Garden’s year of China celebrates publication of complete Flora of China

Lantern Festival at night Missouri Botanical GardenVisitors to Missouri Botanical Garden these days are greeted by an enormous yellow dragon lantern that stretches down the entrance to Ridgeway Visitor Center.  It is easy to deduce that this creature is part of the upcoming Lantern Festival to be launched Memorial Day weekend.

Thoughtful and/or frequent visitors will remember that this year’s orchid show had a Chinese theme, and that the Brookings Interpretive Center features an interactive exhibit on Chinese culture.  Why the emphasis on China?

The Garden’s year of China is celebrating the imminent completion of a monumental scholarly achievement–the 45-volume Flora of China.  This detailed description of each of the approximately 31,500 vascular plants that grow wild in China has great botanical value.

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