[Taxacom] Hortus Botanicus

[Kenneth Kinman]

Dear All,          
     These are tough times, and some consolidation is going to be
necessary.  I assume these collections would be transferred, not
destroyed, so perhaps it is actually appropriate to consider that
medical benefits might exceed those of botanical studies (which might be
marginal).     
       Frankly, I am not sure bonsai collections and plants of the
bible, being among those which are being used to defend these
greenhouses, are necessarily enough to justify continued investment of
funds and space to this particular collection (especially if it can be
transferred elsewhere).  I find it bit hard to believe that any of these
plants (epiphytic orchids, bromeliads, or cacti) are particularly
important to most of the Dutch people or couldn't be better utilized by
a more comprehensive botanical museum.  Sometimes hard choices have to
be made, and "triage" is appropriate.  Bonsai collections in particular
would be pretty low on my list of priorities.  
         -------Ken Kinman             

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"exceed 6,000 taxa, including epiphytic orchids and bromeliads, the
largest collection of cacti in the Netherlands with some plants being
more than a century old,  a bamboo collection, plants of the bible and
plants of other religions, a penjing garden and a bonsai collection,
container plants that are 60 to 80 years old, plants that take 30 years
to produce their first flowers, a wide range of economic plants, to name
but a few."