Any members from Reunion Island?

[arillady]

Just wondering if we have any members who live in Reunion Island?

[Lesley Cox]

Why, on earth Pat?

[Anthony Darby]

Maybe she wants a get together with old friends and that is probably the average nearest point on Earth to all Forumists?

[Lesley Cox]

I'd better get out my Atlas.

[Maggi Young]

Just wondering if we have any members who live in Reunion Island?

 Not that I know of, Pat..... closest to that would be the Secret Squirrel, who hails from Mauritius !

[mark smyth]

I thought it was a web site to reunite skewl friends
http://www.reunionisland.net/

[mark smyth]

and strangely from the Sea Slug Forum
http://www.seaslugforum.net/images/f2402_reunion.jpg

[Maggi Young]

I'll have to follow those links, Mark.... at the very least, who knew there WAS a Seaslug Forum???!!!

Reunion is between Madagascar and Mauritius..... it is still a French dependency/department....... officially it's in Europe!

[Casalima]

http://www.barbadine.com/

Tropical seeds galore 

[David Pilling]

There's another seed merchant:

http://www.seedsplants.com/nbga_IN.htm

[Maggi Young]

By jove! If this page is anything to go by, the discussion from another thread on the mailing of seed packages will have extraordinary relevance!
.......
http://www.barbadine.com/pages/english_biblio.htm     

[Lesley Cox]

What amazing seeds to buy. Not for me I'm afraid but Bill in Tauranga would be able to grow some of them. I have a north-of Auckland friend who grows Passiflora coccinea through a very large glasshouse. It's stunningly beautiful and (from him) I have a newly germinated seed of P. antioquiensis. If it survives I'll have to grow it indoors, festooned around my kitchen. My friend's friend had it in hers and gave me a ripe fruit which has the most incredibly wonderful flavour. The flowers and fruit form on very long, thin threads and hang like lanterns.

[arillady]

Why on earth I would like this information you may well ask
ON a heritage rose forum there is much discussion at the moment re the source of the first bourbon rose which was believed to have been from Isle de Bourbon in 1817 from a cross between Rosa chinensis or one of its hybrids and R x damascena bifera. There is much controversy about all information regarding this rose. Some of the French and US members are delving as deep as possible on google and from old literature elsewhere to try to get any information that is conclusive.
I met a lady in 2005 who went to Ruston Roses at Renmark South Australia who lived on Reunion. This lady then joined the heritage roses forum but then dropped out - I have lost contact too. I have sent this lady an email to her 2005 address just recently. We thought someone "on the ground" might have some information to offer such as a local paper from the time or some such. Botanical samples? botanic garden data?

Very simple really

[Paul T]

Lesley,

Passiflora coccinea takes far more cold than you might think.  I know of a massive one growing at Bundanoon, an hour and a half north of here in the Southern Tablelands.  Definitely gets plenty of frosts, although not as cold as me here I think.

[Maggi Young]

Very simple really

 Absolutely, Pat..... I thought there would be a simple explanation, but what fun we've been having as a result of your simple question! Thank you!