Patricia Harding, Testing Orchid DNA and Developing a Family Tree

Our March speaker will be Patricia Harding, a world traveler, observer, photographer, and writer who    also grows orchids at her Oregon home, where she has been “stuck” for more than a year. She will talk about testing orchid DNA and developing a family tree, how it is done and why it works. Sounds        downright scary, right? Not so! Ms. Harding promises a science-for-the-layman presentation so we  can understand how to make an orchid family tree without knowing the DNA in all the individual   plants—all with a bit of humor and “some pretty orchid pictures.” She will also explain the reasoning behind some of the often-confusing name changes that have occurred in recent years.