Boston Flora

Tag: Ernest Henry Wilson

  • Michael Dosmann Named Keeper of the Living Collections of the Arnold Arboretum

    The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is pleased to announce that it has named Dr. Michael S. Dosmann as Keeper of the Living Collections, a rare and (nearly) singular honor bestowed by the institution. Curator of the Living Collections at the Arboretum since 2007, Dr. Dosmann’s new title reflects his outstanding stewardship of the Arboretum’s renowned collection of woody plants over the past decade.
    Dr. Dosmann is only the second “Keeper” in the 145-year history of the Arnold Arboretum. The first was Ernest Henry Wilson, the Arboretum’s famed plant explorer best known for his pioneering expeditions in early-twentieth-century China. Wilson held the title of “Keeper” from 1927 to 1930. Dr. Dosmann assumes the title as the Arboretum reinvigorates Wilson’s legacy and the institution’s role as a leader in global plant exploration.
    Recognized as a leading authority on collections management of botanical collections and a tireless advocate for public gardens, Dr. Dosmann curates more than 15,000 living accessioned plants on the grounds of the Arboretum. Under his leadership, the Arboretum has vastly improved systems and protocols for mapping, documenting, and inventorying Arboretum plants, which has influenced standards at botanical institutions nationwide. Since 2015, and in collaboration with Professor William (Ned) Friedman, the eighth Director of the Arnold Arboretum, Dr. Dosmann has led the Arboretum’s efforts to accelerate efforts to explore, inventory, and collect vanishing biodiversity worldwide—the Campaign for the Living Collections—mounting or participating in multiple collecting expeditions in Asia and North America.
    Dr. Dosmann received his undergraduate degree in Public Horticulture from Purdue University (1996), and his Master’s degree (1998) and his Ph.D. (2006) from Iowa State University, and Cornell University, respectively, in Horticulture. He is the author of over 60 published articles, including 20 found within the covers of Arnoldia, the journal of the Arnold Arboretum. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Public Gardens Association, is an elected member of the Horticultural Club of Boston, and in 2014 was the on-air host of the three-part documentary Chinese Wilson produced by Central China Television. Photo courtesy of Harvard Magazine.

  • Friday, December 4, 6:45 pm – Red Needles in Green Haystacks: On the Trail of the Wild Paperbark Maple

    Dr. Michael S. Dosmann, Curator of Living Collections, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, will address the New England Botanical Club on Friday, December 4 beginning at 6:45 in Haller Hall on the Harvard University campus.  His lecture, open to the public, will be on Red Needles in Green Haystacks: On the Trail of the Wild Paperbark Maple. Since its initial introduction from China to the West by Ernest Henry Wilson in 1901, the paperbark maple (Acer griseum) has become rather common in cultivation, particularly in gardens, arboreta, and other managed ornamental landscapes. And yet, this species’ status is anything but common in the wild in central and western China. As part of a collaborative conservation initiative, the Arnold Arboretum is surveying wild populations, and comparing these with lineages introduced from the wild to get a global perspective of genetic diversity in this species. Photo courtesy of Cornell University. For further info see: http://www.rhodora.org/meetings/upcomingmeetings.html.