h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The Kentia palm is the palm most often seen decorating home interiors and the large variety are especially common in lobbies (apparently)

The the sale of seeds is now prohibited and instead plants are cultivated on Lord Howe Island in nurseries, where the native plant is grown in optimal conditions and disease free and exported to lobbies all over the word.

My klaxons were all centred around the misdirection that Lord Howe was a person with pursuits as it were like active whale conservation. 'Hands down' was my clue for palms - and a further bit of misdirection, apparently people confuse the origin of the phrase 'to win hands down' to come from boxing, when it in fact is derived from horse racing - which I thought someone might know and attribute to our eponymous Lord so I klaxoned them accordingly.

The island was discovered on 17th February 1788, by HMS Supply, commanded by Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball. Being a patriotic sort, he named it after the first lord of the admiralty of the navy Richard Howe, who was in fact, an Earle. Over 100 of Lord Howe's 241 indigenous plant species are considered to be endemic and found nowhere else in the world. These include four species of palm, that Feisor knew about and which was the subject of this question. The island is now a World Heritage Site. It was declared so in December 1982 at the same time as the more famous Galapagos islands, but while aggressive human intervention there continues to threaten the fragile biodiversity of thosee volcanic islands, Lord Howe can boast that it retains approximately 75 per cent of the island’s original natural vegetation through the strict importation controls. A maximum of 400 tourists are allowed to visit at anyone time. Booking ahead is therefore advised.

A high scoring round, this one, which makes a pleasant change.


QI - Hands down.
----------------------




Correct (+3)
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HonestIago (6) - 'Lord Howe is an island...'
Feisor (18) - 'The Kentia /Thatch Palm'



QI (+6)
----------------------
HonestIago (6) - '...and a former penal colony.'
Taff (13) - 'Opium Poppy Export.'



DGI (+1)
----------------------
Taff (13) - 'it's a plant'
Feisor (19) - 'indigenous'
Fesior (19) - 'strong import controls'



Klaxon (-5)
----------------------
None awarded....



Elf (+2)
----------------------
Clive




Totals to be added or subtracted.
HonestIago +9
Taff +7
Feisor +5
Clive +2

Clive

Are you sure that you weren't sitting on _my_ shoulder recently?

A few weeks ago there was a radio show on about the "holiday" islands and Lord Howe was featured. I knew the kentia story but the radio show reminded me. It is relatively close to my home turf after all

Ah - see that's just how this games works isn't it? Can't compete with real life or what obscurantist knowledge other people have ferreted away inside their brains.

The subject of Lord Howe's palm's came up in a book I'm reading, and I did a bit of digging and voila! QI question.

The only radio I tend to listen to is In our Time , and that via podcast. (how terribly modern of me!)

I really should listen to more...

P.S apologies unnecessary.

I love my radio and am a great fan of our national broadcaster. Radio National does some great shows on all sorts of obscure subjects and I am sure that you may have noticed my great enthusiasm for obscure subjects

If you want to make it up to me however () you could try closing on the 'tail of much woe' thread for me, it's been dangling for weeks now.....

" it's been dangling for weeks now. "

Is that a clue?



Too obscure for me I'm afraid - I'll have another look at it though.

As it happens, no it isn't.


There are a limited number of things a humiliated and defrocked member of the clergy suffering from feelings of persecution can get up to inside a barrel on the promenade at Blackpool. I figure eventually someone ( with an interest in obscure things for example) will stumble across it.