Boston Flora

Tag: Carl Linnaeus

  • Thursday, February 16, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Roots of Black Botany: The Contributions and Struggles of Washington Carver, Marie Clark Taylor, and O’Neil Ray Collins, Online

    While many conservationists are familiar with white botanists such as Carl Linnaeus and Gregor Mendel, fewer know of the many ways Black botanists have revolutionized the field, contributing to our understanding of everything from crop rotation techniques to slime mold behavior. In this Garden Club of the Back Bay free webinar with Micah Jasny on February 16 from 2 – 3, we will explore the accomplishments of three notable Black botanists: George Washington Carver, Marie Clark Taylor, and O’Neil Ray Collins. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants by February 14.

    Micah Jasny is originally from Northern Virginia where he spent his childhood hiking and camping around the Shenandoah Mountains and where he discovered his love for nature and native species. Micah pursued this passion receiving his Bachelors of Science in Biology and Environmental Science from the College of William & Mary and then his masters in Ecosystem Science and Conservation from the Duke Nicholas School for the Environment. In his current role as the Botanical Coordinator with Native Plant Trust, Micah oversees the Plant Conservation Volunteer (PCV) program. Started in 1993, the PCV program engages professional and amateur botanists to assist State Natural Heritage programs track and monitor roughly 25,000 rare plant populations throughout New England. This program engages hundreds of community science volunteers who undergo training to monitor rare plant species, sign up for surveys, and then search the New England landscape for these important plants. In addition to his work with Native Plant Trust, Micah is one of the founding members of the Rare Plant Community Science Network which is working to share tools and knowledge to better protect rare plant species across the Nation. 

    There is no fee for this program. Please rsvp by February 13  on Eventbrite by clicking HERE.

    courtesy LA Times

  • Thursday, January 21, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Botanical Latin: An Introduction, Online

    Botanical Latin becomes less intimidating once you understand the history and rationale for botanical plant names. Join Jennifer Bakshi for a brief history of botanical terminology from the time of the Roman empire through the development of binomial nomenclature by Carl Linnaeus. Jennifer will provide clarification on the meanings of botanical terms, genus, species and family, how the names are formed and the conventions for writing them. You’ll also learn the correct pronunciation of Latin plant names and explore the hidden meanings of favorite plant names that every gardener should know. This Berkshire Botanical Garden online class will take place January 21 from 6 – 7, and is $11 for BBG members, $16 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/botanical-latin-introduction

    Jenn Bakshi is a designer, manager and teacher. She has built a thriving landscape design business and teaches botanical Latin and botanical history at the New York Botanical Garden. Students appreciate her infectious enthusiasm and are put at ease by her method of breaking down complex ideas into logically simple components. She has lectured for garden clubs and the American Horticultural Society. She recently participated in a podcast on botanical Latin for Joe Gardener, host and producer of the PBS show, Growing a Greener World. Jennifer holds an MBA from Rutgers University, a BA from Beloit College and Certification in Landscape Design and Horticulture from New York Botanical Garden.

  • Friday, March 16, 10:00 am – Carl Linnaeus

    Carol Govan talks about the personal life, unusual philosophy, and important works of Carl Linnaeus on Friday, March 16 at 10 at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden. Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778) invented an easy method to identify and name all plants, including many previously unknown, sent to him from around the world. The modern system of scientific nomenclature is due to his work. Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens, free. Nonmembers $10. Register by calling 781-283-3094 or email bcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

  • Tuesday, October 6, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Brother Gardeners

    Historian Andrea Wulf will speak at the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum on Tuesday, October 6, from 7 – 8:30. Bringing to life the science and adventure of eighteenth-century plant collecting, The Brother Gardeners is the story of how six men created the modern garden and changed the horticultural world in the process. It is a story of a garden revolution that began in America. In 1733, colonial farmer John Bartram shipped two boxes of precious American plants and seeds to Peter Collinson in London. Around these men formed the nucleus of a botany movement, which included famous Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus; Philip Miller, bestselling author of The Gardeners Dictionary; and Joseph Banks and David Solander, two botanist explorers, who scoured the globe for plant life aboard Captain Cook’s Endeavor. As they cultivated exotic blooms from around the world, they helped make Britain an epicenter of horticultural and botanical expertise. The Brother Gardeners paints a vivid portrait of an emerging world of knowledge and gardening as we know it today.
    Fee: free for sponsor members, $20 nonmembers. Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277. Offered with the Massachusetts Historical Society.

  • Saturday, April 11, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Naming Flora: An Etymological Romp Through the Berkshire Botanical Garden

    Sure, Carl Linnaeus had a technical name for each of the flora, but where did we get all our common words for them, from aster to zinnia? This interactive and entertaining lecture on April 11, from 10:30 – 12:30 will enlighten you on the varied sources of our words for the flowers, trees and veggies that grow at the Berkshire Botanical Garden, giving you a fresh perspective as you enjoy nature’s bounty. We’ll explore the sources of names of the flora in our own little Garden of Eden – myths, metaphors, monikers, and more. BBG members $5, nonmembers $10. Register online at http://www.berkshirebotanical.org/event/naming-flora-an-etymological-romp-through-the-berkshire-botanical-garden/?instance_id=3265

    Stewart Edelstein, a resident of Stockbridge, is the author of Dubious Doublets: A Delightful Compendium of Unlikely Word Pairs of Common Origin, from Aardvark/Porcelain to Zodiac/Whiskey (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.).