EAS pin – Gearum brasiliense

Little-known aroid Gearum brasiliense, found only in Brazil. It’s a seasonally dormant tuberous geophyte occurring in annually flooded savannahs. The large spicily scented blooms appear before the pedate leaves emerge. The species was first collected in October 1828 by William J. Burchell, although the exact locality remained unclear. In 1996 Josef Bogner using, as it turned out, an inaccurate interpretation of Burchell’s fieldnotes tried to locate Gearum but failed. Then, a few years later a specimen collected in 1978 but for decades mis-filed as a Xanthosoma, was located in a Brazilian herbarium and based on this new information Josef was able to bring living plants into cultivation for the first time! The story about Gearum perfectly encapsulates the inexhaustible passion for aroids Josef Bogner had, with the pin serving as an homage to him as the greatest modern European aroider, one who is dearly missed.

Dimensions: 30 x 32 mm

Design: Min Lee