Dr. David de Laubenfels, Professor Emeritus of Geography at Syracuse University, New York, presented a lecture on relationships between and within two very important conifer families: the Cupressaceae (focusing on our native Florida bald cypress, Taxodium distichum, and its Southeast Asian relative, Glyptostrobus pensilis) and the Pinaceae.

Dr. de Laubenfels is the world authority on tropical conifers, especially in the South Pacific. He is also an authority on the genus Cycas. In addition to botany, Dr. de Laubenfels has published papers in geography, linguistics and anthropology, and pursues interests in physics and cosmology.

During his visit to South Florida, David studied the large tropical conifer collection at MBC.