During the congress, Prof. Wei and Dr. Wen communicated with experts and scholars from America, Canada, Russia and other countries about academic researches of Gesneriaceae. They also discussed the issues of Gesneriads cultivation, management and market promotion with plant commercial businessmen and farm managements from the U.S. and Canada. As a result, there are nearly 150 Gesneriads species and cultivated variations being safely introduced to our botanic garden, which significantly enriched our living collections of Gesneriaceae plants. Together with the local species introduced from all over China, our botanic garden has become the one with the largest Gesneriaceae living collections within the nation and has made fundamental contributions to the national scientific popularization and conservation of Gesneriaceae as well as the introduction, promotion and industrialization of beautiful and noval cultivative species. After the congress, Wei and Wen visited the Longwood Gardens and the Atlanta Botanic Garden and met Dr. Brian Trader and Dr. Peter Zale (Longwood Garden), Dr. Scott MaMhan and Mr. Michael Wenzel (Atlanta Botanical Garden) respectively, discussing about the topics and ways in the future collaborations.

 ​​Fig. 1 Prof. Wei Yi-Gang and Dr. Wen Fang were visiting Atlanta Botanical Garden

Fig. 2 Dr. Wen Fang collected the introduction materials of Gesneriaceae from Stewart’s Greenhouse (Mr. Stephen (left) and Lady Dee Stewart (right))

Fig. 3 Prof. Wei Yi-Gang gave his monograph, Gesneriaceae of South China, to Dr. Peter Zale in Longwood Garden (left); Wei and Peter were discussing the future collaboration. 

​

Fig.  4 Kohleria “Longwood”

​Fig. 5 The hanging potted Streptocarpella in Longwood Garden

​Fig. 6 The plants of Gesneriaceae in special sales

Fig. 7 The special collection and nursery for Gesneriaceae plants look like heaven (Gesneriaceae heaven)