A leading authority on oak tree evolution will present new research about America’s national tree at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Andrew Hipp, Director of Herbarium and Senior Scientist at the Morton Arboretum, will discuss how oaks became dominant across the Northern Hemisphere during the free public lecture.
The presentation will cover oak reproduction biology, species origins, hybrid development, and evolutionary history spanning 56 million years, according to event details released by The Huntington.
Congress officially designated the oak genus Quercus as the national tree in 2004 following a four-month public voting process organized by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
The Huntington maintains oaks as a core botanical collection, focusing significant research and conservation efforts on preserving and studying these iconic trees.
Hipp brings substantial credentials to the presentation, including a 2013 Fulbright Scholarship for oak genome evolution research in France and a 2023 Specialist Program award for teaching evolution and ecology of oaks in Germany.
His recently published book “Oak Origins: From Acorns to Species and the Tree of Life” (University of Chicago Press, 2024) will be available for signing after the 90-minute presentation in the Education and Visitor Center.
Currently serving as a University of Chicago lecturer, Hipp has authored over 130 academic works, including “Field Guide to Wisconsin Sedges” and 16 children’s books on natural history topics.
His research appears in such publications as Arnoldia, Scientific American, International Oaks, Places Journal, and his blog, A Botanist’s Field Notes. In 2018, he received the Distinguished Informal Science Education Award from the National Science Teachers Association.
The event begins at 7 p.m. in The Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall. It requires advance registration, though admission is free to all attendees.
For more information and to register, visit https://huntington.org/event/
