A FROME student will be displaying his collection of rare South American plants this weekend at the Writhlington School Orchid Festival.
Frome resident James Stewart, who is leading a team researching the plants, explained, “I will be carrying out DNA analysis and working with scientists in Germany, the UK and the USA to help identify relationships between the species.”
The Orchid Festival, which runs on Saturday 10th September from 10am to 4pm at the school, will also feature orchid displays from across South West England and a chance to buy orchids from a specialist international nursery.
Writhlington teacher Simon Pugh-Jones added, “The plants are species of Gongora, exotic orchids from South and Central America, that have puzzled botanists for centuries.
“Students at the Mendip Studio School will link with partner scientists at Kew Gardens, Munich and the University of Houston, and carry out genetic analysis using DNA from the plants.”
The research collection is the largest of its kind in the UK and was donated to the Writhlington School Orchid Project earlier this year by horticulturist Richard Hartley.
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