Hat tip to Nina Bassuk for passing along the article Botanizing in the “Mother of Gardens” – Pursuing seeds and specimens in Sichuan which appeared in the January-February 2018 issue of Harvard Magazine.
Michael Dosmann, PhD ’07 and keeper of living collections at the Arnold Arboretum, led a team that braved terrestrial leaches, rockslides and other hazards while collecting plants in China for two weeks last fall.
Why explore for plants in China? The Harvard Magazine article points out:
“Though it might seem like a commission from another century, the hunt to locate and collect rare plants from around the globe so they can be grown for scientific study and long-term observation is very much alive, and carries new urgency. One in five plant species on Earth is endangered. Changing patterns of temperature and rainfall, competition from invasive species, and loss of habitat are spurring new exploration—particularly in biologically rich areas.”