Boston Flora

Tag: Asa Gray

  • Opening August 31 – Fruits in Decay

    Imagine an orchard, lush and bursting with ripe fruit in the sweltering summer sun. Not all of the fruit weighing down the branches and vines will be fit to consume. Some strawberries will dampen and shrivel with mold, some peaches will be blighted in the shade, and some pears will become pockmarked with age.

    However, there is a beauty in this natural decaying process that repeats with each season. Perhaps the rot will be cut away and the fruit will be preserved as jam, jellies, pie, or compote. Maybe a hungry child or traveler will wander through the orchard rows and choose a less-than- perfect specimen for their late afternoon snack. Right now, in orchards in New England and beyond, microscopic agents are at work consuming the fruit to its core in a world beyond our sight.

    The Harvard Museum of Natural History is pleased to present Fruits in Decay, a special new exhibit in the Glass Flowers Gallery that explores blight, rot, and other diseases on summer fruits. It features exquisitely detailed glass botanical models of strawberries, peaches, apricots, plums, and pears made by famed glass artist Rudolf Blaschka between the years 1924-1932. On display for the first time in nearly two decades, these models capture—with astonishing realism—the intricacies and strange beauty of fruits in various stages of decay.

    Donald H. Pfister, Curator of the Farlow Library and Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany and Asa Gray Professor of Systematic Botany, praises the work of Blaschka, “Rudolf Blaschka’s last work centered on the creation of these models of diseased fruits. They are the culmination of his lifelong attention to accuracy and innovation. They illustrate the effects of fungi as agents of disease in plants and point to their importance in agricultural systems.”

    Fruits in Decay includes more than twenty glass specimens depicting common agricultural diseases and the effects of fungus such as peach leaf curl, gray mold, brown rot, soft rot, blue mold, shot-hole disease, stony pear, pear scab, fire blight, and leaf spot.

    Visitors will be able to see the delicate artistry of these celebrated Blaschka specimens August 31, 2019 through March 1, 2020. Fruits in Decay will replace the collection’s Rotten Apples exhibit, which will remain open until August 25, 2019.

  • Thursday, November 13, 6:00 pm – Mummies, Mildews, Manna, and Mosses: Four Kingdoms Under One Roof

    The Farlow Library and Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany is steward of a world-class collection of books, archives, and specimens related to four different types of organisms—fungi, protista, plants, and monera—that play key roles in nature and society. Founded by William G. Farlow (below) in the nineteenth century, the collection celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2014. From expanding our understanding of plant diseases and helping us assess the impact of climate change and habitat destruction on geographic distributions of organisms, to offering insights into ancient ecosystems, the Farlow collection advances scientific research that is relevant to society and our understanding of life on Earth. On Thursday, November 13 at 6 pm, join mycologist Donald Pfister, Asa Gray Professor of Systematic Botany and Curator of the Farlow Library and Herbarium, Harvard University, in an exploration of the history and impact of this unique Harvard collection.

    Lecture and Reception. Registration required: www.hmsc.harvard.edu
    Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street
    Presented in collaboration with the Friends of the Farlow
    Free event parking available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage

  • Monday, April 4, 5:30 pm – William G. Farlow and His Influences on Botany, Academics, and Amateurs

    The Harvard Botanical Club is pleased to welcome its 2011 Distinguished Speaker, Dr. Donald H. Pfister, Asa Gray Professor of Systematic Botany, Curator of the Farlow Library and Herbarium, and Dean of Harvard Summer School. on Monday, April 4, in the Haller Lecture Hall, Room 102, Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge. Dr. Pfister will speak on William G. Farlow and His Influences on Botany, Academics, and Amateurs. For complete information, maps and parking directions, log on to www.rhodora.org.

  • Thursday, November 18, 12:00 noon – Darwin’s American Champion: Asa Gray, Louis Agassiz, and The Debate over Evolution

    Following Darwin’s breakthrough on the theory of evolution in 1859, two of Harvard’s leading men of science squared off.  Biologist Louis Agassiz rejected evolution, keeping to his theory of multiple divine creations, while botanist Asa Gray (pictured below,) whose bicentennial is November 18, became Darwin’s chief champion in America.  Mount Auburn Cemetery Docent Robin Hazard Ray and Visitor Services Assistant Jim Gorman will discuss the  history of this conflict, and Gray’s research on the plants of eastern Asia that convinced him of Darwin’s theories, on Thursday, November 18, beginning at 12 noon.

    This program is part of Mount Auburn’s “Brown Bag Lunch Series.”  Bring your lunch and enjoy this lunch and learn opportunity.  During the fall and winter Mount Auburn staff and volunteers will present a series of free hour-long talks to shed light on the lives of those buried here.  All talks take place in Story Chapel.  Coffee and tea are provided, and the program is free.  Mount Auburn is located at 580 Mount Auburn Street in Cambridge, and for more information, log on to www.mountauburn.org, or call 617-607-1981.

  • Thursday, October 21, 6:00 pm – Corresponding Naturalists: Asa Gray, Charles Darwin, and the Making of American Botany

    Asa Gray’s extensive correspondence with naturalists shaped the early years of exploration and botanical research in North America. These letters brought Gray into contact with Charles Darwin, who became a close friend. With the publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, Gray soon emerged as the key proponent and defender of natural selection in the U.S.  On Thursday, October 21, beginning at 6 pm, Janet Browne, Aramont Professor of the History of Science at Harvard, will discuss their letters , which reflect a warm personal relationship as well as the making of an intellectual revolution. Free and open to the public, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Part of the Asa Gray Bicentennial series.  For more information, log on to www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

  • Saturday, October 9, 9:00 am – Walking Tour of Mount Auburn Cemetery

    Asa Gray’s central role in establishing Harvard as the botanical center of North America can be appreciated through the impressive landscape, history, and flora of the Mount Auburn Cemetery. Join Donald Pfister, Asa Gray Professor of Botany and Director of the Harvard Herbaria, for a Saturday, October 9 tour of Mount Auburn Cemetery, site of Gray’s grave and the Asa Gray Garden, and other sites of interest, including the monument to the lost members of the United States Exploring Expedition, Louis Agassiz’s grave, and numerous horticultural gems. Space is limited for this Harvard Museum of Natural History member tour. Pre-registration required. RSVP to members@oeb.harvard.edu, or call 617.496.6972 to learn more about membership in the museum.  The tour begins at 9 am, and there is a raindate of Sunday, October 10.  Part of the Asa Gray Bicentennial series. Photo below by KarenMarleneLarsen.

  • Saturday, September 25, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm – Grow, Eat, Learn

    Join Donald Pfister, Asa Gray Professor of Botany, and Kathleen Frith of Harvard’s Center for Health and the Global Environment, for Grow, Eat, Learn, a family program sponsored by The Harvard Museum of Natural History at the Harvard Community Garden on Saturday, September 25, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. Hear growing tips from students and harvest your crops. Bring a bag lunch.  Location: 27 Holyoke Place in Harvard Square. A few spots are available for non-museum members. To register, call 617-496-6972.