ISHS Acta Horticulturae 360: I International Symposium on Ornamental Palms
AKNOWLEDGEMENTS |
| Author: | M. Dematteê |
| Abstract:
Banco Real S.A.; commerce and industries of Jaboticabal; Cooperativa Agropecuária Holambra; Cooperativa dos Plantadores de Cana da Zona de Guariba (COPLANA); Cooperativa Regional de Cafeicultores em Guaxupé Ltda. (COOXUPÉ); Clube Náutico de Araraquara; Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias do Campus de Jaboticabal da UNESP (FCAV-UNESP); FRUTESP S.A.; Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP); Fundação de Estudos e Pesquisas em Agronomia, Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FUNEP); Fundação Para o Desenvolvimento da UNESP (FUNDUNESP); Instituto Agronômico (IAC); Prefeitura Municipal de Jaboticabal; Serviço Autônomo de Água e Esgoto de Jaboticabal (SAAEJ); Usina Santa Adélia; Usina São Carlos; Usina Açucareira São Francisco S.A.; Usina São Martinho Açúcar e Álcool; VARIG S.A. PREFACE This publication contains the full text of the invited and contributed papers presented at the First International Symposium on Ornamental Palms, held in Brazil on 25–29 January 1993. The Symposium was of special significance to us and we were honored to welcome international participants. Indigenous peoples once referred to a portion of Brazil as Pindorama --- which means means "Land of Palms." Palms always have been part of human life in the tropical regions. The leaves and trunks serve to build houses. Artifacts, clothes and paper are made with palm fiber, as well as implements and arrows from the trunk. High quality wax occurs on the leaf surface of the carnauba wax palm. Fruits, flowers, stems and the apical meristem provide often nutritious food. From fruits, it is also possible to produce soap, oil for fuel and even to extract a material similar to ivory. Palms in large populations influence the local climate and make hot climates more pleasant. They also provide food and habitat for wildlife. Another remarkable feature of palms is that they are so beautiful. Our sensitivities are touched by palm stands in the landscape, the sculptured and remarkable shapes of the individual trees, their graceful leaves in the wind and the dappled sunlight filtering through their crowns. We gathered for this Symposium to discuss and examine the ornamental value of palms. The act of cultivating ornamental plants is appropriate for humans, for it is akin to making a linkage between reality and the world of dreams. In practice, it is an activity that employs many individuals and may be quite lucrative. The heightened interest in ornamental palms may also contribute to help avoid the extinction of some species. We believe that significant contributions have been made to palm science by the papers presented here. | |
