Of yeasts and men: Wednesday 18th October, 2.15pm

Graeme Walker, Professor of Zymology and Director of the Abertay Yeast Research Group at Abertay University will give this lecture in the D'Arcy Thompson Lecture Theatre in the Tower Building, Dundee University, at 2.15 on Wednesday 18th October. There is a charge of £2.

Yeasts are the world’s premier industrial microbes. Yeast and fermentation technology is entwined with the history of human civilisation – from ancient Egyptian brewing to modern day biotechnology.
This lecture will explore the diversity of yeasts and their products, following a journey from beer to biofuels to biopharmaceuticals and beyond.

We hope to see you there - bring a friend!

Plant of the month October 2017

Parrotia persica (Persian ironwood)
Family: Hamamelidaceae
Origin: N. Iran, Caucasus
Accession: 1981
Location: Beside Visitor Centre pond

P. persica is a wide-spreading, often multi-stemmed deciduous tree or large shrub slow-growing to 8m, with attractive flaking bark and broadly ovate leaves which colour well in autumn, turning yellow, red and purple. It has small but abundant crimson flowers on bare twigs in late winter and early spring. P. persica is one of several relict genera of the tertiary period to be found in the north of Iran. Although extremely hardy, it prefers a rich, fertile soil that does not dry out. Parrotia is named after the German naturalist Friedrich Parrot.

Thanks to Maggie Gowland for photographs.