Dr. William E. (Ned) Friedman, Director of The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and Arnold Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, will address the April 12 joint meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay and The Beacon Hill Garden Club. Along with the origins of vascular plants and seed plants, the origin of flowering plants represents one of the three most significant evolutionary radiations of land plants during the last 475 million years. With over 250,000 extant species, angiosperms are the largest and most diverse group of plants ever to have evolved. Paradoxically, we know less about the early evolutionary history of angiosperms than we do about many considerably older groups of land plants. Indeed, Darwin’s “abominable mystery” continues to challenge evolutionary biologists.

Dr. Friedman’s research program focuses on the organismic interfaces between developmental, phylogenetic and evolutionary biology. Remarkable recent advances in the study of the phylogenetic relationships of organisms have provided the raw materials for critical studies of character evolution in plants, animals, fungi, and all other forms of life. Armed with hypotheses of relationships among organisms, he seeks to explore how patterns of morphology, anatomy and cell biology have evolved through the modification of developmental processes.

Due to space limitations, we regret this meeting will be open only to members of The Garden Club of the Back Bay and the Beacon Hill Garden Club. The lecture will begin at 10 am at The College Club of Boston, 44 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston. Members of both clubs will receive written notice of the event, but may rsvp at any time prior to April 7 at info@bostonflora.com.  Photo by Justin Ide, Harvard Staff Photographer, Harvard Gazette.