Oxford Plant Systematics With news from Oxford University Herbaria (OXF and FHO), Department of Plant Sciences, Oxford OPS 18 June 2012 Different species of Convolvulus and Ipomoea, some new, from Bolivia and the Azores Foreword Contents Welcome to the eighteenth edition of Oxford Plant Systematics. Foreword The importance of getting out into the field Stephen A. Harris ……………………………………………………… 2 and collecting plants is a core part of the articles in this edition. John Wood recounts the rediscovery of poorly known News items Strobilanthes (Acanthaceae) species in the Staff retirement, Prizes & Fellowship awarded .……………………… 3 wild, whilst Steven Heathcote and Elizabeth Cooke describe their search for Cardamine Publications 2011 ……………………………………………………….. 3 (Brassicaceae) in the Carpathians. In Öland, Rosemary Wise brings a personal pers- Student reports pective to a route which follows in the Systematics and phylogeography of Cardamine hirsuta L. footsteps of Carl Linnaeus. Away from field Elizabeth Cooke ……………………………………………………….. 4 work focused on specific plants, William Hawthorne and Cicely Marshall describe their work on the rapid collection of field Revision of Drypetes Vahl data from the world’s botanical hotspots. Zoë Goodwin ………………………………………………………….. 4 Rapid collection of field data allows one to state where a species is found. However, the Foundation Monographs, a new initiative from Oxford detection and identification of species John R.I. Wood & Robert Scotland …………………………………… 5 requires effective identification keys and global taxonomic treatments. The Found- Rapid Botanic Survey inside and outside the world’s botanic hotspots ation Monographs initative, described by William Hawthorne & Cicely Marshall ………………….…………… 6 John Wood and Robert Scotland, aims to plug this gap by developing a novel method to accelerate the overhaul of the taxonomy Strobilanthes rediscovered of large, poorly known groups. The work of John R.I. Wood …………………………………………….………….. 8 Robert and his colleagues has also highlighted that approximately half of the Hunting Hairy Bittercress and other Carpathian Cardamine plant species awaiting discovery are already Steven Heathcote & Elizabeth Cooke ……………………….………... 9 sitting, unidentified or misidentified, in herbarium cabinets. Following Linnaeus’s journey through Öland, via southern Sweden Some of the results of historical field work Rosemary Wise …………………………………………………….... 11 by Oxford-based botanists, most signif- icantly John Sibthorp’s explorations of the eastern Mediterranean at the end of Historic herbaria - going on-line eigtheenth century, are now available on- Stephen A. Harris …………………………………………………… 12 line. Away from dead plants, Alison Foster describes how the living collections at the News from the Herbaria Oxford Botanic Garden are now being Fielding-Druce (OXF) and Daubeny (FHO) managed using BRAHMS. In addition, the Serena Marner …………………………………………………...…. 13 first steps have been made by Elizabeth Atkinson in the long process of making The archive of George Claridge Druce George Claridge Druce’s vast personal archive readily available for botanical Elizabeth Atkinson ………………………….………………………. 15 research. Managing living collections at the Oxford Botanic Garden Stephen A. Harris Alison Foster ………………………………………………………... 16 Curator of Oxford University Herbaria Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Cover images: South Parks Road, Oxford Species of Convolvulaceae from Bolivia and the Azores to illustrate article on page 5. OX1 3RB, U.K. Tel. +44 (0) 1865 275000 Top row: left – an apparently new species of Ipomoea from the Andes of Bolivia; right – Convolvulus erosus, a trailing herb from Bolivia, frequently misnamed C. hermanniae. Oxford Plant Systematics Research Group website: Middle row: left – a red-flowered Ipomoea provisionally named I. hederifolia but part of a http://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk complex in need of revision; right – three colour variants of the Morning Glory, Ipomoea purpurea. (All the above photographed for Darwin Initiative Project 162/11/010.) Oxford University Herbaria database at: http://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/oxford Bottom row: left – Convolvulus caput-medusae, a spiny undershrub from the Canary Islands (photo by Fred Rumsey); right – an apparently new species of Ipomoea from the cerrados of Back issues of OPS can be viewed at: Bolivia (photo Darwin Initiative Project 16-004). http://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/OPS.html Typesetting and layout of this issue of OPS by Serena Marner 2 Oxford Plant Systematics OPS 18 June 2012 News items Linnean Society for the best doctoral thesis The general collecting and interactive key in botany examined at a UK University are to contribute to the plant diversity during the previous academic year. Tiina is hotspot assessment for Peninsular Malaysia, currently working as a post-doctoral as part of the series of studies being carried Congratulations to Robert Scotland who researcher at the Natural History Museum in out by OPS staff and students. The has been elected as President of the London. Peninsular Malaysia project will be done in Systematics Association from 2012 until collaboration with Saw Leng Guan and his 2014. Congratulations to Elizabeth (Lizzie) staff at FRIM. Cooke for winning second prize for her Robert Scotland was interviewed by BBC presentation, ‘Systematics and phylo- radio on St David’s Day 2011 to explain geography of the emerging model plant some of the mysteries of the daffodil. He Cardamine hirsuta’ at the Young also appeared on BBC television, followed Publications 2011 Systematics Forum held at the Natural by a broadcast on Radio 4 (Material World, History Museum, London in December 10 March 2011). 2011. The event was attended by 150 Brennan, A.C., Tabah, D.A., Harris, S.A., delegates from 20 countries. Lizzie Cooke Hiscock, S.J. (2011). Sporophytic self- also won second prize for her presentation incompatibility in Senecio squalidus Staff retirement on the Systematics of Cardamine hirsuta at (Asteraceae): S allele dominance the Natural History Museum Student interactions and modifiers of cross- Association Annual Conference that took compatibility and selfing rates. Heredity place at the Natural History Museum on 14 106: 113-123. and 15 April 2011. Dahmer, N., Simon, M.F., Schifino- Wittmann, M.T., Hughes, C.E., Miotto, Fellowship awarded S.T.S., Guiliani, J.S. (2011). Chromosome Caroline Pannell spent five weeks in numbers in the genus Mimosa L.: November and December 2011, with a cytotaxonomic and evolutionary Fellowship from the Forest Research implications. Plant Systematics & Evolution Institute of Malaysia. She carried out 291: 211-220. fieldwork in three areas of Peninsular Malaysia. These were Pasoh Forest Reserve, Govindarajulu, R., Hughes, C.E., Bailey, previously unexplored limestone hills of C.D. (2011). Phylogenetic and population Anne Sing retired from the Department of Perak and Endau Rompin National Park. genetic analyses of diploid Leucaena Plant Sciences in March 2011 after 34 years She completed her account of Aglaia for the (Leguminosae) reveal cryptic species service. Anne joined the University in 1977 Flora of Peninsular Malaysia, gave a diversity and patterns of allopatric divergent as a graduate of Portsmouth Polytechnic, lecture on the taxonomy and biology of the speciation. American Journal of Botany 98: now the University of Portsmouth. Initially, genus and ran a workshop on using the key 2049-2063. Anne worked as a research technician for to the 50 species in Peninsular Malaysia. David Mabberley, working with him on his The key relies partly on characters of the Govindarajulu, R., Hughes, C.E., interests in south east Asian Meliaceae and indumentum that require magnification and Alexander, P., Bailey, C.D. (2011). The the Plant Book, the second edition being it worked well after some modification complex evolutionary dynamics of ancient dedicated to Anne. In these activities Anne based on feedback from the workshop and recent polyploidy in Leucaena revealed her concern for academic rigour. participants. She commenced an account of (Leguminosae). American Journal of Botany Anne was also involved in organising the the former Flacourtiaceae, now Salicaceae 98: 2064-2076. annual undergraduate field course to the and Achariaceae, for Flora of Peninsular Algave, Portugal. She demonstrated Malaysia and gave a lecture on her initial Harris, S.A. (2011). Planting Paradise: empathy and concern for students. After fiindings. During the field work she cultivating the garden 1501-1900. Bodleian David Mabberley moved to Sydney, Anne also gathered information from living plants Library, Oxford. gave technical support to various staff for an interactive key to genera of members of the Department in their Peninsular Malaysian plants using Hawthorne, W.D., Marshall, C.A.M., Abu research, also continuing to help with the vegetative characters. She is most grateful to Juam, M., Agyeman, V.K. (2011). The field course to the Algarve, and carrying out thebotanists at FRIM for the help and impact of logging damage on tropical bibliographic research in which she had enthusiastic support they gave her in all of rainforests, their recovery and considerable expertise. Latterly she helped these activities. regeneration: an annotated bibliography. in herbarium curation tasks taking respon- OFI Occasional Series. Oxford Forestry sibility for mounting herbarium specimens. Institute, Oxford. Many thousands of examples of Anne’s work are to be found throughout the Lander, T.A., Bebber, D.P., Choy, C.T.,