Meeting:
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Guest Presenter:
Jim Bauml
Topic:
Applied Urban Ethnobotany
Applied urban ethnobotany was a fascinating discussion of the ethnic markets of Los Angeles: What plants are used in some of those herbal teas; what spices are being used to create those unique flavors; and what are the plant components of some of those herbal remedies. Are those plants native to those cultures, or were they later adopted and adapted in new or traditional ways?
James A. Bauml, Ph.D, is botanist at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, CA, a post held since 1983. He served as the botanist at the Huntington Botanic Gardens in San Marino from 1979 to 1983.
He earned his Masters degree in Botany from Cornell University writing a monograph of the genus Hymenocallis (Amaryllidaceae) in Mexico. He has a Ph.D. in Botany from the Claremont Graduate University, with a focus on the ethnobotany of the Huichol Indians of Mexico and on the origins of the domesticated marigold (Tagetes erecta).
He continues his ethnobotanical research in Mexico and South America as well in the diverse ethnic markets of Los Angeles.