Medicinal Garden Project - Progress Report May 2007
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A list of medicinal plants to stock the Collection
has been compiled with the collaboration of Ann Walker
and Liz Williamson. Those medicinal plants already represented
in the Garden have been identified; seeds ordered from
commercial sources and from the Index Seminum publications
of Botanic Gardens around the World have been sown; Ann
Walker has generously donated specimens for multiplication.
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A presentation was made to a meeting of The Friends
of the Harris Garden. The HGP met with enthusiasm, and
a promise of support in the form of plant specimens. The
Friends’ generous provision of a labeling system
for the Garden has been discussed in the past, is on-going,
and would be invaluable to the HGP.
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A successful bid from the CETL-AURS fund was made
together with Paul Hatcher and Julie Hawkins to support
the creation of a student project portfolio integrating
the HGP with teaching and research beyond plant sciences.
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I have arranged for a Visiting Professor from China
to arrive in August for one year. He has published widely
on both medicinal plans and soft fruit. We have not determined
exactly what he will be researching here, but it is likely
to involve some aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine
(possibly Lycium chinense - goji berry).
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Negotiations have taken place between Stephen Jury
and Jim Rodda concerning collection recognition by the
NCCPG, and new collection acquisition.
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I have been accepted to join the European Cooperative
Programme for Crop Genetic Resources Networks (ECPGR)
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Working Group at a meeting
26-28 June 2007 in Olomouc, Czech Republic, in the place
of Stephen Jury.
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I have started discussions regarding our participation
in an EU-funded project on Medicinal Plant Use.
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Julie Hawkins led a successful bid for a Predoctoral
Fellowship for research on taxonomic relationships in
medicinal plants.
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I attended a DTI Global Watch Mission Seminar on Functionality
of Health Foods and Traditional Medicines in Chinese Culture
at Sainsbury’s Head Office, London.
Since the start of this Project I have had regular meetings/contacts
with Julia Wesley, Helen Dominick and Val Jasper, and it
is a pleasure to record the enthusiastic and unstinting
support for the Project from them and their staff.
Philip John, Director of
the HGP, May 2007
p.john@rdg.ac.uk
