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RHSScience issue 21 — july 2014.

Reaction to the Revelatory Invisible Garden

Science a real highlight of Hampton Palace Shows Show...amazing microscopic world! Initiative wonderful... RHS Science staged its biggest ever a shop window for shows event this month with bioinspiration and the RHS Invisible Garden at nanoscience Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. That’s amazing! grandad, come and Organised jointly with RHS Shows, “have a look! and with staff from the Science Dept on hand to give practical support, inspiring idea the displays were designed to #hortscience so introduce visitors of all ages Above. Rosebay willowherb much more to hort. to the world of microscopic . Left. Passionflower . organisms. Below. The set-up included It was positively 17 microscopes, with which inspiring for the The event also included visitors could view the scales young generation waggle-dance workshops by on butterflies’ wings, the hairs who told me they want Piff-Paff theatre company, talks on stinging nettles, and soil micro- to be scientists. by James Wong, Kate Bradbury organisms, as well as an overhead screen and Helen Bostock as well as the where live rotifers, lacewing larvae and other organisms were I’ll never look at my Find Your Inner Bug photo-booth, magnified to more than 1,000 times their usual size. garden in the same way which were all very popular. Said “again! Health’s Anna Platoni, who with Katherine Potsides of Shows We had 8-year- took a leading role in organising olds right through the event, “Our gardens and parks to pensioners are so familiar that the small enthralled. Mission wonders they contain have become definitely accomplished! invisible to many of us. These displays demonstrate ways for people to support wildlife without Click on image for compromising the beauty of their slideshow. For photo garden.” n ◄ credits see back page.

Published 2014 by RHS Science | RHS Garden Wisley | Woking | Surrey GU23 6QB | Registered charity no: 222879 / SC038262

All text & images © RHS 2014 except where otherwise stated july 2014 n science news

News in brief Aerial reconnaissance over Wisley, good news for fans of colour, and a new threat to British tulips.

Wisley on the radar. In June, as part of RHS research into ways in which New tulip rot water use in gardens and green spaces can be more easily and identified by RHS efficiently monitored by satellites, During 2013, several tulip were a reconnaissance flight over RHS received in the lab Garden Wisley was organised by which showed scarring of and Tijana Blanuša (Horticultural & curving/curling of . Infected areas Environmental Science) and staff subsequently developed into patches from the Surrey Space Centre at of dead leaves. When Geoff Denton the University of Surrey (UniS). The and Jenny Denton investigated, they SSC team was led by Dr Raffaella RHS Media, RHS Science staff have found the infection was due to a fungus Guida, UniS Senior Lecturer in begun work on a new edition of the belonging to the genus Ilyonectria, Satellite Remote Sensing, and the RHS Colour Chart. The last version species of which are usually associated flight was jointly funded by the was published in 2007 and contains with root rots. Satellite Applications Catapult and nearly 900 colour chips, in four fans, the Natural Environment Research uniquely designed with a “porthole” The pathogen was identified by photos

Council (NERC). The purpose of the in each chip to make colour matching measurements and confirmed by . georgi flight was to obtain information easier. While the principal use of the sequencing the DNA of material isolated about soil moisture through colour chart is for recording colour of from infected plants. The cause of the mabee (

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) plants, particularly , it is also symptoms was confirmed by re-infection chart technology, a high resolution 2-D widely used in other areas such as the of healthy tulip plants. The report was ), imaging system used in mapping food industry. The next edition will published in June and is the first report liz

grant and monitoring of earth resources contain 20 new colours where there of an Ilyonectria sp. affecting foliage of ( and processes. are significant gaps in our coverage. tulips, which are important commercially wild

It is also planned to make colour both as garden plants and as cut flowers Colour Chart updated. In names in the fans more precise than flowers. See also pages 7, 8. ). conjunction with colleagues in at present. n

Wild flowers have never been more popular with gardeners. in the broader botanical or conservation sense. The But with seed packets containing a range of flowers, both statement will recommend that “wild flower” should only native and non-native, there is some confusion over exactly be used to describe native and (pre-1500) what is meant by the term “wild flower”. To address this, species, excluding neophytes (post-1500) and . botanists and advisors within RHS Science have Recommendations will also be made as to when it in discussion with the Horticultural Trades is appropriate to use an alternative name to Association and other interested parties “wild flower” on ornamental seed mixes and developed some guidance on the term. how to avoid ambiguity for consumers by The guidance is intended for use by using geographically specific terms such the horticultural trade in the UK and is as “British wild flowers” or “Prairie wild not an attempt to define “wild flower” flowers” on labelling. n

2 RHS SCIENCE science news n issue 21

New edition of ICNCP imminent

Work is nearing completion on the Plants. Chaired by Chris Brickell, next edition of the International former RHS Director Code of Nomenclature for General, this includes RHS

Cultivated Plants (ICNCP), which members of staff Janet photos is likely to appear later in 2014. Cubey, John David and . This provides rules and guidance Alan Leslie. chris on the publication and of whitehouse names of cultivars, Groups and Anyone with an interest

grexes, as well as on designating can submit proposals to . Nomenclatural Standards and the change the ICNCP and these are considered by the Commission who All change in the vote on whether to accept or reject the proposal. Proposals are then referred to the Editorial Committee At the end of July Dr Chris Whitehouse, to see how best to make changes to Keeper of the Herbarium, will be leaving the the rules and look for any possible RHS to pursue a new career in South Africa, consequences of a change before building on his extensive knowledge of the asking the full Commission to local to run tours. Chris has worked for the approve the new text. As with all RHS for 10 years, as botanist, Principal Scientist such systems of rules, they have – and Keeper of the Herbarium, during to adapt with the times, and both which time he has successfully managed the 8th and the forthcoming the major project to digitise the herbarium registration of names. The Code 9th edition are dealing with the specimens, and has done much to improve the is revised every five to six years by implications arising from rapid quality of the information on the specimens. the International Commission for changes in technology, for instance He will be known for his work on red hot the Nomenclature of Cultivated for publication of names. n pokers, and his monograph on the subject will be published by the RHS early next year.

The RHS and the ICNCP Also this month, Herbarium Assistant Barry The naming of cultivated plants was originally covered by the Phillips, whose pressed specimens are of such International Code of , but only as an high quality that they are almost a work of Appendix. In 1952 William Stearn, who at the time had just moved art in their own right, will be going part-time. from being the RHS Librarian to the Natural History Museum, drafted Former volunteer Saskia Harris has been the first set of proposed rules. These appeared in the Journal of the appointed to work alongside Barry to absorb his Royal Horticultural Society, and were formally published as the first skills. A further appointment is to be made of a edition of the Code in 1953. Since then, the RHS has played a key full-time Herbarium Digitisation Technician to role in its development. It was the RHS that pioneered the system work with Mandeep Matharu to complete the of Nomenclatural Standard specimens (the herbarium specimens on digitisation of the herbarium more rapidly. n which names of cultivars are based) in the 1990s and took the lead in its inclusion in the 1995 edition of the Code. Above. Chris Whitehouse researching Kniphofia in South Africa with (inset) Kniphofia vansii.

RHS SCIENCE 3 july 2014 n phenology research

Science–Curatorial photos . barry

liaise on blossoms phillips In a development which links the RHS's . historic involvement in science with its new programme of climate change research, the Science Dept has joined forces with Wisley garden staff on blossom monitoring (the recording of fruit flowering times) at Wisley.

Working with RHS Fruit Specialist Jim Arbury, recording will now be conducted by Barry Phillips (Wisley Herbarium), who is also collating the Wisley weather data. Above. Apple ‘Beauty of Bath’. Records of pre-war Wisley flowering times The original purpose of blossom From 2002, the flowering were recently rediscovered in the National ips ill ph y monitoring was to identify times of around 150 cultivars Fruit Collection (NFC) archives at Brogdale, r r a b “ groups”. Most have been recorded at Kent. The NFC originated in commercial tree need to be Wisley. Flowering times are fruit trials established by the Ministry of pollinated by another tree recorded by three stages of at Wisley in the 1920s. This was of the same kind growing flower development: first transferred to Brogdale during the 1950s; close by. For best results, this open flower (10% open), full Wisley records moved with the collection, should flower at the same time, blossom (80% open) and and disappeared from view. Their and cultivars which do so belong to the fall (90% blossom over). Left. rediscovery means we can now compare same pollination group. If gardeners plant Apple ‘Sunset’, photographed present-day flowering data with records different cultivars, therefore, it’s important at the first flowering stage. of the same cultivars at the same location to make sure that flowering times overlap. from up to a century earlier – an invaluable resource for climate change research. Continued monitoring of flowering times is needed to ensure that RHS advice on which Selected Wisley apple flowering times & days in flower, 2013 cultivars belong to which pollination group remains reliable – even more so with the Days in 80% full 90% petal effects of changing climate. / group flower 10% open flower fall Monarch (4) 6 10/05/2013 13/05/2013 15/05/2013 This practical application is still the main reason for blossom monitoring, Bramley’s Seedling (3) 9 07/05/2013 10/05/2013 15/05/2013 but phenology (the study of cyclic and Granny Smith (3) 15 10/05/2013 13/05/2013 24/05/2013 seasonal phenomena) also plays a major Beauty of Bath (2) 21 07/05/2013 10/05/2013 27/05/2013 part in climate change research. Later this Golden Delicious (4) 25 10/05/2013 15/05/2013 03/06/2013 year a Horticultural Climatologist will be appointed, and it is intended that this new Stark Earliest (1) 29 03/05/2013 13/05/2013 31/05/2013

role will take forward phenological and Ordered by number of days in flower. Flowering times in 2013 approx. a month later climate change research for the RHS. n than in 2014. Figures in brackets after cultivar names denote the pollination group.

4 RHS SCIENCE new phd research n issue 21

Resilience in the garden understand what makes some plants more resilient than others.

by Emma Lewis I am currently conducting a preliminary experiment which uses University of Sheffield Primula to assess how species vary (RHS PhD collaboration) in their ability to tolerate fluctuations in water availability. I also aim to test the idea that highly cultivated varieties are less With climate change altering our weather resilient under stressful conditions than patterns you may have noticed water their wild counterparts, by looking at how is increasingly an issue in your garden cultivars perform relative to the species – too much rain falls all at once but is forms. Alongside this work I aim to set up then followed by periods of drought. So a larger field trial which looks at whether how can we make gardens more resilient Above. Emma’s research will these trends hold true across a wider under such variable conditions? This is the compare the resilience of of plant types. From this we are hoping question my research is trying to address. the three native primulas (P. to identify if common traits emerge as I am investigating how plants are able to elatior, P. vulgaris and P. veris, indicators of plant resilience; information tolerate fluctuations between flooding inset) with cultivated forms. which can be used to build a greater and drought so that we can better resilience into public and private gardens. n

Powdery mildews (Erysiphales) are a group detecting short regions of DNA that can be Cutting edge photos used to distinguish the species and to form a

of approximately 900 pathogenic . emma microfungi that infect a wide range library of these telltale molecular sequences molecular different plant species and occur with which future samples can be matched, lewis

techniques , worldwide. Within the UK, this includes enabling rapid, reliable identification. oli important food crops and familiar This may help to increase efficiency of by Oliver Ellingham ellingham garden plants. They are usually spread by disease management, potentially shaping University of Reading , air and water as asexual propagules and a future based around resistant cultivars rebecca (RHS PhD collaboration) in this state are difficult to differentiate and increasingly efficient phytosanitary using microscopic morphological features screening of plants. ross ( and this has caused problems with their primula identification and naming since they At present I am running a citizen science

first started to be studied scheme whereby interested parties can send veris ),

and described in the early me plant material infected with powdery alastair nineteenth century. mildew that I will identify using these

molecular techniques. For more information culham The principal aim of my please visit my blog. n ( PhD research is to develop oliver

a quick and efficient method Right. Looking for powdery mildew. Inset. elllngham for the identification of powdery Scraping Acer with potential powdery mildew, to

mildews found in gardens. This involves transfer for viewing with a microscope. ).

RHS SCIENCE 5 july 2014 n sharing expertise

New opportunities for RHS research photos .

iNSeCT rhs

entomology WARNINGS In June Tijana Blanuša (Hort & Explaining the RHS contribution Many insects are brightly coloured, to warn that they are poisonous, taste Environmental Science) attended to the AREA project, Tijana says, unpleasant or sting.

an unusual conference where the “My role is to share RHS expertise except

The day- flying emphasis was not so much on in best practice in science scarlet mike tiger moth (Callimorpha dominula) sharing research as on forming communication and outreach – in

has a noxious ballard taste; at rest it can partnerships for future projects. other words, what to do with a be difficult to see, but in flight its ( bright red piece of science, to make sure it hornet hind-wings become The black and yellow visible. caterpillars of the Hosted by the University of has some impact and isn’t just  cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae) feed on ragwort – ,

they sequester bitter-tasting ladybird chemicals (alkaloids) from the Belgrade, the conference was linked filed away.” As well as presenting Ladybirds are often plant tissues. bright red or yellow with black spots to warn of yellow and black to an EU-funded ‘AREA’ project a poster on collaboration with UK an unpleasant taste. coloration is a

ladybirds produce a common warning

 in defensive secretion of a combination in the insect

bitter yellow liquid when world, warning of the presence which seeks to improve research industry, Tijana was elected chair handled. of a sting in wasps. poster

Right. 7-spot ladybird (Coccinella Left. Common wasp (Vespa vulgaris). 7-punctata). in agricultural and food sciences of the AREA steering committee, ),

RHS SCIENCE at the university by encouraging which monitors projects to keep coventry

rhs.org.uk/science collaboration with other European them on track and identify aspects Wisley Scanmarks the QR codes for RHS Facebook (left), RHS twitter (middle) NIW and RHS Science with

Contact: Entomology Dept, RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey GU23 6QB • Email: [email protected]

All images © RHS / Andrew Halstead except wasp RHS / Carol Sheppard, hornet & ladybird © Michael Ballard • Regd charity no. 222879 / SC038262 institutions. This was the first such that could be developed. She university ‘Bring a Bug’ event conference; as well as full sessions, also explored two ideas for new

More than 1,300 members of the public where around 150 participants projects with the University of ( digging visited the National Insect Week (NIW) shared their experience of securing Belgrade, including one involving event in Wisley’s Glasshouse Gallery at the and managing EU-funded projects the use of medicinal plants as ). end of June. and discussed future opportunities, potential green roof species, the schedule allowed time for break- which would further advance RHS Insect-themed displays and activities out groups, where possible new expertise in this area. n included self-explore microscopes, a partnerships could be discussed. microscope connected to a TV with live action of ladybirds eating aphids and a series of posters (above) illustrating various aspects Bad backs in spades: tool design under scrutiny of insect life. Live insects captured at Wisley in the preceding week were also on show, We all know what a spade looks like, or do we? Is the problem of a including peacock butterfly caterpillars and sore back associated with hours of digging simply due to doing longhorn beetles. Visitors were encouraged the same task for far too long, or can the tool we use be better to handle hissing cockroaches (wingless designed to reduce the impact on our bodies? In an exciting new Madagascan cockroaches, often kept as collaboration RHS Science and Curatorial staff are assisting pets), and a display of 40 species of British Coventry University in a PhD project to investigate whether tools ladybird proved a popular talking point. can be better designed to reduce the harm we do to ourselves. Invertebrates brought in as part of the ‘Bring Researchers at Coventry University have great experience using a Bug’ event included the unusual-looking motion capture technology to examine the impact of our caterpillar of the lobster moth. actions on our muscles and bones and how we can possibly alter our actions to reduce these impacts. The collaboration hopes The event was organised by Andrew Salisbury, to apply this technology to some simple gardening tasks to see Anna Platoni and Ian Waghorn of Plant if better tool design and possibly slight changes to our practices Health, with support from John Scrace. n can help us garden in a more healthy way.

6 RHS SCIENCE sharing expertise n issue 21 photos Explaining the science: isolating a 1 2 . jenny

fungal pathogen denton When describing a new disease, the first challenge is to isolate ( the causal agent and identify it. Plant Health’s Jenny Denton inset ),

describes the main steps in a complex investigative process. georgi The infected plant material is usually surface-sterilised with diluted

1bleach, then placed in Petri dishes containing an agar-based mabee medium to encourage the pathogen to grow (inset). (2, 3, 5), After around 21 days’ growth, an individual fungal strand

2is excised, using a dissecting microscope and a scalpel, to bob

ensure a pure culture has been obtained. This “isolate” may then martin

be subcultured. (4),

The fungus is also grown on oatmeal agar, contained in a small tube, so geoff it can be stored for future reference in the RHS living culture collection. 3 & To identify the exact species, the fungus is examined with a 3 4 jenny

4microscope, using specialist software to measure its specific characters. denton Analysis of its DNA is used to support these findings. If a literature review confirms that the species of fungus or the (1, 6). 5disease has not been previously recorded, proof that the suspected pathogen caused the symptoms must be obtained. This involves infecting healthy plants with spores from the cultures and comparing them over a period of days or weeks with plants which have not been inoculated. If the same symptoms are observed on the inoculated plants only, steps 1 to 4 must be repeated to confirm that it’s the same pathogen. 5 6 If these criteria are fulfilled, a technical scientific description (including calibrated, annotated images of the different spore types and pictures 1 Leaf curl from Ilyonectria (see p.2). 2 Subculturing 6 provides material for the inoculation stage. 3 RHS indicating the symptoms) is prepared for publication in journals such as living pathogen collection, with (inset) honey fungus New Disease Reports. This is the online edition of , where grown on agar. 4 Compound microscope. 5 DNA from Plant Pathology inoculated plants is analysed to confirm it’s the same RHS pathologists often publish (as in the recent case of Ilyonectria). pathogen. 6 Calibrated image of spores of Ilyonectria.

Blogging for Defra Head of Horticultural intranet and covered a week at Wisley, John David, Head of Plant Health proved a hit with Defra staff, with Five members of RHS science lifted the Gerard Clover, Head of Horticultural many expressing their thanks for the lid on the reality of working for the Science Paul Alexander, Principal insights the diaries provided. world’s leading gardening charity Botanist James Armitage and Chief when they each shared a diary Horticultural Advisor Guy Barter Defra and the RHS are now discussing of a day in their lives with Defra provided Defra with insights into their the possibility of arranging a visit to staff. The diaries were created as roles and highlighted the many ways Wisley by Defra staff, including policy part of a Defra initiative to raise the interests and work of the two experts, scientists and lawyers, to learn awareness amongst its staff of the organisations overlap. The diaries, more about ornamental key organisations they work with. which were posted on the Defra and meet our science staff. n

RHS SCIENCE 7 july 2014 n communications

Recent publications by Science staff Second Hortax

Abad, Z.G., et al., incl. Henricot, B., Barbira, J., et al., incl. Blanuša, T. newsletter available Denton, G. (2014). Phytophthora (2014). Wild rocket – effect of water The second issue of Cultivated Plant niederhauserii sp. nov. Mycologia, deficit on growth, flowering, and Taxonomy News is now available on the 106(3): 431–447. DOI: 10.3852/12-119 attractiveness to . Acta Hortax website. It includes a report on Alexander, P.D., et al. (2014). An Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B the Beijing Symposium on the Taxonomy experimental comparison of growing DOI: 10.1080/09064710.2014.925575 of Cultivated Plants, articles on crop media, petunia quality and amount Denton, G. & Denton, J. (2014). First testing and camellia nomenclature, and of water applied – An opportunity report of Ilyonectria sp. affecting news of a mini-conference for European for water saving? Acta Horticulturae foliage of Tulipa. New Disease cultivated plant taxonomists in early 1034, 211–218. Reports 29, 23. DOI: 10.5197/j.2044- 2015. On the theme Alexander, P.D. et al. (2014). 0588.2014.029.023 of Communication Defining sustainable growing media Salisbury, A. (2014). Wildlife Gardening and for sustainable UK horticulture. Acta Forum Supports Nature Check Report Collaboration, Horticulturae 1034, 219–226. 2013. Wildlife Gardening Forum this will feature Armitage, J.D. (2014). Hortax newsletter. June 2014,15–16. lectures and and the Future of Cultivated Plant Whitehouse, C.M. (2014). The Virtual discussion under Taxonomy. In Jin, X. and Zhang, Q. Cultivated Plant Herbarium. In Jin, X. the headings Research, (eds) (2014). Proceedings of the VI and Zhang, Q. (eds) (2014). Proceedings Cataloguing the Diversity International Symposium on the of the VI International Symposium on of Plants in Europe, and Taxonomy of Cultivated Plants. Acta the Taxonomy of Cultivated Plants. Acta Registration and Databases. Horticulturae 1035: 23 –27. Horticulturae 1035: 99–103. Editor James Armitage Good month to highlight Science news (Horticultural Taxonomy) says, “As The Invisible Garden exhibit (see p.1) received extensive media coverage in Chairman of Hortax, one of the the first half of July. Highlights included a double page ‘Eyewitness’ picture things I’m keen to impress on people is spread in the Guardian (July 1st), and a feature with Bill Bailey and children the cultural importance of cultivated from Alton School, Hants, on BBC Radio 4’s PM programme (7th). Earlier, plants. I was very struck by this idea Horticulture Week had focused on the roles micro-organisms when visiting China last year and this play in the garden, one of the main themes of the latest issue of CPT News particularly exhibit, while Express Online led with the enthusiasm emphasises the links between researchers of visiting families and schoolchildren. BBC News Online in the East and West.” n picked up the story on the 9th, with particular emphasis on the “bio-inspiration” aspects (using natural forms and Above. Camellia japonica; watercolour on structures to inspire technology and design). Publicity continued paper by an unknown 19th century Japanese with a Telegraph Online feature on “amazing images of artist (RHS, Lindley Library). and pollen”, inspired by those used in the exhibit.

Photos, front page. Pollen, from Pollen – The Hidden Sexuality of Flowers © Rob Kesseler, Madeline For more information on any Harley & Papadakis Publisher. Willowherb, from Seeds – Time Capsules of Life © Rob Kessler, Wolfgang stories in this newsletter: Stuppy & Papadakis Publisher. Honey bee © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London. Photo booth, Bill Bailey: RHS / Bethany Clarke. All other images © Katherine Potsides. ► [email protected]

8 RHS SCIENCE