Sibbaldia procumbens: An icon redrawn

A new cover has been created for Sibbaldia the International Journal of Botanic Garden Horticulture to commemorate the 350 Anniversary of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) in 2020. The Sibbald Trust, which supports the work of the Garden, agreed to fund the commissioning of a botanical drawing of the alpine species Sibbaldia procumbens L. to be used as the cover image for volume 20 and subsequent volumes. The drawing and accompanying colour wash overlay will become part of the RBGE Florilegium - a collection of botanical drawings that form a visual record of the Living Collection and a reflection of the scientific and horticultural interests of the institute. This article describes the process of creating a painting of a small plant with minute details. Colour images of the plant and the drawings are also reproduced.

Additions to the smut fungi of the Iberian Peninsula

After examination of specimens, mainly from the herbarium (MA) and the mycological collection (MA-Fungi) of the Royal Botanic Garden of Madrid, we report several novelties on smut fungi within Europe. Two species of smut fungi, Sporisorium egyptiacum and Tilletia viennotii, are reported for the first time from Europe. A finding of Sphacelotheca polygoni-serrulati represents a second record for Europe. Six species of smut fungi, Moreaua kochiana, Schizonella elynae, Sporisorium egyptiacum, Thecaphora thlaspeos, Tilletia viennotii, and Ustanciosporium majus, are recorded for the first time from the Iberian Peninsula. Five species of smut fungi, Moreaua kochiana, Schizonella elynae, Sporisorium egyptiacum, Thecaphora thlaspeos, and Ustanciosporium majus, are newly recorded from Spain. Three species, Moreaua kochiana, Sphacelotheca polygoni-serrulati, and Tilletia viennotii, are new for Portugal. A specimen of Moreaua kochiana represents a new record for France. Arabis serpillifolia is reported as a new host of Thecaphora thlaspeos. New distribution records from the Iberian Peninsula are given for Anthracoidea arenariae, Microbotryum minuartiae, M. silenes-saxifragae, and Tranzscheliella sparti. We also include a phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences of Moreaua kochiana, generated in this study, to understand this species’ relationships within its genus.

Foreword

The Foreword is written by Simon Milne MBE FRSE, Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. He introduces this special edition of Sibbaldia that documents the proceedings of The Sibbaldia & PlantNetwork Conference 2020. The Conference was a major event in the celebration of the 350th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), with the primary aim of promoting excellence in botanic garden horticulture. That aim was most certainly achieved thanks to the impressive line-up of speakers and their expertise, combined with the enthusiasm and interaction of all participants. The Conference was held online due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, and whilst in-person contact was absent, the virtual format enabled a broader range of delegates to attend.A total of 250 delegates gathered in their virtual space from 28 to 30 October to hear from ten keynote speakers in the main sessions, seven presenters in two parallel sessions and a broad range of expert practitioners in the free session, and for the grand finale – ‘Horticulture in 2020’. The themes ranged from conservation, curation and cultivation to heritage, plant health and education. The insightful papers contained within this volume artfully weave together these themes, reflecting their connectivity. The depth of botanical, horticultural and pedagogical experience is outstanding, the content of the papers reflecting the authors’ vast experience and knowledge.

Garden Profile: The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh at 350

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) was founded in 1670 and celebrated its 350th anniversary in 2020. In Edinburgh, Scotland, the institution has occupied four different sites in that time and has been at the current site in Inverleith since 1823. Three other gardens in Scotland are also part of RBGE: Dawyck in Peebleshire, Benmore in Argyllshire and Logan in Dumfries & Galloway. 13,750 species from 2721 genera representing 344 families are cultivated in these four gardens and this article describes some of these collections. It also describes the issues facing the Garden today in common with many large and botanic gardens, those of plant health, implementing environmentally sustainable working practices, and managing collections in the face of a changing climate and growing visitor numbers. The Garden is also planning an exciting future with ambitious plans for new buildings and the refurbishment of historical structures to not only improve plant cultivation facilities, but also to increase visitor engagement and education about the value of plants for a healthy future.

Colonial botany and the shifting identity of Balanostreblus ilicifolius Kurz (Moraceae)

The protologue of Balanostreblus ilicifolius Kurz included the citation of specimens from Bangladesh and Myanmar of a plant now called Taxotrophis ilicifolia (Kurz) S.Vidal. However, the description in the protologue and the accompanying illustration were based largely on the Neotropical Sorocea guilleminiana Gaudich., which was cultivated in the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta and has similar vegetative characters. This paper seeks to resolve a century of confusion over the identity of Balanostreblus ilicifolius and reviews its history in light of historical correspondence relating to its identity and the trans-continental exchange of plants under British colonialism. The paper concludes that a previous attempt to typify Balanostreblus ilicifolius with an uncited cultivated specimen of Sorocea guilleminiana should be superseded with material from Myanmar cited in the protologue. A lectotype is designated, fixing the application of the name, which can now serve as the basionym of Taxotrophis ilicifolia.

Notes on Amydrium zippelianum (Araceae): A Mesmerizing Species From East Malesia

AbstrakAmydrium zippelianum (Araceae) dilaporkan dijumpai di Malesia mulai dari Sulawesi hingga Papua Nugini, namun kini sudah jarang dijumpai. Eksplorasi flora telah dilakukan untuk mengungkap keanekaragaman flora di Kabupaten Banggai Kepulauan, sebuah kepulauan kecil di Provinsi Sulawesi Tengah. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menemukan dan mengumpulkan spesimen A. zippelianum. Eksplorasi flora dilakukan menggunakan metode pengumpulan data taksonomi, bertempat di Pulau Peleng dan Bakalan, Kabupaten Banggai Kepulauan. Material tumbuhan dikoleksi untuk dijadikan spesimen herbarium dan disimpan di Herbarium Bogoriense (BO). Spesimen A. zippelianum yang disimpan di BO dan portal daring kemudian diamati. Sebagai tambahan, pengamatan spesimen herbarium juga dilakukan untuk memperkaya informasi tentang A. zippelianum di Malesia. Peta distribusi disediakan dan data dianalisis secara deskriptif. Terdapat satu spesimen fertil A. zippelianum yang dikoleksi di sekitar Hutan Kokolomboy, Kabupaten Banggai Kepulauan. Di Malesia, A. zippelianum dapat ditemukan di dataran rendah hingga dataran tinggi pada ketinggian mencapai 2.200 mdpl dan sebagian besar ditemukan pada area hutan. Distribusi jenis ini di alam meliputi Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua Nugini, dan Filipina. Tumbuhan ini telah diintroduksi ke Jawa (Kebun Raya Bogor), Bali (Kebun Raya “Eka Karya” Bali), dan Inggris (Royal Botanic Garden, Kew). AbstractAmydrium zippelianum (Araceae) was reportedly found in Malesia, from Sulawesi to Papua New Guinea, but it is rarely seen now. Flora exploration has been conducted to reveal flora diversity in Banggai Kepulauan Regency, a group of small islands in Central Sulawesi Province. This study was aimed to find and collect A. zippelianum specimen. Flora exploration was carried out by applying taxonomy data collecting method in Peleng and Bakalan islands, Banggai Kepulauan Regency. Plant materials were collected for herbarium specimens and deposited in Herbarium Bogoriense (BO). The specimens of A. zippelianum deposited in BO and online portal database were further examined. In addition, observations of herbarium specimens were also done to obtain more information about A. zippelianum in Malesia. A distribution map was provided and data were analyzed descriptively. One fertile specimen of A. zippelianum was successfully collected around Kokolomboy Forest, Banggai Kepulauan Regency. In Malesia, A. zippelianum can be found in lowlands to highlands at elevation up to 2,200 m asl and mostly in forest area. The distribution of this species in nature covers Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines. This plant was introduced to Java (Bogor Botanic Garden), Bali (“Eka Karya” Bali Botanic Garden), and United Kingdom (Royal Botanic Garden, Kew).

Student Project Deaccessioning: A curatorial review

Deaccessioning in collections can be controversial because of the value associated with some taxa and their conservational, historical, educational, display and research significance within the collection. Twenty-one horticultural institutions completed a survey on the protocols for deaccessioning plant material. The resulting data were collated to provide a comparison of the different approaches institutions take towards deaccessioning their collections. This study has identified that conservation and education are the most important factors in managing garden collections. Accession data of high quality is an essential part of managing a collection, but poor accession data should not be a reason to deaccession plants. Space constraints are the primary factor behind the deaccessioning of collections. This paper is a summary of the research project completed by the author for the BSc in Horticulture with Plantsmanship at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE).

Recreation of the Edinburgh Potato Solanum ×Edinense Berthault

Solanum ×edinense Berthault, is a spontaneously occurring hybrid between S. demissum Lindl. and the cultivated potato, S. tuberosum L., found near potato fields in Mexico. Although not described until 1911, this hybrid was in cultivation at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh shortly after the Irish Potato Famine of 1845–1849 and proved to be highly resistant to late blight, Phytophthora infestans. In the mid-19th century late blight caused widespread failure of the potato crop across Europe and played a central role in the Irish Potato Famine. Using the parent species in controlled crosses we have recreated the hybrid that was named by Berthault in recognition of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh as the source of his plant material. We have also researched the early history of this hybrid potato in Edinburgh and demonstrated disease resistance through field exposure during the outbreak of late blight in Edinburgh in 2019. This work underlines the important role of this hybrid in the breeding of disease resistant potato cultivars.

Hydrological and planting design of an experimental raingarden at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

A new experimental raingarden has been created at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) to help cope with the impacts of more frequent and intense rainfall events. Raingardens offer a sustainable, nature-based solution to flood mitigation by mimicking natural rainwater retention and infiltration characteristics within a constructed bioretention system. By incorporating specially selected plants that can withstand both very wet and very dry conditions, raingardens also provide enhanced biodiversity capacity. This paper reports on the hydrological design of the raingarden, which is aimed at reducing the occurrence of waterlogging and localised flooding within RBGE, before discussing the selection and cultivation of the planting. It is hoped that the mix of plants chosen will encourage a great diversity of wildlife, providing nectar sources for insects and bees in summer, and homes for invertebrates and food for seed-eating birds in winter. With the raingarden having been in place for over a year at the time of writing, reflections on its maintenance and upkeep during that time and performance assessment for significant storm events will also be discussed.

ÁNGEL GUIRAO Y LA ENSEÑANZA DE LA BOTÁNICA. SU PAPEL EN EL DESARROLLO DEL JARDÍN DEL INSTITUTO PROVINCIAL DE SEGUNDA ENSEÑANZA DE MURCIA

Resumen El objetivo de este trabajo es doble. En primer lugar, estudiamos la figura y la obra del médico y naturalista Ángel Guirao Navarro al frente del Instituto Provincial de Segunda Enseñanza de Murcia. Este polifacético profesor tuvo un importante rol en el desarrollo de los espacios escolares para la enseñanza práctica de la Historia Natural, dándoles contenido con la aportación de objetos naturales recolectados por él o adquiridos por el Instituto. También analizamos los materiales de apoyo para esa enseñanza como: los libros de texto, el herbario y las láminas de pared. Por otro lado, estudiamos el espacio utilizado para la enseñanza práctica de la Botánica y la Agricultura. El papel de Ángel Guirao en el desarrollo del Jardín Botánico fue clave para que este se convirtiera en uno de los jardines educativos más completos de España con la construcción de invernaderos de cristal, umbráculos, pabellón docente y la adquisición de plantas y semillas facilitadas por el Jardín Botánico de Valencia, el Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid y el Instituto Agronómico de la Moncloa. Abstract The goal of this paper is twofold. First, we study the figure and work of the medicine doctor and naturalist Ángel Guirao Navarro, head of the Secondary School of Murcia. This versatile teacher played an important role in the development of scholar spaces for the practical teaching of Natural History by contributing with natural objects collected by him or acquired by the Secondary School of Murcia. We also analyse the pedagogical materials for this teaching such as: textbooks, herbarium and wall papers. On the other hand, we study the space used for the practical teaching of botany and agriculture. The role of Ángel Guirao in the development of the Botanical Garden was key for it to become one of the most complete educative gardens of Spain with the construction of glass greenhouses, shade structures, one teaching pavilion, as well as the acquisition of plants and seeds provided by the Botanical Garden of Valencia, the Royal Botanic Garden of Madrid and the Agronomic Institute of La Moncloa. Palabras claves: Botánica, Historia Natural, educación, espacios escolares, enseñanza de la botánica, jardines botánicos. Key words: Botany, Natural History, education, scholar spaces, teaching of botany, botanical gardens.