In 2009 many cultural institutions around the world celebrated the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his ‘Origin of Species’. In Sydney, the Botanic Gardens Trust devised a dynamic year-long program of events and exhibitions to celebrate Darwin’s scientific legacy.

What follows is a compilation of two articles: one for BGANZ’s BOTANIC GARDENer magazine Issue 23 March 2009 and the other for Sydney’s Friends of the Botanic Gardens’ The Gardens magazine. In the interests of holistically recounting this program of events I have included photographs and additional information as well as material that was available on the Trust’s website at the time.

Another article ‘Darwin down under’ forms part of the special Darwin issue of ROOTS, BGCI’s education review Vol 5 No. 2 October 2008.

Janelle Hatherly 2021

Galileo, Newton, Einstein … or Darwin? There’s a challenge for you. Who do you consider to be the greatest scientist to have ever lived and whose ideas have had the greatest impact on human thought?

This question is being asked in many circles in this the bicentennial year of Charles Darwin’s birth and 150 years since the publication of his book On the Origin of Species. Coincidentally, 2009 also marks 400 years since Galileo first looked down his telescope.

Charles Darwin gets many people’s vote including Professor Kevin Padian who wrote in the international journal Nature (451, 632–634; 2008):

"Darwin moved intellectual thought from a paradigm of untestable wonder at special creation to an ability to examine the workings of that natural world, however ultimately formed, in terms of natural mechanisms and historical patterns”.

Around the world, celebrations abound about this fascinating man, his times, his work and his enduring legacy. And at the Royal Botanic Gardens, we’re celebrating too. Not only did a young Charles Darwin, arriving at Sydney Town on the HMS Beagle in 1836, stroll through these fledgling gardens but he commented favourably:

“… there are no fine trees, but the walks wind about the shrubberies and are to me infinitely more pleasing than the formal Alamedes of South America.”

Darwin’s detailed observations of Australian flora and fauna formed a key part in the development of his theory of evolution through natural selection. Twenty years after this visit, Darwin’s links to the far-flung colony were renewed through correspondence with the Gardens Director Charles Moore (1848-1896). He even sent Moore an inscribed first printing of the first edition of his On the Origin of Species. This priceless volume now holds pride of place in the Royal Botanic Gardens’ library and will be on public display as part of our celebrations this year.

Darwin collected and studied plants throughout his life and his work continues to inform and inspire the Trust’s scientific research and public programs. Darwin was a truly remarkable man, a polymath with an insatiable curiosity for the wonders of the natural world and an ability to find answers to the diversity and meaning of all aspects of life. He wrote:

“Nothing before had ever made me thoroughly realise that science consists in grouping facts so that general laws or conclusions may be drawn from them”.

Thankfully Darwin was a prolific writer and his books (of which at least six were on plants), manuscripts and extensive correspondences provide enthusiasts and scholars alike with a wealth of first-hand information. Everything Darwin wrote can be accessed at Darwin Online which was set up in 2006 and is probably the most comprehensive scholarly website on any historical person. It is hardly surprising that many films and books about Darwin have been produced to coincide with this year’s anniversaries and the Trust has had no trouble coming up with a year-long program of events and exhibitions.

In preparation for the celebratory year the Trust coordinated a two-day BGANZ Signage and Interpretation Workshop for professional colleagues on 24–25 November 2008. BGANZ stands for Botanic Gardens of Australia and New Zealand and is our national professional organisation. Thirty-two delegates (representing 14 regional gardens, six state botanic gardens, Centennial Parklands and one New Zealand botanic garden) took part in practical sessions specifically designed to share ideas for interpreting Darwin’s contribution to evolution. Innovative approaches to signage, outdoor displays and public programs were discussed with expert input from landscape designers and horticulturists, graphic and exhibition designers, scientists and educators.

Participants also took the opportunity to evaluate various displays around the Royal Botanic Gardens, experience some guided walks with volunteer guides and attend BGANZ’s Annual General Meeting.

The Trust’s celebrations to acknowledge Darwin’s legacy began in earnest on the eve of Darwin’s 200th birthday with Dining with Darwin: Evolution and extinction, adaptation and climate change, a joint initiative with the Australian Museum. Over 180 guests joined host Jennifer Byrne and a panel of experts including Clive Hamilton (social commentator and author), Prof. Hugh Possingham (Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists), Nicole Kuepper (Eureka Prize winner) and Dr Mike Raupach (Co-Chair, Global Carbon Project) for dinner and lively discussion at the Trust’s Pavilion Restaurant.

On 12 February, Darwin’s actual birth date, over 200 invited Friends, Trust staff and volunteers, scientists and members of the public celebrated with cordial and cupcakes (decorated with the letters of Darwin’s name) and arranged themselves in the shape of Darwin’s name for a historic photo which was shared around the world.

This event also launched the installation of a spectacular interpretive sculpture. Six 3D mirrored letters, each over two metres high, spelling out Darwin’s name, nestled amongst the foliage and trunks of the ‘Myrtales Bed’. As well as paying homage to this giant among men, the sculpture interpreted Darwin’s significant contribution to our current understanding of biodiversity and the origin of life.

This bed was designed about 25 years ago to celebrate research by Trust scientists Dr Barbara Briggs and Dr Lawrie Johnson on the evolutionary relationships in this Order of plants and the consequent implications about their biogeographical distribution. The bed also includes a plaque commemorating the first Arbor Day plantings in the gardens with the Hon. Bob Carr, Minister for the Environment and children of Plunkett Street Public School on Arbor Day 28 July 1986.

The mirrored surfaces of the installation sculpture reflect Darwin’s obsession with nature and his passion for detailed observation. Key words (Evolution, Extinction, Variation, Inheritance, Adaptability, Selection and Divergence) are spelt out at the top of each letter, collectively hinting at Darwin’s grand unifying theory of biology. Beneath them are quotes by Darwin himself and other great minds including our own Trust scientists.

The quotes primarily focus on plants and botanic gardens and appear to ‘just hang there’ – like moments of inspiration or clarity of thought – in an attempt to offer explanations and provoke responses. The project team’s concept for interpreting Darwin’s Theory of Evolution was brought to a design reality by the creative genius of Julio Himede and was constructed by Thomas Creative.

On the reverse side of the ‘D’ is a giant picture of Darwin and a small amount of text encouraging visitors to go to the Trust’s website for more information about the quotes and to come behind-the-scenes at the Royal Botanic Gardens in National Science Week.

Below are the quotes as shown on each panel. They were reproduced on the Trust’s website in 2009 along with additional links and resources.

On the letter ‘D’:

EVOLUTION

“It is not the strongest of the species which will survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.” Charles Darwin, English naturalist

“Nothing before had ever made me thoroughly realise, though I had read various scientific books, that science consists in grouping facts so that general laws or conclusions may be drawn from them.” Charles Darwin

“A traveller should be a botanist, for in all views, plants form the chief embellishment.” Charles Darwin

EXTINCTION

On the letter ‘A’ :

VARIATION

“Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” Theodosius Dobzhansky, geneticist

“When botanic gardens started, they displayed the wonders of the created world. With the discovery of evolution, they turned their attention to the interconnections and adaptations of life. Modern plant science is based on the common descent of all life on Earth.” Tim Entwisle, Executive Director Botanic Gardens Trust

“Today the theory of evolution is about as much open to doubt as the theory that the Earth goes round the sun.” Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist

On the letter ‘R’:

INHERITANCE

“Darwin’s most important contribution with regard to plants was his study of plant sex. He was amazed by the lengths that plants went to in order to avoid self-fertilising.” Peter Weston, evolutionary botanist, Botanic Gardens Trust

“Most of Darwin’s experimental work was on plants. Down House, his family home for 40 years, was his study and the garden his outdoor laboratory. Two or three times a day he walked along the Sandwalk – his ‘thinking path’ – to muse and reflect on how life in all its complexity came about.” Karen Wilson, systematic botanist, Botanic Gardens Trust

“Animals have their uses – they pollinate plants and spread their seed. Otherwise, life is really all about plants and microorganisms”. Tim Entwisle, NSW Government Botanist

On the letter ‘W’:

ADAPTATION

“The voyage of the Beagle has been by far the most important event in my life, and has determined my whole career. Everything about which I thought or read was made to bear directly on what I had seen or was likely to see … I feel sure that it was this training which has enabled me to do whatever I have done in science.” Charles Darwin

“… there are no fine trees, but the walks wind about the shrubberies and are to me infinitely more pleasing than the formal Alamedes of South America.” Charles Darwin (after visiting these botanic gardens in 1836)

“On the HMS Beagle expedition Darwin collected ‘all the plants in flower’ in the Galapagos islands. With well over 200 plant specimens Darwin’s plants represent the foundational collection for the entire Galapagos flora.” Brett Summerell, Director Science Botanic Gardens Trust

Where’s W A L L A C E?

This small question along the right-hand rim has been included in recognition of Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913) who postulated the theory of evolution at the same time as Darwin.

On the letter ‘I’:

SELECTION

“Darwin, however, struck at the root of what it means to be human.” Paul Davies, physicist and cosmologist

“There is grandeur in this view of life … that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on … endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.” Charles Darwin

“I love fools’ experiments. I am always making them.” Charles Darwin

On the letter ‘N’:

DIVERGENCE

“If Darwin was alive today, I’d enjoy discussing the evolution of plant communities. I’d tell him how our increased molecular and ecological research tools enable us to better understand why groups of species live together.” Maurizio Rossetto, evolutionary ecologist, Botanic Gardens Trust

“Darwin was a true giant in the history of science, an explorer and a lover of nature who translated his passion into a scientific explanation for the diversity of life that is the foundation of all biology.” Michael Novacek, American Museum of Natural History

“The branches of the Tree of Life represent ancestral lineages of now-extinct species; the forks represent where two species diverge and the branch tips represent species alive today.”Barbara Briggs, honorary research botanist, Botanic Gardens Trust

In addition to this outdoor display, the year 2009 was filled with a variety of related activities including:

Self-guided walks looking at plant adaptations in various environments as well as incorporating Darwinian principles on display in the Sex and Death exhibition in the Tropical Centre. The self-guiding trail Mutants, Clones and Crossbreeds allowed visitors to investigate plant breeding and propagation.
Morning special interest talks followed by walks on Darwin/evolution with knowledgeable Volunteer Guides
Evening lectures in the historic Maiden Theatre included Darwin's Greenhouse: soot, steam and passion flowers by author and lecturer Dr Jim Endersby who explores Charles Darwin’s botanical research and its relation to industrialisation and empire, and discussion and readings from Musings on Mr Darwin’s Shooter (A Sydney Writers Festival event) with author Roger McDonald. The Sky’s the Limit: Galileo vs Darwin discussion with Prof. Fred Watson and Dr Brett Summerell was coupled with stargazing, and many Trust scientists gave public talks as well.
School Holiday programs for the children included:
April: Charlie D and the Great Seed Mystery –solve the mystery of seed dispersal
July: Mini-worlds – search for tiny ecosystems and make a terrarium
October: Hunters & Collectors – press flowers and make herbarium specimens

An exhibition Darwin’s Descendents: 200 Years of Scientific Adventures was on show in the Red Box Gallery from 1 August until 24 November. The exhibition’s backdrop on all four sides is the Herbarium’s 1.2 million dried specimens (in red boxes) that rise four floors from algae through mosses, ferns, conifers and cycads to flowering plants.

The exhibition explored the work of seven Botanic Gardens Trust scientists, past and present, who have followed in Darwin’s footsteps. It was easy to find objects for display around our organisation that was established in 1816 and is the oldest botanic garden and scientific institution in Australia.

This exhibition dared to explain the molecular technology, only developed in the 1990s, that enables today’s scientists to work on a comprehensive Tree of Life predicted by Darwin.

In August, especially during National Science Week visitors, young and old, had the opportunity to learn what it means to be a modern-day plant collector and research scientist.

Trust scientist Dr Alan Millar has discovered 20 genera and 50 species of marine plants during 21 years of oceanic research for the Trust. When he tracked down ‘the lost alga’ diving off Julian Rocks at Byron Bay, he was so intently focused on his discovery he head-butted a grey nurse shark. He donated his wet suit to the exhibition.

“Our work is a balance of passion and pedantry”, said Dr Millar and behind-the-scenes tours showed that while there have been significant advances in technology some things have changed little since Darwin’s time!

Interpreting Darwin’s Scientific Legacy