Pupulin 2015 - Refugium Botanicum

The New Refugium Botanicum
Figures and Descriptions from Living Specimens of Little Known or New Plants of Botanical Interest
at Lankester Botanical Garden, University of costa Rica.
By Franco Pupulin
The Refugium Botanicum, edited made the series an extraordinary work that provided by this series, and will enjoy this
by W. Wilson Saunders (1809–1879) survived time. window on the botanical refuge created by
and printed in London between 1869 It may seem strange, in the era the University of Costa Rica at Lankester
and 1872, represents a classical example of molecular biology, to resurrect the Botanical Garden.
of the fine nineteenth-century books on romantic spirit of the Refugium Botanicum. —Franco Pupulin is a specialist in the
plants. Its long title, Refugium Botanicum There are, however, good reasons to do systematics and taxonomy of Neotropical
or Figures and Descriptions From Living so. The envisioned method of this work is orchids, He works as a Senior Research
Specimens, of Little Known or New Plants something we are accustomed to following Professor with the Universidad de Costa
of Botanical Interest, reflected the editor’s at Lankester Botanical Garden. We
Rica, where he is Head of Research at
intent to present interesting plants of proudly study living specimens whenever
the Lankester Botanical Garden and the
botanical merit to his readers. All plants possible, illustrating and describing them
were studied and illustrated by the best as such. Thanks to the collaboration of Editor-in-Chief of Lankesteriana, the
specialists from living specimens and an excellent illustrator, Sylvia Strigari, only international journal exclusively
accompanied by concise cultural notes. we have an artist who has made beautiful devoted to scientific orchidology. Franco
Saunders’ opus was a literary “botanical portraits of our plants since 2007. In most is associated in research with the Harvard
refuge,” a kind of romantic repository of cases, the plants are little known, though University Herbaria and the Marie Selby
species that were seldom, if ever, shown not completely new to the science. For Botanical Gardens. Universidad de Costa
to the public through plant magazines this reason, we are inaugurating a New Rica, Jardín Botánico Lankester, Costa
because of their inconspicuous habit or Refugium Botanicum, which is aimed at Rica; Harvard University Herbaria,
rarity in general cultivation. presenting illustrations (both watercolor Cambridge, Massachusetts; Marie Selby
The first part of and ink plates) and descriptions of living
Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, Florida
volume 2 of Refugium specimens that are interesting from a
([email protected]).
Botanicum, which botanical point of view, and grown in the
was entirely devoted vast collections of the Lankester Botanical
to orchids, appeared Garden at the University of Costa Rica.
at the beginning of The series, which will eventually
1870. The botanical take the shape of a book, mainly focuses
descriptions of on species from the Neotropical region.
this volume were These species are the specialty of orchid
Franco Pupulin prepared by the researchers at Lankester Botanical
time’s leading orchidologist, Heinrich Garden, but interesting plants from other
Gustav Reichenbach, or Reichenbach the tropical regions are featured as well. In
son (filius, 1824–1889). The renowned our portraits, we incorporate all the new
Scottish illustrator, Walter Hood Fitch evidence to improve the understanding
(1817–1892), was in charge of creating of the unrevealed diversity of orchids,
the accurate botanical plates. Since 1840, including data from morphology,
Fitch had been the sole artist for all official ecology, anatomy, DNA and pollination.
and unofficial publications issued by Kew I will personally edit the New Refugium
Royal Botanical Gardens and, among Botanicum, contributing some of the texts
other things, had painted the beautiful and botanical illustrations in ink. Other
illustrations for James Bateman’s A texts and illustrations will be contributed
Monograph of Odontoglossum (1864– by Diego Bogarín, Robert L. Dressler,
1874) and created more than 500 plates Melania Fernández, Adam Karremans,
for Hooker’s Icones Plantarum (1836– Christina Smith, Melissa Díaz and other
1876). He was also the editor of Curtis’s researchers and research assistants at
Botanical Magazine. Saunders himself Lankester Botanical Garden. Notes on
added short but useful notes on the cultural species culture will be distilled by the
requirements of each of the species unequalled experience of our gardeners,
portrayed in the Refugium Botanicum. who are responsible for a collection of
The texts of the Refugium Botanicum some 30,000 orchid specimens. Sylvia
were lucid and technically impeccable; Strigari will be the artist responsible for
however, they were not scientifically all of the botanical watercolors.
austere. The exquisite sketches and the We hope that the readers of the
brief comments on culture distilled from magazine will appreciate the mix of
Saunders’ lifetime career as a grower cutting-edge science and horticulture
www.AOS.org june 2015 Orchids 333

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The New Refugium Botanicum

www.AOS.org june 2015 Orchids 333

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