PIFI Distinguished Scientist Professor Henrik Balslev will give a lecture at South China Botanical Garden
Lecture Information
Topic：Palms – Emblems of Tropical Forests – Their Diversity and Conservation
Speaker：Professor Emeritus Henrik Balslev
Venue：South China Botanical Garden
About the Speaker
Professor Emeritus Henrik Balslev is a leading scientist specializing in plant systematics, ethnobotany and plant ecology. His long-term research has been mainly carried out in Latin America and Thailand. At present, as a PIFI Distinguished Scientist, he conducts research on medicinal plant resources at Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
He holds fellowships of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, the Linnean Society of London, and many other prestigious international academic societies. He has authored hundreds of peer-reviewed journal articles and more than ten monographs, with a total citation count exceeding 24,000 and an H-index of 77. He is an experienced supervisor who has mentored over 40 PhD students and 40 master’s students.
Lecture Abstract
Palms (Arecaceae) are emblems of tropical forests. Endlicher gave them the alternative name Principes, meaning “the princes among plants”, which reflects their unique, distinguished status in the plant kingdom. Palms are widely distributed across all tropical regions, exhibiting a wide range of life forms: from abundant small understory species to large, widespread canopy palms.
In terms of economic value, the palm family ranks second only to grasses, and is comparable to legumes. Beyond their economic significance, palms are valuable research subjects covering diverse scientific disciplines, and have attracted the attention of naturalists and scientific researchers for centuries.
Warm Reminder
All researchers and students are welcome to attend this lecture to learn about palm diversity and conservation, and exchange academic ideas with Professor Henrik Balslev.