Montgomery Botanical Center was honored to co-sponsor the 21st Gifford Arboretum Lecture at the University of Miami. Dr. Lucia Lohmann of the Universisdade de Sao Paulo, Brazil, gave a lecture titled, “Disentangling one of Darwin’s great mysteries: The story of climbing plants.” Dr. Lohmann’s work investigates current and past environmental factors in a phylogenetic framework, answering questions about the evolution and diversification of climbing plants.
The event also included a commemoration of Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday — A 200th birthday cake was served, and an encounter between Darwin and Sebastian the Ibis was enacted for the assembled guests.