Department of Botany & the U.S. National Herbarium The Plant Press New Series - Vol. 18 - No. 2 April-June 2015 Collections Spotlight Doing the Pteridophyte Shuffle Extensive Curation Precedes Rapid Imaging By Eric Schuettpelz ith well over a quarter-million among these was a wholesale update to the the pteridophyte collection to serve as specimens, the United States higher-level taxonomic sequence. The past “swing space” during reorganization, W(US) pteridophyte herbarium two decades have witnessed incredible which will also allow for much needed is the largest collection of ferns and lyco- advances in our understanding of the fern decompression of the collection. The phytes in the United States (Moran 2001, tree of life, thanks largely to phylogenetic implementation of the new system was Brittonia 53: 435–436), almost certainly analyses of molecular data but also to spearheaded by Spencer Goyette, Greg the most substantial in the Americas, and careful reconsiderations of morphology. McKee, and Mike Tornabene, with the among the most significant in the world. This has resulted in new circumscrip- assistance of Amanda Grusz, Erin Sigel, Thanks to funding and in-kind support tions of pteridophyte families and genera, and Meghann Toner in carrying out some from the Smithsonian Office of the Chief many of which differ substantially from of the larger moves. Information Officer, the Smithsonian earlier schemes. Reorganizing the pteri- Beyond the wholesale reorganization Digitization Program Office, the Collec- dophyte herbarium to reflect our current of the collection at the family and genus tions Program of the National Museum of understanding of evolutionary relation- levels, we have also been working to Natural History, and the Department of ships makes it more accessible to users consistently apply our regional divisions Botany, a high-resolution image of every and improves our ability to accommodate within each genus. Furthermore, we have specimen in the US pteridophyte her- future changes. been checking to ensure that all speci- barium will soon be captured. Eventually, Referring to the available literature, mens are stored in species folders and these images will be made accessible and beginning with the widely-accepted that species are organized alphabetically to all via the internet (http://collections. classification of Smith et al. (2006,Taxon within each region. mnh.si.edu/search/botany/). A future 55: 705-731), a new phylogenetically- issue of The Plant Press will highlight driven sequence was developed for hen imaging of the pterido- the imaging system (which should be pteridophyte families and genera. Execut- phyte herbarium begins later able to handle upwards of 6,000 speci- ing this system meant the combination of Wthis year, a record will be mens per day) and the process (which is some families and genera and the division created for every specimen in our EMu being overseen by Sylvia Orli). Here, I of others. As an example, four previously (Electronic Museum) collections man- outline the extensive preparations that recognized families were combined to agement system. Initially, each record have been—and continue to be—made in yield the current Pteridaceae, while the will only be populated with the image, anticipation of this considerable under- former Dennstaedtiaceae was divided the specimen barcode, and the name taking. into four families in the new system. currently applied to the specimen. The Thanks to more than a century of con- Although a few groups escaped unscathed, assignment of names will ultimately be tinuous curation by William Maxon, Con- in most cases reorganization has been a automated, but requires a considerable rad Morton, David Lellinger, and Greg species-by-species process. Often, the amount of up front preparation. Spencer McKee, the US pteridophyte herbarium requisite moves were not “local” and thus Goyette and Mike Tornabene have been was in excellent shape at the onset of this logistically challenging, with large taxa assembling a comprehensive list for the endeavor. All the same, there were many frequently needing to be relocated to new collection and Chris Tuccinardi has been aspects of both physical and intellectual (but already occupied) positions several importing names into the EMu system. curation to be carried out in preparation aisles away. Fortunately, we were able to From there, species folder barcodes (to for imaging. Perhaps most significant identify 33 herbarium cases adjacent to be read prior to the specimen barcodes as Continued on page 10 Travel Laurence Dorr traveled to Philadel- meeting of the Council on Library and Warren Wagner traveled to Kauai, phia, Pennsylvania (1/13) to participate Information Resources and to present Hawaii (3/20 – 4/4) to attend the board in a doctoral thesis defense at Drexel at the symposium, “Grinnell to GUIDs: meeting and science committee of the University and to use the herbarium of the Connecting Natural Science Archives and National Tropical Botanical Garden, and Academy of Natural Sciences. Specimens.” to conduct research on the Flora of the Ashley Egan traveled to Pocatello, Laurence Skog traveled to Sarasota, Marquesas Islands. Idaho (2/9 – 2/13) to visit the Ray J. Davis Florida (2/23 – 3/1) to work in the herbar- Mohammad Vatanparast traveled to Herbarium (IDS) at the Idaho Museum of ium at the Marie Selby Botanical Garden. Belo Horizonte, Brazil (2/16 – 3/1) to col- Natural History, Idaho State University. Alain Touwaide and Emanuela lect legumes from the savanna biome. W. John Kress traveled to New York Appetiti traveled to Athens, Greece Elizabeth Zimmer traveled to City, New York (1/15 – 1/17) to attend (12/15 – 1/15), where they participated in Chicago, Illinois (1/7 – 1/8) to attend an the American Psychoanalytic Conference the Dacalbo Project on Greek alchemy at editors meeting for the journal Molecular where he delivered a paper in a sympo- the National Hellenic Research Founda- Phylogenetics and Evolution. sium about the Anthropocene; to Panama tion and analyzed Greek botanico-medical City, Panama (1/21 – 1/24) to participate manuscripts at the National Library of in meetings about conservation science; Greece. Touwaide delivered three pub- to San Jose, Costa Rica (3/5 – 3/10) to lic lectures on the history of Greek and attend committee meetings of the Organi- Arabic science with a particular focus on zation for Tropical Studies; and to Panama botany: at the National Hellenic Research City, Panama (3/22 – 3/27) to take part Foundation (01/08), at the department of in research meetings and tour the facili- Arabic studies of the University of Athens ties at the Smithsonian Tropical Research (01/09), and at the Akadimia of Ancient Institute. Greek & Traditional Chinese Medicine Rusty Russell traveled to Philadelphia, (01/10). Pennsylvania (3/12 – 3/14) to attend a The Plant Press Visitors New Series - Vol. 18 - No. 2 Ning Zhang, Pennsylvania State Univer- Rafael de Almeida, Universidade Estad- Chair of Botany sity; Vitaceae (1/7/13-6/30/15). ual de Feira de Santana, Brazil; Malpighi- Warren L. Wagner aceae (1/13-2/13). ([email protected]) Yongli Fan, Xishuangbana Tropical Botanical Garden, China; Pollination stud- Dave Gammon, and 12 students, Elon EDITORIAL STAFF ies (1/13/14-1/12/15). University; Plant conservation and her- barium tour (1/15). Editor Eduardo Pasini, Universidade Federal Gary Krupnick do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Compositae Genise Freire, Universidade Federal ([email protected]) (8/18/14-4/30/15). Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Sapin- daceae (1/26-2/26). Copy Editors Carolina Diller, University of Maryland, Robin Everly, Bernadette Gibbons, and College Park; Angiosperm pollination Benjamin Carter, Duke Universtiy; Rose Gulledge (9/2/14-1/31/15). Bryophytes (1/27-1/28). News Contacts Craig Costion, University of Adelaide, Joe Miller, National Science Foundation; MaryAnn Apicelli, Rusty Russell, Alice Australia; DNA barcoding (11/3/14- Fabaceae (1/27-1/28). Tangerini, and Elizabeth Zimmer 10/31/15). The Plant Press is a quarterly publication pro- Yeni Rahayu, Bogor Agricultural Uni- vided free of charge. To receive notification of Yuejiao Shan, Wheaton, Maryland; Col- versity, Indonesia; Sumatran Tetrastigma when new pdf issues are posted to the web, please subscribe to the listserve by sending a message lection management internship (1/5-2/27). (Vitaceae) (2/2-4/17). to [email protected] containing only the following in the body of the text: SUBSCRIBE Carolina Moriani Siniscalchi, Universi- Liang Zhao, Northwest A&F University, PLANTPRESS-NEWS Firstname Lastname. dade de São Paulo, Brazil; Cresta (Com- China; Dichocarpum, Pulsatilla, Trollius Replace “Firstname Lastname” with your name. positae) (1/5-1/31) and its close relatives (Ranunculaceae) If you would like to be added to the hard-copy (2/5/15-2/26/16). mailing list, please contact Dr. Gary Krupnick at: Gabriel Emiliano Ferreira, National Department of Botany, Smithsonian Institution, PO Box 37012, NMNH MRC-166, Washington, Institute of Amazonian Research, Brazil; Monica Carlsen, Missouri Botanical Gar- DC 20013-7012, or by E-mail: krupnickg@ Gesneriaceae (1/7-2/17). den; Araceae and Zingiberales (2/17/15- si.edu. 2/16/17). Sandra Knapp, Natural History Museum, Web site: http://botany.si.edu/ United Kingdom; Solanaceae (1/9-1/10). Continued on page 5 Page 2 Completing the Marquesas Islands Flora he Department of Botany has a long history of the work of Stan Shetler and Sylvia Orli. Chair foundational biodiversity research. One major Smithsonian research in the South Pacific dates Tway the Department has contributed is through back to the U.S. Exploring Expedition, which formed long-term projects to produce floristic analyses for the beginnings of the herbarium in 1846. Some of the With local or regional areas that are intensively explored and most important work was completed by Al Smith on documented. These projects have led to an increase the Fiji Islands, and Ray Fosberg and Marie-Hélène in herbarium specimens, DNA samples, images, and Sachet on the Hawaiian Islands, French Polynesia community level data, including conservation assess- and Micronesia.