Hoya kerrii: The Roots He Couldn't Leave

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.Most people know Hoya kerrii as the heart-shaped plant sold around Valentine’s Day. Behind that familiar leaf is the remarkable story of Arthur Francis George Kerr—an Irish doctor whose life became deeply rooted in Siam, now Thailand.In this episode, Phil follows Kerr from Trinity College Dublin to Chiang Mai and Doi Suthep, where he collected the specimen that William Grant Craib later described as Hoya kerrii. Along the way, we explore Kerr’s work as a physician, botanist, husband, father, wartime veteran and chronicler of Thailand’s extraordinary plant life.The surviving specimen, diaries and botanical records reveal much of Kerr’s life—but leave one important moment frustratingly undocumented.Next episode: the gardener whose name became an entire genus—Thomas Hoy.Names Have Roots Every Hoya has a name. Every name has a story. Let’s find the next one.