Expert Talk – Dr. Ernst van Jaarsveld – Welwichia the Uncrowned Monarch of the Namib.
Expert Talk – Dr. Ernst van Jaarsveld
Saturday 17 September – 13:00
Venue: Calitzdorp Station
This is a free event. No booking required.
Welwichia the Uncrowned Monarch of the Namib
Currently the new plant specialist at Babylonstoren, author of numerous books on succulent plants and a the curator of succulents at Kirstenbosch gardens for 40 years, Dr Ernst van Jaarsveld will entertain and educate us on the Welwichia, the uncrowned monarch of the Namib. He will tell us about the wonders of this ancient desert plant, share his knowledge of the species and share his experience of planting and growing them in the southern cape of South Africa. This will as always – be an extremely interesting talk as we all know that we learn a lot from all of his presentations.
Dr. Ernst van Jaarsveld has been interested in succulents since a young boy collecting and growing succulent plants. He has authored or co-authored more than one hundred succulent plant species. He is especially interested in the classification Gasteria and Aloe and other monocotyledonous succulents. His other interests include the Mesembryanthemaceae and Crassulaceae. He is a keen explorer regularly traveling to remote parts of South Africa, Angola and Namibia. Some of the expeditions include rubber canoe expeditions investigating remote river valleys. Ernst also regularly travels abroad and lectures on succulent plants. Ernst was a horticulturist at Kirstenbosch for more than 40 years. He built and curated the Botanical Society Conservatory. He was appointed extraordinary senior lecturer at the University of the Western Cape in 2012. He is the author of more than two hundred articles (popular, semi-scientific and scientific) and several books. He is a keen explorer and for his latest study (cliff dwelling succulent plants), has visited cliff habitats throughout southern Africa.
Ernst has been at Babylonstoren since 2015 where he continues to build display gardens, green houses and educate the public about botanical things.