Harry Potter and A New Species

Category(-ies): Plant Discoveries

Macrocarpaea apparata is a newly discovered species in the gentian family named after the verb "apparate", frequently used in the Harry Potter series of books. Native to Ecuador, it is a small tree, to 5m tall with yellowish-white bell-shaped flowers.

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Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:00 AM

2000 new species added to IUCN Red List of Endangered Species

Category(-ies): Plant Conservation

The World Conservation Union has posted its annual Red List of Threatened Species. The number of known threatened species now tops 12 000.

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Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:43 AM

Looking for images of plants?

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources

Even though the number of digital photographs in the UBC Botanical Garden photo gallery is growing, the number of images is small compared to these two resources:

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Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:20 AM

Tropical fruit conservation receives a boost

Category(-ies): Other Botanical Gardens , Plant Conservation

Fairchild Tropical Garden in Florida has received a 5 million USD donation from Mr. and Mrs. William F. Whitman to endow its Tropical Fruit Garden.

Dr. Mike Maunder, Acting Director of Fairchild, had this to say:

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Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:21 AM

The Thin Green Line: Plants and the Future of Humanity

Category(-ies): Plant Conservation

Conservative estimates suggest a loss of one species of life every half-hour. Dr. Quentin Cronk, director of UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research addresses the impact of the loss of plant life on humanity in a lecture hosted by the Vancouver Institute.

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Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 10:19 PM

Phragmipedium kovachii

Category(-ies): Other Botanical Gardens , Plant Conservation , Plant Legal News and Issues

Named and described in 2002 by researchers at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, this “Holy Grail of the orchid world” is at the centre of controversy and legal issues.

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Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:57 PM | Comments (1)