Join The Garden Club of the Back Bay and Dr. Peter Del Tredici of the Arnold Arboretum on Wednesday, October 12 at 10 am at The College Club of Boston, 44 Commonwealth Avenue, for an in-depth look at one of the most ancient and fascinating trees on the planet. Peter has been studying the natural history and evolution of this tree for the last twenty-five years and is a world authority on the subject. His travels have taken him to remote areas in southwest China in search of wild-growing Ginkgos as well as to old estates and botanical gardens in Europe and the United States. Peter has also studied the cultivation of the Ginkgo for ornamental purposes as well as for the production of leaves to make an extract that some people take to improve their memories.
Peter Del Tredici holds a BA degree in Zoology from the University of California, Berkeley (1968), a MA degree in Biology from the University of Oregon (1969), and a Ph.D. in Biology from Boston University (1991). He retired from the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University in 2014 after working there for 35 years as Plant Propagator, Curator of the Larz Anderson Bonsai Collection, Editor of Arnoldia, Director of Living Collections and Senior Research Scientist. Dr. Del Tredici taught in the Landscape Architecture Department at the Harvard Graduate School of Design from 1992 through 2016 and is currently teaching a course in urban ecology in the Urban Planning Department of MIT. He is the winner of the Arthur Hoyt Scott Medal and Award for 1999 presented by the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College and in 2013 he was awarded the Veitch Gold Medal by The Royal Horticultural Society (England) “in recognition of services given in the advancement of the science and practice of horticulture.”
Dr. Del Tredici’s interests are wide ranging and include such subjects as plant exploration in China, the root systems of woody plants, the botany and horticulture of magnolias, stewartias and hemlocks, and the natural and cultural history of the Ginkgo tree. His recent work is focused on urban ecology and has resulted in the publication of the widely acclaimed Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast: A Field Guide (Cornell University Press, 2010) as well as a GPS-based mobile app, “Other Order” which interprets the Bussey Brook Meadow section of the Arnold Arboretum (with Teri Rueb). He lectures widely in North America and Europe and is the author of more than 130 scientific and popular articles.
Garden Club of the Back Bay members will receive separate notification of this October meeting. If you are not a Club member but are interested in attending, please email info@bostonflora.com. This lecture is part of our 2016/2017 series on The Prehistoric Garden.
