Botanic Garden Newsletter, Fall 1999, page 10

     Biological diversity must be
     treated more seriously as a global
     resource, to be indexed, used, and
     above all, preserved.

     Those words were delivered by one of this century's great biologists, E.O. Wilson, at the National Forum on Biodiversity in 1986. Since that time, the term biodiversity has entered into the public lexicon, even though it translates to most people as "all that stuff in the rainforest." In our increasingly technological age, the stewardship of the world's life-forms seems a remote concern.
     At the Botanic Garden we are acutely aware of the problems and issues concerning the cultivation and conservation of plant life. We propagate and distribute thousands of rare and endangered plants, and our extensive collections are regularly used as a source of research material for scientists worldwide. The biologists of the future are trained within our walls, and the growth of their imagination and skills is as important as the growth of our favorite plants.
     This fall, the Botanic Garden of Smith College is proud to present a slate of speakers to address the topic of biodiversity, all bringing different perspectives from their personal work experiences.
     On November 1 the Garden is pleased to bring Dr. Peter Ashton of Harvard University to our lectern. Dr. Ashton is one of the world's foremost authorities on tropical forest ecology and the family Dipterocarpaceae, and is the former Director of the Arnold Arboretum. His extensive research on the dynamics of tropical forests of Southeast Asia makes him particularly well grounded in his lecture topic, "How
Can Research Save the Rainforest?"

This lecture by one of the world's great tropical biologists is not to be missed. We begin with a reception at 4:00 pm, and the lecture is at 4:30 pm.
     On November 5 Cheryl Lowe, Horticulture Director at the New England Wild Flower Society, speaks on "Plant Conservation in Botanic Gardens: A Case Study." This lecture promises a mix of practical and cutting edge horticultural techniques, and an insider's look at one of New England's most spectacular gardens. Ms. Lowe is one of the most respected botanical garden professionals in New England. Her lecture begins at 6:30 pm. Immediately afterward, the Lyman Conservatory will debut the last Chrysanthemum Show of the millennium!
     A graduate of the class of 1981, Dr. Francesca Grifo returns to campus on December 6. She earned a doctorate in systematic botany from Cornell University, researching the Myrtaceae of neotropical cloudforests. Her interests are broadly centered on the conservation of biodiversity and the integration of research into public policy. She is the former Director of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation of the American Museum of Natural History, and is now teaching at Columbia University. She has helped to shape policy regarding the Convention on Biodiversity and biological prospecting, and her lecture is titled "Biodiversity and Human Health." Welcome back one of Smith's own and do a little networking. Mark your calendar for the 4:30 pm starting time.
     Check our Events Calendar on page 15 for all the times and locations. We thank the Department of Biological Sciences for cosponsoring the lectures by Dr. Peter Ashton and Dr. Francesca Grifo.

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and collect, Pinus krempfii. Rather than having a spirelike habit, this forest giant had a broad crown, more like an oak than any pine I could remember having seen. We started down the slope. The forest floor was a soft, spongy, humusy soil, dotted with ferns and seedlings of the evergreen trees around us. Many primitive flowering plants were present. It seemed a forest undisturbed since the Cretaceous period. Orchids were common, having fallen from the branches above. We made our way to the large pine we had seen from the hilltop. It was a tree of mythic proportions, about 130 feet high, with a trunk girth of 18 feet and the first branch at a height of 80 feet. Climbing the tree to harvest cones was unreasonably risky without proper equipment, so we had to forage for what we could find on the ground.
Our party of five took to combing the forest floor, looking for fallen cones from prior years that might still harbor a seed or two, and for seedlings and saplings we might dig up. At one point I searched farther away from the party only to be cautioned by Dr. Tran to come back into the fold. "There are tigers," he warned. We found 4 younger trees and about 20 seedlings to bring to our respective institutes. The leaves were unlike any pine needles I had ever seen, curving blades a quarter inch wide by four inches long, in pairs. Each individual Pinus krempfii leaf has a greater surface area and more photosynthetic area than the typical pine needle. The Dalat habitat may be one of the most humid environments in which pines are found, and the increased leaf area may be necessary simply to move enough water through the plant to draw up nutrients from the soil. In contrast, the cones we found were easily recognizable as pine cones.
Our Vietnamese colleagues were intent on getting out of the forest as quickly as possible, and counseled against crossing the valley to look for more. But I had collected a cache of rarities for our Conservatory, and we had the precious DNA samples for the genetic work. We hiked out of the ravine, up the grassy slopes, and down to our vehicle. Our success fueled our good mood, and we sat on the side of the road, talking about our various plant specialties and favorite species. I glanced down at my feet, and in the gutter saw a spent bullet casing, American made, a relic from a war that tore both nations apart. It was my final collection of the day.

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(Continued from page 9)
and collect, Pinus krempfii. Rather than having a spirelike habit, this forest giant had a broad crown, more like an oak than any pine I could remember having seen. We started down the slope. The forest floor was a soft, spongy, humusy soil, dotted with ferns and seedlings of the evergreen trees around us. Many primitive flowering plants were present. It seemed a forest undisturbed since the Cretaceous period. Orchids were common, having fallen from the branches above. We made our way to the large pine we had seen from the hilltop. It was a tree of mythic proportions, about 130 feet high, with a trunk girth of 18 feet and the first branch at a height of 80 feet. Climbing the tree to harvest cones was unreasonably risky without proper equipment, so we had to forage for what we could find on the ground. Our party of five took to combing the forest floor, looking for fallen cones from prior years that might still harbor a seed or two, and for seedlings and saplings we might dig up. At one point I searched farther away from the party only to be cautioned by		Dr. Tran to come back into the fold. "There are tigers," he warned. We found 4 younger trees and about 20 seedlings to bring to our respective institutes. The leaves were unlike any pine needles I had ever seen, curving blades a quarter inch wide by four inches long, in pairs. Each individual Pinus krempfii leaf has a greater surface area and more photosynthetic area than the typical pine needle. The Dalat habitat may be one of the most humid environments in which pines are found, and the increased leaf area may be necessary simply to move enough water through the plant to draw up nutrients from the soil. In contrast, the cones we found were easily recognizable as pine cones. Our Vietnamese colleagues were intent on getting out of the forest as quickly as possible, and counseled against crossing the valley to look for more. But I had collected a cache of rarities for our Conservatory, and we had the precious DNA samples for the genetic work. We hiked out of the ravine, up the grassy slopes, and down to our vehicle. Our success fueled our good mood, and we sat on the side of the road, talking about our various plant specialties and favorite species. I glanced down at my feet, and in the gutter saw a spent bullet casing, American made, a relic from a war that tore both nations apart. It was my final collection of the day.