Department of Botany & the U.S. National Herbarium The Press

New Series - Vol. 16 - No. 1 January-March 2013 Travel Diary Trails and Trials in By Jun Wen and Marc Appelhans e recently conducted field ment agency that conducts research on the with about 300,000 specimens includ- work in Papua New Guinea sustainable management and wise resource ing 2,335 type specimens. Additionally W(PNG) from October 30 to utilization of forest resources. FRI also there are 100,000 spirit collections. This November 28, 2012, to primarily study provides a scientific basis for the manage- herbarium has been an important reposi- Vitaceae and Melicope of Rutaceae. New ment of PNG’s forest resources through tory of the New Guinean flora and is an Guinea is the second largest island in research activities. essential facility for both research and the world, situated in the southwestern conservation. In addition to PNG , Pacific Ocean just south of the equa- efore going into the field we spent the herbarium holds a good repre- tor immediately north of . The several days at both the LAE sentative plant collection from the neigh- island is the largest in the tropics and is Bherbarium and the Lae Botanic boring regions, such as the Indonesian close to Greenland in size. New Guinea is Gardens natural forest area, where we provinces of New Guinea, the Solomon well-known for its rich biodiversity and collected plants. We were impressed with Islands, western Indonesia, Malaysia its cultural diversity with nearly 1,000 both the large number of herbarium speci- and tropical Australia. Moreover, the languages (tongues). Papua New Guinea mens and the Botanic Gardens as a living LAE herbarium holds collections of a occupies the eastern half of New Guinea; gem in the city’s center. number of important collectors includ- the western portion of the island belongs The Lae Botanic Gardens occupy 38 ing L. J. Brass, L. Craven, J. R. Croft, R. to the Papua and West Papua provinces hectares situated between the two major D. Hoogland, R. Pullen, J. C. Saunders, of Indonesia. Jun Wen collected in both subdivisions of the city of Lae – Top R. Schodde, Wayne Takeuchi, and J. S. provinces in Indonesia a few years ago. Town and . The garden mostly Womersley. The LAE herbarium ranks On October 30, 2012, we flew from consists of natural lowland rain forest with third or fourth in size in Southeast Asia, Singapore to the PNG capital of Port creeks running through. It also contains only next to the Herbarium Bogoriense Moresby. We only spent a few hours at greenhouses for special Orchidaceae and (BO) in Indonesia and the Herbarium of the Botanic Gardens in Port Moresby and Araceae collections. The Botanic Gar- the Singapore Botanic Gardens (SING) then flew directly to Lae, which is the dens is administered by the PNG’s FRI in Singapore. It is about the same size second largest city in PNG and the capi- and has approximately 1,500-2,000 plant as the Herbarium of Forest Research tal of . Lae is located species. The landscape is dominated by Institute Malaysia (KEP) in Kepong of at the beginning of the PNG Highlands many large buttressed , which are Malaysia. Highway, the mainland transport corridor densely covered by epiphytes and climb- The herbarium collections have been from the coast to the Highlands region. ers. The combination of a large size and well curated under the stewardship of It is also an important port city in PNG, rich diversity of lowland rain forest habitat several botanists: Robert Kiapranis, and was initially developed during the in the middle of the city makes the garden the Director of the Herbarium, Kip- gold rush of the 1920s and 30s. Gold was perfectly suited for educational as well as iro Damas, a senior botanist, Michael mined in several regions of the province. research purposes. Michael Lovave, a hor- Lovave, a horticultural botanist, Oliver Our field study was conducted in ticultural botanist at LAE, mentioned that Paul, a botanist, Wayne Takeuchi, a bota- collaboration with colleagues at the Lae at least 41 species of palms are present in nist from the United States who collected Botanic Gardens and the Papua New the garden although a complete inventory extensively in PNG, and Thomas Magun, Guinea National Herbarium (LAE). Our of plant species in the garden still has to a collections specialist. In recent years host was Robert Kiapranis, the Direc- be tackled. the LAE Herbarium has been involved in tor of the Botany Division of the Forest Established in the 1940s the LAE databasing and digitizing its collections. Research Institute (FRI). FRI is a govern- herbarium quickly grew to be the larg- est plant specimen collection in PNG Continued on page 12 Travel Pedro Acevedo traveled to Bronx, to Rome (12/12 – 12/18) to attend the Plant . New York (10/8 – 10/9) to consult the opening ceremony of the Academic Year W. John Kress traveled to New herbarium at the New York Botanical 2012-2013 of the Accademia di Storia Orleans, Louisiana (10/18 – 10/20) to Garden and meet with colleagues for a dell’Arte Sanitaria (Italian Academy for attend the Organization for Tropical treatment of Sapindacae for the Flora of the History of Medical Arts), devoted to Studies Board of Director’s meeting; to Cuba Project. the impact of the plants of the New World Menominee, Wisconsin (11/4 – 11/6) to Emanuela Appetiti and Alain Tou- on the Old World Pharmacopoeia, and to discuss the Indigenous GEO Initiative at waide traveled to San Diego, California present a plenary lecture. the College of the Menominee Nation; and (11/15 – 11/18) to attend the annual Barret Brooks and James Norris to San Jose, California (11/30 – 12/7) to meeting of the History of Science Society, traveled to Mayaguez, Puerto Rico (11/27 lead a meeting of the Las Cruces Advisory where Touwaide chaired a session devoted – 12/8) to retrieve a donated collection of Committee, and to conduct a site visit for to “Sense, Body, and Knowledge in the David Ballentine. the 2013 annual meeting as the Executive Early Modern World”, while Appetiti Sarah Eichhorn traveled to Vienna, Director for the Association for Tropical attended the meeting of the editorial board Austria (11/7 – 11/12) to attend a meeting Biology and Conservation. of ISIS-Current Bibliography; to Greece of the staff of the International Association Sonoe T. Nakasone traveled to (11/22 – 12/11) to analyze ancient Greek for Plant Taxonomy; and to Bratislava, Raleigh, North Carolina (10/13 – 10/20) to medical and botanical manuscripts, deliver Slovakia (11/12 – 11/14) for a meeting present a poster about the Field Book proj- a lecture at the Archaeological Museum of with the staff of IAPT to discuss business ect at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontol- Volos, present the annual Wiener Lec- matters. ogy meetings; and to Richmond, Virginia ture at the American School for Classical Christian Feuillet traveled to Paris, (10/24 – 10/27) to give a presentation on Studies at Athens, and to deliver seminars France (10/15 – 10/19 & 10/29 – 10/31) using field books as primary resources at the University of Athens and at the and to Leiden, the Netherlands (10/22 – at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; and 10/26) to work in both herbaria on their Conference. collections of Boraginaceae, and to repre- Sylvia Orli and Ingrid Lin traveled to sent the Department of Botany and give New Haven, Connecticut (10/16 – 10/18) The Plant Press a talk at the Flora of the Guianas Consor- to attend an EMu Users Group conference tium Board Meeting. at the Peabody Museum, Yale University. New Series - Vol. 16 - No. 1 Vicki Funk traveled to Vienna, Austria Rusty Russell traveled to Beijing, Chair of Botany (11/6 – 11/14) to present a paper at a China (10/18 – 10/28) to participate in Warren L. Wagner symposium at the Institute of Botany held a Biodiversity Informatics Standards ([email protected]) in honor of the retirement of Professor (TDWG) meeting. Tod Stuessy, and to attend a joint meeting Alice Tangerini traveled to Chicago, EDITORIAL STAFF of the staff of the International Associa- Illinois (10/16 – 10/21) to attend the Editor tion for Plant Taxonomy-main office and American Society of Botanical Artists Gary Krupnick IAPT-USA; to London, Great Britain meeting. ([email protected]) (11/14 – 11/17) to study plant specimens Jun Wen traveled throughout Papua of Compositae at the Royal Botanic Gar- New Guinea (10/27 – 11/29) with Marc Copy Editors dens, Kew; to Chicago, Illinois (10/21 – Appelhans to collect Vitaceae and Ruta- Robin Everly, Bernadette Gibbons, Rose 10/23) to participate on a dissertation com- ceae; and to St. Louis, Missouri (10/12 Gulledge, and Dail Laughinghouse mittee; and to New York, New York (10/4 – 10/14) as an invited speaker at the 59th News Contacts – 10/5) to attend a meeting with JSTOR as Annual Systematics Symposium at the MaryAnn Apicelli, Robert Faden, Rusty President of International Association for Missouri Botanical Garden. Russell, Alice Tangerini, and Elizabeth Zimmer Visitors The Plant Press is a quarterly publication pro- vided free of charge. To receive notification of Wenna Chen, South China Botanical Gar- Ellen Danford, Stanford University; Her- when new pdf issues are posted to the web, please subscribe to the listserve by sending a message den, Chinese Academy of Sciences; DNA barium curation internship (7/9-10/5). to [email protected] containing only the Barcoding internship (2/9/12-2/9/13). following in the body of the text: SUBSCRIBE Qing Liu, South China Botanic Garden, PLANTPRESS-NEWS Firstname Lastname. Replace “Firstname Lastname” with your name. Panya Vij, Alexandria, Virginia; Silene Chinese Academy of Sciences; Sorghum caroliniana (Caryophyllaceae) (6/22/12- (Poaceae) (7/31/12-1/31/13). If you would like to be added to the hard-copy mailing list, please contact Dr. Gary Krupnick at: 1/19/13). Department of Botany, Smithsonian Institution, Sarah Owen, George Washington Univer- PO Box 37012, NMNH MRC-166, Washington, Alison Shapcott, University Sunshine sity; Maps intern (8/27-12/7). 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Page 2 José Cuatrecasas’ Magnum Opus to be Published osé Cuatrecasas (1903–1996) is widely considered Vicki Funk, which will launch in 2013. Chair to be one of the great botanical explorers of the Cuatrecasas died at age 93 on 23 May 1996, only JSouth American páramo. Cuatrecasas was born on about ten days after his last working visit to the U.S. 19 March1903, in Camprodón, Spain, in the foothills National Herbarium. Don José worked energetically With of the Pyrenees. He studied in Barcelona and Madrid right up until the end of his life, even continuing (1924–1931) and later in Berlin (1932–1938). His first to talk about preparations for the publication of his publication was in 1924, when he was 21 years old. By manuscript on the Espeletiinae while in the hospital. 1932 he was an internationally recognized botanist and During the days he was in the hospital I made sure A was invited by the Colombian government to the bicen- he knew that we were committed to help prepare tennial anniversary of the birth of José Celestino Mutis his manuscript for publication and publish it. It has (1732–1808). In 1938 he returned to Colombia and been far longer than I hoped and the manuscript has View while there was warned about the tragic political situ- been streamlined editorially and the illustrations and ation unfolding in Spain; the growing power of Franco photographic plates processed for publication over had made it unsafe for him to return home. In the years a number of years. Two biographies of his life were that followed, he worked in Colombia (1939–1947), published shortly after his death (Compositae News- Warren in Chicago at the Field Museum (1947–1955), and in letter 29: 1-30. 1996; Taxon 46: 132-134. 1997). L. Washington here in the Department of Botany (1955– While it has taken far longer than I hoped 1996). to edit the text, revise illustrations, and process Wagner From his very first trip to in 1932, photographic plates, it was finally submitted for Cuatrecasas began working on the subtribe Espeletiinae publication to the Memoirs of the New York Botani- of the Composite family. The Espeletiinae, commonly cal Garden under a publication agreement made in known as “frailejones,” are not just one of the most 2008. The book-length monograph, A Systematic fascinating radiations of the Neotropics, but also one of Study of the Subtribe Espeletiinae (Heliantheae, the most challenging plant groups to study because of Asteraceae), is nearly 700 pages with 269 illustra- the complex variation patterns and extensive hybridiza- tions and 68 photographic plates providing detailed tion present in an evolutionary radiation of young age. and illustrated descriptions of all of the genera More than six decades later, after describing dozens of consisting of 105 species (one small group of the new species and most of the genera, he was still refin- lineage was not finished) along with analyses of ing the text, analyses, illustrations, and photographs the taxonomy, morphology, evolution and bioge- for his growing and already very large monographic ography. Recently I have received have word from manuscript. Jim Miller, Dean and Vice President for Science, at During expeditions to South America (1932–1979) New York Botanical Garden that Cuatrecasas’ career José Cuatrecasas made more than 28,000 plant col- masterpiece will be published by the end of January lections. He compiled an astounding photographic or early February 2013. It will be wonderful to see archive with more than 20,000 images, accompanied José’s magnum opus brought to completion, made by detailed descriptions. He published more than 250 available to all, and forming the basis for continued research papers, including 3,308 new taxa of plants. study of this fascinating group of plants. His field collection books, journals, and images are housed in the Botany Department and are being digi- tized and organized for wide access via a web site that has been developed by Mauricio Diazgranados and Leslie Johnson, University of Oregon; China; Rhodiola (Crassulaceae) (10/8/12- Bruce Herr and Gavin La Rowe, Historical expeditions project (9/5/12- 10/7/13). ChalkLabs, Indiana; Mediterranean medic- 1/4/13). inal plants (10/17). Calvin Stone, Integrated Federal Solu- Brooke Scott and Neal Freyman, Univer- tions, Virginia; Mediterranean medicinal Nara Furtado de Oliveira Mota, Univer- sity of Maryland; Historical expeditions plants (10/11). sidade Federal de , ; project (9/7/12-1/4/13). Brazilian Xyris () (10/22- Lei Duan, Northwest Agriculture and 10/25). Jefferson Carvalho-Sobrinho, Feira de Forestry University, China; Caragana and Santana State University, Brazil; Malva- Cladrastis (Fabaceae) (10/15-10/14). Raul Puente, Desert Botanical Garden; ceae and Bombax (Bombacaceae) (10/1- Opuntia (Cactaceae) (10/22-10/24). 10/23). Ming-Qin Zhou, Yangtze University, China; Vitaceae (10/15-10/14). Andrew Alexander-Ozinskas, Natura Robert Muscarella, Columbia University; Apothecary, Kentucky; Historia Plan- DNA barcoding (10/1- 10/2). Genevieve Croft, Washington University; tarum Collection (10/24). Byrsonima crassifolia (Malpighiaceae) Jianqiang Zhang, Peking University, (10/16/12-10/16/13). Continued on page 5 Page 3 sibilities within all areas of herbarium Staff operations. She assumes responsibility within CCM for the acquisition, documen- Research & tation, processing and reporting of all new Activities collections, as well as management of the exchange program, and will share client service duties with other CCM staff. Peters The Field Book Project staff had a busy received her B.S. in Biology from James autumn presenting the results of their Madison University in Harrisonburg, research at various conferences. On 12 Virginia in 2003, where she was honored October, Emily Hunter presented on the with the Margaret A. Gordon Memorial Field Book Project at Revealing Hidden Scholarship for Excellence in Biology and Treasures, the 2012 Smithsonian Archives the Young Botanist Award. For the period Fair (slides: http://www.slideshare.net/ 2001-2003 she was the George Warren ej_hunter/the-artistry-in-field-notes). On Chappelear Jr. Scholar, and received a 26 October, Sonoe Nakasone presented Certificate of Recognition-Young Bota- the Field Book Project at the Mid Atlan- nist Award from the Botanical Society tic Regional Archives Conference in of America in 2003. Peters obtained her Richmond, Virginia (slides: http://www. Master’s in Botany from North Caro- slideshare.net/sonoenakasone/cataloging- lina State in 2005 with a thesis entitled, field-books-describing-scientific-primary- “Genetic analyses of the Federally endan- Meghann Toner resources-14870256). And on 2 October, gered Echinacea laevigata using amplified collections community as Assistant Editor Carolyn Sheffield presented on the Field fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) th for the Society of Herbarium Curators Book Project at the 936 Meeting of the – inferences in population genetic struc- newsletter, and a member of both the Soci- Botanical Society of Washington (slides: ture and mating systems.” She received ety for the Preservation of Natural History http://www.slideshare.net/carolynsheffield/ a study grant from the Virginia Nature Collections and the American Association content-and-context-15087972). Conservancy, taught introductory botany of Museums. and biology laboratories, and assisted In October, at the 2012 annual meeting of extension agents across North Carolina the American Society of Botanical Artists Meghann Toner has joined the staff with plant identifications. She is currently (ASBA) in Chicago, Illinois, Alice Tan- of Core Collections Management as a finishing a Master’s in Museum Studies gerini taught a one day class on scientific Museum Technician. Most recently, Toner from Harvard University (May 2013), dur- botanical illustration. In the class, she used served under Melissa Islam as a herbarium ing which she has completed internships at oak leaves and acorns collected from the specialist at the Denver Botanic Garden the Arnold Arboretum, metaLAB at Har- Chicago Botanic Gardens and the grounds where her duties included managing loans vard, and Smithsonian Gardens (education of the US Capitol. The class was struc- and acquisitions, overseeing development and outreach). Peters is well known in the tured around an emphasis on techniques of the DBG collection database, digital of shading with line and stipple using imaging, geo-referencing of collections, brushes and pens with ink media. As a producing public outreach materials, lead- Board of Directors Member of the ASBA, ing herbarium tours, and recruiting, train- Tangerini also presented a summation of ing and supervising students and volun- her work on the ASBA Members Gallery teers. Toner received her B.S. in Biologi- which she manages. Her duties include cal Sciences from the University of Colo- editing, uploading and updating member rado in 2007, and her Master’s in Museum bios and images. The conference, held at Studies from the University of Leicester the Chicago Botanical Gardens, featured (UK) in 2010. The latter included research lectures on botanical art and illustration in the Natural History Museum (London), and technique presentations. The meeting Ulster Museum, and the Oxford Univer- was well attended with over 200 members sity Museum of Natural History, as well participating. as conducting post-graduate research in public outreach at the Chester Zoo (Upton, UK). Her M.Sc. thesis, “Cura- New Faces tors: The stewards of museum collection knowledge,” was presented earlier this Melinda Peters has joined the staff year at the Denver Botanic Garden. Previ- of Core Collections Management as a ous work experiences include Research Museum Technician. Peters comes to us Assistant in the Museum and Academic after five years at the Combined Herbaria Collections Department of the University at Harvard University where she served as of Colorado and Biogeographic Data Ana- a senior Curatorial Assistant with respon- Melinda Peters lyst for OBIS-USA (Ocean Biogeographic Page 4 Information System). She is the recipient released for public use in May 2011. Since and botanical illustration. His work will of a Faber Research Grant from the Soci- its release, over a million downloads have provide the resources for a complex recon- ety for the Preservation of Natural History occurred. struction of the development of botany, Collections (SPNHC), and a Fitzgerald Leafsnap has a library of 185 common illustrating the slow process of accretion Travel Grant to attend the 2012 SPNHC species of trees found in the northeastern generation after generation, with a whole Annual Meeting at Yale to present a paper United States. Along with high resolution wealth of small, yet relevant observations on digitizing fungus collections. images of characters, the app offers first transmitted by oral tradition and writ- a brief description of each species, gives ten down at a certain point in time. Awards & a link to the Encyclopedia of Life species Visitors page, and simultaneously maps the loca- Continued from page 3 Grants tion where the leaf image is taken. This free app is available for download at the Alain Touwaide and Emanuela Appetiti Sheila Kingsbury, Bastyr University; iTunes Store (https://itunes.apple.com/us/ were appointed Honorary Member and History of herbal medicine (10/24). app/leafsnap/id430649829?mt=8). Corresponding Member, respectively, of Work continues to increase the number Nora Ruebrook, Omega, Honolulu; Bibli- the Accademia di Storia dell’Arte Sani- of tree species found in Leafsnap. cal plants (10/30). taria (Italian Academy for the History of Medical Arts). Zulima Palacio, Voice of America, Wash- Exploring the ington, DC; Medicinal plants of Antiquity (10/31). Leafsnap Continues ­History of Botany to Attract Users Lee Kass, L.H. Bailey Hortorium, Cornell The history of Botany is character- University; T.F. Lucy collection and Gillis In its online news of 25 December ized by great figures such as the Greek specimens (11/1-11/7). 2012, Scientific American editors named Theophrastus (ca. 370-280 B.C.), the Charlie Jarvis, The Natural History Leafsnap as one of the top 10 science German Hieronymus Bock (1498-1554) Museum, London, United Kingdom; Lin- apps for smart phones or tablets (http:// and Leonart Fuchs (1501-1566), and the nean names (11/2-11/3). www.scientificamerican.com/section. French Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656- cfm?id=news). Leafsnap identifies a tree 1708) and Carl von Linnaeus (1708-1778), Ana Gabriela Duarte Silva, New York species by taking a picture of a leaf. The to mention just a few. They are not, how- Botanical Garden; Callicostella (Bryo- app was created by Columbia University, ever, the only ones who had contributed to phyta) (11/19). University of Maryland and the Smithso- the development of botany, from the most nian Institution, and funded by a National remote Antiquity to the present day of Marian Chau, University of Hawaii; Science Foundation grant. John Kress plant science. Botany as a discipline was Compositae (12/3-12/24). and Ida Lopez headed a group of contrac- made by a multitude of observers, authors, Jerrold Davis and Gwynne Lim, Cornell tors, volunteers and interns at the Botany and illustrators whose names have not University; Grasses (12/3-12/4). Department as the library of leaf images been preserved. Their works are hidden in was amassed for the project. The app was notebooks located in libraries worldwide. Wesley Knapp, Delaware State Univer- Alain Touwaide and Emanuela sity; Juncus (Juncaceae) and Rhynchos- Appetiti explored several libraries in pora (Cyperaceae) (12/10). Athens and Thessaloniki in November and Monica Carlsen, Missouri Botanical December 2012, searching for books and Garden; Araceae (12/13-12/14). texts authored by Greek botanists whose identities have been lost through the cen- Jessica Adiwijaya, Iowa State University; turies, from Antiquity through Byzantium Plant conservation internship (12/17/12- between the 5th century BC to 15th AD, and 1/11/13). later on in the Ottoman Empire. Their exploration of these library Danielle Norwood, St. Mary’s College of collections was extremely productive. Maryland; Plant conservation internship They found more than 100 volumes that (12/17/12-1/18/13). were unknown to the scientific commu- Tina Ayers, Northern Arizona University; nity. They discovered one manuscript, for Campanulaceae (12/21). example, that had representations of plants that had never been noticed by previous Sean Bradley, Bastyr University; Ancient scholars. Chinese medicine (12/21). Touwaide plans to publish the results Randy Scott, Northern Arizona Univer- of their research in the form of a world sity; Asteraceae (12/21). census of Greek botanical and medical manuscripts that will substantially expand Rodney Dever, West Virginia University; our knowledge of the history of botany Amaryllidaceae (12/26-12/28). Page 5 The 2013 Smithsonian Botanical will be accepted based upon the quality of the abstract and the order received. ­Symposium, 19-20 April, to Explore Symposium sponsors include the Department of Botany, the Office of the ­Conservation Biology Associate Director for Research and The Department of Botany and additional threats to species survival. Fur- Collections, the United States Botanic the United States Botanic Garden will thermore, paleoecologists have used the Garden, and the Cuatrecasas Family convene the 2013 Smithsonian Botani- fossil record to contextualize the current Foundation. cal Symposium, loss of biodiversity Registration and additional informa- “Avoiding Extinc- based on knowledge tion about the 2013 Smithsonian Botanical tion: Contempo- of past extinctions Symposium is available at botany.si.edu/ rary Approaches and paleoclimates, sbs/. You may also call 202-633-0920 or to Conservation and now models email [email protected] for more information. Science,” to be of predicted future held at the National Museum of Natural climates are helping to anticipate new Flora of the Guianas History in Washington, D.C., on 19 – 20 challenges. April 2013. Forty years ago, the U.S. Endan- Meeting Conservation science seeks to provide gered Species Act was signed into law. By Vicki Funk a rational framework for the protection of This landmark piece of legislation was species and their habitats. At the inception designed to protect plant and animal spe- At the Flora of the Guianas Con- of the discipline, scientists recognized that cies from extinction based on our knowl- sortium board meeting in Leiden (The environmental problems, including land edge of conservation science at the time. Netherlands), 22–23 October 2012, Chris- use change and pollution effects, were The Act has led to many success stories, tian Feuillet represented the Biological significant challenges to sustaining biodi- primarily due to the growing sophistica- Diversity of the Guiana Shield Program versity. Scientists now acknowledge that, tion of the conservation science it spurred, and the Department of Botany. Vicki Funk while these problems remain, other issues but will not be sufficient on its own to interviewed him when he returned. such as invasive species, interspecific address new conservation goals. With new VF – How did you happen to go to hybridization, and climate change impose landmark conservation legislation unlikely Leiden? in the near future, how will scientists continue to move forward in their quest to CF – Neither Pedro Acevedo, our official preserve biodiversity? representative and member of the board, The 11th Smithsonian Botanical nor Vicki Funk, head of the Biological Symposium will highlight past efforts Diversity of the Guiana Shield Program, and new threats to conservation goals, as could attend the meeting. Around the same well as new approaches underway that time I was scheduled to visit the Paris Her- promise to safeguard biodiversity both barium (P) where the Boraginaceae collec- here in the U.S. and around the world. The tion was back on the shelves after the her- invited speakers will cover a wide range barium renovation. I was asked to extend of endangered organisms, with a special my trip and add Leiden to my schedule. focus on plants, to illustrate the challenges In the end I decided the easiest thing to do of modern-day conservation science in a was to drive from Paris to Leiden. Attend- rapidly changing world. ing the meeting was a natural thing for me In addition, the 11th José Cuatrecasas to do since I lived in French Guiana for six Medal in Tropical Botany will be awarded years, and have done field work in French at the Symposium. This prestigious award Guiana for 32 years. I also represented is presented annually to an international Cayenne once or twice at previous meet- scholar who has contributed significantly ings in the 80s or early 90s. Also I have to advancing the field of tropical botany. co-authored two of the fascicles and am The award is named in honor of Dr. José working on two others. Cuatrecasas, a pioneering botanist who VF – Can you describe the changes in the spent many years working in the Depart- The Florida endemic Asimina rugelii P herbarium? B.L. Rob. was listed as Endangered in ment of Botany at the Smithsonian and 1986 under the name Deeringotham- devoted his career to plant exploration in CF – The four floors of the herbarium nus rugelii (B.L. Rob.) Small. Rugel’s tropical South America. have been remodeled and compactors pawpaw is know only from Volusia Co., A poster session will occur at the open- have been installed, as well as an eleva- Florida, and is at risk of extinction from ing reception at the U.S. Botanic Garden. tor in the mid-section. During that time, habitat loss, fire suppression and succes- Poster abstract submission will begin 1 all the Angiosperms specimens of the sional change. Illustration from Small, February at botany.si.edu/sbs/, and con- General Herbarium have been scanned and Addisonia 15: pl. 489. 1930. tinue until 18 March. Space is limited and progressively have been made available Page 6 online. December 2012 saw the comple- CF – Depending on how you organize where are the volumes published? tion of the return of the collections on the them there are about 180 families of vas- shelves and placed according to APG III. cular plants. Most of the flowering plants CF – The current editor is Sylvia Mota In January and February, the distribution and nearly all of the Fungi, Lichens, and de Oliveira (L) and beginning in 1998 the of empty pigeon-holes will be smoothed, non-vascular plants remain untreated and fascicules have been published by Kew. the last major cleaning from the renova- progress is slow; there is no way to know VF – What family treatments can we tion will take place, and the labeling of the when the flora will be finished. The Smith- expect in the near future? Are you working aisles will be complete. It is still necessary sonian prepared or funded 19 of the family on any volumes? to check before you go to make sure the treatments (23–24%): family you want to study is available. CF – Some treatments are already submit- Series A Phanerogams – Poaceae (E. ted: Cladoniaceae (H. Sipman & T. Ahti), VF – Did you find the Leiden meeting Judziewick, 1990), Melastomataceae (J. Dilleniaceae (G. Aymard & C. Kelloff), useful? Wurdack, 1993), Aristolochiaceae (C. Meliaceae (T. Pennington & N. Biggs), Feuillet & O. Poncy, 1998), Phytolacca- CF – The Consortium is composed of and Ochnaceae (C. Sastre). I am working ceae, Nyctaginaceae, Aizoaceae, Chenopo- on the Boraginaceae and Passifloraceae, nine institutions, four in Europe and the diaceae, Amaranthaceae, Portulacaceae, UK—the Botanic Garden and Museum and they should be submitted in early and Basellaceae, Molluginaceae & Caryophyl- late 2013. of Berlin-Dahlem (B), the Museum of laceae (R. DeFilipps & S. Maina, 2003), Natural History in Paris (P), the University Acanthaceae & Mendonciaceae (D. Was- VF – When will the Flora be available of Leiden (L) & the Royal Botanic Garden shausen, 2006), (L. Skog & online? in Kew (K)—and five in the Americas, C. Feuillet, 2008), Leguminosae subfam. CF – The Newsletters of the most recent New York Botanical Garden (NY) and the Mimosoideae (R. Barneby, J. Grimes Smithsonian Institution (US) in the USA, Board Meetings including the texts of the & O. Poncy, 2011) and Sapindaceae (P. talks given after the meetings are now and the IRD Center in Cayenne (CAY), Acevedo, 2012). the University of Georgetown (BRG) & online. The plan is to begin to make the the University of Paramaribo (BBS) in the Series B Ferns and fern allies – Hymeno- family fascicules available online as well. Guianas. It is essential for the representa- phyllopsidaceae (D. Lellinger, 1991) & An agreement has already been made with tives of each institution to meet periodi- Hymenophyllaceae (D. Lellinger, 1994). Kew covering the editions published by cally to discuss editorial politics and share them, and discussions are underway with news about the activities related to the VF – Are there other series? Koeltz for the pre-1998 fascicules. Flora of the Guianas in each group. CF – Yes, series C Bryophytes, series E VF – Where and when will the next meet- VF – What did you discuss that you would Fungi and Lichens, and another series ing be held? like to convey to the Department? with two collector indices for and Surinam and one fascicule dealing with CF – The board accepted the invitation CF – Usually there are few changes, but the collecting trips of the Schomburgk of the University of Guyana, so, funding this year was a bit special. During the last brothers. permitting, it should be in Georgetown in meeting in 2010 at US, the possibility 2014. of switching from the Cronquist family VF – Who is the editor of the Flora and classification to APG III was discussed. No decision was made at that time but the board asked P. Delprete (CAY) to evaluate the impact of this possible change on the relevance of the Flora publications and the families being treated and the effect on the ~80 families already published. In Leiden Delprete reported on the issue pointing out that APG reached, with its third version in 2009, a stage they consider final. Further, he felt that a change would cause little disruption and increase the relevance of the publications, especially for colleagues trained after 2000. After the discussion the board unanimously decided to adopt APG III. VF – So 80 families are published, how many families are left? Is there any projection on when it will be finished? The treatment of Gesneriaceae for the Flora of the Guianas includes Paradrymonia How many have been contributed by the campostyla (Leeuwenb.) Wiehler, from Montagne de Kaw, French Guiana. (Photo Smithsonian? by Christian Feuillet) Page 7 Kamakusa Expedition 2012: First Botanical Exploration of a Remote Guyana Tepui By Kenneth Wurdack, Erin Tripp, even well mapped (due to cloud cover the ­Aleksandar Radosavljevic, and Karen summit could not be rendered on official Redden topographic maps based on aerial photog-

st raphy); (2) following extensive study of In the 21 century, is there still a fron- topographic maps, Kamakusa is believed tier of terrestrial wild places that, while to be the third highest tepui wholly within within reach of Google Earth, have yet to Guyana after Mt. Ayanganna and the be touched by scientific exploration, or Mt. Wokomung/Morakabang complex, even human footprints? The Biological although several higher tepuis border with Diversity of the Guiana Shield Program adjacent and Brazil. As such, (BDG) run by the SI’s Department of Kamakusa was expected to harbor species Botany has sponsored many fieldtrips that are rare within Guyana (e.g., montane targeting this scientific frontier in Guy- elements) and representative of endemic ana (e.g., Alexander et al., Plant Press Guiana Shield biota. 14[1], 2011). On the latest BDG expedi- Mt. Kamakusa lies at the extreme tion (May-June 2012), supported by the eastern edge of the Pakaraima Moun- National Geographic Society (NGS/Waitt tains, about 18 air miles northeast of the Grant to Redden, PI), a group of American village of Imbaimadai and 14 miles west scientists (i.e., the four authors herein) and of the namesake village of Kamakusa. Its Guyanese counterparts undertook the first Waterfall on Powis Creek near Camp east-facing sheer cliffs, with a rapid drop 2. Redden in foreground spotting plants plant collecting expedition to Mt. Kama- of more than 5,000 feet to the lowland kusa in western Guyana. to collect; Carlos Jacobis in rear above jungle, directly intercept Caribbean falls. (Photo by Ken Wurdack) Kamakusa is significant among tropical trade winds and give rise to an Guyanese tepuis (or table mountains) environment that is among the wettest on short canopy forests. for two notable reasons: (1) the summit Earth. The western slopes form the head- While Imbaimadai and its vicinity have ° ° (5 52’50.9”N, 60 6’11.7”W; 5,511 feet waters of the Partang River, a tributary been heavily botanized since the 1950s, /1,691 meters elevation) and much of of the upper Mazaruni River, and create only Stephen Tillet penetrated portions the region surrounding Kamakusa had a small rain shadow that gives way to an of Kamakusa (lower slopes), collecting never been surveyed by biologists nor extensive mosaic of savannas, scrub, and about 40 numbers in 1960. Anthropogenic disturbance traverses portions of lower slopes (to 3,300 feet) in two forms: (1) a relatively recent ATV track that bypasses the impassible lower Partang rapids and terminates at the abandoned Partang Airstrip; and (2) prospector inroads as spo- radic overgrown and almost archeological “pork-knocker” camp remnants. The primary objectives of the 2012 Kamakusa Expedition were twofold: (1) document plant diversity of the region for systematics and florstic studies through general collecting; and (2) provide base- line data for future conservation planning. Expedition participants included a U.S. contingent of Karen Redden (University of the District of Columbia and SI Research Associate), Kenneth Wurdack (SI), Erin Tripp (Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden and now University of Colorado, Boul- der), and graduate student Aleksandar Radosavljevic (Chicago Botanic Garden and Northwestern University); a George- town contingent of Anita and Carlos Jacobis; and an Akawaio Amerindian contingent (Imbaimadai region) of Delph Abolboda acaulis Maguire (Xyridaceae). (Photo by Ken Wurdack) Page 8 Hunter, James Ralph, Dick Hunter, Simon Hunter, Vivian Hunter, Phillip Morris, Leonard Stanley, and Clyde Austin. The expedition party fluctuated between 6-13 members owing to shuttling of supplies forward and collections out, and within the first two weeks, Anita Jacobis and Redden were evacuated due to field illness (they subsequently fully recovered). Due to Partang rapids and eastern flank cliffs, an overland hiking route from Imbaimadai was required. This route followed the ATV trail to the abandoned airstrip for approximately a quarter of the distance, and then fresh line was cut to the summit (with the aid of compass, topo- graphic maps, GPS, altimeter, and curvi- meter to determine the shortest and most feasible route) with a return to Imbaimadai Aerial view of the ridge summit of Kamakusa during the flight out.Western face by via the same route. In total, the overland which the expedition ascended. (Photo by Erin Tripp) route was about 28 miles (45 kilometers), making this one of the longest approaches for prospectors seeking mineral riches species), Brocchinia reducta Baker, and on foot by any BDG expedition to date. (gold and diamonds), and is now served Stegolepis spp., and drier sandstone out- The U.S. contingent arrived in George- by up to six flights a day of cargo and pas- crops featured dense patches of Vellozia town, Guyana on 6 May 2012 and flew sengers. tubiflora (A. Rich.) Kunth. As elevations to Imbaimadai on 11 May in a Cessna On 14 May, the expedition departed increased, so did wetness and epiphyte Caravan with the 2,682 pounds of gear, civilization for the first of seven camps diversity. collecting supplies, and provisions needed eventually required to reach the sum- The summit of Kamakusa was first to support the expedition for four weeks mit. Gear was moved in backpacks and reached 5 June by the Amerindian contin- in the field. Picturesque Imbaimadai is Amerindian warishis, and camps of plastic gent cutting line; the U.S. contingent fol- situated at the edge of a diverse savanna tarps over log frames were constructed lowed and collected on 7-8 June in severe surrounded by impressive sheer-cliff near creeks for water. Lower elevations storms. Reaching the summit as day hikes tepuis. Once a small, sleepy village, it has of the route traversed recently burned wet from Camp 7 required a 2.5 hour near exploded with development as a gateway savannas rich with Xyridaceae (over 10 vertical scramble of 1,500 feet elevation over 1 linear mile, and traversed three of four total escarpments of the tepui. The exposed rocky summit of Kamakusa was blanketed by a nearly impenetrable shrub thicket dominated by Bonnetia roraimae Oliv., interspersed with other high- elevation taxa such as Weinmannia spp. Epiphytes were diverse including pleu- rothallid orchids, striking red-flowered Utricularia quelchii N.E. Br. and large Brocchinia sp. with tanks hosting the giant Utricularia humboldtii R.H. Schomb. Cold driving rain and high winds cut short each visit to the summit, but 64 collections were made and one brief but spectacular clear view to the lowlands was observed. Camp 7 itself was unpleas- antly wet even by rain forest standards, with little sun to dry it out. This camp unexpectedly collapsed on the rainy first night when the camp frame slumped in the saturated muck under the weight of sleeping expedition members. The Camp Summit of Kamakusa showing dense tepui scrub dominated by Bonnetia roraimae 7 “mascot” and perhaps the most interest- Oliv. Left to right: Radosavljevic, Tripp, Wurdack. (Self-timed photo by Ken Wur- dack) Continued on page 10 Page 9 Connecting Users with Field Book Content By Emily Hunter, Field Book Project In December, the Field Book Project launched thousands of field book records through the Smithsonian’s Collection Search Center http://ow.ly/gebCH. After two years of cataloging efforts funded through the Council on Library and Information Resources, records describing over 6,000 individual field books span- ning over 500 collections by hundreds of individuals are now freely available online. Of these there are 1,825 botanical field book records representing almost one third of the Smithsonian’s cataloged field book holdings. A selection of the records Pera bicolor (Klotzsch) Müll. Arg. (Peraceae). Yellow pseudanthia with enveloping includes links to digitized field books bracts that open by a narrow slit to allow pollinator access to staminate flowers. with more digitized content to be added. (Photo by Ken Wurdack) Prominent botanical field book collections Kamakusa region. Notable among these three is a include: Continued from page 9 new species of Tryssophyton (Melastoma- • Mary Agnes Chase, 1906-1959 taceae), an attractive tuberous epiphyte • Cinchona Project, 1938-1965 ing animal observed on the expedition with whorled leaves and bright purple • Frederick Coville, 1890-1924 was a giant turquoise-colored montane flowers that appears to be endemic to the • David Griffiths, 1897-1923 earthworm (cf. Andiorrhinus meansii, but summit. The only described species in • F. Raymond Fosberg, 1931-1993 perhaps a new species), the thickness of a the , T. merumense Wurdack, is also • Albert Spear Hitchcock, 1905-1918 garden hose. only known from the Pakaraima Moutains • Ellsworth Paine Killip, 1915-1958, Expedition members returned to and was collected during the expedition at and undated Imbaimadai 12-13 June and enjoyed a day lower elevations on Kamakusa. • Joseph Francis Rock, 1920-1929 collecting along the nearby Karowrieng • Joseph Nelson Rose, 1887-1917 River. The U.S. contingent returned to • Thomas R. Soderstrom, 1958-1987 Georgetown 16 June and after organizing collections and export permits, returned As with other Smithsonian content home 23 June. available through Collections Search Over 1,100 collections (two-thirds Center, users have the ability to contribute vascular plants and one-third cryptogams) tags to these records. Through tagging in duplicates of 1-6 were made under Red- users may offer their subject knowledge den, Wurdack, or Tripp numbers. These on records for field books, collections, collections reflect plant and lichen diver- persons, organizations and expeditions. sity ranging from small to large-bodied In addition to the recent publication species (e.g., mosses to canopy trees).Vas- of these records, the Field Book Project cular plants were field preserved in alcohol has been promoting field book content and dried at the Smithsonian; cryptogams via the blog, http://nmnh.typepad.com/ were air dried in the field, which neces- fieldbooks/, as well as social media sites sitated rare sunny days to prevent their Flickr and Twitter. Social media reaches molding. These collections span the range new audiences in an ongoing conversa- of elevations encountered (1,600-5,511 tion about these collections. The Field feet), thus making the set a representative, Book Project blog posted its first article albeit incomplete, reflection of botanical in March 2011; it now has a cumulative diversity of Kamakusa. 189 posts, over 39,000 page views, and At least three undescribed species are more than 100 comments. Blog articles among the collections, although many highlighting field book content are posted more will emerge from the cryptogams, Catostemma durifolius W.S. Alverson about twice per week, and generate a which have never been studied from the (Malvaceae); collection held by James substantial amount of traffic. Posts high- Ralph. (Photo by Ken Wurdack) Page 10 Plant-­herbivore Network ­Reconstructed Using DNA Barcodes from the Gut Plants, together with insect herbivores, represent more than 50% of all known species on earth. To better understand these ecological and evolutionary interac- tions and how they create and maintain biological diversity we need to determine the associations and networks between insect herbivores and their host plants. Researchers at the Department of Botany (Carlos García-Robledo, W. John Kress and David L. Erickson), in collabo- ration with the Department of Entomology Man standing in a field with grasses and trees, possibly André Goeldi in Brazil. at Smithsonian (Charles L. Staines and This photograph is included in the field notes of Goeldi and part of a collection Terry L. Erwin) tested a DNA Barcoding that includes 36 black-and-white photographs of specimens. Goeldi was a Brazilian based alternative to determine insect- botanist who collected in Pará, Brazil, circa 1913-1920. host plant associations for an entire guild lighting botanical field books, expedi- books. Guests have included Smithsonian of insect herbivores using plant DNA tions, collections, and botanists account staff external to the Field Book Project, as extracted from insect gut contents. In a for approximately 50 of the Project’s blog well as colleagues from other museums, two-year study of tropical plants in the posts (http://nmnh.typepad.com/field- schools, and herbaria. Posts contributed order Zingererales and their herbivores, books/botany/). by individuals outside of the Project bring rolled-leaf beetles, it was found that by Flickr is a photo-based social media new and different perspectives, questions, collecting about four insect herbivores platform to share images of field book and ideas, as well as help all of us better representing each plant-herbivore interac- content with an audience that is visually- understand the potential of field books. tion, it is possible to reconstruct the entire oriented. The Field Book Project regularly Flickr and Twitter also expand the plant-herbivore network. contributes images to the Smithsonian’s conversation around field books. On This study demonstrates that host plant Flickr Commons photo stream http://www. Flickr, users can tag images, “favorite” identifications at the species-level using flickr.com/photos/smithsonian/. Three them, add them to galleries, and comment. DNA barcodes are feasible, cost-effective, sets of images focus on botanical field Comments range from appreciation to and reliable, and that reconstructing plant- work: Albert Spear Hitchcock field notes, questions about the collections to identi- herbivore networks with these methods Mary Agnes Chase field notes, and André fications of plant specimens. Via Twitter, will become the standard for a detailed Goeldi field notes. users can ask questions, give feedback, understanding of these interactions. Twitter provides an informal platform and share this content with others. for the Field Book Project (@Fieldbook- As the Project moves forward, it is proj) to reach out to a huge community more important than ever to promote the of active content creators in the fields of fruits of cataloging and digitization labors. biodiversity, museums, archives, librar- The public release of field book records ies, natural history, and more. Through through the Smithsonian’s Collection this network individuals can be reached Search Center not only makes it easier who might not have otherwise heard of for Smithsonian staff to find related field the Project. Botanists and plant enthusiasts book content, it opens up these collec- make up a significant portion of the Twit- tions to a much broader, international ter following which continues to grow. audience. Sharing this content via social While increased exposure for the Field media outlets broadens awareness of field Book Project is important, engaging with books as research resources and opens up social media is not just about pushing a dialogue about field book content. The content out towards new audiences. It is dialogue is still in the early stages, but we also about opening up a dialogue. Over encourage you to join in, and to follow us! Zingiberales and rolled leaf beetle the past two years guest bloggers have network reconstructed using DNA been invited to offer their insights on field barcodes. Page 11 Papua New Guinea Mt. Michael region does not seem to be Continued from page 1 botanically that well-known. Mt. Michael harbors very rich montane forests, which The herbarium is collaborating with the seem to be very species rich. The forests National Herbarium of New South Wales above 2,000 meters are well preserved and (NSW) on the project Plants of Papua pristine, but those below 2,000 meters near New Guinea (http://www.pngplants.org). villages have been developed into gardens The project produces and updates the PNG of bananas, sweet potatoes, and coffee plants database, an internet accessible plantations. Certainly, the Mt. Michael herbarium plant collection database of area deserves attention for conservation. plants from Papua New Guinea, which is The Wau area of Morobe province is an essential resource to botanical research- Aerial view of the Lae Botanical Gar- botanically well-known with many plant ers, foresters, conservation biologists, as collections made by various collectors. We well as the general public. den showing its location in the center of town (Eriku on the top left; Top Town explored the areas around Mt. Kolorong ew Guinea represents one of the on the bottom right). and Mt. Kaindi. It was very heart-breaking world’s richest botanical hotspots to observe that the botanically well-known with a high level of endemism. mid-montane forest areas in Wau, Bulolo localities near Wau, such as the slopes and N and adjacent areas. After some successful summit of Mt. Kaindi and the Edie Creek As we were primarily collecting Vitaceae and Melicope of Rutaceae, we focused on journeys in Morobe province, we spent a area, are only covered by remnant patchy forest habitats in two provinces: Morobe week in the Eastern Highlands province, forests because of the heavy mining in Mt. and Eastern Highlands. In the areas we primarily around , the capital of the Kaindi. The mining activities are certainly traveled, the forests are mainly tropical province, and also the Mt. Michael area the most direct threat to these rich forests. humid forests, with trees dominated by and . We really enjoyed each day The mining has also brought in many species from plant families such as Rubi- of our journey, but the days collecting in people from outside into Mt. Kaindi and aceae, Fagaceae, Lauraceae, Meliaceae, the Wau region were especially produc- the population growth has led to develop- Annonaceae, Sapotaceae, Euphorbiaceae, tive. It was pretty amazing to encounter ment of numerous patchy gardens, which Podocarpaceae and Fabaceae. We started and collect so many species of Melicope, has destroyed the natural forests on the to collect in the tropical lowland forests Tetrastigma and Cissus growing in such a mountain slopes to the summit area. Min- near Lae, in several nearby villages of relatively small area. We look forward to ing seems to be a major threat to biodiver- Salamaua, Yalu, Oomsis, , as well seeing our phylogenetic results on these sity in Morobe province. as the natural forests of the Lae Botanic species in one region to figure out their Throughout our journey we used exten- Gardens. Then we collected in several assembly and diversification histories. The sively the public transportation known as PMVs (public motor vehicles), which are mostly small buses or trucks. Prior to our trip we heard mixed messages on using PMVs by foreign travelers and expats. Nevertheless, we really enjoyed interact- ing with the locals in our travel throughout the Morobe and Eastern Highlands prov- inces. Indeed both of us are experienced travelers and were very careful. We also used the local banana boats to get to and travel back from Lae to Salamaua village. Overall it felt rewarding getting to know PNG by the use of public transportation instead of isolating ourselves in SUVs or rental trucks. Renting SUVs or trucks in Morobe province is also rather expensive. The price can be about US$200 to $400 per day, which is over the work budget for most botanists. Vehicle rental is espe- cially expensive in the Lae area, which is perhaps the must-stop for botanists since the LAE herbarium is there. Lae was certainly our main transportation hub, as our botanical colleagues are there and the herbarium is available for drying col- The LAE herbarium showing cabinets and a working bench. (Photo by Marc lections and identifying plants. We were Appelhans) able to save some travel funds by renting Page 12 We usually obtained permission from land-owners and paid the appropriate fees before entering the forests. In general, we were very well received and guided by the villagers, who often offered us coconuts to drink and bananas or sweet potatoes (kaukau) as a snack. Kaukau is the most important crop in the country. After an exhausting hike to Mt. Michael, the freshly cooked kaukau was a very wel- come reward and will stay in our memo- ries for a long time. Another very common agricultural produce is betel nuts (fruits of the palm Areca catechu) which are sold at almost every street corner. A young woman who was waiting with us at the PMV stop together with her husband had six large bags of betel nuts. She explained that she makes a good profit transporting and selling betel nuts produced in the low- lands in the higher altitude areas. We often encountered signs saying “noken kaikai buai” (chewing betel nut is not allowed), but the omnipresent red spots on the roads and the red-colored teeth of many people Impression of the natural forest area in the Lae Botanic Gardens. (Photo by Marc are a clear indicator that these signs are Appelhans) largely ignored. vehicles more locally away from Lae, such was a real joy to meet and learn from him It was great to collect plants in Papua as in Wau and Goroka, after getting there and his family on how they use and protect New Guinea, to see such a rich flora, by PMV. their forests. We met two chiefs on our trip and to get to learn about the fascinating We were struck by the very expensive and both have extensive knowledge on the culture. It was also heart-breaking to see hotels and lodging in PNG. Initially we forests. In PNG, tribal land ownership is numerous mining sites in Morobe prov- budgeted about $40 per person per day. well maintained and also protected by the ince and the many short-lived gardens Very average lodging with a simple room law. Continued on page 14 without air-conditioning ranges from $50 to $100 in Morobe and Eastern Highlands provinces. To keep costs down, we looked for places where we can stay and cook for ourselves, or at least boil some ramen noo- dles, which are readily available through- out PNG. We had so many ramen noodles on the trip that both of us agreed never to eat them again unless it is absolutely nec- essary on another botanical mission! After the first two weeks, we were able to travel much more cheaply by reducing the food cost, with the savings going into lodging and local guides. The latter was relatively expensive as well, depending upon where we were. Overall, we learned a lot about traveling in PNG on a botanist’s budget. During our journey, we met wonderful colleagues, especially in Lae and Bulolo. The local folks in villages were also very friendly and helpful. We met several local villagers who had excellent knowledge The authors and the staff of LAE herbarium. Left to right: Marc Appelhans, about the plants surrounding them. One Bernard Sule, Haydrian Morte, Kana Kevin, Balpina Tiki, Kipiro Damas, Michael village chief/elder, Sam, in the village of Lovave, Robert Kiapranis, Jun Wen, and Thomas Magun. (Self-timed photo by Gabensis was especially resourceful. It Marc Appelhans) Page 13 structing species interactions using DNA barcodes. PLoS ONE 8(1): e52967. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0052967 Giussani, L.M., A.M. Antón., M.A. Negritto, A.A. Romanutti and R.J. Soreng. 2012. Poa L., pp. 284-339. In F.O. Zuloaga, Z.E. Rúgolo de Agrasar and A.M. Anton, eds. Flora Vascular De La Republica Argentina, Volume 3 Tomo 2, Monocotyledoneae, Poaceae: Pooideae. Graficamente Ediciones, Cordoba. Kling, H.J., H.D. Laughinghouse, J. Smarda, J. Komarek, J. Acreman, K. Bruun, S.B. Watson and F. Chen. 2012. A new red colonial Pseudanabaena (Cyanoprokaryota, Oscillatoriales) from North American large lakes. Fottea 12(2): 327-339. Mitchell, A., R. Li, J.W. Brown, I. Schönberger and J. Wen. 2012. Ancient divergence and biogeography of Rau- Pristine cloud forest on the slopes of Mt. Michael (Eastern Highlands Province). kaua (Araliaceae) and close relatives in (Photo by Marc Appelhans) the southern hemisphere. Aust. Syst. Bot. Papua New Guinea 25(6): 432-446. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ SB12020 Continued from page 13 Publications Molina, J.E., J. Wen and L. Struwe. 2012. and coffee plantations near villages in Coelho, A., K. Morais, H. Laughinghouse areas where we traveled. Mt. Kaindi Systematics and biogeography of the non- IV, S.J. Giacomini and S.B. Tedesco. viny grape relative Leea (Vitaceae). Bot. is a protected area, but the conserva- 2012. Pollen grain viability in accessions tion management is at a minimum. New J. Linn. Soc. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ of Crotolaria juncea L. (Fabaceae). Agro- j.1095-8339.2012.01320.x Guinea is home to the third largest rain ciencia 46: 481-487. forest in the world, only after the Amazon Nash, M.C., B.N. Opdyke, U. Troitzsch, and Congo. More resources need to be García-Robledo, C., D.L. Erickson, C.L. B.D. Russell, W.H. Adey, A. Kato, G. invested in biodiversity conservation in Staines, T.L. Erwin and W.J. Kress. 2013. Diaz-Pulido, C. Brent, M. Gardner, J. PNG. Mining should be better regulated. Tropical plant–herbivore networks: recon- It is a clear dilemma between biodiversity conservation and economic development. The people in Wau are pleased with the revived gold rush to town. Yet the mining companies should pay more attention to conservation, at least by setting aside siz- able areas for conservation purposes. In the context of conservation and public education, we see the special role the Lae Botanic Gardens can play. The excellent natural tropical lowland forests in an easily accessible urban setting make it an ideal conservation and education tool. During our talks with our colleagues, we learned that the Garden needs more sup- port from the biodiversity community. We would like to call for support for an effort to inventory the natural forests in the Lae Botanic Gardens. If you are interested in donating toward this effort, feel free to contact Jun Wen by email at [email protected]. Large multi-trunked fig tree in the lowland rain forest in the Yalu area (Morobe Province). (Photo by Marc Appelhans) Page 14 Prichard and D.I. Kline. 2012. Dolomite- In F.O. Zuloaga, Z.E. Rúgolo de Agrasar Nicoraepoa Soreng & L.J. Gillespie, pp. rich coralline algae in reefs resist dis- and A.M. Anton, eds. Flora Vascular De 270-277. In F.O. Zuloaga, Z.E. Rúgolo de solution in acidified conditions.Nature La Republica Argentina, Volume 3 Tomo Agrasar and A.M. Anton, eds. Flora Vas- Climate Change http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ 1, Monocotyledoneae, Poaceae: Aris- cular De La Republica Argentina, Volume nclimate1760 tidoideae a Pharoideae. Graficamente 3 Tomo 2, Monocotyledoneae, Poaceae: Ediciones, Cordoba. Pooideae. Graficamente Ediciones, Cor- O’Grady, P.M., G.M. Bennet, V.A. Funk doba. and T.K. Altheide. 2012. Retrograde bio- Peterson, P.M. and D. Giraldo Canas. geography. Taxon 61: 702-705. 2012. The genus Eragrostis (Poaceae: Touwaide, A. 2012. Printing Greek Chloridoideae) in northwestern South medicine in the Renaissance. Schol- Peterson, P.M. 2012. Clave de las Tribus America (Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru): ars, collections, opportunities, and de Chloridoideae, p. 76. In F.O. Zuloaga, morphological and taxonomic studies. challenges introduction. Early Sci. Z.E. Rúgolo de Agrasar and A.M. Anton, Biblioteca Jose Jeronimo Triana 24: Med. 17(4): 371-377. http://dx.doi. eds. Flora Vascular De La Republica 1-195. org/10.1163/1573382320120001 Argentina, Volume 3 Tomo 1, Monocotyle- doneae, Poaceae: Aristidoideae a Pharoi- Piccini, F., V. Frescura, H. Laughing- Xi, Z., R.K. Bradley, K.J. Wurdack, deae. Graficamente Ediciones, Cordoba. house IV, N.B. Perez, O.B. Machado and K.M. Wong, M. Sugumaran, K. Bomblies, S.B. Tedesco. 2012. Pollen viability of J.S. Rest and C.C. Davis. 2012. Horizontal Peterson, P.M. 2012. Clave de los genotypes of Eragrostis plana from differ- transfer of expressed genes in a parasitic Generos de Chloridoideae, pp. 76-78. In ent geographic populations in Rio Grande .BMC Genomics 13: 227. F.O. Zuloaga, Z.E. Rúgolo de Agrasar do Sul, Brazil. Enciclopedia Biosfera http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2164-13- and A.M. Anton, eds. Flora Vascular De 8(15): 1316-1324. 227 La Republica Argentina, Volume 3 Tomo 1, Monocotyledoneae, Poaceae: Aris- Sherwood, A.R., O. Necchi Jr, A.L. Car- Xi, Z., B.R. Ruhfel, H. Schaefer, A.M. tidoideae a Pharoideae. Graficamente lile, H. Laughinghouse IV, S. Fredericq Amorim, M. Sugumaran, K.J. Wurdack, Ediciones, Cordoba. and R.G. Sheath. 2012. Characterization P.K. Endress, M.L. Matthews, P.F. Ste- of a novel freshwater gigartinalean red vens, S. Mathews and C.C. Davis. 2012. Peterson, P.M. 2012. Tribu Chlorideae alga from Belize, with description of Ster- Phylogenomics and a posteriori data parti- Martinov, p. 79. In F.O. Zuloaga, Z.E. roclaida belizeana sp. nov. Phycologia tioning resolve the Cretaceous angiosperm Rúgolo de Agrasar and A.M. Anton, eds. 51(6): 627-635. radiation . Proc. Natl. Acad. Flora Vascular De La Republica Argen- Sci. USA 109(43): 17519-17524. http:// tina, Volume 3 Tomo 1, - Shi, W., J. Wen and S. Lutz. 2012. Pollen dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1205818109 eae, Poaceae: Aristidoideae a Pharoideae. morphology of the Maddenia clade of Graficamente Ediciones, Cordoba. Prunus and its taxonomic and phyloge- Zhu, W., Z. Nie, J. Wen and H. Sun. 2012. netic implications. J. Syst. Evol. http:// Molecular phylogeny and biogeography Peterson, P.M. 2012. Tribu Eragrostideae dx.doi.org/10.1002/jse.233 of Astilbe (Saxifragaceae) in Asia and Stapf., p. 175. In F.O. Zuloaga, Z.E. eastern North America. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. Rúgolo de Agrasar and A.M. Anton, eds. Soreng, R.J. 2012. Clave de los Generos http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339- Flora Vascular De La Republica Argen- de Pooideae, pp. 25-31. In F.O. Zuloaga, .2012.01318.x tina, Volume 3 Tomo 1, Monocotyledon- Z.E. Rúgolo de Agrasar and A.M. Anton, eae, Poaceae: Aristidoideae a Pharoideae. eds. Flora Vascular De La Republica Graficamente Ediciones, Cordoba. Argentina, Volume 3 Tomo 2, Monocotyle- doneae, Poaceae: Pooideae. Graficamente Peterson, P.M. 2012. Tribu Zoysieae, Ediciones, Cordoba. p. 204. In F.O. Zuloaga, Z.E. Rúgolo de Agrasar and A.M. Anton, eds. Flora Vas- Soreng, R.J. 2012. Clave de los Tribus cular De La Republica Argentina, Volume de Pooideae, p. 24. In F.O. Zuloaga, Z.E. 3 Tomo 1, Monocotyledoneae, Poaceae: Rúgolo de Agrasar and A.M. Anton, eds. Aristidoideae a Pharoideae. Graficamente Flora Vascular De La Republica Argen- Ediciones, Cordoba. tina, Volume 3 Tomo 2, Monocotyledon- eae, Poaceae: Pooideae. Graficamente Peterson, P.M. and D. Giraldo Canas. 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Page 15 Art by Alice Tangerini

Ficus sangumae Weiblen & Whitfeld

In 2010, Timothy J. S. Whitfeld and George D. Weiblen described five new species of Ficus (Moraceae) from the lowland rain forests of Papua New Guinea, including Ficus sangumae (Harvard Papers in Botany, 15:1-10). This illustration of F. sangumae came about when Alice Tangerini was asked to teach a botanical illustration class at the Minnesota School of Botanical Art in Minneapolis. Weiblen supplied herbarium specimens for the class to draw provided he could use them in his publication. Tangerini used her drawing of the Type of F. sangumae as the teaching model for the class. It was published as part of the group of illustrations done by class members.

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