The flora of central Cuba

Roystonea regia, commonly known as the Cuban Royal Palm

Press release issued: 22 December 2010

Nick Wray, Curator at the University’s Botanic Garden will talk from a botanical perspective about his travels in Cuba at a talk on Thursday 20 January 2011.

Cuba, the largest of the Caribbean islands, is regarded as being the most important territory for biodiversity conservation in the West Indies. The Curator at the University’s Botanic Garden will talk from a botanical perspective about his travels in Cuba.

The varied topography, climatic variation and soils have given rise to a rich diversity of flora, including the Cuban Royal Palm and the highly fragrant White Ginger, which is Cuba’s national flower, known as “mariposa blanca” literally “white butterfly flower”, due to its similarity with a flying white butterfly. Cuba has over 7,000 species of plants, 3,000 of which are native to the island.

Nick Wray, talking about his trip, said: “The island’s isolation from much of the world over the past 40 years has produced a unique landscape, rich in rural communities and sustainable agriculture.”

A Fellow of the Institute of Horticulture, Nick Wray is also a judge at RHS flower shows including Chelsea.

Botanical travels in Cuba organised by the University’s Botanic Garden will take place on Thursday 20 January 2011 at 7.30 pm in the University of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences, Room B75, Woodland Road, Bristol.

Admission is £3 for non-members, free to Friends of the Garden.

Further information is available from the Botanic Garden, tel 0117 331 4906 or email botanic-gardens@bristol.ac.uk

Further information

The University of Bristol Botanic Garden at The Holmes is open to the public during January to March 2011 on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am until 4 pm, or dusk if earlier. A donation from non-Friends is requested during these months. Entrance to the Garden is free to members of the Friends of the Botanic Garden Association and University of Bristol staff and students. The Welcome Lodge will be closed but informational leaflets will be available. Disabled access and toilet facilities are available.

Please contact Joanne Fryer for further information.