SENT BY AIR

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 45, 23 February 1939, Page 6

SENT BY AIR

RARE ALPINE PLANTS

For the first time, rare plants from the high, mountains of New Zealand have reached Great Britain alive, ■ states-the Christchurch "Press." They were carried from New Zealand by air mail in a thermos flask. The Royal Botanic Gardens at Edinburgh have been anxious for years to obtain species of alpine plants from New Zealand. Various attempts have been made to send them forward, either by seed or plants, but with little 'success. The latest—and easily the most successful —attempt to transport the plants overseas was made by the Christchurch Botanic Gardens at the request of the regius keeper at Edinburgh, Sir William Wright Smith. By air mail a thermos flask was posted to Edinburgh. It contained various specimens of the New Zealand vegetable sheep and other rare alpines. The flask left Christchurch on December 21, and arrived at Edinburgh on January 9. The experiment was not an entire success, but quite ;a number of the plants arrived in Scotland in excellent condition. Among the plants sent forward were five species belonging to the vegetable sheep family, two rare specimens of helichrysum, and two species of both the North and South Island eidelweiss.. With the knowledge so fa*r gained, | an attempt will be made to send Home by air another consignment from Christchurch. It will be packed in : such a manner as will allow for a little more circulation of air than was the case with the thermos flask, which has now been proved to be excellent for preserving the germinating power of seeds when crossing the Tropics. The next consignment will be packed in a box of thin veneer with gauze ventilating holes. The authorities in Great Britain are very anxious to have living specimens of the plants for botanical research and the experiments suggest that it will not be long before success is achieved in the proper transportation of living plants.