Dr. Peter Zale

Lily Species Around the World and in Cultivation

Whether they are found in the highlands of northern Myanmar, the Republic of Georgia, and or throughout the United States, lily species are some of the most charismatic and coveted megafauna of the temperate regions of the world, however many of them remain poorly known in the wild and in collections, and some difficult to cultivate, or nearly impossible to cultivate. Join Dr. Zale as he discusses his efforts to find some of the ca. 110 lily species in the wild, the difficulties in finding and collecting seed, and his ongoing efforts to propagate and cultivate them, including recent efforts to tissue culture difficult to grow species.

Peter Zale Ph.D. earned his doctoral degree from The Ohio State University where he studied plant germplasm collection development, breeding, and genetics. As Curator and Plant Breeder at Longwood Gardens he is responsible for curatorial activities, the plant breeding program, the plant exploration program, and the recently initiated plant conservation program. He has published over 20 articles in trade, specialist, and peer-reviewed journals and designed and participated in over 20 plant exploration expeditions throughout the United States, Japan, Vietnam, Myanmar, and the Republic of Georgia. He is also an avid home gardener, with a personal plant collection topping 1500 accessions with an emphasis on lily species, terrestrial orchids, geophytes, and woodland plants.