Meeting Kew’s Daisy Experts

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.

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.

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

Early Spring at Wakehurst Place (+video)

Man has had a close relationship with Nature throughout time. The passage from winter into spring has always been a special time. It is commemorated in spring festivals throughout the world. The first rays of spring sunshine and flowers bring smiles to faces even in dense cities. 

I was lucky to spend a bright sunny day at Wakehurst Place recently. Wakehurst Place is home to Kew's Millennium Seed Bank. Its conservation work and scientific research should help to ensure that Man's special connection to Nature continues for centuries to come. (The Vimeo video of my walk appears at the end of this blog).

A huge seed artwork greets you at the entrance to Wakehurst Place. Kew's Millennium Seed Bank is a world leader in plant conservation. It aims to bank 25% of the world's seeds by 2020. 

Displays inside the Millennium Seed Bank

I discovered some interesting videos, displays and figures about this important conservation work inside the building. As of 1st February 2017, the seed bank's staff have banked a total of:

• 2,200,964,170 seeds
• From 81,533 seed collections
• Representing 37,614 different species
• From 189 different countries

A Global Undertaking
Contractors were working on an extension to the vault space underneath the Millennium Seed Bank on the day of my visit. This extension will provide sufficient storage space for collections beyond 2020. There were students from Imperial College London and BSix College, as well as colleagues from Denmark, New Zealand, Belgium and Germany.

Staff and volunteers were working on cleaning seed collections from Azerbaijan during my visit. You could see into the labs through the glass viewing panes. The Millennium Seed Bank is truly an international effort.

Seeds come in all shapes, colours and sizes

Storage Process
I read a lot about how staff ensure optimum storage conditions for the seeds. Seeds are dried to reduce their moisture content and slow biological processes. The technique helps to avoid deterioration in storage at very low temperatures. Some seeds can last for hundreds of years if stored in this way. 

Staff have to be very careful when working in the vaults. They have to work quickly and wear protective suits. -20°C with a wind chill of around -27°C may be good for seed storage, but these are not good temperatures for human survival.

Staff wear protective suits inside the freezing seed vaults

Troublesome Seeds
The Seed Bank's research into how to store recalcitrant seeds is particularly interesting. Some species die if their moisture content drops below 40%. Coffee and avocado are two of the troublesome plants.

Recalcitrant Cocoa (left); a range of orthodox seeds (right)

The Great Green Wall
The Millennium Seed Bank is also sharing its expertise in seed collecting and the best propagation techniques with the world. The Great Green Wall initiatives in the Sahel and Sahara are helping to stabilise grass and tree roots to combat desertification. There are also pilot projects in other parts of Africa. The ambitious plan is to create a great green wall of plants and trees spreading across 13 countries.

Pressed Flowers

Pressed poppies on display

Seeing some pressed poppies brought back memories for me. If I had not taken up languages, life as a botanist would probably have been my alternative career choice. I often pressed flowers between the pages of my heaviest books and hid them under my bed as a child. A botanical version of Gerald Durrell perhaps?

My interest probably started with making daisy chains on my grandmother's lawn. My fascination with plants really took off after a cliff-walking holiday in Guernsey. The wild flowers were glorious there. 

My parents bought me a Collins Guide to Wild Flowers. I identified an amazing range of common and rare species in the local woods, hills and fields. I was lucky to live in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Somerset. I never did discover the rare Cheddar Pink (Dianthus gratianopolitanus). It only grows on the limestone rocks in a few places in the Mendip Hills and Cheddar Gorge.

Woodland Walk
After my tour of the Millennium Seed Bank's displays and different plant beds outside, I set off on a walk around Wakehurst Place's grounds. I followed a trail through Bethlehem Wood with some amazing exposed tree roots.

Walk through Bethlehem Wood

I discovered some black sheep in a field by Horsebridge Wood. I continued onward past some huge 'mushrooms' among Californian Redwoods until I was greeted at Westwood Lake by some noisy ducks.

Hillside full of spring crocuses

My favourite section of the walk was near the pond. You see the brightly-coloured winter stems of dogwoods and box leading to a hillside carpet of snowdrops and crocuses. It was a very tranquil spot with the sound of the running stream and occasional bird song.

I discovered a verse of New England poetry at the top of the hill:

Give fools their gold, and knaves their power;
Let fortune's bubbles rise and fall;
Who sows a field, or trains a flower,
Or plants a tree, is more than all.

From A Song of Harvest 

by John Greenleaf Whittier

The perfect verse for a wonderful spring day. A very fitting poem for Wakehurst Place as it takes great pains to ensure that the world's seeds will be passed on to future generations. 

Below you will find a Vimeo video of my walk through Wakehurst Place:


Spring 2017 Visit to Wakehurst Place from Karen Andrews on Vimeo.

Karen Andrews is a freelance French to English translator, transcreator, content writer and editor. She has a strong background in global marketing.

Email Karen for further information via karenanglicityen@gmail.com in French, German or English.

Green Environment Events 2017

A selective list of green urban environment, healthy water, air quality, biodiversity, nature conservation and climate change events:

7-9 March
Ecobuild
Focus: Sustainability in Building
Excel
London

8 March 6.30-8.30pm

Bristol Viewpoints: Waste Water and Water Waste

1^st in series of 3 free talks on water research

Bristol Natural History Consortium

Watershed

Bristol

13 March 6.30-8.30pm

Bath Viewpoints: How Water Shaped Bath

2^nd in series of 3 free talks on problems and solutions for waterways

Bristol Natural History Consortium

Bath Guildhall, Bath

13 March-31st March
Air Quality and Hydrogen Exhibition
City Hall
London

20 March 6pm

Placemaking and Planting

Kew Mutual Improvement Society Lecture

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

23 March 6.3—8.30pm

Keynsham Viewpoints: Healthy Water

3^rd in series of free talks on water research

Bristol Natural History Consortium

Keynsham Community Space

Bristol

28-30 March

Flood and Coast 2017

Theme: Risk, Resilience and Response in a Changing Climate

Telford International Centre

UK

Preview

30 March 8.30am-2pm
Low Emission freight logistics: all you need to know
ARUP Offices
London

13 April-15 October

IGA Berlin 2017

International Garden Design and Green Urban Lifestyle Exhibition

Berlin

Germany

Twitter: #IGABerlin

15-26 May 9am-5.30pm

Tropical Plant Identification Course

For conservation & environment professionals, graduate ethnobotanists, ecologists and zoologists

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

25-26 May

State of the World’s Plants Symposium 2017

Special Focus on Madagascar

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

8-25 June

Festival of Nature

Bristol Natural History Consortium

Bristol

Twitter: @festofnature

NB: Inclusion in this list does not constitute endorsement of any conference, event or third party. This list is for information purposes only. All details should be checked on the organisers' websites, as they may be subject to change.

Karen Andrews is a freelance French to English translator, transcreator, content writer and editor. She has a strong background in global marketing.

Email Karen for further information via karenanglicityen@gmail.com in French, German or English.

Overcoming the "curse" of technical knowledge

An origami swan - not as simple as it looks © M. Gove

An expert is very close to the technical details of his field on a daily basis. The terms become so familiar. He forgets how unfamiliar those same terms once were. This is known as the curse of knowledge.

Different target audiences

Many experts are unable to explain their subject simply. "Doing simple" feels very uncomfortable. It feels like you are "dumbing down" years of hard-earned education and painstaking research. Yet, there are many times when an expert needs to persuade or communicate with target audiences outside his field - for example:

·      to access funding and support

·      to maintain or renew existing funding

·      to influence policy-makers

·      to access the Media - both trade and non-trade press

·      to debate ethical and other issues with university management, etc

·      to work with the private sector

·      to launch and market a prototype or product

·      to seek advice from experts in other fields

·      to report on research progress

·      to present findings at international/multicultural conferences

·      to publish online, newsletters, emails, short videos, etc

·      to take advantage of the growing trend for MOOCs

·      to engage with the general public.

Academic writing

Academic writing often encourages an intellectual approach. It is seen as good to sound clever and obscure. You are supposed to sound like an expert. However, it is also said that you do not know your subject well enough if you cannot explain it simply. 

Cultural differences

There are also cultural differences in approach to academic writing. When studying in France, I remember English students being berated for a meandering style. Our writing was likened to that of the great French Renaissance philosopher Montaigne. As I loved Montaigne's essays, it felt like a compliment. However, if you wish your writing to be accepted in another culture, you have to conform to their current expectations and norms.

Rewriting

German academic writing expects the reader to find his own way. English academic writing requires clear guidance for the reader. English is the language of science. You need to publish in English if you wish to reach the widest possible audience. Rewriting can improve readability for target audiences outside the academic world. Machine translation will not convert academic German into academic English. Nor will it create material fit for 21st Century digital consumption. Greater attention needs to be paid to presentation and formatting as well as technical content.

Readability

Improving the readability of a text does not mean lowering the research's value or content. The simplest way to improve readability is to talk your subject through with someone outside your field. Explain your story and aims to them. A technical writer or professional translator is the perfect choice as they work with different target audiences on a daily basis. Their questions will help you fine-tune your material for your new audience. Your message is much more likely to be heard and understood.

Choose an expert

Simplicity may look simple. It takes time and thought. It is easy to underestimate the skill involved. It requires the hard-earned education and painstaking effort of an expert to make technical translation and writing look simple. 

If you would appreciate some expert help with your technical communications, email karen@anglicity.com or call Karen on +44 (0)20 8581 9369.

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is a

technical writer and 

translator with over

15 years' marketing

experience. Anglicity offers

marketing consultancy and

content marketing with a 

particular focus on innovation.