
I was a young botanist in 1985 when I embarked upon my first-ever tropical expedition to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. I encountered on that trip some of the rarest plants in the world, which shaped my career path as both botanist and plant conservationist.
One of the most fascinating plants I encountered was the Round Island Bottle Palm (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis), which has been saved from extinction by being cultivated in tropical gardens worldwide. In the wild, however, fewer than 10 mature plants survive. Whenever I encounter these old friends, I greet them with a hug.
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Dr. Peter Wyse Jackson, President