Basket made from Cyperus involucratus for storing 'injera' (bread made from
Eragrostis tef). This was one of 46 Ethiopian artefacts collected by Sally Bidgood for Kew's Economic Botany Collections, depicting aspects of rural life.
Collecting trips, in which Kew works with host institutions under Memoranda of Understanding, are an essential means of studying and documenting biodiversity in poorly-researched areas.
AS PART of a Darwin Initiative project, a team of Kew Assistant Scientific
Officers travelled to Mount Cameroon from 8 October to 6 November 1995 to
survey rain forestregeneration on two lava flows: the 1922 Idenau flow on
the wetter westerly side ofthe mountain and the 1959 Ekona flow on the drier
eastern slopes at higher altitude. The data are being compared with studies made
in 1938 and 1951 to provide an indication of species succession on these
areas of deeply fissured lava.
Contact: Sue Brodie (0181-332 5241)
Email: Sue Brodie
Naomi Rumball also travelled with the Cameroon team to study the use of local plants
in the Limbe area and acquire material for Kew's Economic Botany Collections.
With assistance from Joseph Nkafel and Limbe education staff, Naomi also
compiled a reference collection of over 30 minor forest products (mainly spices
and stimulants) from local markets, for use by the Limbe Botanic Garden Education
Section with duplicates for Kew. Limbe Gardens are actively involved in encouraging
the sustainable harvesting of forest products as these form an important
part of the subsistence economy. Artefacts collected in Cameroon are on
display in the Victoria Gate Visitor Centre.
Contact: Contact: Naomi Rumball (0181-332 5726)
Email: Naomi Rumball
FROM 23 September- 13 December 1995, Sally Bidgood undertook joint fieldwork
in Ethiopia with staff from The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa, and The Botanical Museum,
Copenhagen. Collections were made in NW Ethiopia, which has long been inaccessible
due to civil war, and in the remote southwest, where there is a rich but
poorly-known flora. A total of 765 specimens was collected and within those
named so far are several new records for the country, one species new to
science, and a recollection of Satanocrater fellatensis(Acanthaceae)
that was known only from the original 150 year-old collection.
Basket made from Cyperus involucratus for storing 'injera' (bread made from
Eragrostis tef). This was one of 46 Ethiopian artefacts collected by Sally Bidgood for Kew's Economic Botany Collections, depicting aspects of rural life.
Contact: Contact: Sally Bidgood (0181-332 5433)
Email: Sally Bidgood
A TEAM from Kew, the Pakistan National Agricultural Research Council and
the Himalayan Jungle Project mounted a seed collecting expedition into northern
Pakistan from 15 August to 19 September 1995. This area of western Himalaya
is recognised as a region of high floral endemism by IUCN and somes pecies
are under significant threat. Kew's living collections are under-represented
by natural source material from the region so the collections and field research were required toimprove Kew's ex situ representation
of the flora and to complement Pakistan's own research and conservation work.
Some 200 seed collections were made and these are now being germinated; seed
samples have also been conserved in the Kew Seed Bank. Some of the plants
will be displayed in the Irano-Turanian woodland being developed at Wakehurst
Place and the collections made of Betula utilis will extend the genetic representa-tion of the National Collection of Betula, also at Wakehurst. All collections are covered by Memoranda of Understanding and discussions are underway on
possible ways in which assistance could be given to conservation and sustained
development in the area. The expedition in Pakistan was generously sponsored
by Mr and Mrs Hugh Stevenson.
Left: Detail of E. gerardiana. The species is the principal source of
natural ephedrine.
Left: Gathering berries of Ephedra gerardiana growing in northern Pakistan;
10,000 berries were collected specifically for Kew's Seed Bank.
Contact: Contact: Mike Sinnott (0181-332 5527)
Email: Mike Sinnott
BILL BAKER spent seven weeks collecting rattans and other palms in Papua New Guinea, accompanied by Tim Utteridge(University of Hong Kong), as part of a European Union funded rattan project. They found a large number of palm species and made many exciting collections, some of which may prove to be new taxa. New Guinea's palms are poorly known and extensive fieldwork is required before an accurate account of the family can be written for the island.
Contact: Bill Baker (0181-332 5224)
Email: Bill Baker