Newsletter No. 153 December 2012 Price: $5.00 Australasian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 153 (December 2012) AUSTRALASIAN SYSTEMATIC BOTANY SOCIETY INCORPORATED Council President Vice President Bill Barker Mike Bayly State Herbarium of South Australia School of Botany PO Box 2732, Kent Town, SA 5071 University of Melbourne, VIC 3010 Australia Australia Tel: (+61)/(0)427 427 538 Tel: (+61)/(0)8344 5055 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Secretary Treasurer John Clarkson Frank Zich Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Australian Tropical Herbarium PO Box 156 E2 Building, J.C.U. Cairns Campus Mareeba, QLD 4880 PO Box 6811 Australia Cairns, Qld 4870 Tel: (+61)/(0)7 4048 4745 Australia Mobile: (+61)/(0)437 732 487 Tel: (+61)/(0)7 4059 5014 Fax: (+61)/(0)7 4092 2366 Fax: (+61)/(0)7 4091 8888 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Councillor (Assistant Secretary - Communications) Councillor (Assistant Treasurer) Ilse Breitwieser Pina Milne Allan Herbarium National Herbarium of Victoria Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd Private Bag 2000 PO Box 40 Birdwood Ave Lincoln 7640 South Yarra, VIC 3141 New Zealand Australia Tel: (+64)/(0)3 321 9621 Tel: (+61)/(0)3 9252 2309 Fax: (+64)/(0)3 321 9998 Fax: (+61)/(0)3 9252 2423 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Other Constitutional Bodies Public Officer Hansjörg Eichler Research Committee Annette Wilson Philip Garnock-Jones Australian Biological Resources Study Betsy Jackes GPO Box 787 Greg Leach Canberra, ACT 2601 Nathalie Nagalingum Australia Christopher Quinn Email: [email protected] Chair: Mike Bayly, Vice President Grant application closing dates: Hansjörg Eichler Research Fund: Affiliate Society th th Papua New Guinea Botanical Society on March 14 and September 14 each year. Australian Conservation Taxonomy Award: on March 14th 2013 ASBS Website www.anbg.gov.au/asbs Cover image: Ternstroemia monostigma W.R.Barker Murray Fagg (Pentaphylacaceae), a New Guinea endemic. Male Centre for Australian National Biodiversity and female flowers and parts, fruit, seed in section. Research Artist Taikika Iwagu. With permission of Australian National Herbarium the National Herbarium of Papua New Guinea. Email: [email protected] Publication dates of previous issue Australas. Syst. Bot. Soc. Newslett. 152 (September 2012 issue) ASBS Web site: 7th December 2012 Australasian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 153 (December 2012) From the President As your new President, I follow a long line of one person to improve the situation. A hand very effective predecessors. Working with an grenade thrown on odd opportunities does not experienced and committed Council I hope win a war – and it can create more problems we can make a significant contribution to than it solves. the ongoing development of the Society. We But what prompted my nominator’s point gratefully acknowledge the achievements of the about a retiree is true: those running herbaria, last Council and its subcommittees (research and the rest of us engaged in other key roles, and conference committees, editorial team) naturally, and strategically, pale at ‘outing’ which provide the launching pad for our work . such concerns. I would work through the ‘right’ Concerns for the current state of administrative channels, adopting the requisite Australasian plant systematics positive approach. Did it do much good? At the annual ASBS conference in Perth last Maybe at best it slowed rather than stemmed year, addressed below, job losses in recent the erosion of taxonomic advancement. From times in Adelaide, the Northern Territory a high of seven full-time practicing alpha- and Queensland were the subject of much taxonomist postions in 1986 AD lost all but concern for members, not just from the State’s one over 20 plus years – those seven formed a th most affected. Kevin Thiele introduced the nucleus enabling our 4 edition of the Flora of conference, marvelling at the achievements South Australia. After the low of one, we now in infrastructure of Australasian and global have three full-time botanists paid completely systematics. At our AGM Peter Weston by the Government. But none are dedicated contrasted this with the loss of positions and substantially, as in the past, to the revisional dependence of much of our basic science on studies that so effectively advance taxonomic external funds (see his President’s reports knowledge. We do have others employed in on p. 9 and the last Newsletter). And David arrangements with the University of Adelaide Mabberley questioned the sustainable and other external agencies, to mutual benefit, future of Australasian plant systematics in but not in improving taxon recognition and his keynote opener to the conference (see description at the same rate. A further point is p. 32). He suggested that an independent that Adelaide’s herbarium in the mid 80s, when international review, along the lines of reviews it efficiently documented the current view of systematics in the United Kingdom, may be of its state’s vascular flora in three years, not a course to follow in our region, though the only had those seven taxonomists, but also had situation was more complicated owing to the a greater level of contribution from external many governments involved and the need to botanists and volunteers. find a way of championing the cause in each of My involvement in revisional research in these jurisdictions. Adelaide was much diminished in endeavours For my part I had expressed my own concerns to show and improve the relevance of our earlier in the year when approached to be herbarium in serving government, community, President of the Society. I thought that, while and our science. Investment in digitisation of ASBS had been an undoubtedly successful our data and combining herbarium resources society, well-organised and active through its nationally (in the first instance) have gained now almost 40 years, it had been passive by and many advantages and demonstrated the large with respect to the difficulties experienced centrality of systematics to building and by systematists in herbaria and universities maintaining a dynamic floristic knowledge in sustaining the mission to improve and base. Yet in Adelaide we have recently lost document taxonomic knowledge of our plants. our last dedicated data entry person. The user Was it not time ASBS tackled this? Was I up expectation of keeping current our own data to it? I was encouraged to take it on. After all, of a million specimens, half South Australian, I was informed, as a ‘retiree’ I could fearlessly a quarter Australian, hardly a small job, will engage! My response was: it needed more than be attempted by staff and volunteers already 1 Australasian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 153 (December 2012) undertaking important research, documentation, field trip are reported on in this issue. A report technical work, and management. Small wonder on the conference itself and the sumptuous and that volunteers working in the collection and joyous dinner has to wait for the next issue. taxonomic research, too often confronted by Research fund grants and student support the humour: “We don’t need to replace you; you This major part of ASBS business continues just come back in retirement”, are discomforted to progress well. The Research Committee are by the joke. Its long and often repeated reality thanked for their twice yearly assessments of erodes the sum of our vital revisional work and applications. our goal to maintain ‘relevance’. The Eichler Research Fund The situation in Adelaide pales compared with Council is seeking to address a recent drop the Northern Territory, which recently had just of applications for grants. It is anticipated one taxonomic botanist and little other support. that there will be a significant injection of So do we, the Australasian plant systematics funds in the near future and it is important community, continue to passively watch an to ensure there is strong competition for what can be made available, while keeping the fund inadequate or cyclical waning of capacity sustainable. of each of our herbaria and universities to undertake endeavours that so clearly underpin At this point research students in systematics environmental science and management? Or do have been favoured by the criteria and we plan and implement an approach to stand supervisors and students are encouraged to consider applications in the next round, due on up and promote the value of these endeavours th. in order to strive for a sustainable capacity to March 14 . do our key business? At this time of global New Zealand members are also encouraged to financial crisis and reduced taxation returns for participate. Representation on our assessment government we seem particularly threatened. committee reflects an anticipated strong interest Do we wait? Or do we position ourselves so in applicaations from both sides of the Tasman. that we can tackle things better both now and We are thrilled to report a well-deserved first as the situation improves? grant to a Kiwi (p. 23) in last September’s round of grants. Council had made the decision Clear to all at the discussions at ASBS in Perth to fund grants to New Zealanders from the was that confronting this issue in a way that Society’s General Fund. But recently John had hope of success would be a very complex Clarkson has been advised by the Australian exercise; unless handled smartly it could be Taxation Office that grants from the Research expensive and fruitless. I refer readers to a Fund can be given to projects on both sides of paper (p. 31) that sets a way forward, arising the Tasman, acknowledging the benefits that from discussions at the ASBS conference and accrue to Australia from research taking place in CHAH. throughout the whole region. The successful Perth conference The Australian Conservation Taxonomy Award Once again the society has had a successful Granted for the first time last year, this award conference, enjoyed by all, being full of is to be given to a worthy applicant again this interest and friendship.