Eye - 23 June 2017

From Bartram's botany to a reader's devotion

Bartram’s botany

An eighteenth century Friends’ botanical adventures have been highlighted by Kew Gardens.

In the autumn edition of Kew magazine Tony Kirkham penned a piece about ‘the Franklin tree’, otherwise known as Franklinia alatamaha. Six of these unusual trees were planted at Kew Gardens last year.

He wrote: ‘In 1765, John Bartram, a Quaker farmer from Pennsylvania, and his third son William, were exploring the banks of the River Altamaha… when they discovered a small grove of trees unknown to them. These later turned out to be unknown to botanists too, and the plant was finally named Franklinia as a new genus by Daniel Solander in honour of Benjamin Franklin, and the species named after the river where the grove of trees once grew.’

It is due to John Bartram’s industrious seed collecting that any specimens survive for cultivation today as: ‘By the early 1800s…the trees had disappeared and the species had become extinct in the wild, with the only known examples growing in John Bartram’s garden in Pennsylvania. All Franklinia in cultivation today are descended from these trees.’

John Bartram was later appointed the royal botanist for North America by George the third and the garden he established near Philadelphia became the first botanical garden in the USA.

Shelter in Stourbridge

Stourbridge’s Children’s Meeting, whose members are known as ‘Rainbows’, have been raising funds for families in need.

Emily, a member of Rainbows, is pictured writing a cheque for the £581 they raised for Shelterbox.

A local Friend told Eye: ‘Rainbows choose one of Stourbridge’s special collections each year. This year they wanted the Meeting to pay for a Shelterbox, which is a resource for a family that has lost everything in war or a natural disaster. It contains a tent, thermal blankets, water purifier, cooking and eating equipment, lights, tools… More details can be seen at www.shelterbox.org.

‘The Rainbows produced a short play for the Meeting showing a family in an earthquake, to encourage Friends to give.’

A reader’s devotion

Following the story of an unusual send-off (2 June) Barbara Windle, with the permission of the family, wrote to shed further light on the Friend’s farewell and shared a photograph of the Guardian-covered coffin that struck a chord with so many readers.

She writes: ‘The coffin of Christopher (Chris) Moore, he and his wife Sheila being much loved and very active members of York Friargate Meeting, was indeed wrapped in the Guardian to represent his love of both the Guardian and its crossword – so crosswords featured heavily on the chosen pages of newsprint.

‘In fact, the crossword chosen by Sheila to be nearest his head was the actual one left incomplete by him less than half an hour before his death.’

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