Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum's Winter Lectures are back for 2023, with five thought-provoking expert talks.
The final talk of this year's series comes from Curator of Harcourt Arboretum, Ben Jones.
In this lecture, Ben will take us on a sumptuous tour of Japan's beautiful flora, highlighting wild magnolias, acers, and rare endemic trees. Japan's archipelago of over 6,800 islands spans the cold boreal forests of Hokkaido to the subtropical rainforests of the Ryukyu Islands. Due to this diverse range of habitats, the country boasts an exceptionally high diversity of plant species.
Through out the talk, Ben will share insights into the collaborative research and conservation work being undertaken with organisations in Japan. Ben will also show some of the plants grown in Oxford as a legacy of this project, some of which can be found nowhere else outside of Japan.
As Curator of the Arboretum at Oxford University's Botanic Garden and Arboretum, Ben is responsible for managing and developing the living collections at Harcourt Arboretum. Alongside his role as Curator, he is a member of the IUCN Global Tree Specialist Group and Seed Conservation Specialist Group, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and his research focuses on bioquality hotspots within the Japanese and Ethiopian floristic regions.
The talk will be held in person at the Maths Institute, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter and tickets include a complimentary drink after the event. Doors open at 6.40pm, with the talk starting promptly at 7.00pm.
Please note, this talk is replacing the previously scheduled talk by Naoko Abe. All existing ticket holders should have received an email on 3rd March with more information.
