His leadership was clear as he provided us with a vivid history, mission, and vision of the famed garden. Huntley intertwined the famous flora of South Africa with stories of conservation efforts and a history of their premier botanical garden-Kirstenbosch. I further came away with a profound appreciation of the country’s botanical history. I arrived at the lecture expecting to be captivated by the many South African floral treasures discussed by Professor Huntley, but even I couldn’t anticipate such beauty. A few of the internationally-known plants from this region are the ubiquitous geranium ( Pelargonium), the Kaffir lily ( Clivia), African lily ( Agapanthus), and gladiolus ( Gladiolus). As the country’s national flower, it has since become a huge success in the cut flower trade worldwide, but apart from this iconic South African plant, the country is also famous for its unique collection of geophytes (bulbs of all colors and shapes), irises (Iridaceae), heathers (Ericaceae), and a variety of colorful succulents and grass-like restios (Restionaceae). The poster child of South African flora is the protea (Proteaceae). The Cape Floral Kingdom populating Kirstenbosch is incredibly diverse and unique, full of color and contrast. Huntley was instrumental in shaping South Africa’s most famous garden, Kirstenbosch, from the ’90s and into the ’00s, and was a key figure in post-apartheid conservation across South Africa. Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.Īt the end of January, our 14th Annual Winter Lecture Series kicked off with the first of three presentations as given by Brian Huntley, emeritus professor, renowned conservation scientist, and former CEO of the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Posted in Adult Education on February 18 2014, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
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