Naturally, these informative talks whetted our appetites,
even more so for those of us who, like myself, had never been there,
to visit the Palm House in person. As David concluded, the lights
came up, and we split into 2 groups to make the long-awaited visit,
with Sue and David acting as guides.
We had been told it was hot inside, and I was ready
for it (remember, I was dressed appropriately). After all, I used
to live in Florida. Stepping inside it was like a quick trip to
Fort Lauderdale in July, and here I was, in London. As some Fous
de Palmiers would remark it was the 'depaysment complet'. Of course
it was not only the climate that reminded me of Florida, but also
the lush vegetation, with luxuriant palms gracing every vista. Tony
King of E.P.S. predicted that his glasses would fog up in seconds.
He was right. A few minutes later I discovered the reason why Martin
Gibbons was wearing a tie for palm day.... it came in handy for
wiping the condensation off his camera lens.
Periodically, jets of mist would send a warm vapour
throughout the Palm House, making the extremities of the north and
south wings disappear when one was in the centre transept, and bringing
to mind images we tourists have of the famous London fog.
Of course, I can't begin to name all the palms we
saw. I was puzzled by one fine specimen I took to be a Butia and
was rather surprised to find it in this tropical clime. Dr Dransfield
told me it was a Syagrus, and David later told me that for years
it was labelled Butia, until recently when it was reclassified.
Imagine coming of age and then having your name changed. That's
what happened to this palm. Wasn't it Shakespeare who wrote "What's
in a name?..." Whatever we call it, this palm is thriving and
gorgeous.
Palm Day at Kew
