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Department of Botany and the U.S. National Herbarium The 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 of in German, French and British garden -odor pump, which in turn stimu- , the of journals in 1893-1895. Since the 1920s, the lates the well-ventilated mites to leave turn on a African violet has been horticulturally the nostrils, rapidly travel down the long H improved into thousands of beak, consume nectar and pollen, and “guiding light” for the plant’s hermit 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 , 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 . As bright as light symmetrical) mutant of 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 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 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 ( Columnea purpurata uses the bird one of the remarkable syndromes that radicans), candy corn plant ( Aglaiocercus coelestis, while the same have evolved for the perpetuation of the wettsteinii), red bugle mite uses Columnea florida (the . This family is the research (), and flame violet plant with “guiding light” leaves). To focus of Laurence E. Skog, curator in the ( 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, 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). , 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. exhibit by A family of approximately 140 genera and Colombia are not only the center of distribution of the subfamily Sants. The grow from aerial and 2900 species, the gesneriads are ant-nests and possess extrafloral firmly rooted in the collective mind of the , 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 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 . 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 (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 () (10/30-11/3). Co-Editors Rebecca Yahr, Barcelona, Spain; 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

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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 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. Since the 1800s the great necessary for managing the earth’s environments. The natural history museums and botanical gardens of the current explosive rise of bioinformatics will finally allow world have sent explorers around the globe on scien- biological data on the distribution and diversity of tific missions to discover and document the wonders of organisms resulting from the study of museum collec- the biological world. Sometimes these scientific tions to be used in effective ways for monitoring W. voyages of discovery also had direct economic environmental change and identifying centers of biotic John benefits, as exemplified in the spice wars and the diversity. As a result governments as well as NGOs, horticultural obsession of the Victorian Age when plant who are dependent on these data, will be able to make Kress products of great monetary value, such as orchids, responsible decisions with a new confidence on the were brought back to Europe from Asia and South conservation of species and habitats. America. Today the results of our taxonomic research Plant systematists are ready and willing to make are more in demand for practical applications to society available the results of their scientific studies for the and economies than ever before. For example, not a purpose of understanding and conserving the environ- week goes by without some reference in national ment. Although they may not choose to engage in the newspapers and magazines to the economics and management activities themselves, they are committed politics of biodiversity prospecting. and dedicated to preserving the entities they study. Systematics can be broadly defined as the study of Systematists at natural history museums and botanical the origin, evolution, diversity, and distribution of life gardens should be recognized and appreciated for their on the planet. It includes not only investigations of the efforts to address today’s societal challenges as well as evolutionary processes that have led to the origin of their contributions to the basic scientific knowledge this diversity, but also the explicit description of biotic about living things. More than ever our research has diversity itself. If we have no understanding of the become fundamental to the conservation of life on the biological entities that make up our present day planet. ecosystems (be they species, genera, families or higher order clades), we cannot hope to understand how they interact with each other nor how they interact and respond to the environment. In today’s world of radical habitat change and environmental degradation, unless we know what are the species that inhabit particular ecosystems we have no hope to successfully manage them in a thoughtful and effective manner.

which included five exhibitions of art and workshop demonstrating botanical Staff Activities photography, numerous slide lectures and illustration using brush and pen with ink. Alice Tangerini attended the first workshops, and field and sketching trips. This meeting attracted GNSI members from international meeting of the Guild of Tangerini was a presenter in two lectures, several European countries and even a Natural Science Illustrators, GNSI “History of the Guild”, along with Elaine member from New Zealand. Portugal 2000, from 30 July - 8 August Hodges (former NMNH Entomology The core meeting was held the first held in the cities of Evora and Lisbon, illustrator) and “Preservation of Scientific week in Evora, a walled city, at the Univer- Portugal. The host of the meeting, Pedro Illustrations in a Natural History Museum sity of Evora. The University, dating from Salgado, a well known ichthyology Environment” with staff NMNH illustra- the fifteenth century, had stone walls over illustrator and instructor, recruited his tors, Mary Parrish and Molly Ryan. In a foot thick and maintained a cool tempera- students to organize the ten day event addition, she took part in a Techniques Continued on page 6

Page 3 species. Kress is studying the variation in Nicolson will now have a whole paragraph Staff morphology of the heliconias and plans to on “Paris Forster Manuscripts” after use genetic markers to determine the “Range” and before “Forster published Research phylogenetic relationships among the texts”. species as well as population structure of The other project involves 301 the plants within and among the islands. lithographed drawings and/or specimens Collaboration with both Temeles and of Araceae distributed by Engler from Robert Faden worked at the Royal Botanic Melendez will provide further insights into 1882-1886. Presumably complete sets of Gardens, Kew for two weeks in August, the origin of this co-evolutionary system. the undistributed labels and drawings, at then spent two weeks in Meise, Belgium least some of the specimens, and possibly attending the 16th Congress of Dan Nicolson spent over two weeks (14 some pickled material have recently been l’Association pour l’Etude Taxonomique Sept. – 2 Oct.) in Berlin, Germany working located at the Berlin Botanical Museum de la Flore d’Afrique Tropicale (AETFAT) mostly on the botany of the 2nd Cook Herbarium. These are of interest to and doing herbarium work at the National Expedition (1772-1775) but also on Engler’s Nicolson because some may actually be Botanic Garden of Belgium (BR). At Kew Araceae Exsiccatae et Illustratae. Most of the first valid publication of new aroids he continued studies of Commelinaceae for the time was spent with Klaus-Georg Popp, published later elsewhere by Engler. They Flora of Tropical East Africa and Flora a humanities scholar at the Berlin- are of interest to Berlin because they have Zambesiaca. An interesting discovery was Brandenburg Academy of Science, now just had a special exhibit on Engler, which that two related, sympatric species of working on the final (6th) volume of the 20- led to the rediscovery of the material. A Commelina in Kenya and Tanzania could volume “Georg Forsters Werke” published paper will be published in Willdenowia as be distinguished by the type of hairs on over the last 40 years. soon as the concerned individuals get the the adaxial surface of the leaf midrib, in The 6th volume will be concerned with actual dates of receipt/distribution of the addition to other characters. Pubescence is George Forster’s work in natural history, sets. notoriously variable within genera in this and Popp has spent the last three years family, so it was very surprising to find transcribing George Forster’s natural Rob Soreng, research associate, collected that vegetative pubescence could distin- history publications as well as, most over 400 grass specimens in the Pacific guish closely related species of importantly for Nicolson, the extensive G. Northwest this summer (4 June - 26 Commelina. Forster manuscripts [a gift of George’s wife August), ranging from 40º 56' N to 71º 21' At the AETFAT Congress, Faden gave to the Representatives of the People of N, Humboldt Co., California to Pt. Barrow, a talk entitled: “Towards a Monograph of France in 1794] now in the Central Library Alaska. In Alaska he annotated 1.5 African Commelina (Commelinaceae): a of the Museum of Natural History in Paris. herbarium cases worth of Poa for ALA, Multifaceted Approach.” In the BR As reported by Nicolson: “Although and collected from the Kenai Peninsula herbarium he concentrated on doing a Popp already had generously supplied me north to Prudhoe Bay and Pt. Barrow. preliminary sorting of the enormous with his transcriptions of the botanical Twenty-seven species and 8 infraspecific number of Commelinaceae collections from manuscripts, I felt it was important that I taxa of Poa were collected along with the former Belgian Congo (now the also study the original [prints made from some 250 leaf samples of those on silica Democratic Republic of the Congo) and microfilms] manuscripts. He was delighted gel for DNA extraction. Alaskan mosqui- other parts of Africa that are housed in to have someone who knew the plants and toes were generally very numerous and this institution. He also visited the could comment on the significance of the very hungry, but fortunately they are greenhouses and updated the naming of various botanical manuscripts.” large, slow, and their bites do not itch for the cultivated Commelinaceae. Nicolson now had a first-hand under- long. standing of the amount of botany, if not John Kress conducted fieldwork in June mineralogy, anthropology, and zoology, Dieter Wasshausen visited Bolivia on 25 on St. Lucia and St. Vincent in the Lesser that was done during the voyage and July - 11 August, to make collections and Antilles in collaboration with Ethan access to the Academy’s already pub- observations in the Parque Nacional Noel Temeles of Amherst College and Elvia lished extensive correspondence. Surpris- Kempff Mercado near the Brazilian Melendez-Ackerman of the University of ingly, botanists have been fed a false line frontier. The highlight of the trip was Puerto Rico. Temeles has discovered an rooted in a controversy with the Admiralty, collecting on the Meseta de Caparus, interesting sexual dimorphism in the William Wales, resonated by J. E. Smith, which is the area that Colonel Fawcett Purple-throated Carib hummingbird, which and magnified by E. D. Merrill, that the discovered in 1910 and his novelist friend is the main pollinator of Heliconia Forsters (father and son) knew and did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle launched to fame caribaea and H. bihai, indigenous to this nothing but copy everything from the with his book “The Lost World”. Vegeta- region. The male hummingbirds with short Banks & Solander manuscripts of the 1st tion here was truly unique for Bolivia, bills primarily defend territories around Cook Expedition, and not even do that similar to that encountered on earlier plants of the former species of Heliconia very well. The immediate result is that collecting trips to the Planalto of , while females with long curved bills trap- instead of having a comment at the end of mostly cerrado and some gallery line between individuals of the latter “Remarks” about Forster manuscripts, species.

Page 4 this original population, found another one whitish corolla) have chlorophyll, is it Staff Recognition nearby. Leslie Brothers and Jaques hemiparasitic on beech or hemisaprophytic pruskii Hind (Compositae: Cayouette took numerous pictures and on leaf litter in beech woods? In his Mutisieae), a new species of tree from Alice Tangerini collected fresh material for species description Fernald only says, Bahia, Brazil, was published recently in vouchers and illustration. “the lower leaves scale-like.” Radford et al. Kew Bulletin 55: 381-386. 2000. The plant The request for material resulted not only say “Lower leaves bractlike.” Holm was dedicated by Nicholas Hind of the only in fresh material but two interesting indicates that the plant provides its own Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to “John botanical questions posed by Nicolson. starch and “is neither parasitic nor Pruski of the Botany Department, The first Obolaria imponderable: what is saprophytic.” However, when discussing Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, the difference between a leaf, a , and a its root system Holm noted anomalies: no a fellow synantherologist and collabora- calyx? Fernald’s 8th edition of Gray’s root-hairs but elongated epidermal cells tor.” Pruski has named four new species of Manual of Botany (1950) gives us a rea- that “reminds us of Saprophytes” and “the Mutisieae and also revised a related group sonably persuasive analysis: “leaves…op- bark-cells will be found to be filled with of Mutisieae occurring north of the posite”, “calyx of 2 spatulate… glomerules of fungal hyphae, showing that Amazon River in a paper entitled “The resembling the leaves.” However, Radford the root has become a mycorhiza.” Mutisieae of the Lost World of Brazil, et al.’s Manual of the vascular flora of For inexplicable reasons Holm says Colombia, and Guyana” (Bol. Museu Carolinas (1964-68) says “…upper that it “grows in soil poor in humus, and in Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Sér. Botânica 7: [leaves] foliaceous…each flower sub- localities which are neither shaded nor 335-392. 1991). tended by 2 foliaceous …(usually very moist.” Because of this he seems to referred to as calyx). Calyx absent.” Holm conclude that the plant is an autophyte. presents convincing evidence that the final However, our plants grow in moist, well- Obolaria: A Study two foliaceous structures are in the shaded and deep humus. They look like position of sepals, not bracts, with the hemi-saprophytes with some chlorophyll in Imponderables other 2 lobes lost in evolution. enabling them to do some photosynthesis By D.H. Nicolson The second imponderable: given that and mycorrhizae that allow them to take up Obolaria (O. virginica L.) is a unispe- Obolaria’s aerial parts (other than the nutrients from decomposing humus. cific genus native to eastern North America and a spring-flowering member of a group of reportedly saprophytic genera of the Gentianaceae. It is called pennywort, a name resonating with its generic name suggesting a similarity of the leaves to a penny, an oblolos being a low denomina- tion coin of the ancient Greeks. According to Holm (Ann. Bot. London, 11:369-383. 1897) the generic name Obolaria was first given by Siegesbeck (1686-1755) to a plant that Linnaeus decided to name for himself, Linnaea borealis. Being of thrifty stock, Linnaeus recycled Siegesbeck’s name for our plant. Recently, one-time research trainee, now botany graduate student Jason Grant asked for assistance in collecting fresh material for a DNA study of relationships in and around the Gentianaceae. Stan Shetler and Dan Nicolson remembered seeing Obolaria while on a field trip with Kitty Parker along Turkey Run in the 1960s. Nicolson, with Gary Krupnick, went out on 20 April 2000 and walked up Turkey Run without success. On the way back, while looking at old beechdrops, Krupnick spotted it a foot away. Once spotted they saw at least 10 more plants. The following Monday a group from the Department returned, and in addition to

Page 5 The Conservation Column Skog Continued from page 1 By Gary A. Krupnick locations, all in central Florida. In 1995, perennis attracts male Eulaena meriana flattened and denuded the bees which collect aromatic compounds Current research in conservation dunes on Santa Rosa Island, reducing the thought to play a role in their courtship, a biology within the Department is coming C. perforata community by seventy perfect case of andro-euglossophily. from an unlikely source as of lately. Paula percent. Current research by DePriest and Numerous other instances are known of DePriest and her graduate student Yahr focuses on reintroduction of the adaptations for gesneriad pollination by Rebecca Yahr (Duke University) have to its original habitat. Replanting hawkmoths (sphingophily) and other been conducting research on efforts are proving to be astonishingly moths (phalenophily), bats (in Capanea perforata, a federally listed endangered difficult. Molecular research shows that plants) and flies. To top it off, each lichen species. Of the 962 species listed as lineages from the central Florida popula- category of pollinator has its own corre- endangered in the U.S., only two are tions differ sharply with the panhandle sponding preferable flower-shape. lichens. Compared to the 565 flowering population, reducing hope of working with The aforementioned center of plant species, it comes as no surprise that transplants. The survivors of the hurri- gesneriad speciation and distribution, lichens typically do not make headlines. cane, however, are beginning to show Ecuador and its immediate environs, is the Recently, Science News devoted its cover recolonization efforts on areas of exposed subject of collaborative work by Skog and issue to lichen biodiversity (Vol. 158; sand. The research by DePriest and Yahr Lars Peter Kvist of the Royal Veterinary August 2000). has been funded through grants by the and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Cladonia perforata was described in National Science Foundation’s Partner- Denmark. They have jointly published 1952 by lichenologist Alexander Evans ships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy revisions of Ecuador Columnea from a species collected on Santa Rosa (PEET), the US Fish and Wildlife Services (Allertonia, 1993), as well as of neotropical Island off of Florida’s panhandle. Since its and the US Air Force. genera exemplified by Gasteranthus (Syst. description, it has been found in 13 other Bot. Monog. 2000), and . The type genus of the family, , was revised by Skog in 1976. Tangerini Laurence Skog was born in Duluth, Continued from page 3 Minnesota, and received a B.A. from the ture even during the heat of the day. The steep cliffs to see a variety of the mostly University of Minnesota in Duluth (1965); most difficult part of the meeting was the Mediterranean flora of many resinous M.S. degree from the University of mile long walk between the University and . Also visited was an area where Connecticut, Storrs (1968); and Ph.D. as a the hotels on hilly cobblestone streets. dinosaur footprints were visible in the rock student of Harold E. Moore at Cornell Members soon learned to bring large face. The meeting banquet was held in the University, Ithaca, New York (1972). A bottles of water along as the heat was Castle of Sao Jorge at one of the highest former chairman of the Department (1988- extremely dry and the Portuguese food points in Lisbon. The last day she man- 1992), Skog first arrived at the Smithsonian was for the most part, salty. Portuguese aged to find the Jardim Botanico in Lisbon in 1972 as assistant editor with the Flora cuisine was known for its salt cod where the herbaceous plants seemed to North America Program, which resulted in (bacaulao) and shellfish, often served with have suffered from the spring drought. a revised provisional checklist of species pork. Tangerini’s illustrations of The only plant in flower that seemed to for Flora North America, co-edited with Stromanthes and Orchidantha were on have survived well was Justicia Stanwyn G. Shetler (1978) and published display at the GNSI annual members brandegeana L.B. Smith & Wasshausen. by the Missouri Botanical Garden. exhibit in the Palace of Dom Manuel Associate curator from 1973-1986 and known historically as the site where full curator in the United States National Magellan received his orders from the Herbarium since 1992, Skog is in charge of King. One of the field trips was to a castle the largest herbarium collection of New in Monseraz near the border of Spain. World Gesneriaceae in the world, estimated Members feasted on wine, bread and the at 20,000 sheets. Critical field collections of famous Evora sheep’s milk cheese. the plants have been made during his During the second week the meeting research trips to New Zealand, , moved to Lisbon where most of the GNSI Lord Howe Island, Mexico, Puerto Rico, sponsored exhibits could be viewed at Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, local art and natural history museums. A Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, field trip to the Parque Natural da Serra da Honduras, Panama, Venezuela, Chile, Peru, Arrabida featured a botanical walk down Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, and China. In a significant departure from his largely neotropical work, a massive treatment of Chinese gesneriads, covering 442 species, was recently prepared by three Chinese

Page 6 botanists, Laurence Skog and Smithsonian production of the 3,000-title Bibliography Hong Deyuan and R.A. DeFilipps. 2000. research associate Anna L. Weitzman, and of the Gesneriaceae, which Sylvia Stone- Commelinaceae. Pp. 19-39. In: Wu Zhengyi published in 18: 244-401 Orli has coordinated for the Department and P.H. Raven (eds.). Flora of China. Vol. (1998). As director of the Floristics Office website. 24. Beijing, Science Press and St. Louis, in the Department, Skog supervises the The world of Gesneriaceae continues to Missouri Botanical Garden. teamwork of museum specialists Robert offer many challenges to Skog, and he is DeFilipps and Shirley Maina, who are always finding new ones. Currently they Littler, D.S., M.M. Littler and B.L. variously databasing, editing and writing include cladistic analyses of Gasteranthus Brooks. 2000. Checklist of marine algae treatments for the Flora of the Guianas (44 in collaboration with Elizabeth Zimmer and and seagrasses from the ponds of the families), Flora of China (Commelinaceae, other workers; studies of Ecuador Pelican Cays, Belize. Atoll Research Caryophyllaceae partim), and the depart- endemics (with John Clark) and Ecuador Bulletin 474: 151-206. mental Revised Checklist of the Plants of (with Lars Peter Kvist); Myanmar (Burma). molecular marker studies of correlations in Macintyre, I.G., I. Goodbody, K. Reutzler, Hundreds of potted specimens of gesneriad corolla shapes, with Eric D.S. Littler and M.M. Littler. 2000. A gesneriads are growing in the departmental Roalson and Zimmer; a gesneriad checklist general biological and geological survey of greenhouse at the Museum Support for Colombia with Kvist; a treatment of the the rims of ponds in the major mangrove Center, Silver Hill, Maryland. There, one family for Flora of the Guianas with islands of the Pelican Keys, Belize. Atoll finds a remarkable assortment of plants Christian Feuillet; and, a Checklist of Old Research Bulletin 467: 13-44. with different floral and vegetative World Gesneriaceae, as well as a Neotropi- modifications (subterranean organs cal Gesneriaceae Synonymy List, with Nicolson, D.H. 2000. An online biblio- sometimes mark important differences Boggan. New genera and species have graphic database for proposals for between genera). These include specimens been discovered and are coming out of conservation and rejection of botanical awaiting exact identification, such as an these works. And new databases will names. Taxon 49: 549-554. undescribed species of Brazilian incorporate information for treatments in Nematanthus (‘Santa Teresa’); a probably Flora Mesoamericana and Flora Robinson, H. and V.A. Funk. 2000. (1467) unnamed, red-haired Ecuadorian Pearcea; Neotropica. The Skog/Gesneriad connec- Proposal to conserve the name and an undescribed Mexican species, tion seems to be benefiting everyone, just against (). Taxon 49: collected by Dennis Breedlove, having as hummingbirds and euglossine bees 569-570. greenish-white, fimbriate corolla lobes. On benefit the gesneriads. Skog, L.E. and L.P. Kvist. 2000. Revision the benches there is even a specimen of of Gasteranthus (Gesneriaceae). System- Primulina tabacum, a Chinese endemic atic Botany Monographs 59: 1-118. with leaves having the smell of tobacco, Publications recently rediscovered in the wild by a Strong, M.T. and M.S. González-Elizondo. Chinese illustrator who worked with Skog. Faden, R.B. 2000. Commelinaceae. Pp. 116- 2000. Rhynchospora zacualtipanensis and An easy to grow plant with unusual 196. In: Dassanayake, M.D. and W.D. Eleocharis moorei, two new Cyperaceae bullate leaves, which Deborah Bell Clayton (eds.). A Revised Handbook to the from Mexico. Sida 19(1): 115-122. collected in the Cerro de la Neblina, Flora of Ceylon. Vol. 14. A.A. Balkema, Venezuela, named Rotterdam. Takahashi, M., J.W. Nowicke, G.L. pemphidius L.E. Skog (1989), has now Webster, S.S. Orli and S. Yankowski. been introduced into the horticultural Funk, V.A. and N. Morin. 2000. A survey 2000. Pollen morphology, exine structure trade. He is the namesake of Camellia of the herbaria of the southeast United and systematics of skogiana C. X. Ye (1996), and of the States. SIDA, Botanical Miscellany 18: 35- (), Part 3. Tribes Epiprinae endemic Chinese gesneriad Chirita 52. (, Symphyllia, Adenochlaena, skogiana Z.Y. Li (1998). Cleidiocarpon, , Cladogynos, The greenhouse collections also form Grass Phylogeny Working Group (GPWG), Cephalocrotonopsis, Cephalocroton, an important living resource for Skog’s N.P. Barker, L.G. Clark, J.I. Davis, M.R. ), Adelieae. Review of assistant John K. Boggan. In addition to Duvall, G.F. Guala, C. Hsaio, E.A. Kellogg, Palaeobotany and Palynology 110: 1-66. maintaining living research plants in the H.P. Linder, R. Mason-Gamer, S. Mathews, environmental chamber by regulating R.J. Soreng and R. Spangler. 2000. A Wagner, W.L. and D.H. Lorence. 2000. A daylength, light, temperature and humidity, phylogeny of the grass family (Poaceae), reassessment of Cyrtandra kealiae and C. and managing several gesneriad databases as inferred from eight character sets. Pp. 3- limahuliensis (Gesneriaceae). Bishop Mus. of 42,000 specimens as well as photo- 7. In: S.W.L. Jacobs and J. Everett (eds.). Occas. Pap. 63: 17-20. graphing plants, Boggan is a frequent Grasses: Systematics and Evolution: contributor of journal articles and enjoys International Symposium on Grass Wasshausen, D.C. 2000. A new species of creating hybrids in and East Systematics and Evolution (3rd: 1998). Justicia (Acanthaceae) from Venezuela. Asian Chirita; he is past president of the CSIRO, Collingwood, Australia. Novon 10: 260-263. National Capital Area chapter of the American Gloxinia and Gesneriad Society. Boggan collaborated with Skog in the Page 7 Art by Alice Tangerini

Nautilocalyx pemphidius L.E. Skog

Nautilocalyx pemphidius L.E. Skog, Systematic Botany 14(3):281 (1989), is a white- flowered gesneriad confined to the Cerro de la Neblina region of southern Venezuela. The type specimen was col- lected by Deborah Bell. Leaves have an unusual bullate surface, resembling a mat of bubbles.

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