WGI Journal Online - Molecules Matter at Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh

Molecules Matter! at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh by Pat Clifford, Senior Horticulturist - Click images to enlarge
Pat & Jenni Meresmaa, a student from Finland interning at RBGE, install the sucrose molecule. Pat adjusts caffeine. >	A highlight at RBGE this spring is an exhibition called "Molecules Matter". Throughout the glasshouses are large models of important molecules found in plants, helping people discover things like what makes grass green, what holds up trees and why nettles sting. We grow both sugar and coffee in the Tropical Aquatic House, so the Victorias are currently sharing the pond with very large sucrose and caffeine molecules.
Pat fishes a piece out of the water.
	< ^ Planting in March In April >
	The V. 'Longwood Hybrids' are doing great! The largest already have pads over a metre and the others are growing well. Some of the Nymphaea cultivars are flowering early.
I think the molecules are quite a useful educational tool, but the minute they start interfering with my Victorias they are out on their ears. More Galleries from RBGE