Special Invite: NTBG, Kauai Palm Collections

HIPS has been invited by Tiffany Knight, Director of Science and Conservation at the National Tropical Botanic Garden (NTBG), Kauai, to tour the McBryde Pritchardia collection (not open to the public) and the McBryde and Allerton palm collections.  The garden has an extensive collection of over 900 Hawaiian Pritchardia palms from most all of the known species throughout the islands.  

The event will include tours over two days within the McBryde and Allerton gardens and a dinner presentation at the research center. Attendance is limited to 50 people.  

This tour is a fundraising event for the NTBG Science and Conservation Center to support their efforts in Hawaiian Pritchardia research, conservation, and collection management.  Now more than ever, due to Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle infestations on Kauai it is critical that action is taken to protect Hawaii's Pritchardia biodiversity.

We will learn more about their plans on using phylogenetics to help gardens identify species of Pritchardia and perhaps provide information about what wild population the specimen may have descended from.  We will also hear about their program to distribute Pritchardia palms to the public.

Tiffany Knight, Susan Fawcett (she gave the Pritchardia lecture at UH last year), and the wonderful NTBG plantsman Dave Lorence will be our guides.

A minimum donation of $100 is required to attend this event payable at registration.  HIPS will give 100% of the money donated to NTBG.

Registration to open in October.