Boston Flora

Tag: Flowering Plants

  • Thursday, November 4, 6:00 pm – Darwin’s “Abominable Mystery” and the Search for the First Flowering Plants

    Charles Darwin was baffled by many big questions in evolutionary biology, and none more so than the mystery of how the planet’s first flowering plants came to be. On Thursday, November 4, beginning at 6 pm, join William (Ned) Friedman, Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at University of Colorado, for an exploration into the evolutionary origin of flowering plants, and how recent advances in the fossil record have shed new light on what they may have looked like, where they “lived,” and how they reproduced. 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.  Image courtesy of NASA.

  • Sunday, May 9, 10 am – 4 pm – Lilac Sunday

    Of the thousands of flowering plants in the Arnold Arboretum, only one, the lilac, is singled out each year for a daylong celebration. Gather at the Arboretum to picnic (allowed on this special day only!), watch dance performances, tour the lilac collection, and more. Event takes place rain or shine. The Arboretum is open from dawn to dusk, with refreshments available for purchase and activities take place from 10 AM to 4 PM.  For directions, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    Lilac lilacs by robynejay.

  • Friday, November 6, 10 a.m. – Beginning Orchid Growing Clinic

    Historic New England is sponsoring a Beginning Orchid Growing Clinic at the Lyman Estate Greenhouses in Waltham, Massachusetts on Friday, November 6, beginning at 10 a.m.  Learn the essentials of growing orchids, including requirements of growing media, light, water, temperature, and fertilization. With their long-lasting and showy blooms, orchids are one of the most beautiful and dramatic of all flowering plants. This popular course is taught by Lyman Estate horticulturist Lynn Ackerman, an accomplished orchid grower and member of the Orchid Society.  Admission fee is $35.  Contact Susanna Crampton at scrampton@historicnewengland.org, or call her at 781-891-4882 to register.  For more information, log on to www.historicnewengland.org.

    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fv8msJy4PhQ/SdnR7GZ2adI/AAAAAAAAANg/UDh3VQJt9R4/s400/OrangeOrchid.jpg

  • Tuesdays, March 2 – April 6, 6:30 – 8:30 pm – The Plant Kingdom: An Overview

    Join K.N. Gandhi, Botanist at the Harvard University Herbaria, for this six session introductory course in botany, beginning March 2 at 6:30 pm.  Through lectures and work in the laboratory, Dr. Gandhi will provide a deeper understanding of the plant kingdom, from the simple plants to those that are highly evolved. He will outline the structure and reproduction of bacteria, cyano-bacteria, algae (fresh water and marine), fungi, moss, ferns, pines, and flowering plants. You will learn about the fundamental differences in the plant structure of these groups and also their capabilities in reproducing both sexually and asexually. The role of xylem, phloem, fruits, and seeds in the success of flowering plants will be discussed.
    Fee $165 Arnold Arboretum member, $200 nonmember.  For additional information, and to register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    http://www.feenixx.com/science/images/large-a112-plant-kingdom2-306-8x12x72.jpg