Gesneriads Turn On
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Department of Botany and the U.S. National Herbarium The Plant Press New Series - Vol. 3 - No. 4 October-December 2000 Department Profile Gesneriads Turn on The Guiding Light By Robert DeFilipps existence appeared almost simultaneously respiration creates in the nose a churning igh up in the humid forests of in German, French and British garden flower-odor pump, which in turn stimu- Central America, the leaves of journals in 1893-1895. Since the 1920s, the lates the well-ventilated mites to leave Columnea florida turn on a African violet has been horticulturally the nostrils, rapidly travel down the long H improved into thousands of cultivars beak, consume nectar and pollen, and “guiding light” for the plant’s hermit hummingbird pollinators. When the sun (cultivated varieties). The other universally then quickly run back up the beak (at a shines, a vibrant glow is emitted through recognized plant is the florist’s gloxinia, speed per mite-body weight equivalent twin eyespots of translucent red tissue which originated as a peloric (abnormally to that of a cheetah), in order to enter the near the tip of each leaf. As bright as light symmetrical) mutant of Sinningia safety of the nostril for another hitch- through a stained glass window, it speciosa, from parental stock from near Rio hike to the next flower. For example, the attracts the hovering Phaethornis birds de Janeiro. Due to the often red, orange or mite Tropicoseius colwelli of the to the pale yellow, nectar-bearing corollas yellow flowers of New World gesneriads, a gesneriad host Columnea microcalyx concealed behind the leaves. goodly number of them have become uses the bird carrier Colibri thalassinus; These passive leaf-lenses, which are favorites for hanging baskets, their bright the mite Rhinoseius (a genus confined to also endowed with a deep purple halo of tubular flowers inspiring common names gesneriads) tiptoni of the host plant coloration above the eyespot, are just such as lipstick plant (Aeschynanthus Columnea purpurata uses the bird one of the remarkable syndromes that radicans), candy corn plant (Nematanthus Aglaiocercus coelestis, while the same have evolved for the perpetuation of the wettsteinii), red bugle vine mite species uses Columnea florida (the Gesneriaceae. This family is the research (Aeschynanthus pulcher), and flame violet plant with “guiding light” leaves). To focus of Laurence E. Skog, curator in the (Episcia cupreata). these mites, “high fidelity” is more than a Department. The particular epiphytic Fiery carmine pigments allow the musical term. The bizarre mite-humming- Columnea mentioned above, C. florida massed flowers of an Ecuadorian bird phenomenon also occurs in other from Costa Rica and Panama, was, in fact, Gasteranthus species to be visible in tube-flowered dicots (e.g., acanths, named by Conrad V. Morton (1905-1972), dense vegetation at a distance of 50 scrophs, ericads, rubiads, mints), and the distinguished predecessor of Skog, meters, a brilliant feat of image-consolida- monocots such as Heliconia (R. Colwell, whose interests are centered in the tion to beckon their hummingbird visitors, Nat. Hist. 94(7): 56-63. 1985). taxonomy, systematics and floristics of who operate without a sense of smell. It is therefore a welcome concept that Ecuador ome gesneriads such as neotropical genera. Codonanthe exhibit pollination by A family of approximately 140 genera and Colombia are not only the center of distribution of the subfamily Sants. The plants grow from aerial and 2900 species, the gesneriads are ant-nests and possess extrafloral firmly rooted in the collective mind of the Gesnerioideae, but also constitute the center of distribution for the neotropical nectaries on the undersides of the leaves general public because of two famous for the ants to nibble on. Curiously, plants. The African violet, Saintpaulia hummingbird family Trochilideae. Intimate associations are known seeds of the plant have an elaiosome (oil ionantha, is native to coastal Tanzania, body) and they resemble ant-eggs; the and was named by Hermann Wendland in between the hummingbirds and tiny, blind flower mites that reside in gesneriad ants carry them back to their nest where honor of A.E.R.L. von Saint Paul-Illaire, they germinate. The finely tuned act of colonial governor of Usambara Province flowers, and are transported between flowers in the birds’ nostrils (nasal pollination is facilitated in various other in Tanganyika, German East Africa. Saint gesneriads by euglossine bees. A purple Paul discovered the plant and collected cavities). The hummingbirds sip the nectar during pollination, and their heavy perfume spot in the pouch of Gloxinia seeds in 1892, after which news of its Continued on page 6 Travel John Boggan (7/5 – 7/9) traveled to to St. Louis, Missouri to present a seminar Chihuahua and Durango, Mexico to collect Tampa, Florida to give a lecture to the and discuss a “Center for Conservation” at grasses. American Gloxinia and Gesneriad Society the Missouri Botanical Garden. Walter Adey (8/6 - 8/20) traveled to (AGGS) and attend the AGGS Board of Alice Tangerini (7/29 – 8/9) traveled to Quebec, Canada to analyze algal flora and Directors meeting. Lisbon and Elvora, Portugal to attend community structure of the core of the Leslie Brothers (7/5 – 7/9) traveled to workshops on botanical illustration at the North Atlantic Subarctic, to verify quanti- Tampa, Florida to gather information and Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI) tative biogeographic models. discuss growing techniques at the 44th meetings. Pedro Acevedo (8/12 – 9/24) traveled to Annual Meeting of the American Gloxinia Linda Prince (8/4 – 8/21) traveled to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to and Gesneriad Society. Portland, Oregon to attend the Botany collect in St. Thomas, St. Croix, Tortola, Maria Faust (7/15-7/19) traveled to San 2000 Conference, and in Portland (8/6-8/10) Virgin Gorda and Culebra Island. Diego, California to present a paper also attended the Botanical Society of Barrett Brooks (8/24 – 8/31) traveled entitled “Biodiversity of Planktonic Dino- America meetings to present her research to Fort Pierce, Florida to continue ongoing flagellates Species in Mangrove Ponds, (with John Kress) entitled “Phylogenetic research. Pelican Cays, Belize” at the 54th Annual Relationships Among Genera of the Prayer Warren Wagner (9/3 – 9/11) traveled Meeting of the Phycological Society of Plant Family (Marantaceae) Based Upon to Pruhonice, Czech Republic to attend a America. Chloroplast DNA Sequence Data.” She Species Plantarum Committee meeting, and Michael Bordelon (7/26 – 7/30) traveled also presented a poster entitled: “Addi- (10/14) to the Missouri Botanical Garden to New Orleans, Louisiana to attend the tional Evidence of Monophyly, Paraphyly, Systematics Symposium. conference of the Heliconia Society and Polyphyly in Genera of Theaceae.” Dan Nicolson (9/14 – 10/2) traveled to International. Paul Peterson (8/5 – 8/9) traveled to Berlin, Germany to collaborate with Dr. John Kress (7/26 – 7/30) traveled to Portland, Oregon to attend the Botany K.G. Popp and Prof. H.W. Lack on the New Orleans, Louisiana to attend the Heli- 2000 Conference and present a paper, and “Cook Expedition” and “Engler’s conia Society Conference, and (9/6 – 9/7) (9/15 – 11/1) to San Diego, California and Araceae.” Visitors The Plant Press New Series - Vol. 3 - No. 4 Ricarda Riina, Caracas, Venezuela; Plants John R.I. Wood, Royal Botanic Gardens, of Venezuela (6/5-12/15). Kew (K); Bolivian Acanthaceae (10/28 – Chairman, Department of Botany 10/18). W. John Kress Miguel Nino, Caracas, Venezuela; Mono- ([email protected]) cots of “Flora de Guaramacal”, Venezuela Marcus V. Alves, Universidade de Sao (8/2-9/20). Paulo (SPF); Hypolytrum, Mapania EDITORIAL STAFF (Cyperaceae) (10/30-11/3). Co-Editors Rebecca Yahr, Barcelona, Spain; Lichens Gary Krupnick (8/28-9/8). Andre Amorim, Universidade de Sao ([email protected]) Paulo (SPF); Heteropterys (Malpighiaceae) Robert DeFilipps Liao Jing-ping, South China Institute of (10/30-11/3). ([email protected]) Botany, Guangzhou (IBSC); Palynology of Circulation Manager Zingiberales (10/10-4/1). Ana Maria Suarez Alfonso, Universidad Shirley Maina de La Habana, Cuba; Cuban macroalgae ([email protected]) Barbara & David Brose, Schiele Museum, (11/1-11/21). Gaston Co., North Carolina; Wilkes News Contacts Expedition specimens (10/26-10/27). Amanda Boone, Robert Faden, Ellen Farr, George Russell, Alice Tangerini, and Elizabeth Zimmer The Plant Press is a quarterly publication provided free of charge. If you would like to be added to the mailing list, contact Shirley Maina at: Department of Botany, MRC-166, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560-0166, or by e-mail: [email protected]. Web site: http://www.mnh.si.edu/botany Page 2 Taxonomic Research in the Century of the Environment Chair nswers to the fundamental research questions It has been pointed out that museums are a unique, at the heart of modern plant systematics have and perhaps threatened, research environment them- Adirect applications to understanding and even selves. With their extensive and outstanding holdings solving some of the most critical environmental crises of biological collections, clearly they are the best venue With of today’s world. What are the Earth’s species? How for investigating and describing the diversity of life. are they related to each other and how are they Curiously universities have begun to divest their distributed geographically? How have species biological collections and programs in systematics just A evolved? And how can we best translate the tree of life when the value of these activities is once again on the into a useful and predictive classification of taxa? Never rise. The responsibility, therefore, falls on the world’s before have the results of natural history science been museums and botanical gardens to vigorously pursue more applicable to the needs of society than in the first taxonomic activities in order to provide the data View decades of the new century.