Latest news with #RoyalBotanicGardens
Daily Record
03-06-2025
- Science
- Daily Record
Time running out to see magnificent plant in flower in Galloway
The bloom at Logan Botanic Garden has flowered to an incredible 12 foot tall - but isn't expected to last for long. You'll need to be quick if you want to see a magnificent plant in flower. The puya alpestris ssp. zoellneri at Logan Botanic Garden has flowered to an incredible 12 foot tall – but blooms usually fade within a week. The plant, native to Chile, bloomed for the first time at Logan last year – making it the first outdoor flowering of the species in Scotland. On that occasion it made it to around four feet high and garden staff have been left stunned that this year it kept growing to 12 feet. Curator, Richard Baines, said: 'I've been a horticulturist for over 40 years and the Puya alpestris is truly among the top three most spectacular plants I've ever seen in my career. 'Seeing the sapphire tower flower outside its native habitat is a real privilege for us here at Logan and we encourage visitors to come and witness its beauty for themselves over this coming week. 'However, while it's wonderful to behold, the incredible growth we're witnessing is likely down to the very warm temperatures we experienced this spring. 'Unfortunately, this is one of the anticipated consequences of climate change and a warming planet, with higher temperatures allowing plants like these to flourish in Scotland – outdoors – in ways that were never possible before.' With the common name of sapphire tower plant, the plant is distinguished by its wonderous combination of clusters of turquoise-blue flowers with vivid orange stamens and is located at the entrance to Logan's Walled Garden. it is part of Logan's larger Living Collection that has been curated through the Garden's global conservation efforts and commitment to support internationally significant research and education. It was donated to Logan Botanic Garden in 2013 by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as part of an ongoing plant exchange programme that sees both gardens sharing resources to build a positive future for plants, people and the planet.
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
‘Zombie spiders' and Darwin collection among fungi archived in Kew digitisation
' Zombie spiders' and Darwin's HMS Beagle collection are among the fungi being digitally archived by scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Kew's Fungarium, an archive beneath the west London garden, is one of the world's biggest and most important collections of fungal diversity, containing more than 1.1 million specimens collected over the past 175 years. Teams have been creating high resolution images, transcribing the data and uploading it onto Kew's data portal, which grants researchers worldwide remote access to the collection. The specimens are georeferenced and span decades, meaning experts can observe how a species' range has changed over time, helping to inform conservation plans. Kew scientists have also been tapping into the genetic information stored in the Fungarium's 50,000 type specimens. The project, which is a partnership with the National History Museum and is backed by Government funding, aims to sequence about 7,000 of these fungi, making the data publicly available online in the coming years. This means anyone will be able to see the genetic code of a species, which could help to unlock new compounds and genetic sequences, accelerate the discovery of new chemicals and medicines, and tackle the climate and biodiversity crises. Dr Ester Gaya, senior research leader in comparative fungal biology, said: 'It is incredibly exciting to imagine what diversity of compounds is hidden away in these collections. 'By sequencing these specimens, we hope to tap into these potential benefits, while providing new tools to accelerate species identification and insights into how fungi relate to one another through time.' Scientists estimate there are 2.5 million fungal species in the world but only 166,000 have been described. Shaheenara Chowdhury, operations manager of the Fungarium digitisation, said: 'Fungi have been overlooked by the scientific community for so long, and yet they are amongst the most wonderful and mysterious organisms on the planet. 'It's incredibly exciting to imagine what new discoveries are going to be made with the aid of this new, powerful resource.' Among the species digitised by the Kew team is Gibellula attenboroughii – or David Attenborough's 'zombie fungus' – named after first being spotted on an episode of BBC's Winterwatch in 2021, having infected an orb-weaving cave spider. The parasitic fungus species belongs to a group that infects their invertebrate hosts and takes control before killing them as part of their spore-spreading mechanisms. Other species include Stereum hirsutum, a fungus collected at around 15,000ft during an Everest expedition in 1953, possibly during the climb of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. Another was Cyttaria dawinii, a small globular parasitic fungus collected by Charles Darwin in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in South America during the HMS Beagle voyage between 1831 and 1836. Kew scientists also highlighted Hemileia vastatrix, which causes a fungal disease known as coffee rust which is devastating to the coffee genus Coffea and is threatening farms around the world already under pressure from climate change. The mouldy fungi Penicillium rubens, which Scottish physician Alexander Fleming discovered produced the groundbreaking antibiotic compound in the 1920s, is also included in the digitised archive.
ABC News
14-05-2025
- ABC News
Mushroom experts speak at trial
Samantha Donovan: To the trial in regional Victoria of accused triple murderer Erin Patterson now where mushroom experts have been giving evidence. Ms Patterson's mother and father-in-law and her husband's aunt died after eating a Beef Wellington lunch. She served them in 2023. Prosecutors allege it contained poisonous death cat mushrooms. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and to another charge of attempted murder. For the latest, I spoke a little earlier to ABC reporter Sacha Payne, who's in Morwell for the trial. Sacha , the trial has been hearing evidence from mycologists, which I understand are mushroom experts. One has been from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne. What has he told the court? Sacha Payne: Yes, well, we've heard a lot of detail in the last couple of days about mushrooms in particular. There's been a lot of discussion and questions in the trial till now about the health status of Erin Patterson, the relationship she's had with her family and her ex-husband, and also, of course, the health status of the guests at the lunch. But in the last couple of days, we've really drilled down into death cat mushrooms, identifying mushrooms and how difficult it is to actually identify mushrooms just from a photo. Now, yesterday we heard from a globally recognised mushroom expert, Dr Tom May. He told us yesterday that he had seen death cat mushrooms growing when he went on a walk in Outrim, which is in South Gippsland, not far from where Ms Patterson lives. He says that he took photos and he uploaded those photos to a website which is called the iNaturalist website. He was questioned again today in detail about mushrooms on that website. The court was shown dozens of different mushrooms. Some were death cats, some were not. And Dr May was asked about the difficulty in identifying a death cat mushroom just from a photo. And he says he admitted that there is a range of edible mushrooms that share physical similarities like colour with death cat mushrooms. And that there are many native species of mushrooms, including aminata, of which the death cap is one species of aminata. Samantha Donovan: And there was another mushroom expert giving evidence today. And I understand she talked about the actual Beef Wellington meal that Erin Patterson served to her guests. What was her evidence to the court? Sacha Payne: Well, yes, Dr Camille Truong, who also works at the Royal Botanic Gardens with Dr May. So she's another mycologist, a mushroom researcher who specialises very specifically in mushrooms. She said she received a call that a package had been dropped off for her at the Royal Botanic Gardens several days after the lunch. And when the guests were in hospital showing signs of mushroom poisoning and when Ms Patterson was also in hospital, she says that she examined the leftovers. The package was sent to her at her home. She says it contained large resealable bags with food inside. And that when she looked at them under a microscope, she looked for what kind of mushrooms were in there. She was asked by the prosecution, did you find any death cat mushroom pieces? And she said, no, she didn't. She says she then took the sample to the Royal Botanic Gardens the next day and again looked at it under a microscope and again was asked, did you find any signs of death cat mushrooms? And she says, no, she didn't. But all she found in the sample that she looked at were field mushrooms that are commonly found at supermarkets. Samantha Donovan: The ABC's Sacha Payne reporting from Morwell in Gippsland.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Clint Rice doesn't look like this anymore! MAFS star cuts a very different figure as he steps out with fiancée Jacqui Burfoot in Sydney
Married At First Sight star Clint Rice cut a youthful figure when he stepped out in Sydney on Tuesday. The reality star, 44, was spotted with fiancée Jacqui Burfoot, 29, attending a show for Australian fashion label Apéro at Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens on Tuesday. It looked as though Clint may have taken some of love rival Ryan Donnelly's passion for fitness to heart, with the golf pro looking as fit as ever. Clint also appeared to have gone a few shades darker on top, with his locks appearing almost black. His hairline also appeared a lot less pronounced than it was during filming. He has grown his tresses out from the 'short back and sides' coiffure he rocked during his time on MAFS. It looked as though Clint may have taken some of love rival Ryan Donnelly's passion for fitness to heart, with the golf pro looking as fit as ever Clint's new jet black hair matched perfectly with the dark tones of his outfit. He donned a black sweater with brown and white stripes at the hem and the cuffs. He also wore a pair of plain black chinos, finishing his fashion show look with a pair of black and white Wild Rhino sneakers. Jacqui also went for black at the event, arriving in a black denim jacket she wore with a flowing black skirt. The bohemian-esque skirt flowed freely down Jacqui's frame, finishing just above the ankle. The controversial reality star finished her look with a pair of black suede boots. Jacqui accessorised with two love heart pendants around her neck and a black leather Guess handbag. The couple looked very much in their element as they posed together in the picturesque gardens. Clint and Jacqui's outing comes after the lovebirds revealed fans could simply show their support for the couple with flowers. They took to Instagram last week to urge fans to send them bunches of blooms to brighten up Clint's luxe Tasmanian digs. Clint and Jacqui, both shared a clip that showed the reality bride holding onto a bouquet that featured roses, chrysanthemums, and hydrangeas, as Clint's Samoyed pooches gather at Jacqui's feet. Jacqui can be seen bending down to allow Clint's dogs to sniff the flowers and both seemed quite taken with the classy arrangement. They were also apparently fans of the bouquet, admitting that they were eager to keep those arrangements coming. Captioning the post, they wrote: 'the apple doesn't fall far from the tree,' referencing the pooches' penchant for all things floral. They then added that they were not adverse to receiving flowers gratis, even providing followers with the details of their preferred florist.' If anyone wants to send us flowers anytime @westtamarflowers have our address on file,' they shared. Jacqui became known as one of the most controversial brides in recent MAFS memory due to her tumultuous relationship with ex-Ryan. Following their less-than-amicable split, it was revealed that Jacqui and Clint, who was paired with Lauren Hall, had struck up a romance. The couple then shocked fans by announcing their engagement during a Married At First Sight viewing party last month. 'We haven't set a wedding date yet, but we're hoping it will be between January and March next year,' Jacqui said in a recent Instagram clip. 'We're actually ready for kids and babies. 'Personally, I want to get married before I get pregnant. I don't want to be dealing with the drama of being pregnant and having a wedding dress be altered throughout my pregnancy. 'We're very keen to get married ASAP.'
RNZ News
13-05-2025
- RNZ News
Mushroom murder trial: Death caps reported in area months before deadly lunch
By Kristian Silva for ABC News A courtroom sketch of Erin Patterson as she faces trial for murder and attempted murder. Photo: AFP / PAUL TYQUIN Death cap mushrooms were reportedly growing near Erin Patterson's town in the months leading up to the fatal July 2023 lunch at her house, the Supreme Court in Australia has been told. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder, with prosecutors alleging the Victorian woman deliberately poisoned four of her relatives with death cap mushrooms in a beef Wellington. On Tuesday, internationally recognised mushroom expert Tom May took to the witness stand in Patterson's trial. May said sightings of death cap mushrooms were recorded in the Loch and Outtrim areas, near Patterson's home in Leongatha, in April and May 2023 respectively. The posts were made on the website, where citizen scientists document observations of animals, plants and fungi. Prosecutors have previously told the court Patterson's phone records suggest she visited Loch on 28 April and Outtrim on 22 May. The lunch at the centre of the trial took place on 29 July, 2023. Amanita phalloides, the 'death cap' mushroom that may have been used in the meal. Photo: Archenzo/Wikipedia May, a mycologist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, said death cap mushrooms varied in colour but always grew around oak tree varieties. May said the species tended to grow around April and May when there was a reasonable amount of soil moisture and rain. "There are certainly some mushrooms that occur in Victoria that are quite similar (in appearance) to the death cap," he said. Death cap mushrooms are also known by their scientific name, Amanita phalloides, and were first reported in Australia in the 1960s. May said they were believed to have been a European species that now grew in places including Australia, New Zealand and the United States. He said academic researchers had concluded that Amanita phalloides did not grow in China. Several doctors who have testified in the trial have said Patterson told them mushrooms in the beef Wellington dish were sourced from Woolworths and from an unspecified Chinese or Asian grocer in Melbourne. The mushrooms were part of the beef Wellington main course served up to Patterson's in-laws Don and Gail, as well as Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian. Medical experts concluded all four suffered from Amanita phalloides poisoning, with Wilkinson the only lunch guest who survived after a long stint in hospital. Prosecutors allege Patterson's meal and food she served her children the following night was not contaminated. Earlier on Tuesday, several doctors who treated Patterson at the Monash Medical Centre after the lunch said she did not appear to be unwell. Doctor Laura Muldoon, part of the toxicology department, said Patterson was at hospital after reporting symptoms of nausea and diarrhoea. "I noted she looked clinically well, she had some chapped lips but otherwise very well. She had normal vital signs," Dr Muldoon said. Dr Muldoon said there was no evidence Patterson had encountered death cap mushroom poisoning or consumed any other toxins. Another doctor, Varuna Ruggoo, said Patterson's liver functioning tests returned normal results. Also normal was her respiratory rate, blood pressure and temperature, the doctor testified. "There was no evidence there was any sort of liver toxicity and she was able to be discharged," Dr Ruggoo said. "She appeared clinically well, in a normal mood and affect." The trial continues. - ABC
