New York Botanical Garden's Delphinium Study

By 1940, Sclerotium delphinii, or black rot in delphinium had reached epidemic proportions in Connecticut and its surrounding areas. While under the supervision of America’s pioneer researcher on fungi Dr. Bernard Dodge, scientists began working on identification of the disease with financial help from the American Delphinium Society. In 1941, the South County Garden Club of Rhode Island applied for the Founders Fund Award to provide a scholarship for further research at the Botanical Garden.

Two years of research by Dr. Thomas Laskaris at the NYBG resulted in successful identification of the disease. It was found that the isolates were true vascular parasites and highly pathogenic. In 1949, Dr. Laskaris published a thesis at the University of Minnesota’s Agriculture Experiment Station in which he credited the financial help of the Garden Club of America in furthering his work.