Keith Adams Honored with Queen's Service Medal

Keith Adams of New Plymouth, New Zealand, and a member of the ARS Tacoma Chapter, has been honored by the Queen of England in the Queen's Birthday Honors by being awarded the Queen's Service Medal (QSM) for his services to horticulture and the arts.

Keith served for twenty-five years on the executive board of the Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust and ten years as its newsletter editor. He has made many solo plant hunting trips to to Southeast Asia in search of vireya rhododendrons and has introduced many species to cultivation. He is a life member of Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust, Chamber Music New Zealand, and the International Dendrological Society. As a nurseryman, he developed the ornamental cherry Prunus awanui , highly praised by David Leach, who introduced the tree to the US.

Keith has made many trips to Borneo to collect vireyas and has been initiated into the Iban Tribe and given the name "Kadam."