Join us this exciting Torrey Talk
From the Torrey Botanical Society
Upcoming Torrey Lecture:
Topic: Torrey Talk - The living orchid collection of the Missouri Botanical Garden in Africa & Madagascar
Presenter: Simon Verlynde, PhD student at NYBG
Time: Oct 6, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
In order to obtain high quality orchid specimens, a shadehouse cultivation system was established in 1997 in São Tomé and Príncipe, which has expanded by MBG into a network across continental Africa and Madagascar, in collaboration with African and international partners. Nine shadehouses are currently active in five African countries, Cameroon, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar & São Tomé and Príncipe. More than 32,000 living, field-collected orchids have been grown within the network, representing 71 genera and more than 500 species (~20% of the orchid flora of tropical continental Africa and Madagascar). More than 23,764 herbarium specimens have been prepared from this collection of living plants, most associated with silica gel-preserved material and photographs. This material has been used for taxonomic revisions, describing 41 new taxa, assessing the IUCN Red List conservation status of 225 species in West and Central Africa, and Madagascar, while also contributing to the publication of 44 papers in taxonomy, biogeography, molecular phylogeny, floristics and science communication. The shadehouses also contribute to ex situ conservation of orchids via newly established seed banks in Cameroon and Madagascar, with over 4,700 mature fruits from 169 African orchid species produced to date. MBG’s network of shadehouses also provides valuable educational opportunities to students from Africa and throughout the world and has proven to be a useful tool for training local botanists and improving local capacity, while helping to raise awareness about conservation.
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