Oxford Plant Systematics With news from Oxford University Herbaria (OXF and FHO), Department of Plant Sciences, Oxford

OPS 14 April 2007

A phylogeny of Lupinus. Hughes, C.E. & Eastwood, R.J. (2006), PNAS.

Editorial

This issue of OPS once again highlights a Contents wide range of activities being carried out under the umbrella of Oxford Plant

Systematics. For more information on the Editorial people and projects behind OPS see our Robert Scotland …………………………………………………..………. 2 website at http://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/ .

This issue contains short articles on our two Staff retirement current Darwin funded projects in Trinidad Stephen A. Harris ……………………………………………………… … 3 & Tobago and Central Chile. At the time of going to press we have just been awarded The Oxford Darwin Botanical Survey of Trinidad funding for a third project concerned with William Hawthorne ………………………………………………………. 3 Conservation of the Cerrados of Eastern

Bolivia to start later this year. Oxford University Canopy Biodiversity Expedition to Trinidad A highlight in this year's OPS is the article Edward Mitchard ………………………………………………………… 3 by Rosemary Wise, our botanical artist.

Rosemary reveals glimpses of her 42 years Conservation of endangered coastal biodiversity hotspots of Central Chile in the department since 1965. In these days Stephen A. Harris ………………………………………………………... 4 of assessment using publication metrics such as impact factors and citation indices, I Student progress wonder how you could ever capture and Tiina Sarkinen …………………………………………………………… 4 truly reflect the enormous and important Marcelo Simon …………………………………………………………... 5 contribution that Rosemary Wise has made to botany through her botanical illustrations. Abstract of Systematic thesis submitted in 2006 Also in this issue Alex Wortley our former Ruth J. Eastwood …………………………………………….………….. 6 PhD student reviews several heavy weight publications from William Hawthorne and Publications 2006 ……………………………………….………………… . 6 various colleagues. Although William

Hawthorne’s interests are very different Book reviews from that of Frank White, the former curator Alexandra Wortley ………………………………………………………. 6 of our herbaria, they share an impressive commitment to Africa and have both made Point of View : Taxonomists and Parataxonomists – substantial contributions to the botany of Issues in Training and Neocolonialism that continent. John Wood has written a John Wood ………………………………………………………………. 9 short point of view article on the training of taxonomists, Denis Filer provides an update Every Picture Tells a Story on BRAHMS activity, PhD students update Rosemary Wise …………………………………………………………. 10 their progress and Stephen Harris provides an interesting article on Druce and a few Druce and Oxford University Herbaria words regarding the retirement of the Stephen A. Harris ………………………………………………………. 12 Daubeny herbarium manager Alison

Strugnell. Finally, our front cover illustrates Linnaeus and Oxford a phylogeny of Lupinus recently built by Serena Marner ………………………………………………………… . 13 Colin Hughes and Ruth Eastwood and published in PNAS. The dated phylogeny News from the Herbaria shows the fastest plant radiation Fielding-Druce (OXF) documented to date. It further shows that Serena Marner ………………………………………………………… . 13 this spectacular plant radiation was Daubeny (FHO) coincidental with the appearance of these Alison Strugnell ………………………………………………………... 14 high elevation habitats over 3000 metres that arose with the uplift of the Northern BRAHMS 2006 Andes over the last 2-4 Million years. This Denis Filer ……………………………………………………………... 15 impressive 'big picture' study comes as a result of detailed monographic research by Colin and Ruth over several years which has made this study possible. Robert Scotland

Cover illustration : The Hawaiian silverswords and Macronesian Echium provide well-studied examples of island radiations showing accelerated morphological divergence that has been attributed to ecological opportunities provided by depauperate island environments where competitors are fewer. Research by Colin Hughes and Ruth Eastwood on the l egume genus Lupinus provides a spectacular example of rapid island-like plant radiation following uplift of the Andes. The cover illustration shows a new phylogeny of Lupinus published during the year (Hughes, C.E. & Eastwood, R.J. 2006. Island radiation on a continental scale: exceptional rates of plant diversification after uplift of the Andes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103 : 10334-10339.) http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/103/27/10334 . This new phylogeny constructed from ITS and cycloidea gene sequences shows that Andean species are placed in two separate New World lineages, but that the majority are placed in a well-supported but largely unresolved clade representing the main Andean radiation. The age of this clade is estimated to be around 1.4 million years implying a species diversification rate of 2.49-3.72 species per million years. This exceeds previous estimates for plants, providing the most spectacular example of explosive plant species diversification documented to date. The line drawings illustrate the diverse range of life forms - including small trees, perennial woody shrubs, giant stem rosettes, acualescent rosettes, prostrate herbs and ephemeral annual herbs – of the Lupinus species that make up this Andean radiation.

2 Oxford Plant Systematics OPS 14 April 2007

A rainforest expedition to Trinidad took Staff retirement place between 11 th August and 25 th

September 2006. This was organised by Alison Strugnell retired in December 2006 Oxford University students, and formed part after nearly 21 years working in the of a developing collaboration between the Daubeny herbarium (see page 14). During Plant Sciences Department of Oxford Alison’s time working in the collections University and the National Herbarium of major changes have occurred, for example, Trinidad and Tobago. Its aims were: formalisation of herbarium transactions, 1. To produce baseline data about epiphyte introduction of computerised collection diversity in Trinidad’s forests, and more management, eradication of specimen specifically to determine the influence of backlogs and refurbishment of the herbaria. edge effects on the epiphyte community of Alison made major contributions to all of these forests. these activities; indeed it is difficult to Maharaj, supervisor of the fieldwork, and 2. To compare the above with the imagine how some of these could have her able team of foresters and occasional distribution of Lepidoptera. happened without Alison’s involvement. volunteers had managed to survey all 3. To increase the awareness of the Often working to tight, changing deadlines vascular plant species at more than 60 importance of the forest ecosystem and the Alison undertook these tasks with alacrity. points. William Hawthorne has been out to problems caused by its rapid deforestation Alison was also responsible for incoming train the team initially, and to help with and degradation both to local Trinidadians loans, and her helpfulness and knowledge of determinations of the thousands of sterile and to other interested parties, and to the Daubeny herbarium and other herbaria specimens in December 2006. Stephen collaborate with local researchers to produce made her an ideal first point of contact for Harris and Nick Brown are also visiting to mutual benefits. many students being introduced to the help and advise. The method changed on arrival to a study ‘mysteries’ of herbaria. Alison made an Initial impressions are that in one year of of edge effects rather than altitude, as there often unsung contribution to numerous field visits almost all indigenous species - had been too much rain to allow for projects and publications, yet one of the represented in the herbarium collection climbing at the higher altitudes. Epiphytes most significant pieces of scientific work accumulated from over 150 years - have were collected from three sites, one in each completed by Alison, in her own right, was been recollected. Sometimes they have been of the Northern, Central and Southern a Checklist of the flora of Mount Mulanje, found in new sites. It remains to be seen ranges. In each site epiphytes were collected Malawi. over the coming year how many – if any – from the canopies of five trees at the edge, Many researchers outside Oxford will have new records our RBS trawl manages to pick five 100 metres into the forest, and five 300 had contact with Alison through loans and up. metres in. The trees were climbed using the dealing with requests for information. I am After another few months' field work, and double rope technique, which the team of sure that they would agree with me that supported by the digitisation of the six (including one Trinidadian member, who Alison was ever helpful and efficient. herbarium into BRAHMS, Yasmin Comeau was flown over by the expedition) learnt Personally, I shall greatly miss working with and the Darwin team should be well with the Global Canopy Programme in Alison. Indeed, the whole Department are equipped to produce a highly informative Wytham Woods. Butterflies were also going to miss having Alison around. We and practical ‘conservation-biased’ check- collected using baited traps set in both the wish her all the best for a long, happy list to the whole Trinidad and Tobago flora, canopy and on the ground in all the same retirement. including maps of local hotspots and other sites as epiphytes were collected.

floristic patterns derived from the RBS A large amount of baseline data was Stephen A. Harris analysis, and highlighting rarities and collected, including over six hundred

priorities for conservation. epiphyte specimens and nearly one hundred

butterflies, all of which were donated to the The Oxford Darwin William Hawthorne collaborators in Trinidad. The epiphyte

Botanical Survey of study showed that the epiphyte flora of the Oxford University country is markedly different and more Trinidad diverse in the Southern forest than the Canopy Biodiversity Central and Northern forests at low The Oxford-Darwin initiative project in Expedition to Trinidad altitudes, and that there is some evidence of Trinidad and Tobago involves collaborative significant edge effects creating differences links with the University of the West Indies in epiphyte community composition up to at St.Augustine, the Forest Department and 300 meters into the the Asa Wright Centre. Apart from the forest, and the butter- development of a field guide and analysis of fly data largely plot data, we are involved in a Rapid backed up these Botanic Survey (RBS) of the islands' conclusions. vegetation, all in association with the National Herbarium. Thanks are due to the The aim of the national RBS is to provide a following major more detailed and up-to-date picture of the sponsors who made distribution of plant resources than is this expedition possible with herbarium data or forestry possible: permanent sample plot data alone. However, The Royal in the final data analysis, data from all of Geographical these sources will be drawn upon. Society; the Gumby Yasmin Comeau has been busily putting Corporation; the finishing touches to her renovated Pembroke College, herbarium, whilst the RBS has got off to a Oxford; St John's good start. By the end of 2007, Shobha College, Oxford; The

Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford 3

Mike Soper Bursary Fund; The Albert whilst small-forest owners will be scattered from northern Mexico south to Reckitt Trust; A.A. Paton Fund (Oxford encouraged to adopt the conservation and Argentina. Past and present human University Expeditions Council); and the management strategies through multi- disturbance have fragmented SDTF even Oxford University Society. stakeholder consultation processes. In further, and SDTF is currently considered addition, project partners are committed to one of the most endangered ecosystems in Edward Mitchard, providing extension and education materials the Neotropics. Botanical inventories and Pembroke College, Oxford and technical assistance to all forest owners. preliminary phylogenetic studies have The project’s main contribution to the shown that these disjunct dry forest areas conservation of Chilean coastal forests will around Central and South America are Conservation of be a systematic approach to conservation in floristically and phylogenetically closely endangered coastal the Maule Region, filling critical gaps in linked, suggesting that SDTF may have knowledge and generating a participatory occupied a wider and more continuous biodiversity hotspots of planning process aimed at balancing distribution in the Neotropics during drier Central Chile biodiversity needs with the prevalent social climatic periods in the past. Together, the and economic realities of the area. disjunct distribution and high levels of Conservation and conservation-related endemism raise intriguing questions about research in Maule, and the Chilean Stephen A. Harris the evolutionary history and biogeography Mediterranean vegetation zone as a whole, of the SDTF biome. During my D.Phil., I is scarce and dispersed. This Darwin aim to study plant diversification patterns Initiative-funded project builds on the and endemism in the dry inter-Andean Student progress valley SDTFs to better understand whether CONAMA-coordinated Regional Bio- species diversification and high levels of diversity Strategy and focuses on the coastal Tiina Sarkinen (D.Phil., 1 st year). Maulino ecosystems which, despite their endemism in these isolated valleys has been Systematics of Amicia (Leguminosae, international biodiversity significance, are driven mainly by vicariant isolation or under-represented in existing policy Papilionoideae) and Plant dispersal events, and how fragmented frameworks, conservation strategies and Diversification and Endemism in ecosystems and species diversification protected area networks. Furthermore, Andean Seasonally Dry Tropical interact. essential biological information on many of Forests. Supervised by Dr Colin Hughes The dry inter-Andean valleys remain the endangered/endemic species and rare (Oxford) and Dr Toby Pennington (Royal poorly known botanically compared to other ecosystems of coastal Maule is lacking. For Botanic Garden Edinburgh). Osk. Huttusen Neotropical SDTFs with many new plant example, the biological quality of forest Säätiö and Helsingin Sanomain 100- taxa (both species and genera) discovered in patches is poorly known, as are the vuotisjuhlasäätiö scholarships. the inter-Andean dry valleys of Peru and population dynamics of endangered species. Bolivia in recent years. Current data suggest The project will enhance biological that levels of plant endemism between the understanding of Maule and its species, isolated valleys varies considerably; further providing a sound scientific basis for data are needed to establish this. Certain conservation planning and management. genera such as Tecoma Juss. (Bignoniaceae; This collaboration among researchers from 12 species) and Ruprechtia C.A.Mey the University of Oxford (David Boshier, (Polygonaceae; 38 species) have one or Stephen Harris, William Hawthorne, Tonya more valley-specific endemics in Peru and Lander) and the University of Talca, Bolivia, and can be used as exemplar taxa to CODEFF, CONAMA and CONAF is aimed study diversification patterns in Andean at developing a Conservation and Sustain- SDTFs. Amicia Kunth (Leguminosae, able Management Strategy (CSMS) for the Papilionoideae; ca. 7 species) with a smaller Maule region’s coastal forest and building number of more widespread but still Amicia zygomeris the technical and educational capacity and disjunct species presents a contrasting policy framework for the CSMS’s distribution pattern. By building well- Levels of plant species diversity and implementation. The landscape-oriented resolved and densely sampled phylogenies temporal and spatial patterns of species conservation approach adopted in this for these three exemplar taxa, I aim to diversification remain poorly understood project will take account of the population investigate the tempo and scale of Andean especially in the tropics where the greatest dynamics of endangered species and their SDTF diversification, and the factors accumulations of extant plant species occur. habitats in geographically explicit manners driving speciation. As there are very few This is nowhere more apparent than in the and establish a monitoring system for the well-sampled phylogenies for Andean dry Neotropics where regions such as the Maulino-forest conservation strategy. The forest plants, these data will provide new tropical Andes represent some of the hottest research will focus on the genetic viability insights into the evolutionary history of biodiversity hotspots on the planet. Recent of a model endangered species ( Gomortega these SDTFs. Both Tecoma and Ruprechtia studies have shown that molecular plant keule ) in fragmented forests and the Rapid have been revised recently by John Wood phylogenies can be used to infer the history Botanical Survey (RBS) and Bio-quality (Oxford) and Colin Pendry (Royal Botanic of plant diversification, but there are very Assessment of Maule’s forest remnants. Garden Edinburgh) respectively, but, as no few existing well-sampled phylogenies that The CSMS developed during this project previous taxonomic account exists for can be used to investigate diversification of will be supported by education programmes Amicia , part of my D.Phil. project is to Andean plant groups. and policy frameworks to ensure its revise the genus prior to molecular work. The seasonally dry tropical forest biome effective implementation. Since 90% of the I have started off my D.Phil project (SDTF) is a good example of Neotropical region’s forest is privately owned, looking at delimitation of the species of species diversity; these dry forests have implementation of the project results will Amicia . Field work is planned for March- generally lower species diversity than humid depend on the participation of large forestry May 2007 in Argentina, Bolivia and Peru, to forests but differ in having extremely high companies and small land owners. The collect specimens and silica-dried leaf levels of endemism. The biome occupies a forest companies involved are committed to samples of Amicia , Tecoma and Ruprechtia . markedly disjunct distribution within the integrating and implementing the CSMS in Preliminary laboratory work using DNA Neotropics, with isolated patches of forest their environmental management systems, from recent herbarium specimens from FHO

4 Oxford Plant Systematics OPS 14 April 2007

and Kew has been carried out to screen tropical forest and rain forest, providing a not have been possible without the collabor- DNA sequence regions for levels of genetic good basis for comparisons. I am also ation of Rosaura Grether, an expert on variation amongst Amicia species. After interested in investigating the relationships Mimosa at the Universidad Autónoma returning from my field work in May I will of the Old World species of Mimosa . This Metropolitana in Mexico City, whose start generating sequence data, and hope to pattern of geographic disjunction, with ca. willingness and vast experience contributed get some results by August. 490 Neotropical species contrasting with critically to the success of this expedition. just a handful of species in continental This field trip was supported by grants from Africa and Asia and 31 species in the Systematics Association and Wolfson Marcelo Simon (D.Phil., 2 nd year). Madagascar, raises intriguing questions: College. Ecological setting and the evolution How do the Old World species relate to the Searching for species of such a diverse of Neotropical plants: origins and Neotropical species? When did these species plant group in the field can be very exciting, diversification of the Cerrado flora. originate? Do the Old World species form a as well as sometimes frustrating. Depending monphyletic group? Could this disjunction on the site, one can sometimes find more Supervised by Colin Hughes (Oxford) and be explained by vicariance attributed to than ten different species of Mimosa in a Stephen Harris (Oxford). Clarendon continental history, or is it the result of long single day without too much effort. scholarship and EMBRAPA. distance dispersal? However, on other days despite persistent

Field work : The central goal of my searching, no species may be found. project is to build a molecular phylogeny for Fortunately, these days are rare. Mimosa . In order to address the questions An essential part of my project comprises outlined above, good taxon sampling is collecting, photographing, identifying and vital. Assembling representative material for naming plants. These may sound very a group with more than 500 species is a elementary tasks, but documenting plant major challenge. In some cases herbarium diversity is of fundamental importance to material can be used, but does not always our understanding of patterns of plant yield high quality DNA. Thus, it is biogeography and evolution, and underpins necessary to make field trips to collect conservation assessment. Occasionally one leaves dried in silica-gel, which is the main is rewarded with a nice surprise in the field, source of plant material I’m using in my such as finding new species. As a result of Mimosa tequilana molecular analysis. I have made two field my recent field trips, I’m in the process of trips during the first year of my D.Phil. describing three new endemic species of Background: The underlying causes of The first expedition was in collaboration Mimosa from the highlands of Central differences in species-richness among with the NERC-funded project “ In search of Brazil, a definite hot-spot for Mimosa biomes and the processes that have beta-rhizobia: exploring the symbionts of diversity and endemism. prompted accumulation of high species Mimosa in Brazil ”, which aims to gain a Preliminary results and next steps : So diversity in some areas remain poorly better understanding of the symbionts far I have assembled seed and silica-dried understood. My work aims to address these associated with Mimosa and especially the leaf samples for DNA extraction of around questions in relation to patterns of plant unusual beta rhizobia that have been found 200 species (40% of the genus) spanning diversity in the Neotropics. Recent insights to fix nitrogen in Mimosa. We collected in 80% of the recognized infrageneric groups. into these questions have come from dated two parts of Brazil: the semi-arid caatinga While the geographic coverage of these molecular phylogenies for small subsets of region of NE Brazil in Bahia (with great samples is concentrated in Central and lineages that make up particular biomes, support from Luciano de Queiroz, from the Northeast Brazil, Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, and shedding new light on the timing and rates Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana), Madagascar, I also have material of a few of diversification and prompting new and the cerrados of Goiás and Distrito species from the Amazon, Continental hypotheses about the historical assembly of Federal. This was a very productive trip Africa and Asia. During this first part of my Neotropical species diversity. In my D.Phil with material of 73 species collected, D.Phil I have assembled a preliminary project, I’m particularly interested in the illustrating the amazing diversity of Mimosa phylogeny based on DNA sequences of the origins and evolution of the Cerrado, a found in these open vegetation types in trnD-trnT chloroplast region which includes floristically diverse and endemic-rich Brazil, and especially in the high altitudes of 84 species of Mimosa and 23 outgroups. savannah biome that covers more than two the Chapada dos Veadeiros in northern This preliminary tree shows some million km 2 of Central Brazil and part of Goiás. interesting results. For example, the analysis Bolivia. It has been suggested that the My second field trip was to Mexico, identified a strongly-supported mono- Cerrado may have originated as recently as another important centre of diversity for phyletic clade representing ca. 50 mainly four million years ago, coinciding with the Mimosa , with around 100 species. Cerrado endemic species. The position of emergence of inflammable C4 grasses as a Travelling in Mexico is a fascinating this clade on the tree and its low internal dominant element in this ecosystem and the experience; in a single day driving you can sequence divergence, may support the consequent appearance of fire as a natural see contrasting vegetation types, from semi hypothesis of a recent origin of the Cerrado, element. To date there are very few desertic formations to temperate forests of that possibly involved rapid and successful phylogenies for Cerrado plant groups that Quercus and Pinus and coastal wet forests, adaptive radiation of an endemic-rich fire- can be used to test this hypothesis, and I am quite different from the areas where we tolerant flora. aiming to fill this gap using the genus collected in Brazil. One of the highlights of Much work remains to be done to see if Mimosa as my study group. this trip was a visit to the town of Tequila in this is the case, but these results are Mimosa is a large genus in the legume Jalisco, where I found plants of the curious encouraging and helping me to plan the next family with some 530 species, distributed Mimosa tequilana growing surrounded by steps in my D.Phil research and particularly mainly in the Neotropics with around 40 fields of agave, the source of the most to design an efficient strategy for character species occurring in the Old World. Mimosa famous product from that region to which and taxon sampling for this large genus. My is an ideal group to test this hypothesis since we were treated to a free tasting. During one intention is to use fossils to build a time it is remarkably rich in fire-adapted narrow month and an exhausting 6500 km travelled calibrated tree to estimate the divergence endemics in the Cerrado, but at the same all over the country, I was able to collect 40 time of this species-rich Cerrado clade to time also highly diverse in other major Mexican mimosas, which was a great see if it is as recent as the topology of the Neotropical habitats such as seasonally dry achievement. Such a significant trawl would tree suggests.

Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford 5

Finally, a new infrageneric classification Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Abstract of systematic based on morphological diagnosability and Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje. Scripta thesis submitted in monophyly is proposed. Botanica Belgica 34 . 199pp. National Botanic Gardens of Belgium. 2006 Wood, J. R. I. (2006). Inter-Andean Dry Publications 2006 Valleys of Bolivia -Floristic Affinities and The following D.Phil. thesis was submitted Patterns of Endemism: Insights from and successfully defended in 2006: Acanthaceae, Asclepiadaceae and Labiatae. Atahuachi, M. & Hughes, C.E. (2006). Two In Pennington, R.T., Lewis, G.P. & Ratter, new species of Mimosa endemic to Bolivia. Systematics of Andean Lupinus L. J.A. Neotropical Savannas and Seasonally Brittonia 58 : 59-65. and the origin of L. mutabilis Sweet Dry Forests : 235-257. Taylor and Francis

Ruth J. Eastwood for the Systematics Association. Deng, Y. F., Wood, J.R.I. & Scotland, St Cross College R.W. (2006). New and Reassessed Species Wood, J.R.I. & Scotland, R.W. (2006). of Strobilanthes (Acanthaceae) in the flora This thesis contributes to the central goals of Some notes on the Strobilanthes of China. Botanical Journal of the Linnean systematics - the inventory of species, pentstemonoides (Acanthaceae) complex in Society 150 : 369-390. building the tree of life and understanding China, India and South East Asia. Kew evolutionary processes - through a Bulletin 61 : 5-16. Hawthorne, W.D. & N. Gyakari. (2006). descriptive taxonomic study, molecular Photoguide for the forest trees of Ghana. A Wortley, A.H. & R.W. Scotland . (2006). phylogenetic analysis and morphological tree-spotter’s field guide for identifying the survey of the genus Lupinus L. The effect of combining molecular and largest trees. 432 pp. Oxford Forestry Lupinus comprises ca. 290 annual and morphological data in published Institute. Department of Plant Sciences, perennial species placed in the Genistoid phylogenetic analyses. Systematic Biology South Parks Road, Oxford OX13RB UK. clade of the Papilionoid legumes. In the 55(4) : 677-685.

study three new DNA sequence datasets are Hawthorne, W.D. & C.C.H. Jongkind. used to reconstruct species relationships. Wortley, A.H. & R.W. Scotland . (2006). (2006). Woody Plants of Western African The new phylogeny is used to investigate Determining the potential utility of datasets Forests. A guide to the forest trees, shrubs character evolution, species diversification, for phylogeny reconstruction. Taxon 52(2) : and lianes from Senegal to Ghana. 1023 pp. domestication and as the basis for a new 431-442. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, U.K. infrageneric classification.

Approaches to plant species-level Hughes, C.E. and Atahuachi, M. (2006). A phylogeny reconstruction and criteria for new species of Leucochloron Book reviews selecting DNA sequence loci are evaluated (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae) endemic to from a theoretical standpoint, and Bolivia. Kew Bulletin 61 : 559-563. experimental work to develop hypervariable Woody Plants of Western African nuclear DNA sequence locis presented. Hughes, C.E. & Eastwood, R.J. (2006). Lupinus Forests: A Guide to the Forest Trees, The comparative morphology of Island radiation on a continental scale: species is investigated and presented. This Shrubs and Lianes from Senegal to exceptional rates of plant diversification includes studies of seed coats, cotyledons, Ghana by William Hawthorne and after uplift of the Andes. Proceedings of the leaves, and chromosomes. Optimisation of Carel Jongkind . Pp. 1023. Royal National Academy of Sciences 103 : 10334- these data onto the 3-locus phylogeny 10339. Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2006. ISBN 1 reveals congruence between chromosome 84246 089 7. number and geography and shows that non- Hughes, C.E ., Eastwood, R.J. & Bailey, digitate leaves have evolved twice Photoguide for the Forest Trees of C.D. (2006). From famine to feast? independently within Lupinus . Ghana: A Tree-Spotter’s Field Guide Selecting nuclear DNA sequence loci for Evolutionary rates analysis is used to plant species-level phylogeny for Identifying the Largest Trees by estimate divergence times for clades and to reconstruction. Philosophical Transactions William Hawthorne and Ntim investigate the tempo of species of the Royal Society of London B . 361 : 211- Gyakari . Pp. 432. Oxford Forestry diversification. Notably, a strongly 255. Institute, 2006. ISBN 0 85074 1645. supported clade representing ca. 81 Andean species is estimated to be 1.18-1.76 Myr, Lawrence, A. & W.D. Hawthorne. (2006). Plant Identification: Creating User- implying a diversification rate of 2.49-3.72 Plant Identification: User friendly Guides friendly Field Guides for Biodiversity species per Myr. This exceeds previous for biodiversity management. 256 pp. Management by Anna Lawrence and estimates for plants providing the most Earthscan. UK. William Hawthorne . Pp. 256. spectacular example of explosive plant species diversification documented to date. Earthscan, 2006. ISBN 1 84407 079 4. Marner, Serena K. (2006). 147. Lupin species have been independently Proteaceae 2. Faurea Harv. Flora I have just spent a month sitting in a small domesticated as grain legume crops in the Zambesiaca 9(3) : 51-59. Royal Botanic wooden hut in a dusty town in the Republic Old and New Worlds. The origins of the Gardens Kew for Flora Zambesiaca of Congo, identifying 5,000 sterile L. mutabilis Andean domesticate, , are Managing Committee. specimens of trees from the surrounding investigated. Lack of resolution amongst forest. During that short time, my cherished, the Andean species, attributable to Sheil, D., A. Salim, J. Chave, J. Vanclay, pristine copy of Woody Plants of Western exceptionally rapid species diversification, W.D.Hawthorne . (2006). Illumination size African Forests became decidedly dirty, meant that the progenitor(s) of L. mutabilis relationships of 109 coexisting tropical sticky, dog-eared and covered in coffee- could not be firmly established. However, forest tree species. Journal of Ecology stains, biscuit-crumbs and inky thumb- four Andean species are tentatively 94 :494-507. prints. Even so, my colleagues begged me to identified as closely related to L. mutabilis leave it behind when I left. These facts are based on morphology. A taxonomic account testament to how valuable the book proved of these species is presented.

6 Oxford Plant Systematics OPS 14 April 2007

families have also been placed close to each does often mean that the two parts of a key other in the book. Depending on your point couplet are not direct alternatives. On of view, this pragmatic approach either occasion, the authors’ incredible familiarity gives the best of both worlds, or serves to with these plants results in rather convoluted frustrate both the hard-core taxonomist and key couplets with subsidiary clauses that left the non-specialist “browser”. Even once a me feeling a little out of my depth (e.g. standard method for translating phylo- “leaves >7cm wide, or if smaller then not genetic trees into a linear sequence is agreed strongly glaucous or finest veins finely (if ever), there will always be plenty of scalariform (or at least plant not matching room for disagreement here. Either way, the …)”). For the most part, however, the keys comprehensive index to genera and species, are clear, and the descriptions leave the as well as a quick-reference list of families reader in little doubt when they have inside the front cover, make it easy and achieved the correct identification. There is quick to find what one is looking for despite a strong and very welcome emphasis on the size of the work. leaf, bark, slash and scent characters, a Although the system for numbering keys, limited reliance on jargon, and the authors sections and groups is rather cumbersome it are not afraid to use novel descriptive has been developed and refined through language to get their point across: “stipules many previous publications (e.g. Hawthorne with a leafy upper portion but no lower 1990) and is easy to navigate once one gets kidney shaped bit” ( Gilbertiodendron used to it. The keys make no assumption of ivorense ); “latex rapidly forming into prior knowledge – starting with “I have a rubbery balls” ( Funtumia elastica ); “leaf to be – even in a country more than 1,000 specimen… What should I do now?” – and base … inner margin rounded (like cow miles from the area it aims to cover. draw the reader gradually into the nitty- horns)” ( Kolobopetalum leonense ). The scarcity of usable field guides has long gritty of identification, providing explan- Pictures are, for many people, the starting been recognised as an impediment to ations of the characters used at each step. point for using a field guide. In this case, the biological research in the tropics. This Once arrived at a “family” group a short detailed plates also provide the definitive problem is worse in the Old World than the description confirms whether one is in the confirmation of identifications made using New, worse in West Africa than East, and right area, and a page or more of the text. The beautiful illustrations, by very much worse when it comes to photographs and illustrations also gives a experienced botanical illustrators Rosemary identifying sterile material rather than that good idea of whether or not you need to Wise and Marjolein Spitteler, are as in flower or fruit. Woody Plants goes a long retrace your steps. The species keys and inclusive or exclusive as necessary, with way towards redressing this balance. Like descriptions are detailed but include only detailed enlargements, sketches of crown or its companion, Biodiversity of West African those characters necessary to make an bole shape, and cartoons of a pencil, person Forests (Poorter et al. 2005), the work is identification. This saves space and enables or elephant’s behind to give scale. In magnificent in scope, richly informative and one to focus on the important characters, but addition to the drawings, the book features beautiful to look at. It is one of three books over 3,000 colour photographs, the majority published last year written by the taken by Dr. Hawthorne himself. The Department of Plant Science’s Dr. William photographs – of crown, bole, bark, slash, Hawthorne, who has been researching plant leaves, fruit and flowers – are mostly diversity and writing field guides in West provided in banks at the beginning of each Africa since the 1980s. His co-author, Carel family or group, making them easy to flick Jongkind at Wageningen University in The through for a quick identification. Netherlands, is also a botanist with more Photographic plates also form the than twenty years’ experience of African backbone of the “Cross-cutting groups” plants. chapter towards the end of the book. This The set of over 2,000 species covered by section provides a novel means to identify this book is defined by life form (woody plants), habitat (forest) and geography (western Africa; i.e. everything west of the Togo mountains, encompassing Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Gambia and Senegal). However, the authors have been generous and inclusive within these limits, including borderline woody species and large herbs such as Marantaceae, as well as roadside and scrubland species occasionally found in forest. Described as a “pragmatic flora,” Woody Plants is designed to be accessed formally, through dichotomous keys, or more casually by browsing. Its organisation is designed to facilitate the latter: although it is broadly grouped into families, these are ordered by leaf-form (dicots start at the simple-leaved Annonaceae, pass through opposite-leaved groups and end with the compound-leaved legumes; ferns and monocotyledons bring Above are example pages from Woody Plants of Western African Forests up the rear). Where possible, closely-related

Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford 7

species across all taxonomic groups by the ground. The arrangement is listing and providing keys to those species unashamedly character-based, with species having certain distinctive characters, such as arranged according to the characters of their crown shape, stilt roots, spines, coloured bark slash only. Each species receives a latex or a fibrous slash. The majority of double-page spread of text and images, with these cross-cutting groups focus on slash a slash photograph consistently placed in the characters, for which the colour photographs upper right-hand corner. This makes for are the key to identification. As with any very easy, rapid browsing by slash but field-guide, a little forward investment of allows for more detailed verification of time is needed here – the reader has to get to identifications using subsidiary text and know the characters covered in order to use pictures as required. the cross-cutting chapter effectively – but Each species’ page in the Photoguide is once that familiarity is achieved they edged by an information-rich side-bar, with provide a very handy quick-reference route symbols representing slash colour, texture to many of the species covered. The and scent, exudate colour and consistency, introduction, “how to use” sections and spines, leaf arrangement and leaf-form. The glossary are also clear, interesting and well symbols take a bit of getting used to, but worth taking the time to read before using provide an easy reference for those who the book. Nomenclatural discussion is kept don’t want to, or can’t, read the text. As to a minimum and confined to footnotes, so befits a photoguide, the photographs, as not to detract from the business of particularly those of slashes, are identification but to be easily and wonderfully informative and the colours immediately available if needed. perfectly reproduced. Rosemary Wise’s During my work in Congo, Woody Plants drawings provide additional characters. was seized, used and enjoyed by taxon- There are no keys but the text is clear and to omists, ecologists, conservationists and the point, focusing on the characters needed how many digital photographs can be taken students. As word spreads, it is fast for identification. Usefully, the names, in a day, or how much a target audience becoming the technical bible of all those distinguishing features and page references might be willing to pay for different types of working on, or in, the forests of tropical of similar species are also provided. Species guides. As a budding field guide writer West Africa and beyond. are indexed by scientific and local name; myself, the most useful section was that on At over 1,000 pages and weighing in at 3 conservation ratings are also indicated in the testing, which I hope to put into practice kg Woody Plants is a “field guide” in only index, although not in the main body text. when I return to Congo with my own the very broadest sense. For users in Ghana, The Photoguide is designed as a low-cost prototype field guide to test. at least, Dr. Hawthorne’s second publication pocket guide, but the authors’ extensive With its broad, ambitious scope this of 2006 is mercifully more portable. experience with field guides and Ghanaian manual does risk putting-off some potential trees, and comprehensive archive of groups of readers due to the large amount of photographs and illustrations ensure it is unfamiliar subject matter there is to wade much more than that: a high-quality and through. From my point of view as a very useful resource for tree-spotters of all botanist, I struggled with those parts of the backgrounds. book covering political, social and Finally, for those inspired by these books, economic aspects. But by judicious use of or seeking to explore the complexities of the boxes, summaries and flow-charts the work that goes on behind the scenes in authors still managed to introduce me to producing field guides, Dr. Hawthorne has some of the principles of these chapters, of also co-edited a manual to field guide which I would otherwise have remained preparation, Plant Identification . Written blissfully ignorant. On the whole, I think from a broad perspective, this manual everyone will find something of interest covers the whole gamut of field guides, here, and realise that there is more to from the basic to the highly technical. It consider in writing a field guide than they helps the reader to choose the most perhaps realised. My hope is that along the appropriate style of guide for their situation, way the botanists will be introduced to then details the processes necessary to economics, the development-workers to achieve it. The plates, illustrating examples taxonomy, and the graphic designers to of the different types of field guide with ecological principles! which the authors have been involved, are Although the three books discussed here crucial to the discussion, and bring the were all published in the course of a single descriptions to life far more than could ever year – an incredible achievement in itself – Although less than one-quarter of the size be achieved with just text. they represent the fruits of a dedicated and and weight of the first volume, the With contributions from taxonomists, successful career by a remarkable botanist Photoguide for the Forest Trees of Ghana ecologists, development-workers, econo- and communicator. I hope there will be covers 326 species and provides colour mists, graphic communicators and more, many more to come. photographs and line-drawings for every Plant Identification covers every con- one. Written with the experienced Ghanaian ceivable stage from identifying the need to References botanist Ntim Gyakari, it thus provides a evaluating the success of a finished field comprehensive, portable identification guide, including basic information on Poorter, L., Bongers, F., Kouamé, F.Y.N. & manual for all the larger forest trees of databasing, illustration, character-choice and Hawthorne, W.D. (Eds.) (2004). Ghana. Aimed at “tree-spotters” with little publishing. It makes extensive use of case- Biodiversity of West African Forests: An previous experience, this book focuses on studies which, as well as bringing the Ecological Atlas of Woody Plant Species. bole and bark characters, which for many information in the manual to life, contain Oxford: CABI Publishing. large trees may be all that is available from highly relevant facts and figures – such as

8 Oxford Plant Systematics OPS 14 April 2007

Hawthorne, W.D. (1990). Field Guide to the problem. This is the use of minimally Parataxonomy and similar initiatives are, Forest Trees of Ghana . Chatham: Natural trained “field workers” (my term). These are in fact, representative of a number of Resources Institute. usually biology students or recent graduates, contemporary “taxonomic” initiatives which national park wardens or others with some are not really taxonomy at all. A very good Alexandra Wortley biology training or conservation involve- example is data-basing. Many leading Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, March ment. They usually receive a short period of institutions and funding agents are investing 2007 training followed by longer “on the job” large sums of money into data-basing training, where they go to the field or projects in the name of “support for identify their specimens with the help of the taxonomy”. I agree that the end result will trainer. Pay is usually low and employment be a useful tool for plant taxonomists just as Point of View: is limited to the duration of a particular the development of digital photography has Taxonomists and project or even a shorter period. The been, but data basing provides no training in employer is usually an NGO or a non- taxonomy and will do nothing to solve the Parataxonomists - national institution which has no shortage of taxonomists. Issues in Training and commitment to the long-term employment If parataxonomic training is not the of the individual. There is no expectation answer, what is? Should taxonomy be taught Neo-colonialism that the field worker will continue with this as part of university biology degree courses? work except perhaps on another occasion Most first degrees in biology contain a when their skills are needed by another taxonomy element but it generally has low The persistent decline in the number of project. I can see no difference between this status and is increasingly being replaced by taxonomists in the biological sciences is kind of parataxonomist and the “native modules in molecular systematics, itself a frequently discussed in the popular scientific collector”, used so extensively by colonial minor element in most courses. I doubt press and the implications are bemoaned in botanists in India, Malaysia, Indonesia and anyone in Britain would claim that their BA numerous reports. Quite clearly incompetent elsewhere in the nineteenth century. Some or BSc courses trained taxonomists. What taxonomy can severely curtail the accuracy of these “native collectors” made valuable about Masters level courses? In Britain there and, consequently, the value of any collections, but I don’t recall any who are three of these and student numbers are biological research where correct ident- developed into substantial taxonomists in low. However, they have a good claim to ification of species is important. The lack of their own right. offer the kind of training needed but who taxonomic skills is particularly acute in I find the solutions to the crisis in tax- would choose to study taxonomy in the first tropical biology and is a major obstacle in onomy outlined in the previous paragraphs place if there is little or no training in first biodiversity and conservation work. Simply objectionable for many reasons. In the first degree courses? put, if we don’t know what the species are, place they are not so much training in A superficial glance at taxonomy and we can’t decide on conservation priorities taxonomy as training in collecting and taxonomists suggests that it is an interest, a either in terms of habitat or of individual specimen processing. Clearly the para- skill, even a passion, which someone is taxa. It was in response to this “taxonomic taxonomist or field worker may be taught apparently born with. It can be developed, impediment” that the Global Taxonomy basic skills to enable him to assign refined, trained, improved but without the initiative was agreed as part of the specimens to major families or even the initial spark of interest, there is little hope International Convention on Biodiversity more important genera but his main task is that it will develop strongly. It is perhaps but there is as yet little evidence of any far- the accumulation of specimens for the analogous to creative writing. Universities reaching change. institution or organisation which is do offer degrees in creative writing but the One solution to the shortage of financing the project. I fear it is nothing great majority of creative writers have had taxonomists appears to lie in the use of more than a neo-colonial response to the no training as such. They develop their parataxonomists. As originally conceived by crisis in taxonomy which leaves “taxonomic skills through practice, opportunity and the Janzen (1992) and others, this simply meant power” in the hands of major institutions, encouragement of other writers. They rarely, the selection of individuals from local usually expatriate, where real science and perhaps never, work in total isolation but communities for use in collecting and the true taxonomists are based. I am sure benefit from contact with other writers. A identifying plants. Species were sorted into that there must be a few individuals who degree in language or literature may hone “morphospecies”, which may or may not have developed into true taxonomists their skills but will not teach their basic coincide with scientifically recognised through these processes and who continue craft. Success is measured in terms of species. The reliability of this approach has working long after the end of the project acceptance by their peers and the public and been criticised by Krell (2004) and, where they were trained but they are the volume of sales of their books. Failure to although it has been defended as a means of certainly few in number. earn money will lead most to abandon their empowering local communities, I feel that it The malign effects are not limited to the craft for something more commercially has the opposite effect as it perpetuates their failure to train taxonomists. Many tropical remunerative. The parallels for taxonomists isolation from accepted scientific practice. herbaria are being filled by large numbers of are obvious. Biology degrees improve but Some would argue that parataxonomy was specimens of poor quality. An inevitable do not create taxonomists. Recognition and never intended to replace orthodox result is that scarce resources are wasted on payment encourage taxonomists to keep taxonomy but whether because of the mounting poorly selected and poorly working. Kew owes an immense debt to the connotations of the word “parataxonomy” or preserved specimens, which serve as 19 th century botanist, George Bentham, for whatever other reason, it seems always unsatisfactory reference collections of untrained but arguably the most productive to be discussed within the context of the limited use in taxonomic research, plant taxonomist ever. Nor is that a acute shortage of traditional taxonomists particularly if they are not assigned to nineteenth century phenomenom. Out- (e.g. Beattie 1997, Krell 2004). Morever it recognised species. Specimens are usually standing examples from the 20 th century appears to offer a cheap, politically correct collected in alcohol and lose diagnostic include Rupert Barneby at New York or and thus desirable option for funding features and are unsuitable for molecular Peter Sell at Cambridge. In Bolivia today, agencies with obvious, unfortunate con- studies. A person with a true taxonomic the most productive plant taxonomist in sequences for the training of real interest is much more likely to collect terms of publication has no formal training. taxonomists. unusual, interesting and representative What should the biological institutions and There is another, somewhat similar and specimens than someone who is not deeply funding agents do, both in this country and, equally unsatisfactory solution to the involved in taxonomic work. more especially in the developing world?

Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford 9

The answer does not lie in training was the best supervisor anyone could have, monograph “Meliaceae”, Pennington and parataxonomists nor in offering degrees in a perfectionist with an eagle eye. Although Styles and “ Aglaia ”, Caroline Pannell). taxonomy. In my opinion it lies in his own drawing skills were not so good, he Ongoing also is “ Strobilanthes ” for Robert identifying self-motivated people with pre- knew exactly what he wanted and to see Scotland and John Wood. I don’t really existing interest in taxonomy and investing how he checked a finished drawing, enjoy some of these plants quite so much for money and training in this small number millimetre by millimetre against the several reasons. One aspect of illustration who show high motivation and potential specimens, was daunting. When teaching, I that I find especially pleasing is the ability in taxonomy. Given our limited hear myself automatically echoing his words composition of the plate. Some “Strobes” resources in terms of training, money and “I can see that this stem is about a are rather “weedy” in appearance and facilities, botanical institutions, funding millimetre too wide” and “Look carefully at however hard I try I cannot make the plate agencies and other interested parties need to the venation” or “Do you see the tiny scar look as full and attractive as I would like. identify these individuals and funnel their where the stipule has fallen?” After rehydrating the dried and incredibly support and money in their direction. Although Frank White could be difficult, filmy flowers, they are a time-consuming he was the fairest supervisor and was very nightmare (and of course a challenge) to References appreciative of a job done well. If there dissect as they tear so easily! But in this were corrections needed, there would be a occupation one can only be patient. There Beattie, A. J. (1997) Systematic little card waiting for me on top of my were countless pine cones to draw for the Partnerships in Biodiversity Assessment. drawing in the morning with the words “I “Pinus ” monograph (Aljos Farjon and the Systematics: Advancing knowledge and will explain, F.W”. All the staff received late Brian Styles). These are the best conservation of Australia´s biodiversity. these identical messages, and judging by the subjects to draw for tightening up drawing Report of Conference held in October 1997. pressure and number of zigzags underneath, techniques, and an exercise I frequently we could tell what sort of mood he was in! recommend to students. More varied have Janzen, D. H. (1992) How to save tropical For the first twenty years here, before been the floras, including Frank White’s biodiversity. American Entomologist 37 : becoming departmental artist, I drew solely Evergreen Forest Flora of Malawi and 159-171. for him, not just for publications but many, David Mabberley’s Algarve Plants and many large diagrams for his superb practical Landscape , the latter being slightly different Krell, F. (2004) Parataxonomy vs classes. Past students could never forget as for once the drawings were mostly done Taxonomy in biodiversity studies – pitfalls these, when the herbarium was transformed from living material in the field. and applicability of morphospecies sorting. with plants from the botanic garden. I have lost count of how many D. Phil. Biodiversity and Conservation 13 : 785: 812. Occasionally we had the tropical fruit theses I have illustrated. I know the very practical, when we scoured the market and first was “Genera of Meliaceae” for Terry John Wood the Asian shops of Cowley Road for him, to Pennington and, some years ago now, find weird and wonderful things and, best of “Andira ” for his son Toby! I look at the all, got to taste them. next generation of Penningtons thought- Once Frank said “Rosemary, I am going to fully! Occasionally enormous pickled tubers buy you an avocado tomorrow” I was appeared on my desk, some smooth, some Every Picture Tells a surprised but thanked him very much. “Oh knobbly and others covered with dense Story no, it isn’t really for you, I want you to feed spines. These were the strange ant plants of it to your cats.” So my kitchen became a lab Papua New Guinea, drawn for Matthew for a while when initially a complete fruit Jebb (species of Myrmecodia , Hydnophytum Little did I suspect, when I was offered the was offered and I recorded how many of the and Anthorrhiza , Rubiaceae). post of botanical artist for the Department of six took any notice, (one). The next step was After my children were independent, Forestry, University of Oxford in 1965 that I to peel it and observe for interest again, overseas travel became enriching in many would still be here 42 years later after (two). The final stage was to mash it and ways. My first experience of tropical botany drawing well over 12,000 species! Now almost before I could put the saucer down was in 1985, when, with the assistance of a that retirement age is approaching I look the only one really to show interest ate it Churchill Trust Travelling Fellowship, I back over a varied and thoroughly enjoyable with great relish while the other five walked accompanied the students on the Oxford career. I also feel sad to think, with the away! (Frank wondered if the big cats Biological Expedition to Seychelles. My changing face of botany, I will not be dispersed wild avocados and this generous son, then in his first year at university, took replaced, so ending a long tradition of man actually bought two avocados, one for over my job for these 9 weeks during his botanical artists in this university. Looking the cats and one for me). summer vacation and precisely followed my at our beautiful collection of painting in Monographic works have occupied a large detailed notes on techniques of illustration. what is now the Department of Plant percentage of my time. Being very much a Being so used to drawing from flat, brown Sciences, especially those for Flora Graeca “legume person” I especially enjoyed herbarium material, I am ashamed to say I by Ferdinand Bauer (1760–1826), has drawing the African acacias for the late didn’t immediately recognise the green constantly inspired me. Richard Barnes, Chris Fagg and Stephen leaves and colourful fruits of Chryso- Plant drawing and painting has always Harris. After exhausting the acacia balanus , a genus of which I had drawn been a great love, from school days collections in this country I was sent to many species for Prof. Sir Gillean Prance! onwards. At University (Fine Arts, Read- explore the herbaria of Nairobi, Lisbon and During this expedition I became aware of ing) I was a rebel and with the eventual Uppsala and was able to fill in a lot of the the fragile state of the endemic flora of the permission of my long-suffering tutor, gaps. This project took many years, on and world’s only granitic oceanic islands, many turned my back on three days a week of life off; when I started there were about 144 species being on the brink of extinction and drawing and sat and drew in splendid recorded species and over 170 by the time I very few illustrated. With a lot of isolation in the Botany department’s had finished. Other legume monographs discussions and encouragement, especially greenhouse. He was the one who suggested have included “ Parkia ” (Helen Fortune from Frank White, my holidays for the next a career in botanical illustration. How Hopkins), “ Leucaena ” and at present decade were spent exploring various islands fortunate I was later on to be employed here, “Andean Lupins”, (another personal or climbing up to the mist forests. after two years of teaching. The late Frank favourite and both projects of Colin Eventually all 80 endemics were located and White, curator of what was then the Forest Hughes). Drawing species of Meliaceae painted. I look back with amusement at the Herbarium (now the Daubeny Herbarium) took up several years (Flora Neotropica time a taxi driver arrived at our rented

10 Oxford Plant Systematics OPS 14 April 2007

ations, endemics, ornamentals, trees and Cones of Pinus radiata var. binata fruits). I hurriedly learnt basic Spanish drawn by Rosemary Wise knowing that the participants in the two illustration techniques workshops I ran would speak little or no English! I also learnt a lot of the history of the country from John Wood as we travelled in Che Guevara territory. One Bolivian participant, Eliana Cazadilla, visited Oxford for six weeks further training in 2005. Being part time has meant that I have a freelance career as well. I am grateful that the expertise I have acquired here has resulted in the position of associate staff at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Besides providing line drawings I have joined four trips in my annual leave as official artist, travelling with members of their staff to what was then Irian Jaya (now Papua), led by Prof. Robert Johns. This area is among the world’s top ten centres of biodiversity. accommodation on the island of Praslin in of all disciplines and field work was a We collected and I painted plants from sea 1985 demanding “Madame, you pack your shared experience, from recording songs of level up to the alpine region just below the bag now and come with me”. The warden wagtails to catching insects after dark, Puncak Jaya glacier. Posters were produced on Aride Island had radioed the local police collecting marine species both in shallow depicting plants typical of each of the ten station to say “Get Mrs Wise quickly, the water and out at sea and of course, the plant species-rich vegetation zones and given to Rothmannia is in flower.” The sea was collecting excursions. (Hay and Wise schools to raise their awareness of the flora. extremely choppy and once in the little “Aroids of Papua New Guinea ” and Jebb (I have wishful, but maybe not realistic, pirogue I was handed an old helmet and told “The Edible Barringtonias ” Curtis Botanical thoughts of returning there to paint all the “You bail out water, the boat leaks”. Magazine). I produced my first educational spectacular Rhododendron species in Another time I dashed over to Aride, poster here (mangrove plants), a prototype retirement!). With Terry Pennington I went hanging onto the sides of the island's new idea which has been repeated many times on two fantastic trips to Peru to paint Zodiac, to paint a recently discovered and in many places since. species from the central rain forest, the endemic cucurbit. Knowing it was night- DFID financed several visits to Malaysia. flooded forest of the Amazon and the dry flowering, I went to collect it at first light – The first was a challenge, when at very short forests of the north. These accompanied and was too late. The following morning I notice I joined a large collecting expedition over 900 line drawings in his book, Trees of went to the plant in pitch darkness at 5.00 into the heart of Borneo! This was my first Peru . We saw Peru as the tourist never a.m. and started the painting by torchlight. experience of camping and I was very would and stayed in the most interesting and All my spare time at home was taken up apprehensive but needlessly so, I soon grew out of the way places, and the same can be writing the text and “ A Fragile Eden ” was to love jungle life. Not many can claim to said for my two departmental trips to published by Princeton University Press in have had a pangolin under their hammock! Bolivia. New techniques of painting have 1998, unfortunately after the death of Frank I am sure not many get to illustrate a new had to be explored and perfected in the White. species on the same day that it is found, tropics. The high humidity in some locations With a departmental grant I accompanied a either. A rewarding part of these trips was means that watercolour paint is slow to dry Linnaean Society expedition in 1988, running a large workshop in the Forest while in hot dry areas it dries far too following the route taken by Linnaeus on his Research Centre in Sepilok, to teach quickly. (Ferdinand Bauer worked in a epic journey to Lapland in 1732 and techniques of scientific drawing to local different way. He carefully drew his Greek collected plants for the Fielding-Druce artists who subsequently illustrate the “ Tree plants in the field, colour-coded them and Herbarium. I also painted two plates of Flora of Sabah and Sarawak ” volumes. painted them back here in the comfort of plants typical to Kvikkjokk and Abisko, Training future illustrators is an important cooler Oxford!). I soon learned from exper- putting Linnea borealis on each as a tribute part of the job for me and I have been ience never to take ink-filled technical pens to Linnaeus. This was a wonderful trip, up invited to run workshops in many places, on planes and also that my technical pen the east coast of Sweden, across to Arctic including Bolivia, Kenya, Singapore and humidifier has a strange shaped metal plate Norway near Narvik, round the top of the Australia. incorporated into its plastic base which Gulf of Bothnia, down the west coast of More recently the herbarium has had two puzzles X-ray machines - I missed a Finland to Turku and back across the sea to Darwin Initiative grants which have connecting flight once because of this! My Stockholm, stopping at places to collect that required illustrations. I went west for the drawing board has been propped up against had been visited by Linnaeus. At the time I first time to Grenada with William car’s dashboards to record freshly collected didn’t know that this was to be the first of Hawthorne, to paint, and later to draw, material in so many places, from the frequent visits to Sweden. Many holidays leaves of 100 species for an identification incredibly windy Cape St. Vincent in have been spent drawing Somali plants for exercise. [See Oxford Plant Systematics 8: Portugal (when the vehicle rocked con- Prof. Mats Thulin in the beautiful new 10-11 (2000), 9: 14 (2002) and Plant stantly), under nutmeg trees in Grenada, to herbarium of Uppsala University. Identification, Creating Use-Friendly Field the hot dry plains of Kenya and Bolivia, Two research fellowships followed, to Guides for Biodiversity Management by sometimes enduring the aggravation of Christensen Research Institute (near Anna Lawrence and William Hawthorne biting insects. The phrase “Every picture Madang on the north coast of Papua New (2006), page 8 in this issue]. For the second tells a story” is certainly very true in my Guinea) and also bring back many happy project, I painted many plants of the case, it has been a wonderful and rewarding memories. I never thought I would see the spectacular Andean valleys of Bolivia, from career. aforementioned ant plants in situ, clinging which a series of six themed educational on to their host trees. Here were scientists posters has resulted (pollination, adapt- Rosemary Wise

Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford 11

shelf in what was little more than a loft into the Fielding Herbarium. This Druce and Oxford above the lecture room at the Botanic suggestion did not prove acceptable, and in University Herbaria Garden. There were no facilities for order to save the dispersal of the warming, and the place was damp. … The Morisonian, Dillenian, Sherardian, and immense mass of the Morisonian Sibthorpian collections the Du Bois plants (Bobartian), Dillenian, and Sherardian were sacrificed – as at the time I did not collections were in loose unarranged sheets, realise what light they threw upon the Raian often unmounted. Even the Fielding plants. So these 80 volumes were cut up, Herbarium was mostly unnamed and and the plants in them were mounted by not roughly sorted into the different families’. very careful or competent hands, losing Druce was to transform these collections fruits and seeds in the disposal. Then, too over the rest of his lifetime. late, it was brought home to the Professor In 1885, just six years after taking up that as they only had pre-Linnean names, residence in Oxford, the botanical they could not be sorted into the general autodidact Druce had ambitions to become collection as they were tied up in bundles, in Professor of Botany, and even had the the process of which much damage was support of the Cambridge Professor of done, and put in a storeroom where they Botany, Charles Babington (1808-1895). remained for many years’. Druce did not get the post; it went to Isaac Druce was not above self-publicity and Bayley Balfour (1853-1922), who ‘came exaggeration; he knew what his audience like a tornado’ and left Oxford in 1888 for wanted to hear. Clokie, in her account of the Edinburgh. Balfour’s successor was Sydney Oxford Herbaria, casts some doubts on Howard Vines (1849-1934). In 1889, Druce Druce’s account of the state of the herbaria appears to have taken on voluntary in the 1880s, since the Sherardian specimens responsibility for the herbaria and in 1895 are mostly mounted on early eighteenth- was made Special Curator of the Fielding century paper, and the Morisonian Herbarium, a post for which he was paid an specimens may have been unordered but honorarium. Druce got on very well with they are mounted on original sheets.

Vines and they produced two detailed However, Clokie’s most damning criticism George Claridge Druce (1850-1932), the studies of the herbaria of Robert Morison of Druce’s work was his great hurry and illegitimate son of a Northamptonshire (1620-1683) and Jacob Dillenius (1684- inattention to detail; features which are housekeeper, rose through an apprenticeship 1747). However, it is unclear what control particularly found in his personal collection at Philadelphus Jeyes in Northampton to Vines exercised over Druce, other than that of British material (c. 200,000 specimens), become a retail chemist in the High Street, of superiority of rank. There seemed to be which he left to the University on his death. Oxford in 1879. He retired from business in no formal decision making processes, with Druce was eager to try and please as many 1905, and continued to increase his wealth Druce acting as complete master over the people as possible, if they were his through canny investment and lending herbaria, especially in his later years. One intellectual or social superiors, help and money to individuals, companies and must remember that Druce, as a man of perhaps patronise his intellectual or social Oxford colleges. However, there was more private means, was wealthier than most of inferiors and be at logger heads with his to Druce than merely a local shopkeeper and the university academics and this appears to peers. He won a great deal of praise and have caused some resentment within the loyalty from the amateur field botanists in moneylender, although his background in th trade often coloured others perceptions of University. the early 20 century, and the admiration of him. He was a prominent character in The evidence of Druce’s curatorial some professional botanists. However, Edwardian Oxford and even got a walk-on activities is to be found throughout the among other professional botanists he was part in Beerbohm’s Zuleika Dobson . As a Herbaria today and his characteristic scrawl regarded with a mixture of suspicion and local Liberal politician, Druce was Sheriff covers many sheets and folders. It was contempt. One reason for this, in addition to of Oxfordshire in 1897, Mayor in 1900 and Druce who undertook the immense task of his social background and financial an active member of the local council for 39 arranging the Sherardian, Du Bois and independence, was Druce’s intolerance of years. Druce was also active in the Royal Fielding herbaria into their current criticism, as illustrated by his feud with Pharmaceutical Society and as a freemason. arrangement according to the then vogue James Britten (1846–1924); even the death In botanical circles, Druce is perhaps best system of Durand. Druce also arranged of Britten in 1924 did not alleviate the known for his imperial rule of the Botanical Sibthorp’s herbarium according to Sibthorp bitterness. In the Introduction to The Exchange Club and as the most prominent and Smith’s Prodromus and the herbaria of Comital Flora of the British Isles (1932), British amateur botanist of the first three Morison and Dillenius. Much of the written no more than two months before decades of the 20 th century. Within the curatorial work was funded out of Druce’s Druce’s death, he complained of the ‘many University of Oxford, Druce is remembered own pocket, including the provision of years of misrepresentation which I suffered as one of its great benefactors; on his death mounting paper and genus folders. Druce at Mr Britten’s hands’. he left his herbarium and the bulk of his did not have an introspective character but During his life, Druce continually made fortune to the University. there was one thing that he did regret; the wills and considered how he might best Druce began to make use of the splitting up of the Du Bois herbarium; ‘… dispose of his personal library, herbarium University’s botanical collections soon after the advent of Prof. I. B. Balfour … all the and considerable fortune. The University his arrival in Oxford, especially in the old things had to be changed, the herbaria was one place that he considered, although preparation of the first edition of his Flora sorted in … Alas, Balfour, accustomed to he had some qualms about this, as of Oxfordshire (1886). The herbarium was other ways and to the use of modern cryptically observed by his friend Frank much smaller than it is today, comprising methods, issued an edict to cast all these old Bellamy (1863–1936); ‘for some years he the Fielding herbarium, a British herbarium collections into one general herbarium. … I [Druce] was uncertain as to what course to and six pre-1796 herbaria. However, in could only try to induce Balfour to leave the take; certain circumstances concerning the Druce’s own words, these first contacts collections intact until they could be University, to which I had better not refer in were dramatic; ‘When … I first saw these carefully examined, and to concentrate upon precise words, caused him to hesitate about volumes …, they were placed on the top the modern plants which could be sorted making an absolute and munificent gift to

12 Oxford Plant Systematics OPS 14 April 2007

the University’. However, in the end Druce did leave the bulk of his fortune to the News from the Herbaria University but this was not without controversy and probate was not obtained until 1934. Druce’s bequest to the Fielding-Druce (OXF) University effectively enhanced the herbaria through the addition of his personal Work continued on the databasing and collection of primarily British herbarium digitisation of the collections. In the specimens, his extensive library (which summer of 2006, two very competent included a copy of the Flora Graeca and, students, Nicola Preston and Daniel most importantly, the original landscapes Goldhill, came to work in OXF continuing prepared by Ferdinand Bauer from sketches and completing the databasing and photo- made on John Sibthorp’s first journey in the graphing of all the Caribbean material held eastern Mediterranean) and much of his in the Fielding Herbarium. This work was property. carried out as part of the Trinidad and The herbarium as Druce knew it has been Tobago Darwin Project (see OPS 13 : 3); all transformed. However, Druce’s influence the data and images will be available via remains, whether it is the arrangement of the BRAHMS online at Fielding herbarium, the academic work he Specimen, and label, of Pedicularis hirsuta http://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/home undertook on the Dillenian and Morisonian collected by Linnaeus and cited in his Flora There was much activity sending Lapponica (1737) from the Sherardian herbaria or the money that he left to ensure herbarium material out on loan during 2006. Herbarium in OXF the continued curation of the collections that Almost 1500 specimens were sent out from occupied so much of his life. the Fielding and Druce collections of OXF. Latin derivations for various words and Material sent included specimens from the overheard Dillenius saying to James Sherard Stephen A. Harris following genera and families: Cirsium , (William's brother) "This is the man who Leontodon , Taraxacum , Asteraceae; has thrown all botany into confusion"! He Begonia , Begoniaceae; Cuscuta , Convolvul- pretended not to comprehend what Dillenius aceae; Carex , miscellaneous Cyperaceae, Linnaeus and Oxford had said but was obviously hurt by this miscellaneous Fabaceae; Mentha , Scutel- remark. Linnaeus could contain himself no laria , Lamiaceae; Cambessedesia , Mel- longer and a couple of days later confronted astomataceae; Beaufortia , Myrtaceae; During 2007 the tercentenary of the birth of Dillenius about the remark. They then Koeleria , miscellaneous Poaceae; Mimulus , Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778), the Swedish proceeded to discuss in detail the Scrophulariaceae; Solanum , Solanaceae. naturalist and 'father' of binomial plant and characteristics of various plants, where The above material was borrowed by the animal nomenclature, will be celebrated. Linnaeus proved to Dillenius all his following institutions: ABRN; ANK; BKL; Because Linnaeus enabled worldwide descriptions of a range of plants in Genera E; K; MA; PERTH; PTIS; UEC; UPOS and dialogue about different plants to be made Plantarum were correct. [Dillenius had been WLU. Our thanks again go to Dr. Bruno with ease after the publication of his Species sent a pre-publication copy of Genera Ryves for identifying many previously Plantarum in 1753, there will be inter- Plantarum.] Dillenius was very impressed unnamed grasses from the Fielding national celebrations on a Linnaean theme. and the two botanists became the best of Herbarium. We were delighted to find that Linnaeus has particular significance for us friends. Dillenius was reported to be in some of these specimens turned out to be in Oxford University Herbaria, as he visited tears when Linnaeus left after a week in types, for instance some of the specimens Johan Jacob Dillenius (1684-1747), the first Oxford. They corresponded for the rest of collected by Richard Spruce in Brazil. We Sherardian Professor of Botany at the their lives and exchanged dried plants and are also grateful to Dr. Tom Cope for Oxford Botanic Garden in 1736. seeds. This is how the Sherardian facilitating the loan of Poaceae at Kew and Dillenius, originally from Germany, was a Herbarium came to possess about 25 returning the material. A number of great friend and colleague of William specimens collected by Linnaeus, mostly 'internet' loans of digital images of Sherard, a wealthy botanist and traveller, from Lapland, also a couple of plants from specimens were also processed, mainly of who bequeathed his herbarium and library Götland. Many of the specimens Linnaeus sheets from the historic herbaria of Johan to Oxford on his death in 1728. Dillenius sent to Dillenius had been cited in his Flora Jacob Dillenius and John Sibthorp which are was invited by Sherard to move to London Lapponica (1737). Linnaeus continued to not normally permitted to be sent on loan in 1721 where he then worked for Sherard correspond with Humphrey Sibthorp, the through conventional means. on his extensive herbarium collections. second Sherardian Professor of Botany, A number of specimens were added to the William Sherard endowed the chair of after the death of Dillenius. Druce Herbarium, firstly a donation from Botany at Oxford, on condition that Dillenius sent Linnaeus copies of his own Mr. John Killick which consisted of Dillenius would be its first incumbent. publications, the Hortus Elthamensis (1732) miscellaneous species collected by himself Dillenius took up the post in 1734 once and the Historia Muscorum (1741), which in Oxfordshire and Berkshire while Sherard's will was sorted out. Two years Linnaeus cites frequently in his Species compiling the Flora of Oxfordshire later, Linnaeus travelled to England at the Plantarum (1753). Linnaeus also cites published in 1998. Voucher specimens instigation of his patron and benefactor plants from Plantarum Historiae Univer- from research work by Dr. Angela Hay of George Clifford. After visiting Sir Hans salis Oxoniensis, the work of Robert the Department of Plant Sciences were also Sloane in London and Philip Miller at the Morison (the first Oxford Professor of incorporated into the Druce collection. In Apothecaries' Garden at Chelsea, Linnaeus Botany) in Species Plantarum, and it is addition we were very pleased to receive a made his way to the Oxford Botanic implied in the preface that Linnaeus donation of one volume of William Baxter's Garden. Linnaeus could not speak any consulted the herbaria of Sherard and "Stirpes Cryptogamae Oxoniensis " Fascic- English and Dillenius could not speak Bobart at Oxford. I am sure we will ulus II [Dried specimens of Cryptogamous Swedish, so perhaps not surprisingly, the discover more about the collections and Plants collected in the vicinity of Oxford] first meeting of the two botanists did not go links with Linnaeus during the coming year. 1828. William Baxter (1787-1871), botanist well! They did not share a common and gardener, was appointed Head gardener language, but Linnaeus was able to work out Serena Marner at the Oxford Botanic Garden in 1813 and

Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford 13

remained working there until his retirement ‘Woody Plants of Western African Forests: backlog is down to two or three small from the active management of the gardens a guide to the forest trees, shrubs and lianes bundles and there will be a significant in 1857. OXF houses the sister volumes to from Senegal to Ghana ’ by William amount of newly-collected material ready this collection. Hawthorne and Carel Jongkind. for incorporation during 2007. The We were pleased to welcome visitors to the collection is easy to access and use and collections during 2006 from as far afield as ‘Plant Identification: creating user-friendly there is some working space – not as much Canberra & Sydney, Australia, Ceará & field guides for biodiversity management ’ as we would like - but a great improvement Feira de Santana, Brazil, Yucatán, Mexico, by Anna Lawrence and William Hawthorne. on what we had before the refurbishment. Katmandu, Nepal, Islamabad, Pakistan, I have overseen the transition from the Washington & Wisconsin, USA, as well as ‘Photoguide for the Forest Trees of Ghana: original Oxford Forest Herbarium under Dr. many people from the UK. David Elliott a tree-spotter’s field guide for identifying Frank White (African forest flora, from South Carolina who is making a the largest trees ’ by William Hawthorne & Meliaceae and Ebenaceae) and its associated documentary film about the naturalist Mark Ntim Gyakari satellite groups of Dr. Brian Styles Catesby, made a visit particularly to see the (Meliaceae, woody legumes of Central plant specimens collected by Mark Catesby ‘A checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mt. America and forest genetics) and Dr. David in the 1720's which are held in the Mulanje, Malawi ’ by Alison Strugnell based Mabberley (S.E. Asian and Pacific Sherardian Herbarium. He is the producer of on the Mt. Mulanje specimens held in the Meliaceae and Verbenaceae) to a modern- a film entitled " The Curious Mister collection as well as the expertise of the looking herbarium fit for its purpose in the Catesby " which is sponsored by the Catesby previous curator, Dr. Frank White. 21 st Century. During this time there has Commemorative Trust, a non-profit organ- been a swing away from its original African ization based in Kiawah Island, South It has also been a year of change as far as and forestry-based focus to the current Carolina. (http://www.catesbytrust.org/ ). It the research projects based on the herbarium general plant systematics focus with more was also a great pleasure to welcome a are concerned. The Strobilanthes (Acan- emphasis on South and Central America, descendant of Jacob Bobart and to show him thaceae) revision under the auspices of Dr. although the woody flora is still a major the Bobartian collections. 18 members of Robert Scotland is moving into its final research interest together with specific the Clifton Garden Society plus Friends of stages under the guidance and work of Dr. groups – at present Acanthaceae and the Bristol Botanic Gardens came on a John Wood. Several taxonomic papers have Fabaceae. This reflects the interests of the group visit on 8 June and were given a tour already been produced and others are in the current people working in our area rather of the herbaria and shown associated pipeline. This has enabled much of the large than a deliberate decision to change botanical art. They were introduced by Anne amount of herbarium material we have on direction. We also have much more Hancock who has a particular interest in the loan for this project to be returned. This in interaction with the other disciplines in the collections of Robert Morison (see OPS 13 : turn has created much-needed space for new department and other parts of the 14-15). In December a group of students loans for our new graduate student, Tiina University, as well as being of more interest studying for a Diploma in Environmental Sarkinen, who is commencing studies on the to people working in other herbaria. Conservation from the Department of taxonomy of Amicia (Fabaceae). My time in Oxford has coincided with the Continuing Education, University of Legume specimens collected by Marcelo origin of the Plant Sciences Department, Oxford, were shown the collections and Simon in Brazil, mainly Mimosa , have come formed by the amalgamation of the Botany, their uses explained. Members of the into FHO for mounting and incorporation. Forestry and Agriculture Departments in the Bobart Group of the Friends of Oxford Strobilanthes specimens collected by Drs. academic year of 1985-1986. The Daubeny Botanic Garden also visited to see various Mark Carine and Robert Scotland in India Herbarium (originally the Forest Herbarium displays of historic material and botanical and Sri Lanka, Dr. Jonathan Bennett in Java, Oxford, the acronym FHO is still retained) art. Dr. John Wood in Bhutan and collections was the focus of the Forest Systematics December saw the publication of Flora from Myanmar have been incorporated group in the Forestry Department in order to Zambesiaca Proteaceae account, including along with Hemigraphis from the Philip- provide a scientific basis to forestry – an account of the genus Faurea by Serena pines collected by Dr. Elizabeth Moylan. detailed species descriptions, forest flora Marner (see Publications 2006, page 6). A In the mounting pipeline is a final swathe accounts, monographic work on important new project has now begun scanning and of specimens collected by Dr. William wood-producing families such as the databasing images of slides of British plants Hawthorne and colleagues for their book Meliaceae, Ebenaceae and Pinaceae. It now with the plan of incorporating these images entitled ‘ Caribbean Spice Island Plants: functions alongside OXF, the former Botany into the Virtual Filed Herbarium in due trees, shrubs and climbers of Grenada ’ and Department Herbarium, under the umbrella course. (http://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/vfh/ ) specimens collected in Sierra Leone by Dr. title of the Oxford University Herbaria, with The slides of British species of plants have William Hawthorne. All these will be full integration of people and facilities. been photographed over many years by Mr. databased and photographed before So what of the future? For myself there Don Park of the Worthing Natural History incorporation. will be a major life-style change but with Society. He has kindly given permission for The big change for FHO will come in 2007 intensions of keeping my botanical interests us to borrow them for scanning and to use as I shall be retiring at the end of 2006 after going, with the possibility of further the images for the Virtual Field Herbarium. almost 21 years in the department: firstly in involvement on the Mt. Mulanje flora and the post of Curatorial Assistant to Frank ancient woodland surveys in England as Serena Marner White in FHO, and then as Collections well as spending more time on hands-on Manager for FHO (curating the collection, gardening (vegetables and flowers) and processing incoming and outgoing loans and visiting other countries. For FHO the future Daubeny (FHO) working on the Mt. Mulanje flora). It is is looking optimistic under the curatorship somewhat gratifying that I am able to leave of Dr. Stephen Harris, with current research This year has been one of consolidation FHO in a good state ready to underpin the and new developments in the pipeline. where the re-arranged space, databasing and initiatives planned for the future. After Although the work of curating a collection photographic processes have become part of years of contraction from space elsewhere in is never finished, I am satisfied I can leave the herbarium routine. It has also seen the the department and working through the this one in a state that will be of use for culmination of several years’ work in previously-accumulated backlog, we are future research developments. substantial publications (see pages 6-9): now at a stage where we have managed to accommodate everything in one place, the Alison Strugnell

14 Oxford Plant Systematics OPS 14 April 2007

the spermatopytes of Mt Mulanje, Scripta botanical sites were strengthened with a new BRAHMS 2006 Botanica Belgica Vol 34, Alison Strugnell; dedicated internet links toolbar. A Checklist of Gabonese vascular plants,

Scripta Botanica Belgica Vol 35; A Version 6 development Botanical Research And Herbarium Monograph of Cupressaceae and The upgrade to Version 6 commenced in Management System Sciadopitys, Aljos Farjon, Kew; and A September. This new system, scheduled for

Checklist of the Plants of Pulong Tau early May 2007, includes installation, data Training courses National Park, Sarawak, Kit Pearce & structure and interface enhancements. During 2006, training courses were held in Angelia Muri. Amongst these are the ability to link and Bolivia, Brazil, Malaysia and Puerto Rico. view PDF files, a much simplified RDE to The Bolivian course funded by the Darwin System development BRAHMS procedure, the ability to track all Initiative and organized by John Wood was Three system upgrades were published on editing changes in any file, a living held in Cochabamba with attendants also www.brahmsonline.com during 2006, the collections module, XML export functions, from La Paz, Santa Cruz and Sucre. The last in August. The principal changes improved custom lookups, context sensitive Malaysian course, held at the Forestry concerned improvements to mapping, image help and a new approach to system Research Institute of Malaysia in Kepong management, the handling of nomenclature configuration allowing network users to catered for 40 students from the Malay and internet links. Map production based on create and edit their own profile. BRAHMS Peninsula, Sabah, Sarawak, Singapore and ArcView or DIVA GIS was streamlined, 6 brings all collector, detby and taxon two botanists from Beijing. This course, minimising the steps to create good species authority names into a single ‘people’ organized by Saw Leng Guan and Richard distribution maps. DIVA also includes resource file. All specimens (included Chung, was funded by the Flora of options to calculate and map species associated collection data) are now stored in Peninsular Malaysia project. Eight courses diversity. Mapping exercises were added to a single ‘specimens’ file and determination were held in Brazil, most of these organized the BRAHMS help file. Image storage was histories have a separate file storing a and run by Mike Hopkins. A further course also targeted during 2006 with functions to greater level of detail. Another key change was given at the MAPR herbarium link images to any RDE file. Images of is the more central role played by the Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, in November – labels have proved very useful for specimen literature module, now incorporated into all funded by the International Institute of data entry and verification. A hierarchical databases by default and used to manage Tropical Forestry and coordinated by tree view to display taxa was implemented. and configure all taxon protologue citations. Jeanine Velez Gavilan. Harvey Ballard from Aside from giving a snapshot view of the BRAHMS online databases can now be Ohio University, USA completed a week of taxon content of any relevant file, the tree published and configured directly from BRAHMS training in Oxford. view can be used to navigate to records. BRAHMS 6. BRAHMS online has been

Editing species synonymy was simplified by moved to SQL Server Express. Publications adding new toolbar options to add and Publications derived from BRAHMS remove synonym links. Internet links to key Denis Filer databases during 2006 include A checklist of

A typical BRAHMS data screen with column and tagged record highlighting in use. The tree view control in the right pane provides a

summary of the taxon content of the current file and can be used to locate and filter records. The internet toolbar, docked right, provides

handy links to a selection of botanical websites.

Typesetting and layout of this issue of OPS by Serena Marner

Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford 15

Aesculus hippocastanum

Painted b y Rosemary Wise

See article "Every Picture Tells a Story" on pages 10-11. Rosemary Wise's work is currently on exhibition at Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PW until 29 th June 2007.

Oxford Plant Systematics printed by Parchments of Oxford

Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, U.K. Tel. (01865) 275000 Fax.(01865) 275074