The Department of Botany was honoured that HRH Princess Maha Chakra Sirindhorn opened a new Garden in the newly formed square outside the Botany Building on Saturday September 6th. The square was formed and the garden developed following the demolition of the ‘temporary’ huts that have stood there for many decades.
HRH Princess Maha Chakra Sirindhorn planting the rhododendron.
HRH planted a native plant from Thailand in the garden – Rhododendron arboretum Sm. subsp. delavayi (Franch.) D.F. Chamb.. The plant was sent especially for the occasion by a former Ph.D. student of the department, Dr. Somran Suddee, who is now a senior staff member of the Royal Forest Department in Thailand. The Rhododendron, grown from wild collected seed, will enhance the pollination aspect of the garden (see: http://royalista.com/37865/princess-sirindhorn-gets-a-taste-of-irish-nature/ (link to external site)).
Fraser, Tom and Somran.
HRH’s visit to TCD occurred prior to her opening the 16th Flora of Thailand conference in the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Her visit to TCD allowed her to see the work undertaken by staff and students in the Plant Systematics research group in TCD on that, and other related, projects. Amongst other items HRH was shown the type specimen of Buxus sirindhorniana W.K.Soh, von Sternb., Hodk. & J.Parn. recently named after her by the systematics team. See: Nordic Journal of Botany, 32: 452–458, 2014 – doi: 10.1111/njb.00314
HRH and the Provost.
The Irish connection continued at the conference in Kew where following the opening by HRH the plenary address given by John Parnell looked at the work of the early 20thC Irish botanist A.F.G. Kerr and his colleagues. See about 6:29 into the video that appeared on all Thai Television channels.
