The importance of conserving the world's rarest plants will be one of the subjects covered in a lecture given by curator of the University of Dundee's Botanic Garden, Alisdair Hood, tomorrow, November 15.
Alisdair will take his audience on a virtual tour of the Dundee Botanic Garden, discussing its purpose and function as well as looking at the highlights of other gardens around the world.
The University's garden contains more than 120 plant species which are on the endangered list. This includes a collection of sorbus (mountain ash) which are native to the UK and nine Monkey Puzzle trees - there are more of this species growing in cultivation than there are left in their native environment of Chile. The garden recently won the Provost's Trophy at the Dundee Food & Flower Festival.
The lecture is part of the popular Armitstead lecture series, which has been informing and entertaining local people for the last 120 years. Dundonian flax merchant and MP George Armitstead began a trust to fund the lectures in 1882.
"Botanic Gardens - Food for Thought" starts in the Bonar Hall, Park Place, Dundee at 7.30pm tomorrow.
By Jane Smernicki, Press Officer 01382 344768 j.m.smernicki@dundee.ac.uk