|
i have just returned from a weekend trip to washington dc, where i had
the opportunity to attend the national capital area chapter of the
american gloxinia and gesneriad society meeting at the smithsonian
research greenhouses. the greenhouses are not open to the public but
contain large collections of families that some of the smithsonian
people are working on, mostly gesneriaceae, zingiberaceae,
commelinaceae, heliconiaceae and a few other families
among the aroids i remember seeing, there were a few species of
Anthurium, Amorphophallus, Gonatopus and Alocasia but the more
spectacular plants were the gingers and commelinaceae, many genera i
had never even heard of among the ones in bloom: Costus
curvibracteatus, Cucurmorpha longiflora (Zing.), Cochliostema veluti
na
and odoratissimum, Floscopa manni, Pollia secundiflora, Dichorisandra
thyrsiflora (Comm) other beauties: Dalechampia (Euphorbiaceae),
Brighamia insignis (Campanulaceae) - a rare succulent from hawaii,
Calathea warscewiczii (Marantaceae), several Geogenanthus, and a
beautiful fan-shaped plant, Stegolepis (Rapetaceae), which
unfortunately was not in bloom
after visiting the greenhouse, i also had the opportunity to attend
the dc orchid show and the national zoo, with a wonderful amazonia
exhibit full of big fish it was definitely a great weekend
(sorry i missed you, mike, maybe next time i'm in town? say hi to
leslie)
tsuh yang chen, in new york city (trying very much to keep a
newly-purchased Anth clarinervium happy)
|
IAS on Facebook
IAS on Instagram
