Newsletter No. 180 September 2019 Price: $5.00 AUSTRALASIAN SYSTEMATIC BOTANY SOCIETY INCORPORATED Council President Vice President Daniel Murphy Heidi Meudt Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Birdwood Avenue PO Box 467, Cable St Melbourne, Vic. 3004 Wellington 6140, New Zealand Australia Tel: (+644)/(4) 381 7127 Tel: (+613)/(03) 9252 2377 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Secretary Treasurer Jennifer Tate John Clarkson School of Fundamental Sciences Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Massey University Department of Environment and Science Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North 4442 PO Box 975 Atherton QLD 4883 New Zealand Tel: (+617)/(07) 4091 8170 | mob. (+61)/(0)437 732 487 Tel: (+646)/(6) 356-9099 ext. 84718 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Councillor Councillor Ryonen Butcher Hervé Sauquet Western Australian Herbarium Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust Locked Bag 104 Mrs Macquaries Rd Bentley Delivery Centre WA 6983 Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia Australia Tel: (+612)/(02) 9231 8316 Tel: (+618)/(08) 9219 9136 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Other constitutional bodies Hansjörg Eichler Research Committee Affiliate Society David Glenny Papua New Guinea Botanical Society Sarah Mathews Joanne Birch Katharina Nargar Advisory Standing Committees Murray Henwood Financial Chair: Heidi Meudt, Vice President, ex officio Patrick Brownsey Grant application closing dates David Cantrill Hansjörg Eichler Research Fund: th th Bob Hill on March 14 and September 14 each year. Ad hoc adviser to Committee: Bruce Evans Marlies Eichler Postdoctoral Fellowship: Chair: John Clarkson Treasurer, ex officio on July 31st each year. Grants Policy Gillian Brown Public Officer Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn Anna Monro Jen Tate (Council) Australian National Botanic Gardens Peter Weston GPO Box 1777 Peter Wilson Canberra, ACT 2601 Chair: Heidi Meudt, Vice President, ex officio Tel: (+612) (02) 6250 9530 Email: [email protected] Web presence ASBS Website: www.asbs.org.au ASBS Facebook Group Webmasters Viewable currently to any member of Facebook; Anna Monro permission to join by application to administrators. Australian National Botanic Gardens Administrators Canberra, ACT 2601 Australia Todd McLay, email: [email protected] Tel: (+612) (02) 6250 9530 Mike Bayly, email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Murray Fagg Cover image: Acacia strongylophylla F.Muell. Branch Australian National Botanic Gardens surrounded by (clockwise from top) phyllode, legumes, Tel: (+612) (02) 6250 9561 and seed with funicle. Artist: Ludwik Dutkiewicz. Email: [email protected] From: D.J.E. Whibley & D.E. Symon, Acacias of South Australia, 2nd edn (1992), with permission of Board of the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium (South Australia). Publication dates of previous issue Australas. Syst. Bot. Soc. Newslett. 179 (June 2019) ASBS Web site: 6 Aug 2019. Printed version: 14 Aug 2019. Australasian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 180 (September 2019) From the President I am writing this from Melbourne, in the middle Wellington conference of southern Australian Spring, which I usually As I am writing this, I am just about to book notice first approaching with the flowering of my flights for the 2019 ASBS-NZPCN Joint wattles, as there are a few particularly early Conference: Taxonomy for Plant Conservation flowering species of Acacia that I keep an eye – Ruia mai i Rangiātea to be held on 24–28 out for in late Winter, like Acacia suaveolens. November 2019 in Wellington, New Zealand. Actually, while many people remind me that there It makes me think about the diversity of are Acacia species flowering at all times of the environments and floras our Australasian society year, and yes there really are, there is definitely covers from New Zealand to New Guinea a mass of southern Australian species that flower with Australia in the middle, regions united in late Winter and early Spring (or “Sprinter”, by geographical proximity, biogeography and sensu Entwisle 2014). That is the time most (some) elements of their floras. The monsoon people seem to notice and make mention of them, tropics and arid Australia are certainly markedly hence Wattle Day is marked on 1 September, but different to the temperate biomes in terms of sometimes I think it could just as easily be marked climate, yet they are tied together through their on 1 August. This being said, in metropolitan historical evolutionary links, and I think it is these areas of southern Victoria I probably also notice similarities and differences that make systematic just as much the showy deciduous exotic species, botany so interesting! like the flowering apricots or plums (e.g. Prunus mume), starting to flower in late Winter, or I am Heidi Meudt and Rewi Elliot, on behalf of the hit by the scent of fragrant plants, like Daphne organizing committee, have a detailed update odora, marking the approach of warmer weather about the conference elsewhere in this Newsletter with another sense that is probably stronger than (see p. 16), but they have allowed me a sneak the visual. peek at the Conference program, and it is looking In this corner of Australia, we have been fortunate packed with interesting talks, posters and to have had some decent rainfall, in comparison events. Attention is focussed on the importance to the large parts of Australia in extended of conservation of biodiversity and the place of drought. These drought conditions are no doubt systematics and taxonomy in this endeavour. challenging for many of our ASBS members Over 180 people have now registered, which is and may make us look at issues of global change excellent. The field-trips and workshops all look and how we might make any sort of impact on amazing, and there is still some room on all of these issues, with our work and in our personal these and the conference dinner, so if people want lives. I am not one to advocate for political to register or add extras to their registration they positioning for ASBS, but I do think we need to at still may do so. least engage with the issues and have some role. What that is, I remain unsure, but at some point Prospective attendees can also register for the business-as-usual may not be possible. However, conference until 1 November, so you still have I do think that we can contribute strongly to time not to miss out! the discussion, and perhaps our science of ASBS Funding systematics, phylogenetics and biogeography Congratulations to Trevor Wilson (RBG Sydney), hold some of the only keys to helping understand who has been chosen as the 2019 Marlies Eichler the historic tolerances and responses of the flora Postdoctoral Fellow for his project entitled, to changing climate. This, along with our curated “A new key for Australia’s Bugle Subfamily collections of specimens through time, potentially (Ajugoideae: Lamiaceae): a phylogenetically allow us to act by assisting and informing others informed taxonomy assisted by next generation to understand global change and its impact, and sequencing methods”. The Fellowship will run we should remind ourselves of the importance of for two years beginning on 1 November this year. our work in this respect. 1 Australasian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 180 (September 2019) On other grant news, I mentioned in my previous thoughts go out to those affected. President’s Report that I would like to review if Among many snippets and posts a couple of the current funding that ASBS offers our members others that caught my attention were the Alice is meeting the society’s needs. For this reason, Springs Herbarium recently celebrating its 65th I have just contacted the ASBS Grants Policy anniversary with a post on the ASBS Facebook standing committee (members of this committee page with a photograph of George Chippendale are listed at the front of the Newsletter) with identifying plant specimens, and also notable the aim of activating the committee to review was the 10 year anniversary of the formation the our newest funding scheme, the Marlies Eichler Managers of Australasian Herbarium Collections Postdoctoral Fellowship, now that three rounds of (MAHC) group, who were photographed meeting this fellowship have been offered. in Darwin recently. Nancy T. Burbidge Medallist Postscript I note that the guidelines for the Burbidge Medal Finally, I have just been informed by Bill and regarding its announcement state: “If time Robyn Barker, our excellent Newsletter editors, permits, the decision will be announced in the that they have decided to make this their final next newsletter or failing that in the conference year in that role. This was slightly shocking news program”. to me, and something I have not wanted to think Therefore, it is my great pleasure to announce about I must admit! The ASBS Council will here that the 2019 Burbidge Medallist is Barry discuss how to continue the Newsletter (and it Conn. Without stealing too much thunder for the may not be in its current form necessarily). That upcoming ASBS conference, where Barry will being said, I whole-heartedly thank both Bill and present his Burbidge Lecture, Barry has had a Robyn for all of their efforts on behalf of the long career in systematic and taxonomic botany ASBS membership, for producing a consistently at several institutions, both in Australia and in interesting and content-rich Newsletter for the Papua New Guinea. While Barry formally retired Society. It is a credit to their hard-work, eye for a few years ago from the Royal Botanic Gardens detail and persistence. Sydney, he has remained active on work in New I would also like to put out the call that anyone Guinea and has recently published, with Kipiro who may like to contribute to the Society as Q.