Lunchtime crept up on us and we returned to Jodrell
for a buffet feast prepared for us by Eric Taylor. Admiring with
our eyes whilst waiting in line to serve ourselves, I commented
to Fous de Palmiers Monsieur & Madame Renard, from Montpellier
how good everything looked, and Jean Luc jokingly replied that the
British had surely made a special effort since they knew they were
playing host to the French. When I passed this on to British members
present I was asked to assure the French that the Brits eat like
this every day! Three cheers to Eric for the copious spread appreciated
so much by all the visitors. We enjoyed our meal sitting on the
lawn of the lecture theatre, getting to know each other better and
sharing notes.
Next on the programme, was a talk by Dr John Dransfield,
entitled "My Favourite Palms". He, too, illustrated his
talk with slides showing us a vast array of many peoples' favourites,
including his own. We all puzzled at the final slide of an extremely
unusual palm in the garden of Marty Darian in Vista, California.
Dr Dransfield and Natalie Uhl of Cornell University in New York
had spent a good while contemplating this specimen in total mystification,
before learning that it was a sculpture and made of 100% steel!
Chamaedorea metallica eat your heart out!
Following Dr. Dransfield's talk, we once again divided
into our two groups. Alternately one group took the short coach
ride to the Palm Centre nearby to admire and buy some of the extensive
collection of palms, cycads, and books for sale (there was a run
on the rare and highly prized Needle Palm - Rhapidophyllum hystrix).
Meanwhile the other group was escorted by David
Cooke to the Temperate House to look at the non-tropical palms with
which we Europeans are more familiar, and thence to the palm nursery
where seeds are sown and seedlings are raised.
Palm Day at Kew
