE’s iconic building
10 �Changes in the GlasshousesThe Indoor team report on the latest developments
11 �Ask the expertsStaff share their expertise
11 �GreenfingersA look at Heron Wood at Dawyck
12 �Autumn exhibitions and eventsAutumn events
Discover a hidden kingdom
13 Of nature and poetry
14 �MembershipFriends’ Annual Plant Sale breaks all records
An interview with one of RBGE’s Patrons
Members' autumn highlights
Celebrate life with the Hope Tree
16 �Kids’ ZoneWhat a lot of rotters!
18 �Postcard from IndonesiaRBGE staff report back from work in the field
19 �Hands-on learningDevelopments in RBGE’s Certificate in Practical Horticulture
In4BAt
d
2
Cover: Acer pseudoplatanus by Lynsey Wilson.
Editor
Hamish Adamson Email: [email protected]
Production Editor Alice Jacobs
Email: [email protected]
Designer Caroline Muir
Email: [email protected]
All information correct at time of going to press.
Printed by Potts, Northumberland, using vegetable-based inks and eco-friendly varnish under the control of an ISO:90001: 2000 Management System and FSC Chain of Custody Certification.
next 21 years took that post, which is
now called Director of Horticulture, to new
levels of distinction. His legacy is very
much with us today in the form of many
trees planted under his Curatorship, the
front range of public glasshouses completed
in the 1960s and Dundee Botanic Garden.
Eddie was a passionate and outstanding
lecturer, so perhaps his greatest legacy
is the people he inspired, many of whom
went on to achieve distinction in their
own careers. Les Bissett, Bill Cairns,
Brian Clouston and Jim McKay, who were
all taught by Eddie, were present for
the award. They were joined by Deputy
Lord Provost Rob Munn, who made a
presentation on behalf of the City of
Edinburgh, Councillor Steve Cardownie,
who had spoken at Eddie's 80th birthday
celebration, Eddie’s son, Professor
Alan Kemp, and colleagues from the
Garden. It was a pleasure to meet Eddie,
to see that his enthusiasm for plants is
undiminished and to hear some remarkable
stories from his long career. He spoke
with affection of Joseph Rock and Ludwig
Diels, whom he met in the late 1930s
when working at Berlin Botanic Garden
where Diels was the director. He recalled
how Joseph Rock, one of the great names
of Chinese botany and ethnography,
gave him young plants of the rare maple
Acer pentaphyllum to take to Edinburgh
when he returned home before the
outbreak of the war. This tree, which
seems always to have been very rare,
has been rediscovered and conserved
through the efforts of Quarryhill Botanic
Garden in California and their Chinese
counterparts. His inspiring life makes
one appreciate and value the privilege it
is to work at, and be a part of the life of,
one of the world’s great botanic gardens.
Stephen Blackmore FRSE, Regius Keeper
Contents
Above: Professor Blackmore presents the
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh medal to Dr Kemp.
T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0 | 3
Award-winning art on display at GatewayThroughout July a remarkable series
of watercolours of Chilean plants
were on display at the John Hope
Gateway at the Edinburgh Garden.
The paintings, by Turkish artists
Gülnur Ekşi, Işik Güner and Hülya
Korkmaz, are part of a wider project
to illustrate 70 Chilean plant species
for publication in a book planned for
2013 and were awarded Silver and
Gold Medals at the RHS Botanical
Art Show 2010.
It is possible to sponsor the
production of the paintings or any
other aspects of the project.
For more information contact the Project Co-ordinator, Martin Gardner, at [email protected] or on 0131 248 2963. For more information about the project visit: www.rbge.org.uk/science/genetics-and-conservation/international-conifer-conservation-programme/chile/the-book
Top marks at LoganThe Education and Ranger teams were
pleased to expand their outreach,
following in the footsteps of the well-
established Schools Week at Benmore,
to include a programme at Logan.
The Garden welcomed more than
300 youngsters for a week in
May. Logan Curator Richard Baines
commented: “It was the first time an
Education Week has been held at the
Garden and it was a huge success.
As 2010 is the International Year of
Biodiversity it is extremely important
to get young people thinking about
nature and the role they have to play
in conserving our environment.”
In this first year the topic for the
older children was ‘plant survival’,
introducing techniques such as building
shelters and lighting fires, while the
younger children enjoyed a ‘journey
though the senses’, taking them round
the Garden in search of colours, smells,
sounds and textures. The week was
run as a free pilot to gauge interest
for future development.
RBGE’s Director of Science, Professor
Mary Gibby, received her OBE from
the Queen at Holyrood in July.
Professor Gibby, President of the
British Pteridological Society,
is considered to be one of the leading
British cryptogamic botanists of
her generation and has championed
research and conservation of non-
flowering plants (ferns, mosses and
liverworts, lichens and fungi) during a
career spanning over 30 years.
Since her appointment in 2000
at RBGE, Professor Gibby has
worked tirelessly to develop new
partnerships, notably with the University
of Edinburgh and Scottish Natural
Heritage, and, as a result, critically
threatened native Scottish plants are
now being actively conserved and
restored to the wild. Passionate about
engaging with younger people and
T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0 | 3
News
the challenges facing biodiversity,
she helped establish the annual Scottish
Biodiversity Conference, now an
annual event at RBGE.
Medal awarded to former CuratorDr Edward Kemp, a former
Curator at the Royal Botanic
Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) and
Scotland’s senior horticulturist,
was presented with a new medal
in recognition of his contribution
to the work of the Botanics,
just days after celebrating his
100th birthday. Dr Kemp said:
"It has been such a privilege to
be associated with the Garden.
Horticulture has been my whole
life and I have been fortunate to
work with many famous people."
New role for RBGE Tropical BotanistJames Richardson, Head of Tropical
Biogeography and Evolution at RBGE,
has been given the position of Adjunct
Professor at the University of the
Andes in Bogotá, Colombia where he
will be based in the Systematic Botany
Laboratory. The role will enable him
to continue to develop projects on the
historical biogeography of RBGE focus
groups in Colombia. He is also hoping
to initiate inventory studies in the
Pacific Coast Department of Chocó to
help fill a major gap in our knowledge
of the biogeography of Northwestern
South America.
Professor Mary Gibby OBE
4 | T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0
In flowerbeds, window boxes and
hanging baskets around the country,
hybrid begonias provide a riot of
summer colour. And in greenhouses
and on windowsills, yet more varieties
are grown for the interesting shape or
colour of their leaves.
The success and popularity of begonias
as cultivated plants are largely due to the
fact that members of this plant family
hybridise readily – different species in the
genus have been crossed to produce the
profusion of attractive cultivars suited to
a range of growing conditions. They are
also easy to propagate vegetatively.
But look closely, and they are
far from ordinary. Their succulent
appearance and asymmetric leaves set
them apart from the other occupants of
flowerbeds and containers. Behind the
familiar cultivated plants is a genus of
great scientific interest.
The very reason for their popularity
in our homes and gardens – the fact
that different species within the genus
Begonia hybridise readily, allowing for
the creation of the myriad hybrids and
cultivars – also makes it an interesting
candidate for genetic studies.
Showcase of evolutionThough they are often grown outdoors
as annuals here in temperate climes,
most wild Begonia species are tropical,
perennial herbs. They are found in
tropical regions around the world –
in Africa, where it is thought they
originated, as well as in Asia and Latin
America. There are an estimated
1,600 species and counting; new ones
are continually being documented,
especially in Asia.
“Begonia is a good model genus
for studying so many things,” says
RBGE Tropical Botanist Mark Hughes.
“There are so many species, and the
genus is widespread throughout the
tropics, so one could use it to examine
biogeography, character evolution,
speciation, population genetics … and
to try and answer many evolutionary
questions. In fact, Begonia is a showcase
of evolution throughout the tropics.”
At the Royal Botanic Garden
Edinburgh, an active and varied research
The showy, often oversized blooms of begonias have made them
hugely popular, to such an extent that they are often seen by more
discerning gardeners as something of a cliché. Yet behind the cliché
is a fascinating, often puzzling plant family with genetic secrets
RBGE scientists are working to reveal, as Ida Maspero reports.
Main: Begonia padangensis, endemic to the
Padang region in West Sumatra.
4 | T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0
T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0 | 5
programme has been investigating
Begonia using both traditional and
modern methods. “Begonia work at the
Garden brings together all the different
strands of botany,” explains Mark, “from
traditional observation using herbarium
sheets, microscopes and field notes, plus
the archives and herbarium collections,
to DNA sequencing and state-of-
the-art genomics. It combines the
two ends of the spectrum: traditional
observation-based botany and cutting-
edge science. And it draws on the living
collections in the research Glasshouses,
the dried collections in the Herbarium
and the technology in the laboratory.”
The availability of funding is often a
stimulus for research, and at RBGE, the
M. L. MacIntyre Trust provides grants
for Begonia research. “It is a happy
coincidence for the Garden that the
Trust funds work on this fascinating
plant group, because it makes a good
model genus for looking at tropical
evolution, an area of study in which the
Garden is very active,” continues Mark.
What interests botanists like
Mark is the rapid rate at which
new Begonia species have evolved
relatively recently, in South-East Asia
in particular. “Here we see a massive
burst of recent speciation,” he says.
This has led to a dazzling number of
related but distinct Begonia species,
many of them as yet unknown to
science. “We have probably described
about 20-odd new ones in the last few
years alone. There are still plenty to
be discovered. On islands like Sulawesi
and Sumatra the bulk of the species is
still to be named.”
This is partly due to the fact that the
plant life of these Indonesian islands
is, in general, poorly documented, but
it is also due to the peculiar biology of
Begonia. “The genus generates narrow
endemics very easily,” explains Mark,
“meaning that a species may be found
only in very small areas, perhaps on just
one limestone cliff.” The reasons for
these patterns of rapid speciation and
narrow endemism in Begonia are the
subject of much ongoing research.
The first part of the answer lies in
the geology of these places, where
features like islands, mountains, cliffs
and gorges separate clusters of plants,
isolating them genetically. But exactly
why this leads to entirely new species
arising relatively rapidly might be
down to the peculiar molecular biology
of Begonia. As Mark points out:
“It asks the question: how do species
come about and what constitutes a
new species?”
Top: Boiling hot springs combine with a cold
mountain stream near Ketambe in Aceh and
provide a steamy and humid environment ideal
for many understory plants.
Right: Mark Hughes collecting the recently
discovered Begonia laruei in Aceh, Sumatra.
Retracing the steps of a Scot in SumatraMark Hughes is currently on expedition
in South Sumatra, where he is retracing
the steps of Aberdeen-born botanist
William Jack in a bid to find and identify
Begonia species known only from
Jack’s notes.
Jack collected plants on the Indonesian
island with the legendary Sir Stamford
Raffles in the 1820s, but most of his
specimens were lost in a fire aboard
the ship Fame as it was about to return
to Europe. His manuscripts, however,
survived. “Most of the species of
Begonia Jack collected had never been
collected before,” explains Mark.
“He had written down detailed plant
descriptions, so we have his names
and fairly good descriptions, but no
specimens to match them to. We really
need to collect living examples to know
what species he was talking about.”
So Mark is following Jack’s precise
route through southern Sumatra and
climbing the same mountains in the
hope of finding the spots where he
collected begonias and doing the same.
By matching the plants on the ground
with Jack’s descriptions, he hopes to
reveal the identity of these ten or so
long-lost species.
There is a catch, though. One of the
mountains on which Jack collected,
Gunong Bunko, or ‘sugarloaf mountain’,
was said to be haunted, and indeed
within a year of the expedition every
participant was dead. This is one of
the mountains Mark is climbing in
search of Jack’s begonias. Let’s hope
he is not superstitious!
T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0 | 5
6 | T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0
Puzzling leavesAn assortment of potted begonias adorn
the windowsill of Catherine Kidner, RBGE
Lecturer in Plant Evolution. There’s an
upright, pink-flowered one of the sort
sold by florists and given to her by a
friend, and a couple of trailing plants,
their reddish foliage tumbling over the
edge. She picks up a small pot with an
unusual frilly leaf. On closer inspection,
this effect is created by little outgrowths
on the bottom of the leaf that, bizarrely,
look like the upper surface.
Catherine is not a Begonia enthusiast
but a molecular scientist, and the little
plant on her windowsill is a perfect
example of what she is investigating
– the weird and wonderful variety of
leaf forms found in Begonia. Unlike all
other plant groups, they routinely have
asymmetric leaves. The reasons for this
are thought to relate to the plants being
able to form an efficient leaf mosaic in the
damp, shady places they typically inhabit.
But their asymmetry is not the most
fascinating aspect of Begonia leaves;
rather, it is the mind-boggling range of
shapes – from nearly round and smooth-
edged to jagged, serrated and split – and
the apparent randomness with which
leaf shapes arise. It is not uncommon for
two very closely related species to have
completely different leaf shapes.
Catherine is investigating this
phenomenon on a genetic level by
pinpointing the genes responsible for
leaf shape in Begonia. Her subjects are
species from the section Gireoudia
from Central America, which display
an array of bizarre leaf forms.
“We are looking at the two particular
genes known to be involved in the
leaf form of plants – isolating them
in various species to see what the
differences are,” explains Catherine.
“Surprisingly, we have found no links
between these two key genes and
differences in leaf form between Begonia
species. The picture for leaf form at
genetic level seems to be different for
Begonia than we see in other plants.
There are other genes at work here.”
To find out what they are, Catherine’s
laboratory, comprising a rotating crew
of MSc and PhD students as well as
Left: Begonia glabra, a widespread epiphytic Begonia
in Central America which grows on trees and rocks.
Below: Scanning electron micrograph of the stigma
of Begonia heracleifolia. The structure is densely
papillose, allowing pollen from other begonias to
attach and germinate, before pollinating the ovules.
Photo: Alex Twyford and Frieda Christie.
post-doctoral researchers, is compiling
a genetic map for Begonia. This will
be the first proper genetic map for a
rainforest herb, so, besides hopefully
helping to solve the riddle of which
genes govern leaf shape Begonia, the
work of this lab is developing processes
and tools with which the genetics of
other tropical plants may be examined.
According to Catherine, the lab
still has a way to go before it has any
definitive answers – at a genetic level –
to the riddle of Begonia's weird leaf
shapes. But she suspects that Begonia
has an unstable genome, which would
also be a factor in the rapid formation
of new species. “There seems to
be a lot going on at chromosomal
level, especially in Gireoudia, and
we see all kinds of mutations.” This
dynamic genome, reckons Catherine,
would drive speciation much quicker,
especially in combination with other
known factors, such as the physical
isolation of groups of plants.
The work of the lab promises to shed
light on the genetic secrets of Begonia,
but the tools, like the genetic map,
being developed in the course of this
investigation may be applied to other
genera. “It opens the door to taking a
molecular genetic approach to looking
at plant diversity,” says Catherine.
T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0 | 7
At the Glen Massan entrance to the
Benmore Estate and Benmore House are
the Golden Gates, a fine pair of wrought-
iron gates painted in gold, made in Berlin
with the initials ‘JD’, exhibited at the Paris
Universal Exhibition of 1878 and brought
back to Benmore to impress JD’s visitors.
JD was James Duncan (1834–1905),
Laird of Benmore, a fine example of the
late Victorian nouveau riche. As a sugar
refiner in Greenock, Duncan devised and
introduced major technical innovations,
extracting from the raw sugar mass a
much larger proportion of the better
grades of sugar.
From 1869 he pioneered sugar beet
production in Britain, visiting France,
Belgium and Germany (and developing
links with the art world of Western
Europe) before opening factories in
Suffolk and London. Duncan travelled
the country discussing soil depth and
acidity, summer sunshine and the use of
residues as cattle feed. The result was
an understanding of plants and planting
way beyond that of most estate owners
of the period.
Duncan was an energetic and
innovative estate developer. He built
his own experimental refinery for his
development work. He used steam
ploughs and drained the land. Peat from
the hill was dried and sold in Glasgow.
Prize cattle and sheep were bred and a
salmon farm set up. He dabbled in silver
and lead mining. He was a good employer
and a philanthropist – the famous
preacher C. H. Spurgeon preached to
2,000 seated on the grass at Benmore!
Over ten years 6.5 million trees
were planted, mainly larch, ‘Scotch fir’
and spruce. Huge greenhouses were
built, one 100 metres long. A wide
variety of plants was grown, including
the “finest collection of camellias in
Scotland”. Duncan built a huge gallery
for his private painting and sculpture
collection, which he intended to leave
to the nation. Remarkably the collection
housed works by Delacroix, Courbet and
Renoir, among others. To quote Andrew
Watson, author of James Duncan:
An Enlightened Victorian,
“Duncan as a
collector was a free spirit, neither
blindly following fashion nor buying
for investment”.
Unfortunately, in the 1880s Duncan
was humbled by the combination of a
national financial crisis and the effects
of the French and German governments’
heavy subsidies of their beet sugar
industries. The art collection had to
be sold and in 1889 Benmore was
purchased by H. J. Younger, of Grange
Loan, Edinburgh, for £110,237.
What evidence can we see today of
the intervention of Benmore’s ‘sugar
baron’ Laird? Some of the finest trees at
Benmore were planted by Duncan, have
thrived and even survived the great gale
of 1968. The Fernery was reopened
in September 2009, with the plants
arranged scientifically and by habitat on
three levels. The clock in the Courtyard
reminds us that this was Duncan’s home,
as do his initials on Benmore House,
whilst the Golden Gates (in the process
of conservation) remind us of this
remarkable man’s accomplishments.
Please note the Golden Gates are
currently undergoing restoration
and are not on display.
The book can be bought via the Botanics shop or at www.rbge.org.uk/buyonline
or see reader offer on back page.
Following the recent publication of RBGE’s biography of James Duncan, Laird of the Benmore Estate 1870–1889, Walter Stephen introduces the man, his achievements and his lasting influence on the Benmore landscape.
either
b i
of9,
Top: Archibald Macfarlane Shannan, oval bronze bas
relief of Duncan taken from the granite obelisk
memorial to him at Holy Loch, Kilmun,
Argyllshire. Photo: Peter Clarke.
Main: Benmore House
with Duncan’s Picture
Gallery to the right,
c.1889–1890.
Image courtesy
of David
Younger.
8 | T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0
Tony Miller (RBGE Director of the Centre for Middle Eastern Plants), recently returned from fieldwork in Iraq, discusses the Gateway display on Plant Collecting with Her Majesty. The Duke of Edinburgh and Professor Blackmore look on.
Dr Heather McHaffie (RBGE) explains the form of Fern Gametophytes to Her Majesty during the Family Fern Workshop in the Gateway’s Real Life Science Studio.
Arriving at the West Gate the Lord Provost, George Grubb, presents Professor Stephen Blackmore (RBGE Regius Keeper) and Dr Ian Sword (Deputy Chairman of RBGE Trustees). Fergus Ewing MSP, Minister for Community Safety (centre) was also present.
On the afternoon of Monday 12 July, Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, visited the
Garden. In addition to formally opening the John Hope Gateway, the Royal party toured the adjacent, newly planted and interpreted
Biodiversity Garden and then proceeded to look around the Queen Mother’s Memorial Garden, last visited by Her Majesty at its
opening in July 2006. At each location several members of RBGE staff and volunteers were presented to our Royal visitors.
T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0 | 9
After unveiling the commemorative glass panel, Her Majesty also rang the historic Garden Bell, cast in 1607, and originally commissioned for Holyrood.
Dr McHaffie (third from right) demonstrates the extensive facilities on offer and Her Majesty viewed microscope images of spores projected onto display screens. Accompanied by Professor Blackmore, she took time to watch as family groups compared models with real specimens at the Fern Workshop and undertook experiments, using the interactive learning facilities in the Real Life Science Studio.
Her Majesty plants a commemorative tree, under the watchful eye of RBGE Garden Supervisor Peter Brownless, who collected this Sorbus commixta (Japanese rowan) in the wild in 2005.
John Hope Gateway Architect Roddy Langmuir (of Edward Cullinan Architects, London) enthuses to Her Majesty about the innovative features of the building.
David Mitchell (RBGE Curator), co-designer of the Biodiversity Garden, is presented to Her Majesty, as (left to right) David Knott (Deputy Director of Horticulture), Dr Sword and Professor Blackmore look on.
Accompanied by Simon Crutchley (RBGE Garden Supervisor), Her Majesty tours the Queen Mother’s Memorial Garden, as His Royal Highness greets youngsters from the RBGE summer vacation education group, the Garden Gnome Club.
Her Majesty meets RBGE Horticulture volunteers, (left to right) Rosemary Carthy, Elizabeth Ferro, Ann Hughes and Harry Dunn.
1 0 | T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0
When the Orchid and Cycad House was
originally planted back in 1968, all the
cycads were grouped together to show
the diversity of species regardless of their
environmental requirements. Many had
been planted too close together and too
near the path so we decided to remove
some to give the remaining species
more space and light to grow.
A detailed plan of the Glasshouse
was made, plotting all the cycads,
large trees, shrubs and herbs. We then
referenced our database to check
whether we have duplicate species,
which specimens are wild collected,
whether they are rare and endangered,
their natural habitat and whether they
are of historical importance. Armed
with this information, we were able
to justify which plants should be kept
and which could be removed.
preserve the active roots; it was then
wrapped in arboricultural strops to
protect the trunk and balance the weight.
The leaves were removed to reduce
the stress of replanting and to protect
the staff involved. The hoist worked
remarkably well and we were able to
wheel the cycad to its new location.
A planting pit had been prepared with
a free-draining arid mix and the cycad
was safely lowered into its new home.
As cycads are incredibly slow growing
it’s doubtful that a new flush of leaves
will appear before next year; however,
we know it is alive and well as the trunk
remains firm and it is producing a pup
at the base. We have benefitted from
a relatively warm and sunny summer,
and with careful watering over the
winter we are confident it will now
thrive in its new location for many years
to come. In fact, as some cycads can
live for over two hundred years it may
well outlive the Glasshouses!
One plant in particular stood out as
being a prime candidate for removal –
a large duplicate of Encephalartos
natalensis that had been planted in a
very narrow bed so the spiny leaves had
to be regularly pruned back to protect
visitors and staff. However, as it was
one of the original 1968 plants, we
were faced with the problem of how
to move this majestic, obviously very
old specimen with a trunk measuring
approximately 1.5 metres and weighing
around half a tonne. We had already
identified where we wanted to move
it to; as Encephalartos natalensis is
endemic to South Africa, it is suited to
the environment within our Arid House.
We decided to transport the
specimen using a mobile hoist to do the
donkey work. At the beginning of May
we carefully dug around the cycad to
If you are a regular visitor to the Edinburgh Glasshouses you will have noticed
that over the past three months we have begun to replant areas within our
Orchid and Cycad House. Louise Galloway, Indoor Supervisor, details progress.
Above: The stand of cycads in place before some
were removed.
Below: Staff lower the cycad into its new position
using a hoist and protecting the trunk with
arboricultural strops.
T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0 | 1 1
Graham Stewart, Curator at Dawyck,
introduces an area of the Garden
which offers something different.
Following the winding path beyond
the more intensely cultivated areas of
the Dawyck Garden, there lies an area
left to its own devices which, since its
establishment in 1993, has become a
haven for lower plants (fungi, mosses,
lichen, liverworts and algae). Within
8.6 acres, an area known as the Heron
Wood, in amongst Scots pine, beech
and colonising native silver birch, the
Garden staff help nature by not being
too tidy, something we sometimes find
difficult! If a branch falls it is left where
it lies – nature has a remarkable way of
dealing with the cleanup process.
The forest floor is covered in moss
broken by groups of ferns and the
trees are clothed in lichen. Amongst
the decaying branches and leaf litter
a remarkable life process goes on,
briefly punctuated in the autumn by
masses of unusual fruiting bodies.
Although unassuming, they are vitally
important for conservation and the
future sustainability of our planet.
It is a wonderful natural system.
The fungi assist with the decay of
debris and leaf litter and also help
existing trees to grow by finding
nutrients and moisture. The mosses
and liverworts assist in the retention
of that moisture, reducing evaporation
from the forest floor. To find out
more look for the interpretation
panels placed around the sanctuary.
You can help nature in your own
garden by not being too pernickety!
Leave a corner of the garden as a
conservation area with leaf litter
or branches. A compost heap will
help too, and will give you a valuable
resource of nutrient-rich organic
matter with which to condition
your plants.
Want to know how the ��Garden grows? A panel of RBGE staff will be on hand each issue to answer your horticultural queries. Please write to [email protected] or to Publications, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR.Please note that we are not able to answer every question we receive, but we will answer and publish a selection in each issue.
The plant you have asked us
to identify is called Euonymus
japonicus. It is suffering from a strain
of powdery mildew fungus, most likely
to be Microsphaera euonymi-japonici
(Vienn.-Bourg.) U. Braun & S. Takam.
This fungus produces powdery blotches
of white or grey predominantly on
upper leaf surfaces, although lower
leaves, stems, flowers, buds and fruit
can all be affected. The powdery effect
is caused by thousands of spores being
produced by the fungal strands on the
surface of the affected tissue. You do
not mention in your query how badly
affected your hedge is; luckily, powdery
mildew is rarely fatal although it does
cause stress, and severe or successive
infections will weaken the plant overall.
Powdery mildew has been extremely
prolific this summer, probably due to the
early lack of rain and subsequent lack
of moisture in the soil, combined with
high humidity – perfect conditions for
powdery mildew to spread.
The easiest method of control
would be to trim your hedge regularly,
as powdery mildew favours young
and tender growth. If single stems
are affected, prune out as soon as
symptoms appear and burn or discard
safely to avoid spreading the disease.
You could improve the air circulation by
thinning out surrounding plants. Supply
the roots with plenty of water, but only
water around the base, not overhead,
as this can spread the spores. Prevent
water loss by mulching the area.
Avoid feeding your plant a high
nitrogen plant feed as this will
encourage soft succulent growth
which is more prone to infection.
Finally, don’t leave infected material to
overwinter as the fungus can rest ready
to re-infect in the springtime. If the
disease has spread too far to control
by pruning you may have to resort to a
fungicide. There are many fungicides
available from garden centres and on
the internet. Use a UK site and ensure
that the fungicide is safe to use on your
infected plant. Look for ingredients
such as neem oil, sulphur and copper.
You can also use baking soda (potassium
bicarbonate) which I hear is effective;
check online fo more details.
Louise GallowayIndoor Supervisor
1 1
1 2 | T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0
Don’t miss the outdoor screening of
Mia and the Magoo – part of the
Take One Action Film Festival.
Peek behind the scenes at our RBGE
Herbarium and Library Doors Open
Day, and view a huge variety of
apple species on display at the Royal
Caledonian Horticultural Society
‘Apple Days’.
The exhibition opening coincided with
the 9th International Mycological
Congress at the Edinburgh International
Conference Centre, 1–6 August, and
saw visitors from around the world led
on a journey of discovery around the
often hidden kingdom of fungi.
From Another Kingdom, which
runs until 21 November, explains and
celebrates the symbiosis between
people, fungi and all life, and offers
opportunities to meet the scientists
involved in mycological research
and learn more about how fungi play
an integral role in all our lives.
Visitors to the exhibition can take
part in a host of fungi-related events
including making fungi prints with the
kids at the Gateway, attending a drop-
in event by a mycologist in the Real
Life Studio or joining fungi experts
for a fungal forage around Dawyck
Botanic Garden.
For more information about any of
the events taking place as part of From
Another Kingdom: the Amazing World
of Fungi visit www.rbge.org.uk/whats-
on/from-another-kingdom or see the
latest copy of the RBGE What’s On
guide for details.
July also saw the publication of
the book From Another Kingdom:
the Amazing World of Fungi,
which explores the biology, uses,
environmental and cultural aspects
of fungi over ten chapters, written
by some of the world’s leading
mycologists. The book is beautifully
illustrated with stunning photographs
throughout and includes recipes and
a useful glossary. Published by RBGE,
priced £20 + postage and packing.
For more information visit www.
rbge.org.uk/about-us/publications/
publications-catalogue/botanical-
publications/mycological-publications
The book can be bought via the Botanics shop or at www.rbge.org.uk/buyonline or see reader offer on back page.
July saw the opening of RBGE’s
main summer exhibition,
From Another Kingdom: the Amazing World of Fungi, in the John Hope Gateway at
the Edinburgh Garden.
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In conjunction with the From
Another Kingdom: the Amazing
World of Fungi exhibition there will
be a special Café Scientifique session
in the Gateway Restaurant with
Andy Letcher, author of Shroom:
A Cultural History of the Magic
Mushroom. We are also delighted to
host talks by Professor Lynne Boddy
(British Mycological Society) and
Dr Andy Taylor (Macaulay Land Use
Research Institute).
Our autumn season closes with
Scottish International Storytelling
Festival events: a performance by
Bengali script painter and storyteller
Gurupada Chitrakar, a special Garden
Music & Stories evening by singer
and broadcaster Frieda Morrison
and RBGE Curator David Mitchell,
and stories from RBGE expeditions
to East Asia performed by our own
Talking Trees Storytellers.
For more details and further events see www.rbge.org.uk/whats-on
Photo: © Ray and Elma Kearney.
1 2 | T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0
Above: Mia and the Magoo.
T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0 | 1 3
In 1959 the American painter Joan
Mitchell (1925–1992) moved from
New York to Vétheuil in the suburbs of
Paris, where the Impressionist painter
Claude Monet had lived from 1878
to 1882. She had already gained
recognition as the youngest member
of the first generation of Abstract
Expressionists, enjoying the admiration
of older artists such as Franz Kline
and Willem de Kooning, but she would
spend the rest of her life here as one
of the most brilliant and distinctive
painters of the post-war period.
Visitors to Inverleith House this
autumn will be able to see the first
Above: Joan Mitchell in front of Bridge, 1957.
Photo: Rudy Burckhardt courtesy of the Joan
Mitchell Foundation and Cheim & Read, New York.
is accompanied by Marion Cajori’s
acclaimed documentary film on the
artist’s life, Portrait of an Abstract
Painter (1992). It forms part of the
2010 Edinburgh Art Festival and is
presented in association with the
Joan Mitchell Foundation, New York.
Joan Mitchell, Inverleith House, 27 July to 3 October, open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 5.30 pm. Admission free.
public exhibition of works by Joan
Mitchell to be staged in the UK.
Reflecting Mitchell’s lifelong love of
nature and of poetry, it comprises
paintings and works on paper created
throughout the artist’s career, selected
by the New York-based writer and
curator Philip Larratt-Smith, who also
contributed to our Louise Bourgeois
exhibition in 1998 (Nature Study).
In her later years, Mitchell would
always take completed paintings out
of her studio and look at them in
natural light, regarding this as a real
test of their quality. It is appropriate,
therefore, that these paintings will
be displayed in Inverleith House, not
only because of its natural light but
because of its views to the Garden and
the flowers and trees which Mitchell so
favoured as subjects. The exhibition
Below: Garden Party, 1961–1962, Joan Mitchell.
Oil on canvas. 63 ½ x 50 ¾ inches, 161.3 x 128.9
centimetres. The Ginny Williams Family Foundation,
The Collection of E. L. Payne Williams. © Estate of
Joan Mitchell. Courtesy Joan Mitchell Foundation
and Cheim & Read, New York.
1 4 | T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0
Sir David Carter, an RBGE Patron, has
held a number of high-profile and
influential posts in both the medical field
and the charity sector throughout his
distinguished career. Knighted in 1996
and decorated by HM the King of Nepal in
1999, David may be most recognised as
former Chief Medical Officer in Scotland,
Regius Professor of Clinical Surgery in
Edinburgh and Vice Chairman of Cancer
Research UK. David currently serves as
Chairman of the Board for Academic
Medicine in Scotland, of the Managed
Service Network for Neurosurgery and
of the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland.
Both Sir David and Lady Carter are
keen gardeners, although David admits his
wife is far more knowledgeable than him,
and have a particular interest in RBGE’s
work in conservation and reintroduction
of species into former habitats. Especially
fond of visiting Dawyck Botanic Garden
during spring, David enjoys the emerging
rhododendrons and trees coming into leaf.
David has supported RBGE, which
he describes as “one of Scotland’s and
Edinburgh’s most important assets”, for
ten years. When asked why he continues
to support RBGE, he explains: “It forms
an important part of our scientific and
cultural heritage while at the same time
On Sunday 16 May the famous and key
Friends’ fundraising event, the Annual
Plant Sale, returned to the RBGE Nursery
after two years off site. On what was a
beautiful day over 750 people attended
and purchased from a superb selection
of plants, shrubs and trees prepared
and donated throughout the year by a
dedicated group of around 35 Members.
As with previous years, there were
guest nurseries, a book stall and a home
baking stall which was a sell out and
contributed over £1,200 towards the
overall fantastic and record-breaking
total of £12,800 raised on the day.
All profit raised by the Annual
Plant Sale is reinvested back into
RBGE to help fund projects in science,
horticulture and education.
Volunteer potters meet on the
first Tuesday of every month from
10 am to 12 noon to prepare for
the Sale. For more information on
joining the team or if you would like
to donate a plant to the stock please
contact the Membership Office
at [email protected] or on
0131 552 5339. Please note
assistance with digging or transporting
any plant donations can be arranged.
bringing immense pleasure to large
sections of the populace.” He continues:
“One only has to walk through the busy
RBGE on a spring day to appreciate
the way in which the population of
the city love their Garden and take full
advantage of what it offers.” As well as
the beautiful Gardens, he appreciates the
extent of RBGE’s work: “I am also aware
that RBGE is well recognised for its work
internationally and adds significantly
to Scotland’s standing in the fields of
botany, horticulture and ecology.”
On recommending the Patron
Programme to others, David says,
“wholeheartedly!” He was pleasantly
surprised by the opportunities presented
by being a Patron, the highlight being
the once-in-a-lifetime Patron trip to
the Jade Dragon Field Station in Lijiang,
China in 2004. In addition to the
excellent programme of Patron events,
David is quick to mention how much he
has learned from RBGE staff he has met
through his involvement, such as RBGE’s
Regius Keeper and Professor Mary Gibby.
To become a Patron please contact Jennifer Martin on 0131 248 2826or email: [email protected]. Alternatively, visit www.rbge.org.uk/support-us/home
Below: Volunteer potters at work preparing for
the event.
Above: Sir David Carter, RBGE Patron.
T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0 | 1 5
The Hope Tree provides a unique and
lasting opportunity to commemorate
the life of a loved one or celebrate a
significant event. You can choose from
a gold, silver or bronze leaf, which will
be inscribed with a personal message
and remain on public display within the
John Hope Gateway, Edinburgh.
Whichever leaf you buy, you will be
invited to create a free entry in our
interactive online Commemorative
Book, which allows you to upload
photos, add a personal dedication
and invite friends and family, from
anywhere in the world, to add their
own unique message. In recognition of
your purchase you will also receive a
certificate recording the details of your
Autumn 2010 Members are invited
to join a number of wonderful
opportunities to appreciate the fabulous
changes the new season brings.
The autumn Garden Opening
taking place on 4 September at
The Grange, Edinburgh, gives Members
the opportunity to enjoy a lovely
Victorian walled garden with a variety
of plants and trees inspired by
decades of garden visits.
Members have two opportunities
in September to join a walk around
the Biodiversity Garden in Edinburgh
and learn how the planting has been
designed to demonstrate how plants
evolved and the diversity of plant life.
The Autumn Colour Tour in October
is a special opportunity to join a guided
tour of Dawyck Garden led by one
of the Garden staff highlighting the
glories autumn brings.
On 18 November Members have
the unique opportunity to enjoy
‘Saving the Plant, Restoring the
World’s Forests’, a lecture by a very
special guest, Tim Rollinson, Director
General of the Forestry Commission
and a Trustee of RBGE.
To view all Members’ events across the four Gardens see the What’s On guide or visit www.rbge.org.uk/whats-on For events reminders and updates please register for the monthly e-newsletter at [email protected]
leaf and acknowledging your personal
support to the work of the Garden.
For more details on how you can celebrate life with RBGE, please visit celebratelife.rbge.org.uk or call us on 0131 248 2984.
Above and below: The Hope Tree in the John Hope Gateway building.
1 5
1 6 | T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0
Events
Funny fungus
Ilustration: Ryoko Tamura.
T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0 | 1 7
What a lot of rotters!
Join the dots
True or false?
Facts
1 8 | T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0
Indonesia is a remarkable archipelago
nation, consisting of over 17,000
islands scattered over the equator
between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Sumatra is one of the largest islands
and is home to some incredible plants,
such as the titan arum (Amorphophallus
titanum), which has the largest
unbranched inflorescence of any plant,
and Rafflesia arnoldii, the world’s largest
flower – a single bloom may measure up
to one metre across. In addition it holds
populations of the Sumatran orangutan,
Sumatran rhino and Sumatran tiger.
This wealth of diversity is supported
by the range of habitats on the island,
ranging from lowland peat swamp
forest to tropical alpine vegetation.
I am currently in Sumatra on nearly
the last in a series of collecting trips
over a four-year period
during which I have tried to cover
the island from Aceh in the north to
Bengkulu in the south. I arrived in
Jakarta several days ago, as the first
part of any fieldwork in Indonesia is
taken up with a gargantuan amount of
paperwork upon arrival, which requires
a large briefcase and the patience of
Job. Working within the letter and
spirit of the Convention on Biological
Diversity and associated national laws
of Indonesia is of immense importance,
and the application for a research permit
has to be planned about 12 months in
advance. However, this process is eased
by the support of our counterparts in
the Bogor Herbarium and the regional
universities in Sumatra.
The main focus of my work in
Sumatra is to collect specimens of native
Begonia, a genus which is part of our
core research at RBGE. I am searching
for these and other plants in montane
forests, currently in the hills at the
back of the Padang. The terrain is very
varied, with huge cone-shaped volcanic
peaks next to rugged limestone hills.
This variation in altitude and geology
1 8 O N
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The montane forests in Padang are amazing – a good news conservation story for once. I’ve met with my collaborators from Bogor Herbarium and Andalas University (a great team) and we have found three new species already! Seeds and herbarium specimens will be sent back shortly.Mark Hughes, Tropical Botanist
is one of the reasons for the botanical
richness of the area. The limestone in
particular is very rich in endemic herbs
and there is still much to be discovered
about the calcareous flora. Within one
hour’s drive of the city are some of the
richest montane rainforests of Sumatra;
the proximity makes for easy collecting
and exploring without losing most of
the day through hiking. It also means
the possibility (not always realised!)
of an air-conditioned room at night,
very refreshing after a day in the field.
When we do stray further afield, our
counterparts invariably have a relative,
however distant, in just about every
village who can provide a meal and a place
to sleep. The end of the working day is
taken up with packing the drying oven
with specimens which will dry overnight,
ready for packaging and distributing to
herbaria worldwide at the end of the
trip. A number of my finds so far are
definitely species new to science, which
I will publish and assign a
conservation category
to upon return to
Edinburgh.
Top: Mark Hughes, RBGE (far right), with colleagues
from Bogor Herbarium and Andalas University.
Above: A new species of Begonia from Bukit
Sebelah, West Sumatra.
Main: The granitic cliffs of Lembah Harau,
West Sumatra.
T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0 | 1 9
The Garden has always had a high
reputation for passing on practical skills
to new generations of horticulturists,
whether here in Scotland or as part of
joint ventures abroad. Until recently,
however, much of this expertise was
delivered informally or via teaching
programmes created from scratch for
particular occasions.
When Leigh Morris took up the
post of Head of Education at RBGE
in 2004, he saw an opportunity to
benefit teachers and students alike by
organising basic horticultural teaching
in a more structured way, delivering a
recognised qualification at the end.
He examined existing short horticultural
courses being taught across the UK,
but these were largely theory-based,
with relatively little emphasis on
students ‘doing stuff’ themselves.
So Leigh decided to create a course
himself, and the Certificate in Practical
Horticulture (CPH) was the result.
After an initial period of
development, Leigh devised a formal
syllabus for the CPH in 2007 while
visiting the Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanic
Garden in Istanbul, as part of a joint
Darwin Initiative programme. The full
course was then delivered in Turkey
by RGBE staff the following year.
From 2009 onwards, local staff in
Istanbul have been running the course
for their own students, verified by RBGE.
The CPH can be taught intensively
or over a longer period. It consists
of eight full-day teaching units, each
focusing on a different aspect of basic
horticultural practice – propagation,
soils and composting, planting out,
etc followed by revision and a mainly
practical assessment.
Following its launch in Istanbul, the
CPH is now also run as a one-day-a-
month course in Edinburgh, aimed at,
among others, keen amateur gardeners;
other recipients in Edinburgh have ranged
from visiting Yemeni horticulturists to
the horticultural team at Edinburgh Zoo.
Outside Scotland, courses have been
run by RBGE staff in Oman, Lao PDR and
China, and a ‘training the trainers’ course
will take place at Queen Sirikit Botanic
Garden, Thailand, early in 2011.
Although basic horticultural principles
apply worldwide, the CPH is careful to
adapt its content to the local situation.
“Take the topic of growing media,” says
Leigh. “In Oman, we have to remember
that virtually everything has to be
imported. In Lao PDR, by contrast,
we do use local materials, but they
would be a surprise to most Scottish
gardeners, as they include rice husks,
river sand and buffalo dung!”
The CPH is now endorsed by Botanic
Gardens Conservation International, and
RBGE was delighted to receive a grant
from the Stanley Smith Horticultural
Trust to appoint a full-time co-ordinator
for the expanding programme, with
Laura Cohen taking up this position
in August 2010. The Eden Project in
Cornwall has also become a valued
partner in delivering and further
developing the course.
With its philosophy of combining
key practical skills with a formal
course structure and sensitivity to
local conditions, the future of the
CPH as an internationally recognised
qualification looks strong.
RBGE also runs a sister course to
the CPH, the Certificate in Practical
Field Botany (CPFB). To find out
more about both courses, contact
RBGE’s Education Department
on 0131 248 2937 or download
material from our website
www.rbge.org.uk/education
Richard Beatty reports on
the success of RBGE’s Certificate
in Practical Horticulture,
which is being adopted
increasingly by botanic gardens
across the world.
Top: Leigh Morris, RBGE’s Head of Education,
demonstrates plant identification skills to botanists
in Lao PDR.
Below: CPH attendees in Oman learn planting
techniques.
2 0 | T H E B O T A N I C S A U T U M N 2 0 1 0
Open Sundays only in FebruaryOpen daily 15 March to 31 October
Port Logan, Dumfries and Galloway, DG9 9NDTel: 01776 860231 • Email: [email protected]
Admission charge applies.
Open daily 1 February to 30 NovemberStobo, Scottish Borders, EH45 9JU
Tel: 01721 760254 • Email: [email protected]
Admission charge applies.
Open daily 1 March to 31 OctoberDunoon, Argyll, PA23 8QU
Tel: 01369 706261 • Email: [email protected]
Admission charge applies.
For further information about the Gardens visit
www.rbge.org.ukFor a What’s on guide, contact Alice Jacobs
Tel: 0131 248 2991 • Email: [email protected]
Open daily (except 25 December and 1 January)Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR
Tel: 0131 552 7171 • Email: [email protected]
Admission to the Garden is free; charge applies to the Glasshouses.
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Benmore Botanic Garden
Logan Botanic Garden
Dawyck Botanic Garden
SCOTLAND'S
FIRST 5 STAR GARDEN
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Photo: Peter Clarke