Plant Species in the Florilegium

Aeschynanthus tricolor is a member of the Gesneriaceae family, a key research focus for RBGE scientists. Many of the specimens that can be found in the RBGE Research Collection were collected in Malaysia in 1962 by Bill Burtt (1913-2008).

Aeschynanthus tricolor by Jenny Bache, 2019

Commonly known by its Māori name kauri, Agathis australis is a coniferous tree from the Araucariaceae family. It can be found growing in the RBGE Temperate Lands Glasshouse and is part of the International Conifer Conservation Programme that was established at the RBGE in 1991.

Agathis australis by Sharon Tingey, 2019

Amorphophallus bulbifer, also known as the voodoo lily or titan aroid, can be found in the RBGE Research Glasshouses. It is a close relation of Amorphophallus titanum (titan arum) which flowered for the first time in Scotland at RBGE in 2015.

Amorphophallus bulbifer by Sansanee Deekrajang, 2019

Haemanthus humilis subspecies hirsutus is a perennial bulbous member of the Amaryllidaceae family that can be found growing in the Arid Lands Glasshouse at RBGE. The specimen was collected in Swaziland in 1966 by Bill Burtt (1913-2008) who joined RBGE in 1951 and was influential in developing new research programmes, many of which continue to the present day.

Haemanthus humilis subsp. hirsutus by Sarah Howard, 2019

Iris bucharica, a member of the Iridaceae family, is a bulbous herbaceous perennial from Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The RBGE material, found in the Alpine House, was collected by John Mitchell, a supervisor in the RBGE Horticulture team. 

Iris bucharica by Lizzie Sanders, 2019

Musa is a genus in the Musaceae family that includes bananas and plantains. More than 20 species can be found growing in the RBGE Glasshouses, including both wild collected and cultivated specimens.

Musa gracilis by Narongsak Sukkaewmanee, 2019

Pelargonium insularis is a critically endangered species that was discovered in 1999 on the island of Samha by Tony Miller, an RBGE scientist. This was the first time that this genus was recorded from the Soqotra Archipelago. 

Pelargonium insularis by Jan Miller, 2019

Pelargonium insularis by Gülnur Ekşi, 2015

Pinus balfouriana, the foxtail pine, was described from specimens collected by John Jeffrey (1826-1854) on a botanical expedition to Oregon. It is named after John Hutton Balfour who was Regius Keeper at RBGE from 1845 to  1880.

Pinus balfouriana by Nicola Macartney, 2019

Pyrostegia venusta, commonly known as flamevine, is a member of the Bignoniaceae family from Brazil. It can be found in the Lowland Tropics Glasshouse at RBGE.

Pyrostegia venusta by Gloria Newlan, 2019

Quercus glauca is a member of the Fagaceae family and is native to eastern and southern Asia, where it is found in Afghanistan Bhutan, China, northern and eastern India, southern Japan, Kashmir, Korea, Myanmar, Nepal and Vietnam. It can be found growing in the RBGE Woodland Garden and the Temperate Lands Glasshouse.

Quercus glauca by Nicola Macartney, 2019

Rhododendron superbum subspecies superbum, a vireya rhododendron in the Ericaceae family, was first introduced into cultivation by Professor Hermann Sleumer from seed collected in Papua New Guinea in 1961; plants grown from these seeds can still be found in RBGE's Research Collections. George Argent (1941-2019) joined RBGE in 1974 and authored more than 130 new species and varieties from a range of plant families, culminating in his seminal book Rhododendrons of Subgenus Vireya, first published in 2006, with a second edition in 2015. 

Rhododendron superbum subsp. superbum by Leigh Tindale, 2019

Scoliopus bigelovii can be found growing in the RBGE Alpine House and Rock Garden. A member of the Liliaceae family it is also known as fetid adder's tongue.

Scoliopus bigelovii by Sharon Tingey, 2019

Zygopetalum maculatum is a fragrant orchid, native to Peru, Bolivia and Brazil, that can be found in RBGE's Temperate Orchid collection. 

Zygopetalum maculatum by Mike May, 2019