Department of Botany and the U.S. National Herbarium The Plant Press National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution New Series - Vol. 1 - No. 3 May - June 1998 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Released ne out of eight plant species Program, an extensive global network of The Red List shows that 380 species worldwide is at risk of extinc- scientists was established to assemble and have become extinct in the wild, with an Otion, according to the most monitor vital information on the conserva- additional 371 species listed as Extinct/ comprehensive scientific assessment tion status of plants in this diverse region. Endangered. Over 6,500 species are ever assembled on the status of the Staff in the department and the plant categorized as Endangered, indicating world’s plants. This announcement was collections in the U.S. National Herbarium their numbers have been drastically made on April 8 at a press conference at were an invaluable source of information reduced to a critical level and they are the Smithsonian’s National Museum of on taxonomy, distribution and conserva- deemed to be in immediate danger of Natural History as the 1997 IUCN Red tion status. This scientific data is a major extinction. Threat assessments are List of Threatened Plants was released. component of the Red List. assigned according to the pre-1994 IUCN The IUCN Red List reveals that 12.5%, Of the estimated 270,000 known threat categories. The introduction to the or 34,000, of the world’s vascular plant species of vascular plants, which include book details the purpose and history of species are threatened. In the United ferns, fern allies, gymnosperms (including the project, an explanation of the States, perhaps one of the most thor- conifers and cycads), and flowering information and an analysis of the list, oughly studied countries in the world, plants, 33,798 were found to be at risk of including valuable tables on threatened 29% of the nation’s 16,000 plant species extinction. These plants are found in 369 are at risk of extinction. families and are scattered throughout 200 The Red List is the result of a 20-year countries. Of the plant species named in The Red List reveals effort by a unique coalition of scientists, the Red List, 91% are found only in a that 34,000 conservation organizations, botanical single country. A limited geographic gardens and museums. The Red List was distribution can make a species much of the worlds published by IUCN-The World Conser- more vulnerable and may reduce options vascular plant vation Union and compiled by the World for its protection. In addition, islands or species are Conservation Monitoring Centre island groups, which often have high rates (WCMC). Conservation assessments of endemicity, face particularly high threatened. were provided by numerous scientists levels of threat to their flora. Seven out of and conservationists with major input the top ten areas listed according to per- plants in each country by IUCN category from the Smithsonian’s Department of centage of threatened flora are islands: St. and by major taxa and families. Botany, The Nature Conservancy, Helena, Mauritius, Seychelles, Jamaica, Publication of the IUCN Red List of Environment Australia and CSIRO, the French Polynesia, Pitcairn, and Reunion. Threatened Plants marks a turning point National Botanical Institute (South A great number of plant species known for conservation. The book, an important Africa), Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew to have medicinal value are at risk of new conservation tool, provides baseline and Edinburgh, and the New York disappearing, leaving their healing information to measure conservation Botanical Garden. potential unfulfilled. For instance, 75% of progress and serves as a primary source The Department of Botany has had a the species from the yew family, a source of data on plant species. Most impor- collaborative agreement with IUCN and of important cancer-fighting compounds, tantly, it provides the building blocks on WCMC since 1980 to gather information are threatened. The willow family, from which to base worldwide efforts to on threatened plants and habitats in which aspirin is derived, has 12% of its conserve plant species and the ecosys- Mexico, Central and South America. species threatened. Numerous other tems they inhabit. (Also see “Chair With Through the efforts of Jane Villa-Lobos, species whose medicinal value has not yet a View” on page 3.) Director of the Latin American Plants been studied also are at risk. Page 1 New Faces Hammer Awards Presented Emilio Bruna, a Ph.D. candidate at the (Bromeliaceae). David is a senior at Sam On April 21, Ellen Farr and Tom University of California Davis Center for Houston State University, Texas. Thinley Hollowell were members of a team of Population Biology, is studying the effects Namgyel will be working with John NMNH staff who were awarded one of of habitat fragmentation on plant popula- Kress on a phylogenetic and biogeo- Vice President Gore’s Hammer awards tion dynamics at the NMNH Biological graphic analysis of the Himalayan genus for their work on the Integrated Taxo- Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project Cautleya (Zingiberaceae). Thinley is from nomic Information System (ITIS). The near Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. Bruna is Thimpu, Bhutan, and a senior at the Hammer Award is Vice President Gore’s working with John Kress and Preston University of Wisconsin, Madison. special recognition for organizations that Aldrich (Post-doctoral Fellow) on the Allison Wack will be working with Stan have made significant contributions in reproductive ecology and dynamics of Shetler on the flora of the Baltimore- support of the President’s National Heliconia acuminata, conducting field Washington Area. Allison is a junior at Performance Review principles: putting experiments on pollen and resource Randolph-Macon Women’s College in customers first, cutting red tape, empow- limitation, pollinator efficiency, and the Lynchburg, Virginia. ering employees and getting back to costs of reproduction. Bruna received a basics. ITIS is an interagency program Smithsonian Pre-doctoral Fellowship that supports a database of taxonomic Award. To Order the IUCN Red List information on species names. It is the first comprehensive, standardized Contact New York Botanical The Research Training Program session reference for scientific names (including Garden, Scientific Publications, from May 23-August 3 will include three synonyms and common names) for all (718) 817-8721; Fax: (718) 817- participants in the Department of Botany. the plants and animals of North America 8842. $45 (plus postage & han- David Taylor will be working with and the surrounding oceans. dling). Harold Robinson on Pitcairnia Travel The Plant Press Laurence Dorr (3/27-4/4) traveled to James Norris and Robert Sims (4/3- New Series - Vol. 1 - No. 3 Panama City, Panama to participate in the 4/12) traveled to Fort Pierce, Florida to “First International Workshop on Sustain- continue marine botanical studies in Chairman, Department of Botany able Cacao Growing,” which brought support of the Marine Algae Eicosanoids W. John Kress together a wide range of biologists, Project. ([email protected]) conservationists, and producers of Dan Nicolson (4/8-4/11) traveled to St. EDITORIAL STAFF chocolate. Louis, Missouri to attend a meeting of the Vicki Funk (4/2-4/5) traveled to Steering Committee for the 16th Interna- Co-Editors Kennett Square, Pennsylvania to meet tional Botanical Congress. Jane Villa-Lobos with the American Association of Botani- John Kress (4/15-4/16) traveled to St. ([email protected]) cal Gardens and Arboreta, and to Durham, Louis, Missouri to meet with the editor of Robert DeFilipps North Carolina (4/7-4/9) for meetings with Biotropica to discuss the current status of ([email protected]) students and staff at Duke University. the Association for Tropical Biology’s Consulting Editor journal. Deborah Hinrichs Circulation Manager Visitors Shirley Maina ([email protected]) Lynn Raulerson, Univ. of Guam Tina Ayers, Northern Arizona Univer- News Contacts (GUAM); Flora of the Marianas (Apr.1- sity, Flagstaff, AZ; Lobelioideae (Apr. Amanda Boone, Robert Faden, Ellen Farr, George Russell, Alice Tangerini, Aug. 15) 24) and Elizabeth Zimmer Jin Shuang Ma, Harvard University Lisa Huckell, Univ. of New Mexico; Di- The Plant Press is a bi-monthly publication (GH); Celastraceae for Flora of China morphic seeds (May 8-23) provided free of charge. If you would like to be (Apr. 20-25) added to the mailing list, contact Shirley Maina at: National Musem of Natural History, James D. Ackerman, Univ. of Puerto Rico Smithsonian Institution, Department of Botany, Carlos Trejo, Univ. of Puerto Rico (UPRRP); Orchidaceae of Greater Antilles NHB 166, Washington, DC 20560, or by e-mail: (UPRRP); biogeography of the Caribbean (June-July) [email protected]. (Apr. 15-June15) Web site: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/botany/html. Page 2 hirty-four thousand species of flowering “Here in Washington we are in the middle of our plants, conifers and ferns are threatened with annual Cherry Blossom Festival.Yet few of us realize Chair Textinction worldwide, including over 4,600 that 14% of the species in the cherry family are species in the United States alone.This astounding threatened with extinction. We know this because we figure was announced to the world on April 8th at can monitor the wild status of these plants using our With simultaneous news conferences in Washington, collections.” I then showed a species of Rubus (R. London, Edinburgh, Sydney, and Cape Town with the pernagaeus Fernald) that is nearly extinct in its native publication of the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened state of Virginia, the only state where it is found. Plants.The Department of Botany at NMNH has a “Palm Sunday has just been celebrated this past A long history of involvement with the Red List, weekend; nearly 29% of the species in the palm family primarily through the efforts of Jane Villa-Lobos who are threatened with extinction in their native habitats, was one of the original compilers of the plant data both here in the United States as well as worldwide.