Research Training Program

Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History

PROJECT SUMMARY
1985

Selma Hanel
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, MA

Laurence Skog, Ph.D.
Supervising Scientist
Department of Botany

3 June 1985 - 23 August 1985

"The program introduced me to professionals, graduate students, and recent college graduates; through them I was able to focus my curiosity in plants into a career based on an appreciation of plant taxonomy and diversity."

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Gesneriaceae Cultivation

The Gesneriaceae is a large family comprised mostly of tropical herbs and shrubs. This family includes many popular cultivated ornamentals, including African Violets and Gloxinias. Over 300 different members are grown and studied by Dr. Lawrence Skog in the botany greenhouse. The project included working with the greenhouse plants; gathering fruits and seeds; cultivation, hybridization, and identification techniques; and collecting and preparing specimens for exchange. A checklist of cultivated Gesneriaceae was also prepared.