FLORAL GEMS: "TIPPER" MAKES ITS AMERICAN DEBUT  
                                            Release No. 0350.97
                         
                                                                 
Media Advisory
                                      
                                                                 

                                     Maria Bynum (202) 720-5192
                                           maria.bynum@usda.gov
                                     Jill Lee    (301) 344-2781
                                           jlee@asrr.arsusda.gov 

FLORAL GEMS: "TIPPER" MAKES ITS AMERICAN DEBUT  

     WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 1997-- "Tipper", a creamy-white Star of Bethlehem
lily  named for Mrs. Tipper Gore, makes its American debut next week. South
African Ambassador Franklin Sonn will unveil the exotic hybrid during a
special ceremony that starts at 7:00 p.m. on Oct. 16 at the U.S. National
Arboretum here.

     Mrs. Gore and Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman will attend the
unveiling at the arboretum which is part of the Agricultural Research
Service, the chief research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

     The South African Agricultural Research Council (ARC) named the South
African hybrid "Tipper" in appreciation of Vice President Al Gore's
environmental focus and efforts to foster trade relations between America
and South Africa. 

     South African scientists who conduct research on indigenous South
African flowers will attend the gala, including Gail Littlejohn, the
research geneticist who developed "Tipper." 

     This gala will premier the largest display of South African flowers
ever seen in the U.S.  The exhibit opens to the public on Oct. 17 and
showcases the research achievements of ARS scientists at the National
Arboretum and their colleagues at South Africa's Agricultural Research
Council in Elsenburg and Pretoria.  The researchers are continuing their
collaborative efforts to develop new disease- and pest-resistant ornamental
flowers.

      The seeds for this cooperative research were sown when Vice President
Gore and South African Deputy President Thabo Mbeki initiated  the U.S.
South African Bi-National Commission in 1994. The commission seeks
scientific and business opportunities that will benefit both nations.  The
flower research grew out of the Commission's efforts to foster agricultural
cooperation between the two nations.    

     The new hybrids on display at the National Arboretum will represent
the "first fruits" of an expanded South African floral industry. 

                                                                                                         
                            
     The development and cultivation of  new South African wildflower
hybrids  provide that nation's people with job opportunities and protect the
country's delicate Fynbos ecosystem. South Africa has 10 percent of the
world's biodiversity but only 1 percent of the earth's land mass.
Approximately 100 different botanical products are currently harvested from
its wild areas.

     But this almost magical diversity must be protected if it is to serve
generations to come.  Ecologists warn that over-harvesting depletes seed
reserves, tramples plants and disturbs the soil, spreading the root rot
disease Phytophthora.  Growing these plants on farms will protect the
environment and ensure consistent quality.  The South African floral
industry employs 20,000 people, yet the country has high unemployment and
could benefit greatly from the additional jobs created by new horticultural
products. 

                                 
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