THE PLANT PRESS
Department of Botany & the U.S. National Herbarium
New Series - Vol. 24 - No. 2 April-June 2021 A botanical cliff-hanger By Nancy Khan and Warren Wagner
ramatic cliffs along the northern coast of Guam rise gether with the 1,217 acre Ritidian Unit which is managed over 190 m to form a broad limestone plateau that en- solely by the USFWS they comprise the GNWR which was Dcompasses the most diverse native plant communities established in 1993 when the area was determined to be criti- of this small Micronesian island. Until recently the biological cal habitat for six species of plants and animals listed as en- diversity of Micronesia was not fully understood, but it is now dangered pursuant to the Endangered Species Preservation thought that this region contains a higher percentage of en- Act of 1966. demic plant species per square kilometer land area than any A previous collection made within the GNWR by Derral other hotspot of biodiversity. With an area of about 541 km2 Herbst (USFWS) in 1982 guided botanists Steve Perlman and Guam is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands, Ken Wood (National Tropical Botanical Garden) to the un- but exhibits the lowest percent of endemism of the archipelago Continued on page 2 (Micronesica 43: 51–100; 2012). This bleak account inspired further investigation of an intriguing, yet unidentified spe- A phylogenetic reconstruction cimen collected in 1994 as part of a floristic inventory for an environmental assessment of Andersen Air Force Base spon- revealed that while there is sored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). superficial resemblance to Most of the Guam National Wildlife Refuge (GNWR), about patchouli (Pogostemon cablin), the 22,456 acres, is an "overlay refuge" (land that is under the pri- mary jurisdiction of one Federal agency and the refuge purpose mystery plant was a new species is superimposed as a secondary interest) formed by two units: native to Guam and closely related Andersen Air Force Overlay and the Navy Overlay Unit. Al- though the military mission comes first on these overlay lands, to three species with origins on the USFWS assists in protecting native species and habitats. To- the Indian subcontinent.
Department of Botany & the U.S. National Herbarium Guam Continued from page 1 usual plant. The pair searched sharp, jagged cliffs along the coast, repeatedly rappelling down vertical escarpments, eventually locating five subpopulations to- taling 113 individuals. Field identification tentatively likened it to patchouli, Pogoste- mon cablin (Lamiaceae), however it lacked the aromatic oils characteristic of the pa- tchouli plant. Six new collections were made by Wood and Perlman to document the distribution and morphological varia- tion of the subpopulations. Subsequent ex- pansion of the military installation and development of cooperative but parallel conservation plans by the USFWS and the U.S. Air Force hindered opportunities to re-visit the site for further exploration. The six specimens seemed likely to re- main an enigma until Smithsonian De- partment of Botany lab technician Gabe Johnson became involved. He applied mo- lecular techniques to determine the iden- Coastal limestone cliffs of northeastern Guam. (photo courtesy of Toni Mizerek, from tity of the plant. Small fragments were Lorence et al. 2020) removed from four of the specimens col- Prior to this discovery the only fed- maining individual at Ritidian Point. lected in 1994. Initial extraction indicated erally listed plant species on Guam was the Thanks to the persistent effort of the that the DNA was highly degraded, but the critically endangered tree, Serianthes nelso- many boots on the ground that have con- application of a precise and intricate meth- nii (Fabaceae). A specimen of this tree was tributed to its identification and assess- odology yielded two samples with 2 re- first collected in the late 1800s but not de- ment over the preceding 28 years and gions each of sequenceable DNA that scribed until 1919 albeit from a holotype those who will continue to serve as its could be compared to known sequences that was destroyed during a World War II stewards in the future, it is hopeful that obtained from GenBank (Molecular Phy- bombing raid in Manila. Of the six mature this 12th endemic to be added to the native logenetics and Evolution 98: 184–200; trees ever known to exist on the island, the flora of Guam can persist in its precarious 2016). A phylogenetic reconstruction of population has been reduced to one re- cliffside location. the genus Pogostemon revealed that while there is superficial resemblance to Pogoste- mon cablin, the mystery plant was a new species native to Guam and more closely related to three species with origins on the Indian subcontinent. In 2020 the species was published as Pogostemon guamensis Lorence & W.L. Wagner (PhytoKeys 169: 61–73), a rare en- demic considered by the authors to be crit- ically endangered primarily due to the limited population size, imperiled habitat, and high levels of alien herbivory and seed predation. As noted by the authors, “in many of the specimens examined flowers and nutlets had been eaten by herbivorous insects in the field”. An accompanying il- lustration by Alice Tangerini deftly cap- tures the range of diagnostic characters despite the impediment posed by such Pogostemon guamensis deterioration across the limited number of Lorence and W.L. Wagner herbarium specimens. (Perlman & Wood 14266, holotype PTBG-061045).
Page 2 Rare lichen unique to Florida discovered in museum collections, may be extinct -Adapted from the Florida Museum of spread in the early 20th century, C. timucua of the study and a lichenologist at the Bot- Natural History was collected only from the Ocala National anical Research Institute of Texas and a re- Forest and O’Leno State Park after 1968, search associate at the Smithsonian’s Scientists have found a new species of two of Florida’s last remaining scrub eco- National Museum of Natural History. fleshy verdigris lichen, thanks to DNA systems. Citrus groves and urban devel- “Right now, we need everybody’s help in analysis of museum specimens. Misidenti- opments have replaced up to 90 percent of trying to locate this lichen in Florida.” fied by its original collectors, the lichen is the state’s sand pine scrub. Kaminsky said Timucua heart lichen only known from 32 specimens collected “If it’s anywhere, it’s going to take a lot likely prefers old-growth pine scrub hab- in North and Central Florida scrubland of looking in very specific habitats to find itat, which has taller trees and established between 1885 and 1985. Now the hunt is it,” Kaminsky said. populations of native Florida plants, such on to find it in the wild – if it still exists. Affectionately dubbed “Timucua heart as rusty lyonia, a shrub characterized by The lichen, namedCora timucua in lichen,” the new species resembles a shelf reddish fibers lining its leaves. But hikers honor of Florida’s Timucua people, is criti- fungus and is about the size of a sand dol- should avoid collecting any potential spe- cally endangered, even more so than the lar with scalloped edges. It can be distin- cimens they find: Instead, they can photo- federally protected Florida perforate rein- guished from wood-rotting fungi by its Continued on page 4 deer lichen, and possibly extinct. Re- texture: felty and papery with curved lobes searchers are holding out hope that C. and a cracked underside. timucua may persist in undisturbed But its color is an enigma. The lichen is The Plant Press pockets of the state’s dwindling pine scrub light gray when dry, but specimens turn a New Series - Vol. 24 - No. 2 habitat, though recent searches came up deep blue-green and bleed a reddish- empty. brown pigment when wet in a laboratory Chair of Botany “The million-dollar question is ‘Where Eric Schuettpelz setting. Without photos and detailed de- ([email protected]) is this lichen?’” said Laurel Kaminsky, a scriptions of the lichen in nature, scientists digitization manager at the Florida Mu- don’t yet know how it reacts to moisture in EDITORIAL STAFF seum of Natural History and co-author of the wild. the study. “The optimist in me says it’s still Editor “In general, people take nature for Gary Krupnick out there.” granted, and the Timucua heart lichen Kaminsky said the sparse information ([email protected]) story might tell us sometimes we are too recorded by the lichen’s collectors makes it late,” said Manuela Dal Forno, co-author Copy Editors difficult to retrace their steps. More wide- Robin Everly, Bernadette Gibbons, and Rose Gulledge
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Web site: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/botany
On the cover: Flowers of patchouli, Pogostemon cablin, at Pali o Waipio, Maui, Hawaii. A newly described species from Guam, P. g uame n si s, has a superficial resemblance toP. cablin. Molecular evidence, however, shows that P. g uame n si s is in a well-supported clade containing P. hirsutus, P. wightii, and P. mollis, and separate from that containing P. cablin. (photo by Forest & Kim Heart lichens belong to the genus Cora, whose name is derived from the Latin prefix Starr, CC-by-3.0 US) for “heart,” a reference to the shape of their lobes. (photo courtesy of Robert Lücking)
Page 3 Lichen Continued from page 3 graph the lichen and upload images to the Timucua Heart Lichen Project on the community science platform iNaturalist for identification. Lichens are partnerships between fungi and photosynthesizing organisms and play a key role in their ecosystems by enriching soils and cycling nutrients. But much of the world’s lichen diversity remains hid- den. A chronic shortage of lichen experts led to the delay in Timucua heart lichen’s discovery, Kaminsky said. She added that Florida could harbor as many as 1,000 lichen species, many of which remain un- described and whose populations could also be imperiled. A previous survey of South Florida’s Fackahatchee Strand Preserve led by Rob- ert Lücking, a curator at Berlin’s Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum and lead author of the C. timucua study, found If Cora timucua still exists, it is most likely living in pockets of undisturbed pine scrub more than 400 lichen species in about 250 habitat in Florida’s Ocala National Forest, pictured here, and O’Leno State Park, acres. Of the 400 species, 18 were new to researchers said. (photo courtesy of Dani Tinker, CC BY-NC 2.0) science and 100 had yet to be recorded in species – typically found in mountain hab- grow in a habitat so different from its sister North America. itats. Its discovery in Florida is the north- species, Dal Forno said. “This emphasizes how little we know ernmost record of a Cora species, and the Increasingly, researchers need not pack about lichen diversity and their genetic in- new species is the sole representative of its a tent and head into the field to find new formation, as well as the importance of genus in the U.S. species. Instead, they can search online da- digitization projects,” said Dal Forno. Even if the species is extinct, studying tabases of specimen data from museums “There are so many lichens out there, but its DNA could help scientists understand around the world. In 2012, a National not enough lichenologists to study them.” how the species arrived in Florida. Timu- Science Foundation grant helped scientists Timucua heart lichen belongs to the cua heart lichen’s closest known relatives digitize lichens from the University of genus Cora, a group of nearly 200 tropical are in Colombia and Brazil, raising ques- Florida herbarium, uploading basic spe- lichens – once thought to be a single tions about how C. timucua was able to cimen information and images to two in- ternational data networks, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the Consortium of North American Lichen Herbaria. It was on the web that Lücking and Gary Perlmutter, acting curator of lichens at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill herbarium and a study co-au- thor, spotted clusters of Florida Cora spe- cimens, far outside the genus’s known range. They contacted Kaminsky, suspect- ing DNA analysis would uncover misiden- tified specimens. “I knew we had these specimens, but I just thought everybody else knew,” Ka- minsky said. “The digitization just opened Left: Timucua heart lichen’s rich blue and green colors are visible only when it’s damp, it up for other people to find it and do cool said lichenologist Manuela Dal Forno. When dry, the lichen is gray to black. (photo things with it.” courtesy of Manuela Dal Forno) The study waspublished in The Bryolo- Right: Scientists also found that Timucua heart lichen bleeds a rust-colored pigment gist. James Lawrey of George Mason Uni- when wet in a lab. Because the new species has yet to be studied in the wild, researchers versity also co-authored the study. don’t know how it reacts to moisture in nature. (photo courtesy of Robert Lücking)
Page 4 PolliNation DC to document urban buzz Community gardens are a valuable so- ipating in the Challenge. Everyone in a cial, ecological, and environmental re- participating metropolitan area with access source, but we currently know very little to a camera and the internet can partici- about the pollinator species visiting them, pate using the iNaturalist app. their ecology, and the impact of human ac- The PolliNation DC research team is tivity on their populations in Washington, comprised of Robert Costello (NMNH Na- DC. Intentionally or not, organic com- tional Outreach Program Manager), Gary munity gardens provide food and shelter Krupnick (NMNH Head of the Plant for wildlife such as birds, mammals, snails Conservation Unit), and Simon Bird and slugs, insects, spiders and even roly (Center for Sustainable Development and poly crustaceans. Gardeners are intricately Resilience, University of the District of Co- Brown-belted bumble bee (Bombus griseo- connected to nature and in one sense are lumbia). collis) visiting common milkweed (Ascle- wildlife managers. pias syriaca). (photo by Gary Krupnick) A new citizen scientist project, PolliNa- tion DC, is being launched on April 30, Pasoh pigs as agents of forest diversity: 2021. The project encourages DC com- munity garden volunteers to record the A “silver swining” bee, butterfly, wasp, fly, moth, beetle, ant, and other insect species visiting flowers A new study published in Proceedings “While pigs may contribute to diversity, and acting as pollinators for both native of the Royal Society B (288: 20210001; these findings must be viewed in context,” Stuart Davies and non-native plants in DC community 2021) identifies the role that wild pigs play said , director of the Forest- garden sites. The DC Department of Parks in maintaining the hyperdiverse structure GEO program and a co-author of the and Recreation manages 35 community of tropical forests, challenging the one-di- study. “One has to remember, the hyper- gardens across the 8 Wards of the District. mensional characterization of pigs as de- abundance of wild boar in a number of The native plant gardens at the Smith- structive enemies of the ecosystem. Asian forests is dramatically reducing tree sonian’s National Museum of Natural His- When pigs are preparing to give birth, regeneration, while supporting lianas, and tory (NMNH) and the U.S. Botanical they create a nest using 200-300 tree sap- this is likely altering the functional com- Garden (USBG) will serve as control sites. lings. In 1996 and 1998, Kalan Ickes (a co- position of these forests. This may have The collected data will help the research author on the paper) excavated pig nests at long-term deleterious consequences for team understand which insect species are ForestGEO's Pasoh forest dynamics plot in Asian rainforests.” visiting which native and non-native plant Malaysia and recorded all tree census tags Highlighting the importance of better species in an urban environment. he found. FRIM (Forest Research Institute understanding pigs’ habits, lead author Matthew Luskin The iNaturalist app
Page 5 Registration opens for the 2021 Smithsonian Botanical Symposium
Registration is now open for the 18th relationships that plants have with their to advancing the field of tropical botany. Smithsonian Botanical Symposium, “Plant collaborators and competitors in the The award is named in honor of Dr. José symbiosis: The good, the bad, and the natural world. Cuatrecasas, a pioneering botanist who complicated,” to be held 13-14 May 2021. In addition, the 18th José Cuatrecasas spent many years working in the Depart- This symposium will be held in a virtual Medal in Tropical Botany will be awarded ment of Botany at the Smithsonian and de- setting and be spread over two days. at the Symposium. This prestigious award voted his career to plant exploration in If you wish to attend both days of the is presented annually to an international tropical South America. symposium, be sure to register for each scholar who has contributed significantly day: Thursday, May 13, 2021:https:// smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/ register/WN_4oSefPMrToecWGgkIn Schedule for Thursday, May 13, 2021 Schedule for Friday, May 14, 2021 62sQ (Eastern Time) (Eastern Time) 1:00 pm – Welcome 1:00 pm – Welcome Friday, May 14, 2021: https:// 1:10 pm - Presentation of the José Cua- 1:10 pm - Leonora Bittleston (Boise smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/ trecasas Medal State University), “Convergent in- register/WN_kZLs2Iv5S8aQCl5OI87Z 1:20 pm - Naomi Pierce (Harvard Uni- teractions in carnivorous pitcher PA versity), “Context dependent evo- plant microcosms” lution of the African ant acacia, 1:30 pm - Dong Wang (University of Plants, like all organisms, exist in Vachellia drepanolobium, and its Massachusetts Amherst), “Inden- collaboration and competition with other multitude of symbionts” tured servitude: host control of life forms. As primary producers, plants 1:40 pm - Jay Bolin (Catawba College), intracellular bacteria in the ni- form the basis of most food webs. In many “Hydnora from fungus to foul trogen-fixing symbiosis” cases they also depend on insects, flower: the natural history of the vertebrate animals, bacteria, and/or fungi 1:50 pm - Manuela Dal Forno (Fort strangest plants in the world” Worth Botanic Garden | Botani- to survive and reproduce. Sometimes these interactions are especially close and long 2:00 pm - Posy Busby (Oregon State cal Research Institute of Texas), lasting and such symbioses are among the University), “Assembly and func- “The lichen dilemma: unveiling most fascinating relationships in the tion of the leaf microbiome” diversity in multi-species sym- natural world. The 18th Smithsonian 2:20 pm - Panel Discussion bioses” 2:10 pm - Panel Discussion Botanical Symposium will explore current https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/ research in the diversity of plant register/WN_4oSefPMrToecWGgkIn https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/ symbioses, examining the relationships 62sQ register/WN_kZLs2Iv5S8aQCl5OI87Z plants have with insects, fungi, bacteria, PA and even other plants. Speakers will include botanists, ecologists, microbiologists, and geneticists whose research unravels the complicated
Page 6 The botanical pressed specimen sheet – an artform in itself
By Sylvia Orli and Erika Gardner volunteers. This team carries on a special be mounted skillfully and arranged cre- tradition of best practices and standards, atively for it to be a valuable specimen for We appreciate the botanical pressed which have been in existence since the 18th scientific investigation. It is a beautiful bal- specimen for so many reasons–the plant, century. Our plant mounters do not have ancing act where art and science blend the taxonomy, the genetic material, the any formal training in Botany, but they seamlessly on a sheet of paper. history, and the incredible value it provides possess special skills that transfer well in Very seldom do we encounter the un- to science. We have also come to appreci- the specimen preparation realm. Many of conventional specimen, examples include, ate the pressed botanical sheet for itself, our mounters are excellent needle crafters! the “oh, so rare happy face” specimen, the the beauty and brilliance that the collec- These skills are highly desirable in the spe- heart shaped specimen, or even the rail- tion can engender by simply being secured cimen preparation room. road track specimen. These creations tend onto paper with a label. The U.S. National The first step to mount a specimen is to to produce a chuckle and sometimes a post Herbarium has now created over 3.5 mil- arrange it on an 11”x 18” archival her- on social media, but for the serious re- lion botanical specimen images, and they barium sheet of paper. In its post-mortem searcher these works of rogue pieces of art are magnificent because of the skillfully state, the plant should look very similar to are highly discouraged. crafted botanical sheets. how it was growing in the wild. Challenges A small sample appears on this page The specimens at the Herbarium are ensue when the plant is larger than the and the next two pages. mounted by a skillfully trained team of 21 standard herbarium sheet. The plant must Continued on page 8
ThePlatycerium , or staghorn fern, captures the imagination Perhaps the mounter never intended for the ghostly look of with its outreaching tines. In this image, you can imagine an this Opuntia dillenii specimen, but it emotes the arid and elk horn or fingers stretched out. Collection: Gereau 3316, tough habitat of the cactus. Not a place for tender plants. Madagascar, March 1989. Many species of Cactaceae are endangered, and thus the specific location on the label of this collection has been covered to dissuade predatory human poachers. Collection: Rose 3309, Antigua and Barbuda, February 1913.
Page 7 Top left: Oenothera stubbei is sold in nurseries as a rather stubby plant, but this specimen captures the grace of the wild collected plant. It is artfully placed on the sheet to display the elongate stems. Collection: Olvera 1784, Mexico, September 2017. Top right: Helenium amarum, a native of the southern U.S., typically has vibrant yellow flowers, but these colors fade after several years on a sheet. When originally mounted on a sheet in 1896, one can imagine the mounter forming a heart sign out of these bright yellow flowers. This playfulness is highly discouraged today, but botanists were often their own plant mounters a century ago. Collection: Schuchert s.n., Alabama, United States, October 1896. Bottom: TheMerremia sp. is a twining vine, and the specimen seeks to display that twining habit. It unintentionally forms the letter N, which may be the first thing observers see. The New York Botanical Garden has made a webpage for the Specimen Alphabet, with A-Z of all the accidental letter specimens (http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/the- hand-lens/explore/narratives-details/?irn=7240). Collection: Acevedo-Rodriguez 16675, Brazil, September 2017.
Page 8 John Axel Nannfeldt (1904-1985) was a Swedish botanist known for his study of fungi and vascular plants. He was also known for his whimsical plant mounts, creating amusing designs out of his collections. Collections (clockwise from top left): Taraxacum ceratolobum, Nannfeldt 8680, Sweden, July 1946; Centaurium vulgaris, Nannfeldt 12151, Sweden, July 1952; Euphrasia frigida, Nannfeldt s.n., Sweden, July 1934; Sedum villosum, Nannfeldt s.n., Norway, August 1934.
Page 9 Notable women in science: Women of the United States National Herbarium
By Rose Gulledge She became an Honorary Fellow of the Smithsonian March was Women’s History Month. Institution in 1959 at the The Department of Botany and the U.S. age of 90. National Herbarium joined our Federal Less information, ho- partners in commemorating and encour- wever, is available about aging the study, observance, and celebra- other notable women of the tion of the vital role of women in United States National Her- American history. barium and their careers. Historically, botany has been one of the few attainable fields in science for women, Tillie E. Hollis Berger was most commonly in the areas of scientific a Museum Technician and illustration and field collection (assisting plant mounter (1935-1977). male botanists who oftentimes were their She is acknowledged in the husbands). The twentieth century saw 1945-1946 Report on the more women in the sciences including Progress and Condition of botany, with increasing numbers in curator the US National Museum and researcher positions despite being for her contribution of 5000 Mary Agnes Chase (SI Archives) challenging to attain. mounted plants added to Searching for “women in botany” is the herbarium collections. the southwestern United States. Her com- bound to yield a number of web pages on prehensive 1972 book, “An illustrated Mary Agnes Chase. Known for her work Velva E. Rudd, a specialist in tropical Le- guide to Arizona weeds” is widely available. on the grasses at the United States National guminosae, began her career in the Botany Herbarium (USNH), she did not start her Department as a technician (1948-1973). Marie-Hélène Sachet, Associate Curator career there, nor was she actually em- She was later promoted to Assistant Cu- (1968-1986), is known for her work on the ployed by the Smithsonian Institution. rator and eventually to Curator. Her exten- botany and ecology of Pacific coral islands. This agrostologist (and suffragist) started sive work on legume taxonomy is She initially joined the Smithsonian as a her botany career at the United States De- exemplified in a six-part monograph in special advisor in tropical botany. Her re- partment of Agriculture as a Scientific Il- Contributions from the United States Na- search is exhibited in the 1975 publication, lustrator and worked her way up to tional Herbarium (1955-1968). The Mexi- “Flora of the Marquesas, 1: Ericaceae-Con- Assistant Botanist. Her 1922 book, “The can legume genus, Ruddia, was named in volvulacae.” Smithsonian Contributions to First Book of Grasses: The Structure of her honor. Botany 23: 1-34. Abutilon sachetianum, a Grasses Explained for Beginners” was used rare tree from the Marquesas Islands, was Kittie F. Parker, a Professor of Botany at named after her. to teach botany students in Latin America George Washington University, became a for years. She worked at the USNH as an Research Associate at the USNH (1959- The 1970s were an era of change for Honorary Custodian of the Grasses (not a 1989) who worked on Mexican and South women in the work-force, and the estab- curator) from 1936 until her death in 1963. American Asteraceae as well as weeds of lishment of the Smithsonian Institution
Left to right: Velva Rudd, Kittie Parker, Marie-Hélène Sachet (All photographs SI Archives)
Page 10 Left to right: Beryl Simpson (Smithsonian Exposition Books), Joan Nowicke (SI Archives), Maria Faust (Smithsonian Institution)
Women’s Council in 1972 helped lead that bizarre “Yellow Rain” of Southeast Asia, the Compositae” (2009), is the authori- change for women at the Smithsonian. The “Yellow rain — a palynological analysis.” tative reference for this plant family. In following decades saw women joining the Nature 309: 205–206 (1984). 2018 she was awarded the Asa Gray Life- staff of the Botany Department as curators. time Achievement Award, and in 2019 was Maria A. Faust, Associate Curator (1987- presented with the Linnean Medal. Her Beryl B. Simpson, Associate Curator 2010), was a microbiologist who special- work and passion continues to influence (1972-1978), worked on the phylogenetics ized in tropical marine dinoflagellate students and colleagues. The species Xeno- and biogeography of American Southwest, taxonomy and ecology. She began her ca- phyllum funkianum J.Calvo from the Ecua- Mexican, and Central and South American reer at the Smithsonian Radiology Labo- dorian Andes is just one species named in Compositae. She has been commended for ratory in 1970 moving to the Botany her honor. her 1975 publication, “Pleistocene changes Department in 1987. Her most notable in the flora of the high tropical Andes.”Pa - publication is “Identifying Harmful Ma- Jeanine L. Olsen, Associate Curator leobiology 1: 273-294. She is the recipient rine Dinoflagellates.”Contributions from (1989-1990), was hired as a marine algal of the Asa Gray Award (2003) and the José the United States National Herbarium 42: researcher. Her tenure at NMNH was brief Cuatrecasas Medal for Excellence in Tropi- 1-144 (2002). before she accepted a professor position at cal Botany (2010). the University of Groningen, The Nether- Vicki A. Funk, Curator and Senior Re- lands. Joan W. Nowicke, Curator (1972-1999), search Botanist (1981-2019), was an expert was a palynologist who specialized in on the taxonomy and biogeography of the Elizabeth A. Zimmer, Curator and Re- pollen morphology and its relation to sys- Compositae; her career and legacy is larger search Botanist (1990-present), studies the tematics. She gained international rec- than life. Her groundbreaking book, “Sys- patterns and processes of molecular evolu- ognition in the 1980s for her work on the tematics, Evolution, and Biogeography of Continued on page 12
Left to right: Vicki Funk (Smithsonian Institution), Jeanine Olsen (University of Groningen), Liz Zimmer (Smithsonian Institution)
Page 11 Notable women Continued from page 11 By the numbers tion of green plants, in particular, among tion, “Parsing polyphyletic Pueraria: De- The staff of the Department of Bot- lineages of early flowering plants. She is limiting distinct evolutionary lineages any continues to make a strong push the co-recipient of the 2018 Richard and through phylogeny.” Molecular Phyloge- to make the U.S. National Herbarium’s Minnie Windler Award in Systematics for netics and Evolution 104: 44-56. collection of over 5 million specimens the publication, “A whole chloroplast ge- available online. The Botany Specimen nome phylogeny of diploid species of Iso- Searching for information about the Catalog is available at https:// etes (Isoetaceae, Lycopodiophyta) in the women of the USNH and their work has collections.nmnh.si.edu/search/ southeastern United States.” Castanea 83: been difficult since not all have an exten- botany/?ti=2. As the current pandemic 224-235 (2018). sive web presence. Responsive to the continues, Botany staff sequestered in gender gap in Wikipedia, Dr. Vicki Funk, their homes continue to accomplish Paula T. DePriest, Associate Curator as advisor to the American Women’s His- the goals of a fully accessible catalog of (1991-2004), studied the systematics and tory Initiative, helped create the Funk List, specimens. Below are some notable phylogeny of lichen-forming fungi in the a list of over 125 names of Smithsonian numbers and figures from the digitiza- southern Appalachians and the southeast- women in science who have not been fully tion project. ern United States. She also researched the recognized in Wikipedia. formation and origins of lichen-algal sym- Created to highlight the importance of 4,140,000 biosis. She currently is the Deputy Direc- recovering the stories and contributions of The number of catalog records online tor of the Smithsonian’s Museum women in science, the Funk List has grown
Conservation Institute. to over 400 names with the work of Dr. 3,600,000 Elizabeth Harmon, digital curator at the SI The number of catalog images Jun Wen, Curator and Research Botanist Archives. This growth and awareness led to 577,000 and 635,000 (2005-present), works on the systematics, the June 2020 web-based Wikipedia edit-a- The number of catalog records and biogeography and ethnobotany of the Ara- thon to edit pages for women in science, images, respectively, added in 2020 liaceae and the Vitaceae. Her studies center including women’s biographies, women’s on understanding the taxonomy, patterns, works, and women’s issues. Another train- 95% and processes of diversification of disjunct ing event edit-a-thon recently was held on plant groups. This work is best represented The percentage of all pressed sheets March 25, 2021: Wikipedia & Women in that have a catalog record in the 1999 paper, “Evolution of eastern Science: Smithsonian Groundbreakers Asian and eastern North American dis- Edit-a-thon. Anyone can join the effort to 325,000 junct distributions in flowering plants.” help get these stories written. See Wikipe- The number of cryptogam (lichens Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics dia’s women in science to-do list
2017), worked on the biodiversity of le- ticles that need improvements or articles Top 5 gumes and their wild relatives through that need to be created. The country with the most collections evolutionary genetics and genomics. Her is the United States, followed by Brazil, research is highlighted in the 2016 publica- Mexico, Colombia, and Peru.
Left to right: Paula DePriest, Jun Wen, Ashley Egan. (all photographs Smithsonian Insitution)
Page 12 “E.D.” and the elusive Bidens By Julia Beros B. bidentoides itself made its way through three name re- Here is a new lawn of grass; which visions, described first by means here also are clovers and violets, Nuttall as Diodonta biden- arabidopsis, interloping purslane, a line of toides, then revised as Core- cherry trees, stalky earthbound lamiales, opsis by Torrey and Gray, some broadleaf plantains, sagewort, and and finally landing inBidens some type of vetch. “My brother operates under Britton’s description. that type of crane at his job,” he begins as A plant that grows in mostly he points across the grassy lawn to fields of disturbed areas, often ob- industry, spotted with clusters of these served growing among de- cranes sprouting upward as they lattice the tritus and decaying wood, sky with their branching arms appointed this species is distinguished with yellow hooks that sway gently in the from other local ones by its wind. The points hang downward like the lack of ray florets, simple achened barb awns of Bidens bidentoides, lanceolate leaves, and an- burrs ready to claw their way into a new trorsley barbed awns (Smith spot of dirt. 2014). As its seed dispersal “He once saw a new guy lift a shipping is adapted to local diffusion container up for the first time,” the story near the parent plant, B. bi- continues, “but he forgot to lock it prop- dentoides’ greatest threat is erly and it tipped in the air. One by one, habitat destruction. Clusters brand new BMW cars came sprinkling of remaining plants remain out.” He bobs his head in dismay at the isolated from each other as very story he has surely told before and well, diminishing the gene continues on his walk around the park diversity which could leaving our conversation as seamlessly as heighten the vulnerability of Bidens bidentoides, E.D. s.n., New Jersey, U.S., he entered. I look out to the edge of the this species to extirpation. September 1868 bike path and watch the waves of the Dela- Noted in Smith’s (2014) discussion of a species, many of which are endemic and ware River like pleats unfolding as they recovery plan for B. bidentoides, the enter New Jersey. Now the site of a 5-acre highly vulnerable to habitat destruction, species has not been well studied and can deliver trends and insight into the green space and playground, Cooper’s while it clearly remains a rare species on Poynt park in Camden, was once the site ways we can better support these ecosys- decline little is understood about its life tems as human intervention alters their of a jail, and before then a site of growing cycle and role within these estuary ecosys- industry in a push to increase the use of habitat. Bidens bidentoides is particularly tems. In 1990 an “Element Stewardship elusive, with few collections held in a these ports. And before that this was the Abstract” was written for the New Jersey site where Elias Diffenbaugh plucked a handful of herbaria, and a recorded de- Division of Parks and Forestry outlining cline in collections and sightings, this branching cluster of yellow-topped Bidens the need to protect B. bidentoides. It is bidentoides just before their achenes could species and the information it carries re- clearly not a new practice or idea to pro- main vulnerable to erasure. sprinkle to the ground. While on site in- tect native species, but over 20 years later stalling a public art piece invoking the his- The U.S National Herbarium holds 13 the state of B. bidentoides seems to remain B. bidentoides specimens (plus one that tory of the changing ports and illegal ambiguously vulnerable yet understudied industrial dumping, attracting the atten- was annotated by J. Reveal in 1979 as “defi- and unmanaged. However, as part of a re- nitely NOT bidentoides”) with only one tion of park-goers and passersby, I won- cent revision of Gleason and Cronquist’s dered too about the ecological history of collection from within the last 30 years. 1991 Manual of Vascular Plants and an on- Two of these specimens are from Camden, this site defined by urbanization: how has going conservation assessment of the Hud- this landscape been defined by botany? New Jersey and one of these was collected son River estuary at the New York by “E.D.” on September 20, 1868 from “Beggarticks,” or just Bidens, is an es- Botanical Garden, Rob Naczi’s work on tuarine composite genus with a wide tem- “Cooper’s bridge”. “E.D.” who “is almost Northeastern American flora is bringing certainly Elias Diffenbaugh” was a native perate and tropical global distribution. species like B. bidentoides to the forefront Bidens bidentoides is an increasingly rare of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and an of research. While B. bidentoides and other avid plant collector. His obituary appears species confined to just a straggling few estuarine species are uniquely adapted for pockets of tidal marsh in the Northeastern in v.12 of the May 1870 Gardener’s Monthly these highly disturbed areas, it is unclear edited by Thomas Meehan and available United States: the Delaware estuary, the how viable they are under the rapid Hudson estuary, and (somewhat debat- for “two dollars per Annum, invariably in changes and industry of urbanization. advance.” He is described as “a journey- ably) the Chesapeake estuary. In a genus Gathering more data about estuarine with a diversity described as “chaotic,” Continued on page 14
Page 13 Bidens history of this landscape through a botani- terways of the Industrial Revolution, Walt Continued from page 13 cal lens. Diffenbaugh’s collecting work in Whitman’s lyrical musings, Elias Diffen- and around the Delaware River estuary in baugh’s botanical excursions, the Camp- man printer by profession [who] imbibed a the late 19th century built a foundation for bell’s soup factory, the Victor Talking love of flowers,” and it is believed that his present day research on the species of this Machine Company, more bridges, a gift of passion for botany helped to prolong his region. With each pressed specimen is a cherry trees, and a hollowing out of indus- life after being stricken with consumption unique moment captured and catalogued try that lands in a liminal moment swaying as it afforded him plenty of fresh air and in the herbarium, with it offering clues and between the past and the potential. Today activity. His work collecting made such a glimpse into a grander view of the natu- the Camden community seeks to revitalize great contributions to botanical research ral world. the waterfront and define this landscape, that he was even elected as a life member Here is an estuarine landscape whose beginning with this reclamation of space of the Academy of Natural Sciences of history has been layered by human distur- along the river. A landscape that embodies Philadelphia (without paying the fee). This bance; a history that spans the lives of the prosperity, movement, industry, trade, and single collection of B. bidentoides along the indigenous Lenape people, a short stint by a source of life itself, the waterfront is a site Delaware in Camden, now neatly stacked the Dutch West India Company, a growing with its own deeply embedded history. The in the depths of the U.S. National Her- Quaker colony, the Coopers the Kaighns identity of place is largely characterized by barium and digitally translated, links the and the Mickels, the increased rail and wa- its ecology, the life that underlines and roots a place below the torrent of human potentials and ambitions, be them benign, AWARDS & HONORS beneficial, or damaging, and warrants an understanding of how it relates to the pres- ent. To reclaim space requires a thorough The National Museum of Natural History presented the 2020 Peer Recognition investigation of its history and the evolu- Awards on January 28, 2021. Award recipients are individuals and teams who have tion of our relationship to it beginning given their time and talent to the museum above and beyond what their jobs call for, with the ecological infrastructure, and to and to those who have done something that makes a difference in the outside com- rebuild a relationship with the nature of a munity, for the museum, or for the larger Smithsonian community. The Peer Rec- place acknowledges ways in which humans ognition Award Committee is composed of 10 Museum staff members representing have altered and shifted its habitual for our a cross-section of the entire museum community. own means. What was here, what is here, Twelve awards were presented during the online Zoom ceremony, hosted by Kirk and what should be here? Through one Johnson (Sant Director of the National Museum of Natural History) and Bob Corri- lonely specimen of B. bidentoides over 100 gan (Office of the Deputy Director). Two staff members of the Department of -Bot years old, Diffenbaugh has invoked this any were proud recipients of 2020 Peer Recognition Awards. line of reflection and questioning in recon- necting with an ecological system that has and will continue to be at the will of The Treasurer and Secretary The Digitization Hero Award human disturbance. It is from our herbaria collections, that serve as a record of bio- Team Award Since the museum’s closure in March Serving as the treasurer of the Senate logical history and provide various data 2020, Sue Lutz (Department of Botany) about species, that we can also be re- of Scientists (SOS) for the last six years has had the enormous responsibility of and secretary for the last seven, Gary minded to continue a conscious learning completing most necessary Botany Col- and cultivation of our relationship to the Krupnick (Department of Botany) and lection work that must be done in the Briana Pobiner (Department of Anthro- natural world. Within what we believe to building. In addition to ensuring the be intimately known is room for discovery. pology), respectively, have gone above safety of the collections and keeping up and beyond even their volunteer SOS with tasks normally assigned to every- duties in the last year. The Senate’s activ- one, she volunteered to continue prep- PUBLICATIONS ities—from business meetings to light- ping specimen folders for the mass ning talks and dinner forums—run as digitization conveyor belt project. The Abiem, I., I. Dickie, D. Kenfack and H. smoothly as they do because of the ded- project had been up and running since Chapman. 2021. Conspecific negative den- ication and efficiency of these two col- July but was slowly running out of pre- sity dependence does not explain coexis- leagues. Keeping vital channels of pared material to image. Because of her tence in a tropical Afromontane forest. J. communication flowing, handling efforts the project will be able to con- Veg. Sci. 32(1): e12990. https://doi.org/10. countless details, and transitioning to tinue on schedule to the delight of bota- 1111/jvs.12990 online activities are only some of the nists and researchers around the globe. challenges that they have made look Arellano, G., D. Zuleta, D. and S.J. Davies. easy. The Senate and the museum com- 2021. Tree death and damage: A standard- munity has benefited greatly from their ized protocol for frequent surveys in tropi- leadership and dedication. cal forests. J. Veg. Sci. 32(1): e12981. https: //doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12981 Page 14 Fischer, F.J., N. Labrière, G. Vincent, B. Kunert, N., J. Zailaa, V. Herrmann, H.C. importance. Front. Plant Sci. 11: 612985. Hérault, A. Alonso, H. Memiaghe, P. Bis- Muller-Landau, S.J. Wright, R. Pérez, S.M. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.612985 siengou, D. Kenfack, S. Saatchi and J. McMahon, R.C. Condit, S.P. Hubbell, L. Chave. 2020. A simulation method to infer Sack, S.J. Davies and K. Anderson-Teix- Nash, M.C., W. Ad e y and A.S. Harvey. tree allometry and forest structure from eira. 2021. Leaf turgor loss point shapes 2020. High magnesium calcite and dolo- airborne laser scanning and forest inven- local and regional distributions of ever- mite composition carbonate in Amphiroa tories. Remote Sens. Environ. 251: 112056. green but not deciduous tropical trees. (Lithophyllaceae, Corallinales, Rhodo- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2020.112056 New Phyt. 230(2): 485-496. https://doi.org/ phyta): further documentation of elevated 10.1111/nph.17187 Mg in Corallinales with climate change Fortuna-Perez, A.P., C.R. Marinho, M. Va- implications. J. Phycol. 57(2): 496-509. tanparast, W. de Vargas, J.R.V. Iganci, G.P. Li, Q.Q. and J. Wen. 2021. The complete http://doi.org/10.1111/jpy.13098 Lewis, E.S. Cândido, T.M. de Moura, chloroplast genome of Geum macrophyl- T.C.E. Monteir, S.T.S. Miotto and S.P. Teix- lum (Rosaceae: Colurieae). Mitochondrial Orton, L.M., P. Barberá, M.P. Nissenbaum, eira. 2021. 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Page 15 ART BY ALICE TANGERINI
Pogostemon guamensis Lorence & W.L.Wagner Illustrating this new species of Pogostemon required some intricate back and forth with the authors Warren Wagner and Dave Lorence as well as careful dissection of the few pressed specimens sent from Kaua`i. Alice Tangerini found images on the web of patchouli (Pogostemon cablin) which helped to reconstruct positions of the leaves and flowers of the new species. Interpretation of tiny hairs on the flower and calyx were crucial and aided by closeup images of Lorence’s initial dissection of the flowers. The final inking was done in Tangerini’s home, then scanned and labeled and figures manipulated in Photoshop back in her office at the National Museum of Natural History. This drawing was the first one completed after the museum restricted access to staff in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic but set the process in place for all following illustrations done since then.
MRC 166 P.O. Box 37012 Washington DC 20013-7012 Official Business Penalty for Private Use $300
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