The Strelitzia (Strelitziaceae) by Eduardo L. Holmberg in the Gardens of the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30972/bon.3417921Keywords:
Arboretum, botany, historical heritage, Holmberg, MACNAbstract
Species of the genus Strelitzia Aiton (Strelitziaceae) are native to southeastern Africa and are characterized by their large inflorescences, whose flowers and spathes resemble the head of a bird. Strelitzia nicolai Regel & Körn., the tallest species in the genus, is part of the living collection at the Botanical Garden and Arboretum on the main grounds of the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences “Bernardino Rivadavia” (MACN), where it surpasses 6 meters height. Based on bibliographic documentation and species identification, we confirmed that the plant was originally gifted in 1880 to the Argentine naturalist Eduardo L. Holmberg (1852-1937) by his colleague, the German scientist Ricardo Napp, in 1880. Holmberg cultivated this Strelitzia at his home in downtown Buenos Aires, and after his death in 1937, his family donated the plant to the MACN, allowing it to continue thriving in the museum’s gardens, where it still blooms today. Few people know that the strelitzias adorning the gardens of our country are part of this historical legacy.
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