Insects love the Daisy family. Daisies were my first
botanical love as I sat on my grandparents’ front lawn. Their showy flowers
cheer us with a profusion of colour and the happy sound of buzzing bees.
It was with great relish that I visited Kew Gardens for the
latest in the popular series of Meet the
Expert tours. September’s focus is on Compositae
(Asteraceae), more generally known as the Daisy or Sunflower plant family. In
the first tour of the month, Dr Nick Hind, Kew’s Compositae expert and Lucy Bell, horticulturalist on the Great
Broad Walk Borders shared their knowledge and enthusiasm with our lucky group
of multinational visitors.
Compositae or Asteraceae are the world’s largest family
of flowering plants. They grow on every continent except Antarctica. Kew’s State of the World’s Plants 2017 estimated
the family’s size at 1,600 genera with 32,581 species. September is a particularly
good time to admire their late summer colour.
 |
| Echinacea, Cone Flower |
History
The tour began at the edge of Kew’s Great Broad Walk
Borders. Kew has relatively few herbaceous borders, as its main focus is on plant science, conservation and research. Lucy Bell explained the history of the
Great Broad Walk Borders. The Broad Walk is a wide path that runs from the Palm
House to the Orangery. Kew’s first official director, William Hooker, appointed
Decimus Burton as its architect and William Nesfield as landscape architect.
What’s in the name?
The existing borders maintained by Lucy and her assistant
Maya are 3 years old and were created as part of a colourful redesign. Lucy
drew our attention to the radiate heads of the family with its ray and disk
florets. What most of us assume is a single flower is in fact a series of
compact inflorescences. These composite flowers are the origin of the daisy
family’s oldest Latin name of Compositae.
Asteraceae is accepted as an equally
valid family name. It is named after the star-like inflorescence of the Aster, the first-named or type genus in
the family.
 |
| Star-shaped flower |
Pollination
A wide range of pollinators visit the Daisy family. As if on
cue, the pollinators arrived on Helenium. The flowers open systematically The red and
yellow ray florets attract pollinators to the discoid florets. The changing shape
of the flowers help ensure that bees do not waste time with already pollinated
flowers.
Other Compositae
on view in the Great Broad Walk Borders were: Achillea, Aster, Centaurea, Cichorium, Cynara, Echinacea, Echinops, Heliopsis,
Inula, Ostospermum, Rudbeckia and Symphyotrichum.
 |
| Achillea |
Gardening Advice
For the gardeners in our group, our expert horticulturalist extolled the virtues of the Chelsea Chop. This term refers to the practice of reducing plants by a third in May around the time of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. It seems brutal at the time. The rewards are reduced staking and more compact growth.
 |
| Rudbeckia |
In the Kew Herbarium
For the second part of the tour, our group were lucky to go behind the scenes on an exclusive visit Kew’s Herbarium. Our expert, Dr Nick Hind, met us there. He is Kew’s expert in the scientific research and conservation of Compositae. He proudly advised that he is Kew’s oldest member of staff, but his enthusiasm for Kew, the Herbarium and his research subject are self-evidently undimmed. In fact, not only did we learn about the purpose and functioning of the Herbarium, we also heard more about the building’s architecture than I heard during my 2017 Open House London tour.
For the second part of the tour, our group were lucky to go behind the scenes on an exclusive visit Kew’s Herbarium. Our expert, Dr Nick Hind, met us there. He is Kew’s expert in the scientific research and conservation of Compositae. He proudly advised that he is Kew’s oldest member of staff, but his enthusiasm for Kew, the Herbarium and his research subject are self-evidently undimmed. In fact, not only did we learn about the purpose and functioning of the Herbarium, we also heard more about the building’s architecture than I heard during my 2017 Open House London tour.
 |
| Dr Nick Hind in Kew's Herbarium with open Rubiaceae cabinet behind |
Dr Hind Explains Herbaria
Dr Hind explained that a herbarium is a store of pressed, dried plants. We heard about the process and labelling in detail. Kew’s Herbarium is one of the largest in the world. At the mention of fireproof cabinets, my blood ran cold thinking of the devastating fire at the Brazilian National Museum just the day before. The fire has underlined the importance of digitising Kew’s collections and those of other precious collections worldwide. The original specimens remain irreplaceable.
In the Newer Vaults
Following a reorganisation, the two largest collections, Compositae (Asteraceae) and Leguminosae (Fabaceae) were rehoused. Dr Hind
took us into the modern
Compositae vault. Gone are the
cupboards. Specimens are stored in fireproof boxes in compactor shelving to
optimise space. The vault is air-conditioned and temperature-controlled between
14 and 15°C. Beetles are the bane of every herbarium
curator. The low temperature prevents them from breeding. If two spells of
freezing aren’t enough before the specimens arrive in the vault, any recalcitrant
beetle will soon find itself headed for the freezers again just two floors
away.
Dr Hind claimed or admitted that he is the person
responsible for the reclassification
of the Michaelmas Daisy within the family. Gardeners
may find this confusing, however the name changes reflect advances in DNA
research and increased botanical understanding.
As well as showing us specimens collected by Charles Darwin,
Dr Hind shared his latest work with us. He is currently working on an article
for Curtis’s
Botanical magazine on Echinacea
tennesseensis. This is a long-flowering plant with beautiful pink ray florets and erect stem. Inevitably, herbarium specimens lose colour in the drying process.
By placing a botanical drawing alongside, Dr Hind brought the specimen’s full
glory to life.
As we left the building, we were lucky to meet the talented Japanese botanical artist, Masumi Yamanaka, with her flower specimen in hand. As much we value digitisation to preserve the past, we must surely retain the breathtaking skills of botanical artists too. Digital copies can have the unfortunate habit of becoming inaccessible due to software updates. Original artworks continue to enthrall and inspire across the ages.
As we left the building, we were lucky to meet the talented Japanese botanical artist, Masumi Yamanaka, with her flower specimen in hand. As much we value digitisation to preserve the past, we must surely retain the breathtaking skills of botanical artists too. Digital copies can have the unfortunate habit of becoming inaccessible due to software updates. Original artworks continue to enthrall and inspire across the ages.
The tour overran, such was the enthusiasm of our expert
guides. I’m looking forward to my
next tour.
The Compositae tour will be repeated at 11.30am on Tuesdays in September 2018. I noted that due to popularity, the booking system for Kew’s Meet
the Expert tours has changed. You now need to book a free ticket on entry via
the kiosks at Victoria Gate. You can book from 10am. There are only 15 places
each Tuesday so it is best to book as early as possible to avoid
disappointment. You will be collected from Victoria Plaza/the information desk
just before or at 11.30am. Enjoy!
Previous Kew Blogs and Videos
Happy Fungus Day!
– 8 October 2017 –
(NB: State of the World’s
Plants Symposium 2018 to focus on fungi)
Early Spring at
Wakehurst Place (+ video) – 5 March 2017
Kew’s Indian Orchid
Festival (+ video) – 26 February 2017
Christmas Spectacle
at Kew Gardens – 2 December 2016
From British Winter
to Brazilian Tropics – 2 March 2016
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