Department of Systematic Biology - Botany & the U.S. National Herbarium The Plant Press New Series - Vol. 6 - No. 1 January-March 2003 Botany Profile Botanist Untangles Caribbean Vines By Robert DeFilipps ost people are surprised to the Serjania and Talisia being studied by Virgin Islands), to be published this year learn that the largely tropical Acevedo, exhibit a peculiar syndrome by Sheridan Press, Hanover, Pennsylva- dicot family Sapindaceae, wherein populations of the plants produce nia. The 387 species of vines treated here Msource of the edible fruit-bearing trees a male-flowered phase, followed by a are illustrated by Bobbi Angell, one of yielding akee (Blighia), rambutan female phase, and then by another male the most skilled botanical illustrators. (Nephelium) and leechee nuts (Litchi), phase. This little-explored phenomenon While a research fellow at the New also contains a large number of saponin- has been termed sequentially monoe- York Botanical Garden from 1983-1989, laden, toxic vines. The New World cious and (duo) dichogamy, and is Acevedo pursued graduate studies, with representatives of these vines are a believed by Acevedo to be a natural way Scott Mori (NY) as major professor, and special focus of research by curator to promote gene exchange among popula- received his Ph.D. from the City Univer- Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez. tions. Altogether a fascinating array of sity of New York in May 1989, writing a Indeed, a mere look at some of the inquiries are presented by the neotropical dissertation on Serjania Sect. Platy- species epithets in the vine genus vines, but an even larger research subject, coccus. As of April 1989 he took up the Serjania Miller, which is now being studies of the flora of the West Indies and position of Associate Curator of Botany revised by Acevedo, can give a premoni- Caribbean Basin, particularly the Greater in the U.S. National Herbarium, and has tion of the effects of their various Antilles, with their varying degrees of maintained an active program of scien- chemical constituents. These include plant generic endemism, is also under his tific research on the systematics and plants named S. inebrians (inebriating, purview. biogeography of tropical plants. Field intoxicating), S. lethalis (lethal), S. cevedo was born in San Juan, studies have taken him to Mexico, South noxia (noxious, injurious), and S. Puerto Rico. He received a B.S. America (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, piscatoria, the latter an indication of use from the University of Puerto Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, as a fish poison. A number of Amazonian ARico, Mayagüez in 1977, and later held Suriname, Venezuela), and the West Amerindian tribes employ the ichthyo- several technical positions with the U.S. Indies (Cuba, Dominican Republic, toxic vines to catch fish, by introducing Forest Service studying plants in various Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. and the macerated tissues of the crushed Puerto Rican forests including the Luquillo British Virgin Islands). Various collec- plant into rivers to release their stupefy- National Forest, followed by employment tions have resulted in new species, ing saponins. As a whole, perhaps about as a specialist with the Department of including the Puerto Rican Piptocoma 90 percent of Sapindaceae are usable as Natural Resources, Puerto Rico, doing acevedoi Pruski (Asteraceae) and Calyp- fish poison. ecological and floristic work in the Rio tranthes acevedoi Liogier (Myrtaceae) Besides their fish-numbing virtues, Abajo Forest. During this period a being named for him. some vining members of the Sapindaceae multitude of vines were observed and Extensive studies in the Caribbean exhibit unusual anomalous growth, with collected in the forests, the genesis of a flora in the 1990s culminated in a major stems produced as a rope-like structure, career-wide interest in their taxonomy and publication by Acevedo and collabora- and watch-spring tendrils that are distribution. A major manifestation of this tors entitled Flora of St. John, U.S. probably modified lower cincinni of the interest is the 498-page book which Virgin Islands, Memoirs of the New York inflorescences: they coil in one flat plane, Acevedo has prepared, now in press, Botanical Garden 78: 1-581 (1996). A instead of being spirally coiled in three entitled Bejucos y Plantas Trepadoras de substantial grant of $73,500 from the dimensions. In addition, many unisexual- Puerto Rico e Islas Virgenes (Vines and Homeland Foundation in California flowered members of this family, such as Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Continued on page 11 Visitors Bryan Simon, Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Terry Macfarlane, Western Australian Liliana Katinas, Universidad Nacional de Australia; Poaceae (10/3-10/4). Herbarium, Department of Conservation La Plata, Argentina; Onagraceae (11/9-12/ and Land Management; Poaceae (10/21-10/ 17). H. David Clarke , University of North 24). Carolina, Asheville; Guyana collections Piero Delprete, New York Botanical Gar- (10/9-10/13; 12/27-12/31). Sonia Franco Martinez, Instituto de Biolo- den; Rubiaceae (11/12-11/16). gia, UNAM, Mexico; Mexican Agavaceae Erin Tripp Trish Flaster , Philadelphia Academy of (10/23-10/31). , Botanical Liaisons; Plants Natural Sciences; Guyana collections (10/ as dietary supplements (11/13-11/14). 9-10/13; 12/27-12/31). Abisai Garcia Mendoza, Instituto de Biolo- Geoffrey Levin gia, UNAM, Mexico; Mexican Agavaceae , Illinois Natural History Myron Kimnach , Cactus and Succulent (10/23-10/31). Survey; Euphorbiaceae: Acalypha sp. (11/ Journal, Editor; Crassulaceae, Cactaceae, 13-11/15). Piperaceae (10/14-10/15). Qingjun Li, Xishuangbamna Tropical Sue duPont Botanical Garden; General research (10/28- , Maryland Department of Ag- Gregory Plunkett , Virginia Commonwealth 11/14). riculture; Herbarium consultation (11/14). University; Araliaceae: Polyscias and Xochitl Munn Schefflera (10/14-10/16). Grady Webster, University of California- , University of Texas, Davis; Euphorbiaceae: Croton and Phyl- Austin; Flora of Sierra Mazateca, Mexico Arthur Edward Salgado , Christian Broth- lanthus (10/28-11/8). (11/14). ers University; General research (10/15-10/ Rodney Dever 19). Fabian Michelangeli, New York Botanical , Shepherd College; Her- Garden; Melastomataceae (11/4-11/5). barium consultation (11/15). Lynn Gillespie, National Herbarium of Peter Hoch Canada, Canadian Museum of Nature; Poa Bonnie Crozier, University of Texas, , Missouri Botanical Garden, St. (Poaceae) (10/16-10/26). Austin; Cactaceae (11/7-11/13; 12/9-12/15). Louis; Onagraceae (11/24-12/11). German Carnevali Fernandez-Concha Jean Burns, Florida State University; Jose Panero, University of Texas, Austin; , Commelinaceae (10/17-10/21). Asteraceae (11/7-11/13; 12/9-12/15). Centro de Investigacion de Yucatan; Flora de Guaramacal; Flora Mesoamericana (12/ Jeffrey Johansen, John Carroll University; Jorge Crisci, Universidad Nacional de La 2-12/17). Drouet Cyanophyta Collection (10/21-10/ Plata, Argentina; Onagraceae (11/9-12/17). Continued on page 10 22). The Plant Press Travel New Series - Vol. 6 - No. 1 Dan Nicolson traveled to Cartagena, 12/17) to attend the Flora of China Head of Botany Colombia (10/1110/22) to attend the editorial committee meeting. W. John Kress International Association for Plant Taxon- Paula DePriest traveled to Durham, ([email protected]) omy (IAPT) business meeting as past North Carolina (10/2810/29) to attend a president during the 8th Latin-American committee meeting for graduate student EDITORIAL STAFF Botanical Congress. Rebecca Yahr at Duke University. Co-Editors Maria Faust traveled to St. Petersburg, Gary Krupnick traveled to Kolkata, Gary Krupnick Florida (10/2010/25) to present a paper at India (12/1412/21) to present a paper as th ([email protected]) the X International Conference on Harm- an invited guest at the International Sym- Robert DeFilipps ful Algae. posium on Plant Biodiversity: Conserva- ([email protected]) Vicki Funk traveled to Oahu, Hawaii tion and Evaluation, at the Bose Institute. (10/2011/05) to conduct research on Mark and Diane Littler traveled to Ft. News Contacts Asteraceae DNA analysis at the University Pierce, Florida (12/162/21) to conduct MaryAnn Apicelli, Robert Faden, Ellen Farr, George Russell, Alice Tangerini, and of Hawaii. ongoing research at the Smithsonian Elizabeth Zimmer W. John Kress traveled to Durham, Marine Station (SMS). North Carolina (10/2810/29) to collaborate The Plant Press is a quarterly publication with graduate student Kyle Williams and provided free of charge. If you would like to be added to the mailing list, please contact Gary to attend a committee meeting for graduate Krupnick at: Department of Systematic student Tanya Rehse at Duke University; Biology - Botany, Smithsonian Institution, PO to Denver, Colorado (11/111/2) with Alice Box 37012, NMNH MRC-166, Washington, Tangerini to visit the Denver Art Museum DC 20013-7012, or by e-mail: krupnick.gary@ nmnh.si.edu. exhibit on A Passion for Plants in order to make selections for a future exhibit at Web site: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/botany NMNH; and to St. Louis, Missouri (12/15 Page 2 Natural History Research and Collections: An Integrated Enterprise Chair to Inventory Life on Earth he Smithsonian Institution was started in 1846 to Not only are we accountable for the curation and care curate the nations natural history collections of for our scientific collections, but we must continue to biological, anthropological, and geological enhance these specimens by placing them