International Palm Society

Contents

International Palm Society The International Palm Society is a global botanical association focused on palms and related Arecaceae horticulture, connecting collectors, scientists, curators, and conservationists across institutions such as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Jardín Botánico de Bogotá José Celestino Mutis. Founded to promote research, cultivation, and preservation of palms, the Society links contributors from organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and major botanical gardens including the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

History

The Society was established in 1987 by horticulturists, taxonomists, and collectors in the wake of increased interest generated by expeditions to regions such as Madagascar, Borneo, and the Amazon Rainforest, and by influential works published in venues like the Journal of Plant Research, the Kew Bulletin, and monographs by the Royal Society. Early leadership included curators and researchers from the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, and academics associated with the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Oxford, and the University of Cambridge. The Society’s archives document collaborations with conservation programs affiliated with the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Global Environment Facility, and regional programs such as the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment and the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment.

The IPS mission emphasizes study, cultivation, and conservation of palms through collaboration with botanical institutions such as the New York Botanical Garden, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and the National Tropical Botanical Garden, while engaging stakeholders like the World Conservation Monitoring Centre and the IUCN Specialist Groups. Activities include field surveys in partnership with institutes such as the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, seed banking alongside the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, and propagation programs modeled on work at the Montreal Botanical Garden. The Society also supports taxonomic revisions referenced in publications by the International Botanical Congress and in checklists maintained by the Catalogue of Life.

Membership spans professionals and amateurs connected to museums, universities, and parks including the Field Museum, the Botanic Gardens Conservation International, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Regional chapters exist in areas with high palm diversity and horticultural activity such as the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, Central America, and Southern Africa, with local partnerships involving institutions like the University of the West Indies, the Australian National University, and the University of São Paulo. Benefits parallel those offered by societies like the American Society of Plant Taxonomists and include access to resources similar to those of the International Seed Testing Association.

The Society publishes a peer-reviewed periodical patterned after established outlets like the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, the American Journal of Botany, and the Kew Bulletin, featuring articles on taxonomy, ecology, and horticulture. Research supported by the IPS has contributed to species descriptions cited alongside work from authors affiliated with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Natural History Museum, London, and the Missouri Botanical Garden. The Society’s bibliographies and checklists are used in databases such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the International Plant Names Index, and the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.

Conservation initiatives align the Society with ONG and governmental programs like the World Wide Fund for Nature, the IUCN Red List, and regional conservation bodies such as the Amazon Conservation Team and the African Wildlife Foundation. IPS-supported field projects have collaborated with indigenous and academic partners associated with the Smithsonian Institution, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (in island habitat contexts), and conservation networks coordinated through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Advocacy includes habitat protection proposals submitted to agencies like the United Nations Environment Programme and participation in working groups at meetings of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The Society organizes symposia, workshops, and field trips in concert with institutions such as the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, the Singapore Botanic Gardens, and major conferences like the International Botanical Congress, the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation meetings, and regional congresses held in locations such as Madagascar and Costa Rica. These events bring together speakers from universities and museums including the University of Oxford, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and the New York Botanical Garden, and often include plant fairs modeled on gatherings at the Chelsea Flower Show and collaborations with horticultural societies like the American Horticultural Society.

Governance follows a board and officer structure similar to those of the Royal Horticultural Society and the Botanical Society of America, with advisory committees drawing members from universities like the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Queensland, and institutions such as the Natural History Museum, London. Funding sources include membership dues, grants from entities like the National Science Foundation, donations coordinated through foundations such as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and project-specific support from agencies including the Global Environment Facility and philanthropic partners akin to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Category:Botanical societies Category:Plant conservation organizations