Strophanthus
"In the conservatory with the poison dart!" Well, this declaration may never be a winner at a game of "Clue", but it could happen. The seeds of Strophanthus species are a source of the poison used in tropical West Africa for the infamous potentially lethal hunting darts. These plants are also a known source of the cardiac drug strophantin. Our Strophanthus gratus is soon to bloom again with a sweet smelling umbel of white to lightly pink flowers with a maroon throat. Its brother Strophanthus preusii is currently in bloom and should continue to be for some weeks. It is visually intoxicating with its unusual bearded flowers. They have not yet produced any seeds, most likely for lack of a pollinator. These plants are members of the family Apocynaceae or dogbane family. This family includes plants such as Adenium and Pachypodium. Find them in the Aquatics Gallery along the north wall and at the south west corner
Mario Vega
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Meet Lau Hodges:
Guest Services Supervisor
"I can't believe I get to work here!" is Lau's upbeat attitude about her position at the  Conservatory. Lau's engaging smile and enthusiastic love of the historic floral filled Conservatory sets the tone for the guest services staff who she supervises and mentors.
Born and raised in Solano Beach, Lau grew up "surfing and eating sand." After Lau graduated from UC Santa Barbara, she moved north and worked as a buyer for a major department store. Lau quickly determined that the corporate life was not for her and she decided, "I was only going to work where I had fun." She took some time exploring options including volunteering as a Jungle Guide at the Conservatory. Each week she inquired, "Any jobs available here?" and one day there was an opening in guest services. Quickly, Lau became assistant to her supervisor who left for a new opportunity last fall. Lau was tapped for the open position at a time of big changes in the job scope. The tiny gift kiosk located in a stand alone facility outside the actual Conservatory was moving indoors with more than twice the footprint. That earlier career as a buyer came in handy as Lau stocked the gift shop with enticing items related to the garden railway exhibit. Officially opened on November 19th, the new gift shop has been an amazing success since day one!
But the gift shop is only one aspect of the Guest Services Supervisor position. Lau is responsible for front of the house operations including ticket sales, visitor satisfaction, event coordination and staffing. She is also the primary contact for scheduling school tours and transportation.
Lau was originally attracted to the Conservatory for its historic significance, but she has become passionate about the plant world and is currently a student of horticulture at St. Mary's College. In her spare time she is an intern at the San Francisco Botanical Garden California native's department.
"It's the only place I ever wanted to work in all of San Francisco." Lucky for us!!!
And a bit of trivia: When Lauren Jane Hodges started nursery school there were three Laurens in her class. Her teacher inquired if anyone had a nickname that might be used to reduce confusion. Seems that at home, Lauren Jane was known as "Lau" - and it stuck!
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pressures upon young people nowadays, it is refreshing to see them on a positive field trip experience within our most unique classroom in the tropics. Did you know that during the course of a school year, over 2,000 children visit the Conservatory through a scheduled field trip and Jungle Tour?