Magnificent Medinilla

Last week, we had a visit from a research student from Oxford Brookes University. She was studying the Medinilla magnifica plant (pictured in flower here). We expect our plant to bloom soon, perhaps in the early Spring, in Amazonica House.

The researcher explained that she was studying the Medinilla from three different perspectives:

(1) deforestation of its native habitat in the Philippines,

(2) invasive species in Hawaii, and

(3) decorative plant in the UK.

Her feedback reminded us that each of the 700 or so species at the Living Rainforest has its own unique story to tell. Deforestation, invasion, decoration … and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of our daily ignorance!

As for the Medinilla, we were inspired by the researcher’s acute interest in this one plant, and we’ll try to update readers if there are any new research developments to report.