Wednesday 14th February, Education and Visitor Centre, 3pm
How plants are named
Matthew Jebb, Director National Botanic Gardens Ireland
Plant naming goes back as far as our earliest ancestors, but it was the Swedish botanist, Carl Linnaeus, who was the first to put the science of taxonomy on a proper systematic footing in 1753. As Linnaeus pointed out, “If you do not know the names of things, the knowledge of them is lost too”. Each year some 2,000 new plant species are named for the first time. The scene of these discoveries can be in the underexplored mountains and forests of the world, but equally they can take place in the great herbaria and museums of the world, where new species may have been collected over a hundred years ago, but are still coming to light. Within the National Herbarium our researchers continue to describe new species and revise our understanding of the plant world.
Education & Visitor Centre, Free event, no need to book
Wednesday 28th February, Education and Visitor Centre, 3pm
A Botanical Bounty – The Hows and Whys of Building Plant Collections
Darach Lupton, Curator National Botanic Gardens Ireland
Botanic garden plant collections are crucial for biodiversity conservation, scientific research, education and public engagement. How and why we acquire these plants varies greatly – from exciting expeditions in exotic locations to the everyday parcel in the post, the methods and motivations involved are diverse. To illustrate this and highlight their often hidden value, Dr Darach Lupton, Curator of the National Botanic Gardens will explore the origins of selected plants and how they support conservation, education and public engagement.
Education & Visitor Centre, Free event, no need to book
Wednesday 13th March, Education and Visitor Centre, 3pm
Insights on Off-site Bryophytes – Ex situ conservation of mosses and liverworts
Christina Campbell, National Herbarium of Ireland
With over 800 species found in Ireland, mosses, liverworts and hornworts (collectively known as bryophytes) form a large component of our biodiversity and play significant ecological roles. However, many species have declined and even vanished from our landscapes due to pressures such as habitat loss, land use change and pollution. According to the Irish Red List of Bryophytes, around 20% of our bryophyte species are threatened with extinction. Complementary to in situ (on-site) conservation efforts, ex situ (off-site) conservation techniques, such as in vitro cultivation (tissue culture) and cryopreservation (long-term storage in liquid nitrogen), can act as a reserve for rare and threatened species and their genetic diversity. This talk will highlight the work being undertaken at the National Botanic Gardens on an ex situ conservation programme for Ireland’s threatened and legally protected bryophyte species.
Education & Visitor Centre, Free event, no need to book
Wednesday 27th March, Education and Visitor Centre, 3pm
Looking a Little Deeper – What DNA Can Tell Us About Plants,
Colin Kelleher, Keeper National Herbarium of Ireland
From the humble beginnings of garden experiments to large-scale genome sequencing, the study of inheritance and DNA has expanded our understanding of life and its origins. In the National Botanic Gardens we use DNA techniques to learn about the origins of plant populations, to help us to decipher evolutionary relationships and to identify plants from tiny fragments. In this talk, Dr Colin Kelleher, Keeper of the National Herbarium, will talk about the use of DNA in our studies on plants.
Education & Visitor Centre, Free event, no need to book
Wednesday 10th April, Education and Visitor Centre, 3pm
The Wonders of Herbarium and the Secrets Held by Preserved Plant Specimens
Wuu Kuang Soh, National Herbarium of Ireland
Herbaria, repositories of preserved plant specimens, have become indispensable resources for botanical research, education, and records of natural history. Dr. Wuu Kuang Soh, a botanist at NBG, will delve into the historical significance of herbarium collections and their modern-day applications. His talk will shed light on how these invaluable archives contribute to scientific discoveries, species identification, and the tracking of ecological changes over time. These collections are not just dusty old records – they are essential tools for scientists, educators, and anyone who cares about the future of our environment.
Education & Visitor Centre, Free event, no need to book
Wednesday 24th April, Education and Visitor Centre, 3pm
Seeds for Survival – Establishing the National Seed Bank at the National Botanic Gardens
Darren Reidy, Botanist National Herbarium Ireland
Education & Visitor Centre, Free event, no need to book
In a in a time of global ecological crisis, botanic gardens and herbaria are responding by adapting their collections to ensure the conservation of the global flora. Seed banks are an effective method of ex situ plant conservation, capable of conserving genetic diversity of rare and threatened flora should they become lost in the wild. Establishing the National Seed Bank at the National Botanic Gardens to ensure the long term survival of Ireland’s threatened flora has become a key target in the recently published National Biodiversity Action Plan (2023-2030). Botanist, Dr Darren Reidy, will discuss the importance of seed conservation, how our seed bank will act as an ark for Ireland’s rare plants, and it’s potential for future restoration efforts.
Education & Visitor Centre, Free event, no need to book