A west side garden tour offered for the first time!
George and Lynn Peavy welcome us to their beautiful west side garden. Their garden includes over 300 individual palms representing 124 species, including all 4 species of Johannesteijsmannia, 3 species of Raphia (regalia, hookerii, and mambillensis), Geonoma atrovirens, Sclerosperma mannii, Schippa concolor, Voaniola gerardii, and 3 of the 5 species of Pritchardia native to the Big Island.
During registration, you will be able to select a morning (10:00 am) or afternoon session (2:00 pm).
Directions to the parking area will be provided upon confirmation and sent out to registrants again a couple of days before the event.
From George and Lynn:
We purchased the property as a relatively undeveloped 8 acre parcel in 2003 with a plan of it becoming our retirement home, and began development as absentee owners. Approximately 6 acres are in commercial production (citrus, coffee and dragon fruit), 1 acre of buildings and botanical garden, and 1 acre of ancient terraces and rock walls that are gradually being hand cleared for expansion of the garden.
Top Left: Coccothrinax crinita Top Right: Bentinckia condapanna Bottom Left: Genoma atrovirens Bottom Right: Vonitra utilis
Our first year was devoted to planning and permitting. Clearing and preparation of the orchard spaces started in 2005 with installation of the orchards in 2006-2007. We began planning and installing trees and palms in 2008 in order to establish canopy before our retirement, although the addition of palms is a continuously on-going adventure. Following retirement in 2016 we moved to the Big Island and began the construction of our home and other farm structures, while broadening the garden with a diverse collection of crotons, aroids, bromeliads and other tropical plants.
Left: Sclerosperma manaii Right: Voaniola gerardii
HIPS is happy to host Jiro and Zhereeleen. a husband and wife team who have just completed palm surveys in the Philippine islands of Samar, Sibuyan, and Luzon, discovering many new palm species and observing many variations in morphology that pose several taxonomic mysteries that require further studies to resolve.
A remnant population of Livistona saribus in Basey, Samar with several cultivated Cocos nucifera in the background. Photos by J.T. Adorador, Palms Journal Vol 61 (4) 2017.
Often referred to as the Galapagos of the Philippines, Sibuyan island has never been part of the Philippine archipelago geologically speaking, and with its varying topography it offers much to explore.
Jiro Adorador is a botanist and assistant professor at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) who specializes in the taxonomy, ecology, and conservation of native Philippine palms (Arecaceae). He has been involved in the discovery and formal description of several new palm species including Adonidia zibabaoa, a new species found on karst formations in central Samar Island.
Zhereeleen Mendez Adoradora, is an assistant professor at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) . Though her focus is on orchids, she often lends her talent in the field to palm expeditions and has been a co-author on several palm articles describing Pinanga gruezoi and Adonidia zibabaoa. She recently described Pseuderia samarana (Orchidaceae) from Samar island, found while surveying palms – a genera new to the Philippines.
HIPS has been invited by Tiffany Knight, Director of Science and Conservation at the National Tropical Botanic Garden (NTBG), Kauai, to tour the McBryde Pritchardia collection (not open to the public) and the McBryde and Allerton palm collections. The garden has an extensive collection of over 900 Hawaiian Pritchardia palms from most all of the known species throughout the islands.
The event will include tours over two days within the McBryde and Allerton gardens and a dinner presentation at the research center. Attendance is limited to 50 people.
This tour is a fundraising event for the NTBG Science and Conservation Center to support their efforts in Hawaiian Pritchardia research, conservation, and collection management. Now more than ever, due to Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle infestations on Kauai it is critical that action is taken to protect Hawaii's Pritchardia biodiversity.
We will learn more about their plans on using phylogenetics to help gardens identify species of Pritchardia and perhaps provide information about what wild population the specimen may have descended from. We will also hear about their program to distribute Pritchardia palms to the public.
Tiffany Knight, Susan Fawcett (she gave the Pritchardia lecture at UH last year), and the wonderful NTBG plantsman Dave Lorence will be our guides.
A minimum donation of $100 is required to attend this event payable at registration. HIPS will give 100% of the money donated to NTBG.
Registration to open in October.
Contact Us:
Hawaiiislandpalmsociety@gmail.com
550 Akolea Rd
Hilo, Hi 96720
