This month we have a note about a lover of palms, Mr. Sven Nehlin, who passed away last month. We highlight a story from the highlands of South America concerning the wax palms, Ceroxylon spp., and how they might be affected by possible changes to the landscape from open cow pasture to avocado groves. We always look forward to hearing from you! Let us know about your palm adventures!
Always up for supporting plant activities, Mr. Nehlin’s participation during an event on May 28th, 2017, at Topotpuy Gardens in Caracas, Venezuela. Photo by SADARBOL ©.
A Palm Fellow’s Farewell
Plant research and conservation recently suffered a great loss in Venezuela, when Mr. Sven Nehlin, passed away in the city of Caracas on October 28th only three days before his 92nd birthday. Born in the southern Swedish city of Saffle, Sven undertook studies in administration and later spent some years in Stockholm. where he worked for several local banks. Probably his first contact with Venezuela was in 1954, when he undertook administrative duties in the Swedish enterprise Sentab, which at that time was deeply involved with major construction activities in the flourishing northern South America country. One may guess that the first contact with the luxuriant tropical vegetation of this country deeply marked this newly arrived European. Venezuela was his new home since then!
Those who met Sven will always remember the rich gardens in the backyard of his house and his great passion for rare or useful species. These collections, in particular rare fruit trees and exotic palms, were in most cases generously shared with other public and private collections.