cfpacs CFPACS June meetings

[Mike Evans]

CFPACS June Meetings

Palm Presentations by Dr. John Dowe

Saturday and Sunday, June 12 and 13

Orlando and Largo

For our June meetings, CFPACS will host noted Australian palm expert Dr. John Dowe for

talks in Orlando and Largo Florida. In Orlando he will speak on Livistona, a palm genus that does

very well here in central Florida (including several species that are quite cold hardy). In

Largo Dr. Dowe will talk about the outstanding palm gardens in North Queensland,

Australia. Both talks will be illustrated with copious photographs. Come and bring a friend

to the location of your choice! These are FREE events and open to anyone. This event in Largo is co-hosted with the Pinellas County Extension service.

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Saturday, June 12

Orange County Extension

6021 South Conway Road

Orlando, FL 32812-3604

11:00 am • Magnolia Room

Livistona: An Introduction to the Genus and its Species

Livistona is among the most widespread and diverse palm genera. Thirty-six species are recognized, distributed

in NE Africa, S Arabia, SE and E Asia, Malesia, Melanesia and Australia, occurring in habitats as varied as

swamp-forest, heath, rainforest, coastal forests, open woodlands and arid areas. Three distinct species groups

are apparent and these are more or less confined to discrete geographical regions. Half of the species occur in

Australia, which is the area of greatest diversity. This talk will introduce the genus and its species; discuss what

separates the genus from other genera, and present aspects of its evolution and genetic relationships.

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Sunday, June 13

Florida Botanical Gardens

12520 Ulmerton Road

Largo, FL 33774

1:00 pm • Magnolia Room

A Palm Road-Trip: Visiting the Public Palm Collections of North Queensland, Australia

Situated in the tropical northeast of Australia, North Queensland offers some of the finest and most extensive public

palm collections in the world. The road-trip takes us from Townsville, the largest city in tropical Australia, through

the coastal towns of Ingham and Innisfail, the tourist city of Cairns, to the historical and remote township of

Cooktown, a distance of over 700 km. Along the way, we visit seven public botanic gardens, and focus on their

palm collections. These botanic gardens are administered and funded by local government authorities, and represent

different levels of expertise and organization. In total, over 700 species of palms are cultivated in these gardens, and

our road-trip examines unique aspects of each town, their histories and details about the botanic gardens and their

palm collection highlights.

Please register at Largo extension site only. No need to register for Orlando site: To register at Largo site, visit www.pinellascountyextension.org,. Click on the program "A Palm Road Trip - The Palms of Australia", and fill out registration. You may also call (727) 582-2100 to register. It is a FREE event so do not worry about any charges. This site has an extensive garden, so feel free to show up early, or stay after to tour their gardens.

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Dr John Leslie Dowe is a Research Botanist based at James Cook University, Townsville, Australia, and is a

Research Fellow with the Montgomery Botanical Center, Coral Gables, Florida. John has worked on the systematics,

ecology and taxonomy of Australia palms for the last 20 years, as well as in the southwest Pacific, New Guinea and

Florida. John has provided revisions of the Australian palm genera of Archontophoenix (1994), Caryota (1994),

Linospadix (1997), Licuala (2005), and Livistona (2009). His work in the southwest Pacific and New Guinea has

included a taxonomic account of the palms of Vanuatu (1996), a revision of Calyptrocalyx (2001) and research into

the rare and threatened species Carpoxylon macrospermum (1989, 1997). John has recently (Feb. 2010) published

the definitive reference work on Australian palms: 'Australian Palms: Biogeography, Ecology and Systematics',

published by CSIRO Publishing, Australia.

[Mike Evans]

Just a reminder for this weekend, 2 site, meeting & presentation. Everyone is invited. If you forgot to register for the Largo site, you can just walk in. There will be a silent auction at the Orlando meeting. There is a nice botanical garden to visit at the Largo site.

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