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Frances N. Batcheller R.I.P.

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:15:00 +0000

Frances N. Batcheller died on November 27, 2009 at the age of 96.

Mrs. Batcheller was a self-taught botanist and gesneriad enthusiast. A true "renaissance woman", she grew, studied, hybridized, and wrote about gesneriads for over 40 years. She founded the Flower Show Judging program of the Gesneriad Society. She even dabbled in botanical illustration.

When I was a young boy discovering gesneriads in the 1960's, Mrs. Batcheller was truly the Goddess of Gesneriads. Or maybe the Oracle; she seemed to know everything. She was the "Technical Editor" of several editions of "How to Know and Grow Gesneriads" and was Guest Editor for the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens Gesneriad Handbook. I wore out several copies of each book, studying them more intensely than my high school homework.

I met Frances in person for the first time at my first AGGS Convention, in 1965. To me she was a rock star and so I was more than a little intimidated. To my delight and amazement she treated me not as a pesky kid, but as a peer, patiently discussing various aspects of gesneriad botany and culture with me. Afterwards I started writing her letters full of questions about gesneriads. She always replied the same day, sometimes even including a package of plant starts. She was a class act, a unique and wonderful individual.

Gesneriad Research Center Update

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 16:27:00 +0000

For several years now The Gesneriad Society has helped support the Gesneriad Research Center at Selby Gardens in Sarasota, Florida, with an annual contribution. The Center has had an exciting year in 2009. Next year will be even more exciting with the Center hosting the World Gesneriad Research Conference from October 12-17. Mark your calendar! Here is a letter from John R. Clark, PhD, Director of the Gesneriad Research Center, summarizing the Center's activities:

Dear Dr. Shalit,

This last year has been an exciting one for gesneriad research and conservation complete with fieldwork, cutting-edge research and program development including new initiatives in science and education. Through generous contributions from The Gesneriad Society and dedicated donors, the official start of the Gesneriad Research Center became a reality this last fall along with establishing a full-time GRC Director position. The GRC is now the preeminent center in North America for gesneriad research and conservation. Having a full-time GRC Director has addressed many of the concerns shared by Society members including raising the profile of gesneriads at Selby Gardens. Gesneriads are commonly talked about at the Gardens now, and understanding and conserving gesneriads is fully part of the Gardens’ mission.

Highlights from this last year:

• A gesneriad show and sale was co-hosted by the Tampa Bay and Suncoast Chapters of The Gesneriad Society in September 2008. The show raised awareness of gesneriads and also initiated increased interest in these plants among Gardens visitors and supporters.

• A Gesneriad Display was set up in the Gardens’ Conservatory complete with signage and other educational labels. The display features space for rotating gesneriads in bloom as well as permanent plantings of Columnea, Drymonia, Episcia, Gasteranthus, Nautilocalyx, and others.

• Gesneriads are now available for sale in the Gardens Shop along with copies of “How to Know and Grow Gesneriads.”

• Interest in gesneriads has grown and several new Gardens volunteers and supporters have come on board to assist with GRC activities and fund raising.

• Collections management has steadily moved forward including archiving remaining Wiehler literature, accessioning new books and papers, and initiating the “second-phase” of the Gesneriaceae files – Old World Gesneriads. Original species descriptions are continually being acquired and filed for all gesneriad genera.

• Program development has been a major focus and four large-scale grant proposals have been submitted to request funding for the GRC and related activities. Of these, a grant from IMLS for $133,025 has been awarded and will be used to set up a molecular laboratory at Selby to conduct DNA-based research on gesneriads and to partially fund the GRC Director’s salary for the next two years.

• The existing Spirit Lab has been recently renovated to include a 13’ x 15’ modern DNA laboratory. Molecular Programs at Selby Gardens will provide the tools needed to explore gesneriad classification and conservation issues relevant to the mission of the GRC and The Gesneriad Society.

• The GRC Director has given numerous presentations on gesneriads including presentations at Selby Gardens, at local and regional chapter meetings of The Gesneriad Society, at the annual convention of The Gesneriad Society, and as an invited speaker at major universities and institutions including the University of Alabama and The Field Museum Chicago.

• Basic research has continued with a focus on new species descriptions and evolutionary and biogeography studies of Gesneriads of the Interface Zone, the GRC signature research project. As part of this research, a two-month long expedition to the Solomon Islands was conducted. Preserved and living specimens were collected and returned to the GRC for growth and study. Specimens have been distributed to some growers in the Society and will become more widely available to Society members as material is further grown and propagated.

• Publications have also been a primary focus; a new GRC brochure was designed and published along with lay articles published in Gesneriads, The Tropical Dispatch and MelanesianGeo. Scientific papers resulting from GRC research on gesneriads have been published in some of the top journals in the field including Systematic Biology and Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.

• The GRC Blog was created to disseminate up-to- date information on GRC activities. Since September 2008, we have had over 12,000 visitors to the blog.

• A GRC FAQ sheet was drafted and made available on the web. The FAQ covers many basic aspects of the GRC including information on its origin, mission and management.

• A gesneriad conservation initiative has been established within The Gesneriad Society, spearheaded by efforts at the GRC. In this new initiative, we seek to empower gesneriad growers to use their unique skills to propagate and preserve rare and endangered gesneriads and to maintain accurate records for collections and conservation purposes.

This next year promises to be equally full. The GRC is in a unique position to facilitate collaborations among the world’s gesneriad researchers. As part of this, the GRC and Selby Gardens are planning and will be hosting the World Gesneriad Research Conference 2010, 12-17 October 2010. The largest gathering of gesneriad researchers in history, WGRC 2010 will feature scientific presentations and discussions on gesneriads with the goal of establishing a web-based coalition to facilitate future collaborations worldwide. Students and new researchers will be sponsored to attend WGRC 2010 to increase participation. A gesneriad exhibition, hosted by the Tampa Bay and Suncoast Chapters of The Gesneriad Society, will be held the final two days of the conference to showcase rare and unusual gesneriad from around the world and to encourage discussions and exchange between scientists, students and lay enthusiasts.

Thank you again for the ongoing support of the GRC. I look forward to sharing continued advancements in gesneriad research and conservation as we progress through this next year.

Sincerely ,

John R. Clark Director, Gesneriad Research Center

I'm back

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 16:14:00 +0000

This blog has been dormant for a while. I'm reactivating it as a way to continue communicating about The Gesneriad Society, Gesneriad Society Publications, and gesneriads in general.

First thing I've done is to update the list of my favorite gesneriad links, to your right. The links all work now and there's some great stuff there. If you have a favorite gesneriad link and it's not listed, please let me know.

Winston and Bill hold a Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 06:29:00 +0000

Last October Winston Goretsky sent an order for some copies of "How to Know and Grow Gesneriads" for a workshop that he and Bill Price would be holding in Calgary, Alberta. Here is a copy of the invitation in his club newsletter.

I responded with the suggestion that we also provide some "New Member Packets" in case any participants wanted to join The Gesneriad Society. Winston agreed, and we sent him 10 packets. To my surprise and delight he sold all 10 new memberships - nearly half of which were 3 year memberships! In one day the Canadian membership of The Gesneriad Society increased by by 10%! Congratulations, Winston, you are the champion so far in selling New Member Packets.

I asked Winston to give me more details about this very successful gesneriad event. Here is his story:

"We decided as a group to host a "Special Gesneriad Weekend Workshop" and invited everyone from Stampede City African Violet Society to attend. We also included the Edmonton African Violet & Gesneriad Society, as we often like to attend each other's events when possible and both groups have members in each other's groups. we invited Bill Price to be our speaker. we charted $20 per person to cover the cost of Bill's airfare, lunch and refreshments. We meet in the basement auditorium of a local Co-op grocery store.

"Bill flew in on Friday November 23rd and spent the weekend at our home with our 2 kids (Emily & Carter) and my wife Laurel. We scheduled the workshop for Saturday Nov 24th so that our out of town attendees would have time to travel to Calgary. The sessions were 9 Am to 5 PM with a lunch break and a mid-morning and mid-afternoon break for snacks and refreshments. There were 20 people in total, with 2 ladies travelling 380 miles round-trip from Edmonton, Alberta, and one gentleman who travelled 290 miles round-trip from Lethbridge, Alberta."

"We began by collecting a list of various topics from members so that each person's area of interest could be covered, or at least addressed. Bill spoke extensively on Sinningias, Chiritas, Petrocosmeas, Streptocarpus, Kohlerias, Smithianthas, Achimenes, Saintpaulia, etc. and also covered a wide range of other genera."

"Being the "Johnny Apple Seed" of the Gesneriad world, Bill generously brought a horrendous volume of cuttings, rhizomes, and tubers that could reclaim a clear-cut Brazilian rainforest. Everone got MORE than they ever expected to get, and as much of whatever they wanted without limit. Bill's kindness, eagerness, and willingness to share and promote Gesneriads is truly amazing and deeply appreciated by all."

"Initially, upon receiving the Know and Grow booklet as an existing member of The Gesneriad Society, I thought that this booklet needed to be made available to our general membership as a GOOD guide and useful resource. We agreed to order it and have it for sale to the members of our group and also to anyone who would attend the workshop weekend. Any extra copies could be sold at upcoming shows and sales and also to new members when they joined. I was encouraged to have some "New Member Kits" available for anyone wishing to buy a Gesneriad Society membership, and I asked for about 10 to 15 kits. Peter sent me 10 and I wonder what might have happened if I had received 15. We'll have to remember this approach for any future events, as the kits really do help sell the Society and Membership. Thanks, Winston."

Gesneriad Society New Member Packets

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 06:04:00 +0000

Every new member of The Gesneriad Society receives a "New Member Packet", consisting of a welcome letter, two back issues of Gesneriads/The Gloxinian, a copy of "How to Know and Grow Gesneriads", a packet of mixed gesneriad seed, a seed list, culture sheets, and a list of gesneriad suppliers. Until recently, this packet was mailed to new members after they joined. We have now created a "retail" version of the New Member Packet for "on-the-spot" membership sales at flower shows/sales, Chapter meetings, lectures, and workshops.A prospective new member may purchase their membership and immediately receive all these goodies in their packet, with the anticipation that they will also receive all the benefits of Gesneriad Society membership over the coming year, including four additional issues of Gesneriads, access to the Seed Fund, the Convention, Judging Schools, etc.Starting in September 2007, we have made these packets available to individuals and Chapters for their Shows, Sales, Lectures, and Workshops. A number of memberships have been sold this way. For example, I gave a talk on "Chiritas" at the New York State African Violet Society Convention this past October. At the talk I offered copies of "How to Know and Grow Gesneriads" for purchase as well as Gesneriad Society Memberships with the New Member Packet. I sold a couple of memberships this way.

If you are interested in having some New Member Packets for an upcoming event, please contact the Gesneriad Society Membership Secretary: membership@gesneriadsociety.org and Bob will be happy to send you some.

Website Kudos

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 23:09:00 +0000

From Jane Guild, American Primrose Society Editor:

"I wanted to tell you how very impressed I am with your website. It is everything anyone could ask for. You’ve done a great job."

From Peter: Check out the American Primrose Society's excellent website.

And from Elvin McDonald, founder of The American Gloxinia Society, now The Gesneriad Society: "Peter, I love our Web site! It makes me proud every time I visit."

Kudos to our Web Designer, Jesse James, and our Webmaster, Julie Mavity-Hudson!

"Know and Grow" is here!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 06:05:00 +0000

This week marks the official release of the new edition of "How to Know and Grow Gesneriads", a 56-page manual published by The Gesneriad Society and edited by yours truly. Many members of The Gesneriad Society contributed to the creation of this book. The Society last published such a manual decades ago, and there has long been a need for a basic reference on gesneriads and their culture."How to Know and Grow Gesneriads" includes an essay on "What is a Gesneriad"; descriptions of the kinds of gesneriads; descriptions and photographs of 25 popular gesneriad genera; and detailed cultural information. It will be especially useful for beginners and intermediate growers, but we hope that any gesneriad lover will enjoy it. Cover price is $10, and quantity discounts are available. Order it online at the Society's site or on Amazon.com.

Selby Gesneriad Activities

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:51:00 +0000

The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, in Sarasota, FL, is increasing their gesneriad-related activities. In 2005 the Board of The Gesneriad Society authorized an annual donation of $2500 for each of the next 5 years to help support these activities.

Currently the institution is working on establishing an endowment for a full time Gesneriad research position. Here is an excerpt from a letter from Bruce K. Holst, Interim Director, Center for Tropical Plant Science & Conservation at Selby:

"In May 2007, we assembled a small team of gesneriad specialists and volunteers to create a strategic plan for the Gesneriad Resource Center. Participating were myself, John R. Clark, Larry Skog, Jeanne Katzenstein, Melissa McDowell, Marge Schmiel, and Wes Higgins. While the plan continues to be refined, a main goal is to seek funding for the creation of a full-time gesneriad research and conservation chair at Selby Gardens. While we have done, and can do a lot of work with our volunteer base, having a paid position focusing on gesneriads will be of tremendous benefit to the science and conservation of gesneriad species. With the GRF collection at Selby Gardens and with the Smithsonian Institution’s decision not to hire another gesneriad researcher, Selby Gardens is well-positioned to play a leading role in gesneriad studies. This chair would anchor what would then become the Gesneriad Research Center, whose work it would be to conduct taxonomic work, help conserve species in the wild and in botanical gardens, provide information to members of The Gesneriad Society and the public about gesneriads, and help coordinate international conferences to raise interest in, and the profile of gesneriads worldwide."

Link: http://selby.org/

Visit to Selby

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:15:00 +0000

Lee Stradley visited the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, FL, after the July 2007 Gesneriad Society Convention. He took these pictures of Jeanne Katzenstein working on their gesneriad specimen collection.

Google publicizes us (as AGGS)

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 23:07:00 +0000

Using Gmail to correspond with a gesneriad friend the other day, I was presented with the following in the margin of email, courtesy of Google's automated system which scans email content and places sponsored and related links on the side:

Related Pages

AGGS Home Page
Offers complete culture information, membership benefits, resources, ...
www.aggs.org

Fortunately, The Gesneriad Society has kept the www.aggs.org domain address indefinitely, and it forwards to our current address of www.gesneriadsociety.org. I'm happy for the publicity courtesy of Google's automated system, and can't complain too much that they used our old domain name.

Links added

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 18:54:00 +0000

Per Paul's suggestion, I've added some links. If anyone has some other good gesneriad-related links, please let me know.

Peter

First day as President

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 18:45:00 +0000

Gesneriad Society Convention, Miami, Florida, 2:30 PM

At this afternoon's Board Meeting, the Board elected me President of The Gesneriad Society for a two-year term. As President I am looking forward to hearing from others who share an interest in gesneriads. How do we improve our Society, how can we serve our Members better, how can we spread the word about these wonderful plants so that others may share our enjoyment? Do you have suggestions for this blog -- content, links, photos? Please feel free to respond by commenting to my posts, or by emailing me (address link is in my Profile).

Good growing,

Peter