Sandy Primrose is a biologist by training and has degrees from the University of Strathclyde in Scotland and the University of California. He has had a varied career having worked as an academic and then in the pharmaceutical, diagnostic, life science and specialty chemistry industries. After 20 years in industry, he began working as a biotechnology consultant to early stage companies, academia, and to various UK governmental organizations. In this latter role his jobs included managing major projects on the safety of genetically-modified foods and the detection of food fraud. Sandy has written a number of books based on his cruise lectures including 'Plants, Poisons and Personalities', 'The Modern Plant Hunters' and 'Plants, Murder and Medical Mysteries'.

Sandy’s passion is gardening and the half-acre garden of his house between London and Oxford is filled with unusual trees and shrubs. Over the years he has shown many groups round his garden and when he does so he tells them the stories behind the plants that he grows. These stories, and his experiences in industry, form the basis of his entertaining cruise lectures that cover topics in gardening, uses of plants, plant history and plant conservation. Many of his lectures are themed to coincide with particular cruise destinations.

1. THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS This lecture covers three aspects of communication: how botanists communicate about plants (Latin names and what they mean), how plants communicate with pollinators (scent and colour) and how artists, authors and ordinary people use flowers to communicate messages. [Suitable for all cruises]

2. THE FLOWERS THAT DROVE MEN TO MURDER: ORCHIDS, ODDITIES AND OBSESSION Orchids are considered to be exotic and hence have been favourites of emperors and used for everything from ice cream to aphrodisiacs. Men with no interest in plants became captivated when they saw their first exotic orchid and funded orchid hunting expeditions that often ended in death. [Suitable for all cruises as orchids found in every region of the World]

3. INDIANA JONES MEETS HORTICULTURE: THE PLANTHUNTERS THAT TRANSFORMED OUR GARDENS This lecture covers the beginnings of plant hunting in the 17th century, when rich men vied to outdo their friends, up to the present day. Many of the planthunters sent to exotic locations encountered pirates, frenzied mobs, revolutions and natural disasters. This lecture describes their experiences which are redolent of the stories we once read about in the Eagle and the Boy’s Own Paper! [Suitable for all cruises]

4. WHERE WAS THE GARDEN OF EDEN? This lecture explores the origins and history of our favourite fruit and vegetables and the selection of modern varieties. Topics covered include: could apples have grown in the Garden of Eden, why did Europeans not want to eat potatoes and what makes a chilli pepper hot? [Suitable for all cruises]

5. THE PHARMACY IN YOUR GARDEN Until the 1960s most prescription pharmaceuticals were derived from plants, many of which are grown in British gardens. This lecture will describe how plants found in the average garden can be used to kill unwanted spouses, as alternatives to Viagra and to make a witch’s flying ointment [Suitable for all cruises]

6. ROSES, ROMANS AND RENAISSANCE Every year the rose wins the vote for Britain’s favourite flower but it was just as popular in ancient Rome. During the Middle Ages the rose featured strongly in art and literature and influenced history. The popularity of the rose resulted in an extensive breeding programme that has lasted over 200 years and is exemplified today by David Austen’s classic English Roses. [Suitable for all cruises]

7. A FLORAL CORNUCOPIA The Cape Province of South Africa is a plant diversity hotspot: there are a greater number of plants on Table Mountain than the entire UK. Many plants native to the Cape Province are grown in British gardens and this lecture tells the story of how they were brought to us despite the Cape being under Dutch control. [Suitable for all cruises but especially cruises to South Africa]

8. AFRICA’S GREEN PHARMACY Since time immemorial, Africans have used native plants as a source of medicines. In this lecture we look at a selection of these medicinal plants and consider how they are used and whether they really have the curative properties ascribed to them. [Suitable only for cruises to African ports]

9. THE GREEN CARNIVORES A wide range of plants have the capability of trapping insects and using them as a source of nitrogen. In this lecture we look at the different trapping mechanisms that have evolved (including video clips) and provide a detailed explanation of how a Venus Fly Trap really works. [Suitable for all cruises]

10. CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMERCIALISATION: SAVING ENDANGERED TREES In 1994, the botanical world was ecstatic when a few trees of a ‘living fossil’ (the Wollemi Pine) were discovered. This tree, and many others, is being saved from possible extinction only by the activities of the horticultural trade. [Suitable for all cruises but especially Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea and South America]

11. SUGAR AND SPICE AND ALL THINGS NICE We use a wide range of spices in our day to day cooking but where do these spices come from? In this lecture we discuss the plant sources of the commonest spices and the rich social history associated with their transformation from luxury item to commodity. [Suitable for all cruises but especially ones to India, China, Indonesia, Red Sea, South America, Grenada and Jamaica]

12. MORNING COFFEE, AFTERNOON TEA There is a rich history associated with the development of tea and coffee as our favourite beverages. Until the Middle Ages the drinking of coffee was restricted to Arab countries but once it came to Britain it had a major influence on life in London. Similarly, tea growing was restricted to China until the great planthunter Robert Fortune helped establish tea in India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). [Suitable for all cruises but especially India, China, Brazil, Jamaica and Red Sea]

13. FROM THE HORN OF AFRICA TO STARBUCKS How coffee conquered the world [Suitable for all cruises]

14. PLANTS OF THE AMAZONIAN RAINFOREST The rainforest consists of four distinct layers and each layer has its own flora and preferred mechanisms of pollination. Many of the rainforest plants have complex lifecycles involving indigenous animals and can only survive if the forest remains undisturbed. [Suitable for cruises to Amazon and Brazil as I have a variation that covers the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil]

15. PERFORMANCE PLANTS: THE ART OF LOW MAINTENANCE GARDENING Many people would like to have a nice garden but find that gardening is a chore. In this lecture I discuss some of the techniques that I use to keep maintenance to a minimum whilst having flowers all the year round. [Suitable for all cruises]

16. PLANTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE Not everyone believes in climate change but, if it is happening, what will be the impact on plant biodiversity, agriculture and what we grow in our gardens? [Suitable for all cruises]

17. PLANTS FOR AGEING HIPPIES: THE USES AND ABUSES OF PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS Everyone is aware of the use of cannabis and similar drugs in Western society but probably are unaware of the more insidious misuses. However, many indigenous peoples have a long history of using plant-derived psychoactive drugs for beneficial purposes. [Suitable for cruises to US, Caribbean, South America, Horn of Africa]

18. PLANTS, MURDER AND MEDICAL MYSTERIES Plants have been found to be the cause of disease in a number of prominent medical mysteries but plants also have provided vital evidence that led to the conviction of thieves, rapists and murderers. [Suitable for all cruises]

19. MACARONESIA: THE ‘GALAPAGOS OF BOTANY’ The Azores, Madeira, Cape Verde and Canary Islands have an exceptionally large number of native plants that is totally disproportionate to their size. Why is this? [Suitable for cruises visiting Madeira, Canaries, Azores and Cape Verde]

20. DOES PLANT CONSERVATION MATTER? All the major botanical gardens around the world now have as their mission the conservation of plant diversity. Why is this? In this lecture we will look at the work of botanical gardens in Kew, Edinburgh, Rio de Janeiro and South Africa and look at the impact of their activities on the development of new medicines, the availability of musical instruments and wood for furniture. [Suitable for all cruises]

21. WHAT’S YOUR TIPPLE? THE HISTORY AND BIOLOGY OF BOOZE What is the difference between beer, stout and lager or bourbon and whisky? Why do we add tonic water to gin and what are bitters? How is champagne made and what was the first successful marketing campaign for an alcoholic drink? The answer to these and many other questions will be provided in this lecture. [Suitable for all cruises but especially those going to alcohol-producing areas]

22. HOW WILL WE FEED THE WORLD? In certain parts of the world there is an amazing diversity of food crops that have been used to end famine through weather changes and plant disease. The race now is on to save much of this diversity before it is lost through urbanisation, misguided international aid projects and the rise of GM crops. [Suitable for all cruises, especially those going to the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa]

23. DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE EATING: DETECTING FOOD FRAUD Food fraud is rife and covers almost every kind of foodstuff regardless of whether it is a natural product such as honey or olive oil or a processed material like a sausage. The types of fraud include substitution or adulteration with cheaper material and false declarations about origin or content. In this lecture I will tell you about how you can avoid being defrauded. [Suitable for all cruises]

24. PLANTS OF THE CARIBBEAN An introduction to the fruit and flowers likely to be seen during a trip out from the ship during any of the port calls in the Caribbean. [Suitable for Caribbean]

25. DRUGS FROM PLANTS: THE MAKING OF THE MODERN PHARMACY

26. MEN, MOSQUITOES AND MALARIA Everything you need to know about malaria, and more, for passengers sailing to countries where the disease is prevalent.

27. EVOLUTIONARY ISOLATION: THE FASCINATING BUT FAMILIAR FLORA OF CHILE [South American cruises]

28. PLANT INTELLIGENCE How a plant knows how to respond to its environment [Suitable all cruises]

29. GM CROPS: SAINTS OR SATAN? What are the real facts about the safety of GM food? [Suitable for all cruises]

30. IS THERE LIFE ON MARS? Life in extreme environments [Suitable for all cruises]

31. FRANKINCENSE, MYRRH AND THE INCENSE TRAIL [Suitable for cruises in the gulf region]

32. DAISIES, DAHLIAS AND DENDRANTHEMAS An introduction to the Aster family and their roles in agriculture and medicine. [Suitable for all cruises]

33. SOMETHING DOESN’T SMELL RIGHT How plants communicate with and deceive pollinators [Suitable for all cruises]

34. A TALE OF TWO POPPIES The role of the opium poppy and the field poppy in medicine and war [Suitable for all cruises but especially ones in November]

35. THE FLORA OF SCOTLAND [Suitable for cruises to Scotland, particularly the West Coast]

36. POTATOES, Phytophthera and POVERTY: THE GREAT IRISH TRAGEDY How potatoes got from South America to Europe, the social causes of their adoption in Ireland, the spread of blight and the lessons (not) learned. [Suitable for cruises to Ireland]

37. TIM SMIT AND THE EDEN PROJECT The story of the development of the concept of the Eden Project and how it was delivered. [Suitable for cruises calling into Falmouth]

38. THE STORY OF TRESCO ABBEY GARDENS How five generations of Dorrien-Smiths made the gardens we see today and their contribution to the stability of the Isles of Scilly. [Suitable for cruises to the Isles of Scilly]

39. ADAM, ALCOHOL AND ALLERGY: THE STORY OF APPLES The history of apples in England. [Suitable for cruises starting or finishing in Britain]

40. THE WHISKY STORY An introduction to the history and production of whisky. [Suitable for cruises to Scotland]

The following recent Cruise History has been recorded for this candidate.