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THE GLOBAL FLORA © 2018 Plant Gateway Ltd. A practical flora to vascular plant species of the world ISSN 2398-6336 eISSN 2398-6344 www.plantgateway.com/globalflora/ ISBN 978-0-9929993-9-1 i Published online 14 January 2018 PLANT GATEWAy’s THE GLOBAL FLORA A practical flora to vascular plant species of the world INTRODUCTION Introducing The Global Flora The phylogeny of angiosperms poster January 2018 The Global Flora A practical flora to vascular plant species of the world Introduction, Vol. 1: 1-35. Published by Plant Gateway Ltd., 5 Baddeley Gardens, Bradford, BD10 8JL, United Kingdom © Plant Gateway 2018 This work is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant col- lective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Plant Gateway Ltd. ISSN 2398-6336 eISSN 2398-6344 ISBN 978-0-9929993-9-1 Plant Gateway has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLS for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this work, and does not guarantee that any con- tent on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. British Library Cataloguing in Publication data A Catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library For information or to purchase other Plant Gateway titles please visit www.plantgateway.com Cover image: Simplified angiosperm phylogeny © James Byng THE GLOBAL FLORA © 2018 Plant Gateway Ltd. A practical flora to vascular plant species of the world ISSN 2398-6336 eISSN 2398-6344 www.plantgateway.com/globalflora/ ISBN 978-0-9929993-9-1 Introducing The Global Flora, a global series of botany James W. Byng1,2 & Maarten M.J. Christenhusz1,3 1Plant Gateway Ltd., 5 Baddeley Gardens, Bradford, BD10 8JL, UK. 2Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands. 3Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3DS, UK. Species Plantarum by Linnaeus (1753) contained taxonomic focus are being produced. Those who must 5,940 species of plants, including all known species rely heavily on these treatments, such as ecologists, then known globally. Since its publication 264 years conservation biologists, and invasive species biologists ago, the exploration of plant diversity across the planet often are fully aware that no reliable and current source has led to approximately 374,000 known, described of current taxonomic information exists at the global and accepted plant species (Christenhusz & Byng, level for many groups of plants. 2016). This number increases by approximately 2000 Plant Gateway is working on various higher-level additional new species each year, despite the slow but classifications and overviews of vascular plants (e.g. steady decrease in the number of active herbarium Christenhusz et al., 2011; Christenhusz & Chase, 2014; taxonomists focused on monography. Current estimates Byng, 2014, 2015; APG IV, 2016; Christenhusz & Byng suggest that at least twenty percent of all botanical 2016; Christenhusz et al., 2017; Byng et al., 2018). In diversity still remains to be discovered, analysed (or re- this framework, we are introducing The Global Flora, analysed), described and named. a new international serial for botanical taxonomy, to Herbaria are exceptionally rich sources of botanical provide accepted species-level classifications for all information. They house voucher specimens used for vascular plant families based on available or generated anatomical, biogeographical, chemical, molecular, molecular data and re-examining the literature and morphological, palynological and taxonomical studies. herbarium specimens in major herbaria. The goal is Type specimens, which permanently link a scientific to provide a current, balanced and practical taxonomy name to a physical specimen, effectively are the “birth reflecting evolutionary relationships. certificates” of each species, and are amongst the most The Global Flora will be available in print and online important specimens in each herbarium. Herbarium versions and include three series: (A) Angiosperms specimens collectively provide critical baseline data for (following APG IV, 2016); (B) Lycopods, Ferns and where and when a species occurred, and they can be Gymnosperms (classification following Christenhusz et used to evaluate population increases or declines. Thus al., 2017); and (C) special editions. The first two series herbarium collections provide the physical evidence for will only treat monophyletic taxa on a global scale much of our botanical knowledge. (e.g. family, subfamily, tribe, genus or section). The An ongoing and acute problem in taxonomy is that content and format of each taxonomic treatment in large numbers of specimens in nearly all herbaria the first two series will vary depending on the group, are either unidentified or identified incorrectly (e.g. and interested authors should consult the first few Bebber et al., 2010; Goodwin et al., 2015). This does published treatments for guidance. The special editions not reflect incompetence or negligence on the part of series aims to make significant contributions to the botanists, but rather a dearth of active taxonomists body of plant systematic knowledge and typically will (Uno, 2009) and low (and declining) levels of funding be of a global botanical scope. for basic research (Dalton et al., 2003; Agnarsson & The Global Flora will be published frequently and at Kuntner, 2007; Ahrends et al., 2010). Taxonomic studies regular intervals. It will be amply illustrated and should are never-ending as new species are described, new appeal to many different users, including ecologists, specimens are collected and need identifying and older conservationists, gardeners and other plant enthusiasts treatments need to be updated following new findings in the applied sciences, as opposed to appealing in nomenclature, taxonomy and evolutionary botany. solely to practicing taxonomists. As important new Fortunately, some positive developments are evidence becomes available updates and revisions to occurring in systematics given the advent of digitial already published treatments will be allowed to make technologies. The recent acceptance of electronic the treatments current and dynamic. Unlike other publication in the International Code of Nomenclature journals and flora serials, The Global Flora will share for Algae, Fungi and Plants has significantly expedited royalties with authors and compensate reviewers and species discovery and the solving of associated editors for their respective duties. This is important nomenclatural issues (McNeill et al., 2012; Christenhusz for maintaining momentum, because relatively few & Byng, 2016). But while digital technologies and institutions provide time and funds for researchers to electronic publication are helping to speed up some do this time-consuming, yet crucially important work. aspects of taxonomy, fewer treatments having a global An unspoken consensus of many taxonomists is that the Published online 14 January 2018 1 THE GLOBAL FLORA © 2018 Plant Gateway Ltd. A practical flora to vascular plant species of the world ISSN 2398-6336 eISSN 2398-6344 www.plantgateway.com/globalflora/ ISBN 978-0-9929993-9-1 historical lack of remuneration for this type of research Byng, J. W. (2015) The Gymnosperms Handbook: A practical is a primary reason that taxonomy does not progress guide to extant families and genera of the world. Plant Gateway: more rapidly. Hertford. 36 pp. In addition, we believe that some of the funds Byng, J. W. (2014[2015]) The Flowering Plants Handbook: generated from taxonomic work should be retained A practical guide to families and genera of the world. Plant within the taxonomic community. For reviewers and Gateway: Hertford. 619 pp. contributors who are unable to accept royalties as part of their positions, or who choose to waive them Byng, J.W., Smets, E., Vugt, R. van, Bidault, E., Davidson, C., altogether, the royalties will be transferred to a Global Kenicer, G., Chase, M.W. & Christenhusz, M.J.M. (2018) The Flora Small Grants Fund to allow future contributors phylogeny of angiosperms poster. The Global Flora 1: 4–35. to undertake herbarium visits and generate data for Christenhusz, M.J.M. & Byng, J.W. (2016) The number of known future treatments in The Global Flora. In return for a plant species in the world and its annual increase. Phytotaxa fee, authors may opt for their taxonomic treatments 261: 201–217. to be open-access, which will cover editorial costs, and the remainder of which shall be added to the Global Christenhusz, M.J.M. & Chase, M.W. (2014) Trends and concepts Flora Small Grants Fund. All special edition issues will in fern classifications. Annals of Botany 113: 571–59. be open-access. Christenhusz, M.J.M., Fay, M.F. & Chase, M.W. (2017) Plants of We hope our readers enjoy and support The Global the World. An illustrated encyclopedia of vascular plants. Kew Flora in its initial stages. An Editorial Board is being Publishing: Richmond & Chicago University Press: Chicago. 792 formed as our first issues appear. We also hope that pp. the contents of The Global Flora will provide significant Christenhusz, M. J. M., Chase, M. W. & Fay, M. F. (eds.). (2011) contributions to help achieve Target 1 of the Global Linear sequence, classification, synonymym and bibliography Strategy for Plant Conservation established for 2020, of vascular plants. Phytotaxa 19: 4-134. and we hope the series will grow towards a global and complete coverage of the vascular plants of the world. Dalton, R. (2003) Natural