Sixty-Five Years of The International Palm Society by Dr. John Dransfield In this issue, our very own Dr. John Dransfield inaugurates a continuing series of narratives acknowledging the International Palm Society and recognizing the synergy between academic palm botanists and our mission of research, education, and conservation. I joined the Palm Society (as it was […]
Let the Celebrations Begin! by Andy Hurwitz Announcing the 65th anniversary International Palm Society fundraising campaign for our general endowment. As I am sure many have noticed, frequent palm-related scientific reports begin with this very FIRST sentence: “Generous support from International Palm Society enabled us…” (e.g., PALMS, 62(2): 87. 2018). In fact, according to IPS […]
PIMBY (Palms In My Backyard) by Andy Hurwitz Thankfully, this is our final newsletter of the year, which indicates 2020 is nearly done. Needless to say, this has been a [insert pejorative adjective here] year for us all.I thought it might be enjoyable (and challenging!) to devote this edition to favorite palm photographs taken in […]
Save the Species by Andy Hurwitz The International Palm Society, a not-for-profit organization, struggles mightily to limit the ubiquitous worldwide destruction of palm habitat. Obviously, this requires significant financial support and thankfully our membership has always been generous. In observance of giving Tuesday (always the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, hence December 1, 2020) this issue […]
Extra-Tropical Palms by Andy Hurwitz After the splendid virtual biennial in the Mascarene Islands, it’s time to return to the somewhat less-than-tropical climates that most of us (and our palms) must endure. I figured that after four months of tropical waves gently breaking upon warm sandy beaches, this photo might jolt us back into reality. […]
A Virtual Tour of Rodrigues Island by Andy Hurwitz Rodrigues Island, part of the independent republic of Mauritius, is 110 km² and characterized by a gently sloping terrain with a maximal elevation of only 390 m. Sadly, deforestation is common throughout the archipelago. Reunion’s steep vertical challenges are clearly protective, mitigating against human encroachment. Consequently, […]
A Virtual Tour of Mauritius Our post-Biennial trip takes us about 150 km east of Reunion Island, along a submerged ridge known as the Seychelles-Mauritius plateau, to the island nation of Mauritius. Mauritius is a volcanic island in Indian ocean. It is about 8 million years old, making it the most ancient island in the […]
SAVING TAHINA — YOU CAN HELP PalmTalk (the public forum of the International Palm Society) is initiating a program to preserve Tahina spectabilis, an endangered palm that PalmTalk brought to the world’s attention in 2007. The discovery of this enormous, new palm generated worldwide interest, but now due to its extremely limited and fragile range in […]
So many IPS members were looking forward to visiting Reunion Island for the 2020 IPS Biennial. The coronavirus pandemic forced us to forgo planned travel and group events, and stay-at-home orders have us longing to get outside. In lieu of a real hike in forest, we offer you this virtual hike. The islands of the […]
Palms and Art Regretfully, this was the month we were to convene on Réunion Island for an undoubtedly memorable biennial experience. Obviously, this was not possible. Instead, we shall indulge in armchair travel through the eyes of great artists. Given that Réunion is an overseas department of France, I will dedi-cate this newsletter to French […]