While it may seem a tad technical, the lectures (each lecture was twenty minutes, with selected special lectures spanning an hour) on horticulture, ethnobotany, curcumas and diversity and conservation that roused my interest.

DAY ONE

The first day was a whirlwind experience, and a tiring one at that. Delegates were welcomed by the Singapore Botanic Gardens staff and ushered into the newly constructed Tanglin Core of the gardens and into the Green Pavilion (this is the one with the planted roof) where we were given our name tags (this was our all access pass), asked to sign up for the symposium dinner, the trip to the night safari and given our black goody bags consisting many brochures, a chart of Singapore birds, a guide to the treetop trial, a copy of Gardenwise - publication of the Singapore Botanic Gardens and other things. Oh yes, and a bottle of water.

Above: Listening attentively to a presentation and looking at
captivating pictures.

I must add this bit about the Green Pavilion. It is beautiful. Picture this - a large open space with lovely wooden chairs, benches and cross sections of tropical buttress in a lovely shade of sable. However, I really don't know what would happen once the public got hold of the place. You see, I saw an attendee putting a wet umbrella on the lovely wood and it just struck me that these lovely furnishings would never survive.

Professor Kai Larsen gave the first lecture on 'The Exploration of Gingers in SEA - Some Milestones and Perspectives' setting the tone, and perhaps foreshadowing the topics that later lectures would cover. A photograph section would soon ensue, and in case you can't find me, I'm in the front right of the group picture, next to John Tan, president of the Singapore Gardening Society.

Above: Delegates making a beeline for the food.

Session One, The Biosystematics, Phylogeny and Molecular Biology of Zingiberaceae proved to me way over my head with words like 'Clade' and 'Tribe' mentioned as frequently as Eminen using the F-word. However, Kyle Williams lecture on Caulokaemferia proved to be most invigorating with its lovely pictures of the plants, coupled with his clear explanation on how the genus could be divided into two distinct groups, namely the 'Yellow Species' group (which will probably remain in the genus Caulokaempferia) and the 'Pink and White Species' group (which could be moved into Boesenbergia).

From another lecture, I learnt that India produces 24% of the world's ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and that these cultivars are 'obligatorily vegetatively propagated' owing to their 'complete sterility'.

Above: Delegates touring the cool house in the National Orchid Gardens.

A tour of the National Orchid Garden soon ensued as we moved into the evening. It was then that I made a couple of new friends by taking them to the Orchid Garden were the tour would start (but not before a quick round of the nearby Ginger Garden). Delegates were intrigued by the Cool House where we spent a huge part of our time, and also by the Alocasia planted in the Tan Hoon Siang Mist House, specifically Alocasia reversa and Alocasia infernalis.

The 'Welcome Ginger Dinner' would later see us dining at the Burkill Hall, past residence of the various Directors of the Gardens. Food was dished out by Halia and a couple of us were waxing lyrical about the tangy 'Ginger Mocktail' concoction, not to mention gulping down pints of it. There was even Laksa (although I was too busy picking at other things such that I entirely forgot about it, even after being reminded a couple times over to have a taste of it). A string quartet played on while we dined and talked, basking in the warm lighting of the resplendent Burkill Hall.

DAY TWO

Lectures on the second day began with the session 'Taxonomy of Zingiberaceae' where Axel Poulsen from the Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh opened with his lecture on 'Etlingera of Java as an Example of Challenges for Taxonomic Revision'. I was especially interested as I've always loved Etlingera. The reddish-pink Etlingera elatior (Torch Ginger, Bunga Kantan) cultivar that I have growing at home has been with me for over 5 years now. It was one of my first gingers!

Well, Etlingera grow anywhere from 2 to 10 m and it is the collective genus of Nicolaia, Achasma and Geanthus. The study of ethnobotany sees them being used as edibles for their flowers, stout fruit, fibers for mats, hunting, medicinal and even magical purposes! However, the change of land use patterns threatens this intriguing group, although they prefer moderate disturbance - as in situations where clearings are formed. Ex-situ conservation of these plants is also implemented in botanic gardens, and also an added-benefit with plants being cultivated for the cut-flower market.

Another notable lecture was one done by amiable Nelapalese Shamik Mishra, who is on the symposium's travel grant. He spoke on altitudinal distribution of various Hedychium species in Nepal and also pointed out that Hedychium spicatum occurs in both epiphytic and terrestrial situations there. He also added that 'the trend is to move from quantitative of qualitative in creating (identification) keys' so as to make allowance for variation attributed to growing conditions (morphological plasticity).

From other lectures, I learnt that Alpinia purpurata, also known as 'Khing Daeng' in Thai, multiplies vegetatively via its 'bract subtended bulbil' where a young plant can grow and that 13 out of the 15 species of Geostachys are found to be 'hyper-endemic' and only found within their type localities. It was also at this point where I found out that Zinguber, which is divided into the four sections of Cryptanthium, Dymczewiczia, Pleuranthesis and Zingiber, really is a Latin reference as to how their rhizomes resemble deer antlers.

The following session would prove to be a super-hit with me, discussing the Horticulture and Ethnobotany of Zingberaceae of which Alan Carle, proprietor of the Botanical Ark in Queensland, Australia, kick-started with his spunky lecture on 'The Singapore Ginger Garden - Designing and Implementing a Specialty Garden to Showcase and Conserve Zingiberacaeae and Botanical Relatives'.

For potential ginger growers (Maybe after reading this article?), a good soil mix comprises 30% sandy loam, 40% river sand and 30% organic matter as opposed to conventional Singapore soil of heavy clay loam which offers poor drainage and low fertility, coupled with a low pH and minimal organic matter, which stifles root development and cracks when dry. Considerations when designing such a garden also include the prospect of economic rationalization (therefore the theme restaurant, Halia and various souvenir and gift shops), companion planting of palms etc. that accentuate the form and colour of the gingers and also mood creation though lighting and other dramatic elements, like the waterfall which is constructed of ferro-cement panels. The waterfall also features rheophytes, which essentially are plants that grow in water.

Amid little factoids such as how a football field of rainforest is destroyed every 2 seconds, Alan also joked that enthusiastic gardeners would definitely result in enthusiastic gardens and that ironically, the great thing about being a plant is that you can just die when you're not happy. He also added that a full time curator, with prime candidate being the Czech curcuma-philiac Jana Skornickova, would have to be hired to ensure the success and continued prosperity of the garden.

The next talk by English botanical illustrator Sandy Ross Sykes was simply mesmerizing. I especially loved her watercolor works of Alpinia purpurea and Costus erythrophyllus, not to mention the lovely grasshopper (only in this case) perched atop an Etlingera flower. One of those paintings takes six days to complete with something like seven hours spent on them daily. Sandy also spoke on the relevance and role of the botanical artist (to speak up for plants, such was the case of Brazil, where it was not wise to literally speak up about disappearing rainforest when you yourself might disappear) and how cameras, as opposed to illustration 'with the eyes of an engineer', only focus on one part of a plant. Botanical watercolors are also said to last into the hundreds of years as compared to photographs which fade.

It was ironic that the next presenter was local photographer John Arifin who enthralled us with images of gingers. A particular picture of his that really strike me was that of an adult mail crimson sunbird immortalized together with its food source, the Etlingera elatior flower. John's presentation also featured photographs taken on Fraser's Hill by Lady McNeice herself.

Above: Delegates having a meal against the lush backdrop of
a living wall, comprising birds' nest and oak leaf ferns.

I kind of skipped dinner (the food was good, but kind of all tasted the same, especially when we had so many meals a day, so I needed a break. Apologies. But it was good… it's just that, never mind) and was walking out when I met another delegate who was escaping to change money. Eventually I brought her to the Borders and Kinokuniya bookshops to buy plant books, and then to a scrumptious dinner at Ding Tai Fung, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

DAY THREE

Day three was on the Micropropagation, Phytochemistry and Pharmacognosy of Zingerberaceae. The ginger (Zingiber officinale), as I learnt from Dr. Halijah Ibrahim's talk on 'Cultivated Gingers of Peninsular Malaysia: Utilization, Profiles and Micropropagation', possesses anti-inflammatory properties akin to capsaicin found in Capsicum frutescens. The ginger is also carminative (relieves flatulence), opens up blood vessels, creates sweat and warmth, is good for arthritis, nausea and vomiting and helps with motion sickness, even being more effective than dramamine - according to Dr. Halijah herself who swears by a ginger tea thirty minutes before flight.

A paste made of ground ginger rhizomes, together with Curcuma zedoaria, when put on the head helps lower body temperature in malaria cases. The ginger also is an integral ingredient in aromatic baths during confinement (also judiciously practiced by Dr Halijah) and in addition, relieves muscle pains and strains.

There are marked botanical trends in the cosmetic industry in the areas of moisturizing (Aloe vera, ginseng), skin restructuring (Centella asiatica), Skin lightening (mulberry, licorice) and anti-ageing, where Dr. Halijah is developing prototypes for her 'Age-Diffusion Complex', reflecting the sentiments of 'Wealth Creation Through Innovation' by Malaysian leaders.

As authorities as of late have been cracking down on pharmaceuticals and become more stringent in controls, it is now all the rage to create herbal ginger infusions and teas instead of pills. Ginger is also a key component of the popular 'Hacks' sweets and also massage and body oils. On another note, tissue cultured Zingiber officinale seem to give better yield than vegetatively propagated ones.

Left: Doris Marcsik, my friend from the Ornamentals Programme at the Northern Territory Department of Primary Industries and Mines who spoke on their Curcuma breeding programme, and me. Right: Anthony Lamb, from the Forest Research Centre Sabah, with Doris Marcsik.

The rest of the morning lectures we skipped as we brought some of the delegates, which were my new found friends, on a nursery tour to World Farm where they were intrigued by the large variety of plants, and later to a meal at the Crystal Jade at Holland Village, where they also picked up a couple of souvenirs and fruits from Cold Storage.

Highlights of the afternoon, when we did return, included 'Aulotandra - the Last African Genus to be placed Phylogenetically' by Mark Newman of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. Aulotandra, with its two large lateral staminodes fused together with its large labellum, was originally placed in Kaempferia, until differences were recognized on a genetic level.

I also learnt a little on tuberculosis during Alicia M. Aguinaldo's (University of Santo Tomas, Manila) talk on 'Selected Zingiberaceae Species Exhibiting Inhibitory Activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv: A Phytochemical Profile'. Africa is at the centre of a worldwide pandemic with 29 % of all TB cases. TB is also the biggest killer of HIV-positive people HIV reactivates latent TB. On another note, more than 800 species of Philippine plants are considered as medicinal.

DAY FOUR

Day four was centered on a single genus, Curcuma, of which from the first lecture, on 'The Genus Curcuma L. (Zingiberaceae): Distribution and Classification with Reference to Species Diversity in Thailand', I learnt that it was moved from Hedychiae to Zingiberaceae. Curcuma is also divided into two flower forms, the first being the 'open form' with staminodes free from dorsal and corolla lobes, while the second from, the 'closed form', has staminodes wrapped by dorsal corolla lobes. Thailand is home to 38 curcuma species, of which 3 are still undescribed (C. larsenii, C. sirirugsae and C. lilacina).

Some gingers spotted at the Ginger Garden. Left: One of the 'Sulee' Curcuma hybrids created by Annop Ongsakul of Sulee Nursery, Phuket, which resides in the Ginger Garden. Center: A Dimerocostus. Right: This may be a Costus globosus growing in the Ginger Garden, which was the subject of some discussion.

Doris Marcsik from the Ornamentals Programme at the Northern Territory Department of Primary Industries and Mines also spoke on their Curcuma breeding programme, initiated to develop new and improved varieties for cut flower production. Emphasis was placed on the specific flowering characteristics that determined the most promising cut flowers.

Peter Boyce started the final session on 'Diversity and Conservation of Zingiberaceae' with his talk on 'Zingiberaceae on Shales and Mudstones in Sawarak', showcasing myriad pictures. From 'An Overview of the Zingiberaceae of New Guinea, with Specific Notes on the Genus Ridelia', I learnt that New Guinea, in actual fact, is the largest island in the world - and not Greenland, which consist of two islands.

ACKNOWLEDEGEMENTS

Above: A flower arrangement on the front desk at the green pavilion
- incorporating fresh Curcuma inflorescences flown in from Bangkok.

I would like to thank the all the wonderful people I have met during the symposium, and also the Singapore Botanic Gardens staff for making my stay most enjoyable, namely Dr. Wong Wei Har, Camelia Mahendran, Andrea Kee, Yap Siow Hong, Carine, Alan Tan and many others that I have inadvertently left out, or working behind the scenes.