Newsletter No. 175 June 2018 Price: $5.00 AUSTRALASIAN SYSTEMATIC BOTANY SOCIETY INCORPORATED Council President Vice President Darren Crayn Daniel Murphy Australian Tropical Herbarium (ATH) Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria James Cook University, Cairns Campus Birdwood Avenue PO Box 6811, Cairns Qld 4870 Melbourne, Vic. 3004 Australia Australia Tel: (+617)/(07) 4232 1859 Tel: (+613)/(03) 9252 2377 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Secretary Treasurer Jennifer Tate Matt Renner Institute of Fundamental Sciences Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Massey University Mrs Macquaries Road Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North 4442 Sydney NSW 2000 New Zealand Australia Tel: (+646)/(6) 356- 099 ext. 84718 Tel: (+61)/(0) 415 343 508 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Councillor Councillor Ryonen Butcher Heidi Meudt Western Australian Herbarium Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Locked Bag 104 PO Box 467, Cable St Bentley Delivery Centre WA 6983 Wellington 6140, New Zealand Australia Tel: (+644)/(4) 381 7127 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 Heidi Meudt Joanne Birch Advisory Standing Committees Katharina Nargar Financial Murray Henwood Patrick Brownsey Chair: Dan Murphy, Vice President, ex officio David Cantrill Grant application closing dates Bob Hill Hansjörg Eichler Research Fund: th th Ad hoc adviser to Committee: Bruce Evans on March 14 and September 14 each year. Chair: Matt Renner, Treasurer, ex officio Marlies Eichler Postdoctoral Fellowship: 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: Daniel Murphy, 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 post 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: Elaeocarpus sedentarius Maynard & Crayn. Australian National Botanic Gardens Leafy twig with clockwise from top: open flower, petal, Tel: (+612) (02) 6250 9561 sepal, proximal end of fruit, longitudinally sectioned fruit. Email: [email protected] Artist: Catherine Wardrop (NSW). With permission of CSIRO Publishing. Publication dates of previous issue Australas. Syst. Bot. Soc. Newslett. 174 (March 2018) ASBS Web site: 4 Apr 2018. Printed version: 17 Apr 2018. Australasian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 175 (June 2018) From the President Dr Daniel Solander many public acknowledgements of this loss, I Members will no doubt be aware of the add mine here. My thoughts, and no doubt those approaching 250th anniversaries of Banks and of ASBS members, are with John’s family and Solander’s botanizing of Aoteoroa/New Zealand colleagues at this difficult time. John left an (2019) and Australia (2020) respectively. These indelible mark on biodiversity science and public anniversaries have generated a buzz of activity engagement, and won’t be forgotten. around the world in preparation for events to mark ASBS conference 2018 – ‘Mind the Gap’ these anniversaries. Here in Australia, I recently Registration is now open for the 2018 conference had the pleasure of accompanying the Swedish in Brisbane. It is shaping up to be a really great Ambassador to Australia, New Zealand and the meeting. I strongly encourage all to register as Pacific, Mr Pär Ahlberger, on a boat trip up the early as possible. Further information is available Endeavour River to ‘retrace’ one of the collecting in the article elsewhere in this volume (p. 32), and expeditions that Banks and Solander undertook also from the conference website. while waiting for the Endeavour to be fixed (having run aground on the Great Barrier Reef). Web ref. https://systematics.ourplants.org/ He is passionate about Solander, to the extent ASBS conference 2019 that he has a Solander Garden in the embassy in Planning is under way for a joint Australasian Canberra! We discussed ways in which the role Systematic Botany Society (ASBS) - New of Solander in the botany of Cook’s momentous Zealand Plant Conservation Network (NZPCN) first voyage could be more widely promoted annual conference in Wellington in 2019. While and celebrated. A few ideas are forming such as dates have not been finalised it is likely it will be sponsorship of and/or participation in themed held in the week of 24 November. Council has ASBS conference sessions in Wellington 2019 made progress on establishing the administrative and Cairns/Cooktown 2020, and digitisation framework necessary for a joint conference of this and transcription of Solander’s unpublished kind through a Memorandum of Understanding. manuscripts. I hope to be able to tell you all much Heidi Meudt (ASBS Councillor and Wellington more about these soon. Chapter convener) is meeting regularly with Vale John La Salle NZPCN President Rewi Elliot, who is also The sudden passing of John La Salle, Director of Manager of Wellington City Council’s wonderful the Atlas of Living Australia, a few weeks ago Otari Native Botanic Garden and Wilton’s shocked and saddened the systematics community Bush Reserve. Once the MoU is fully executed not only here in Australia but globally. To the (hopefully soon!), Heidi and Rewi will be asking Australasian Systematic Botany Society Inc. Nominations for membership of the 2018–19 Council In accordance with Section 13 of the Society’s Rules, nominations are hereby called for membership of Council. Council consists of the following positions: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and two (2) Councillors. Nominations must be received by the Secretary, Jennifer Tate at Massey University, Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand ([email protected]) before Monday 3rd September 2018. Nomination forms can be obtained from the Secretary ([email protected]) or from the ASBS web site at www.asbs.org.au/council/2018-19_Council_Nominations_Web.pdf Notes • A member may be nominated simultaneously for any number of positions on Council but is ineligible to hold more than one position at one time. • Interested members are encouraged to nominate for a position on Council. • see President’s Report p. 2. 1 Australasian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 175 (June 2018) members of both societies to nominate for various or many, will have paid before the end of the committees so we can begin organising together financial year. It is important for the Society, and in earnest. If any ASBS members are keen to help the Treasurer’s sanity, that members avoid falling or be involved, please get in touch with Heidi at unintentionally into arrears. If a member does ([email protected]). not wish to renew, unthinkable though that is, a Research Grants quick email to the Treasurer, Matt Renner would save him the effort of chasing a zephyr. A brief Applications for grants from the Marlies Eichler explanation would also be appreciated so that if Postdoctoral Fellowship close on 31 July, while the Society has failed the member in any way we those for the Hansjörg Eichler Scientific Research can strive to improve our service in the future and Fund close on the 14 September. Details on hopefully win the member back! eligibility and how to apply are available on the ASBS website. Members are strongly encouraged Council elections to make students and postdocs aware of these Members should note that the deadline for rich opportunities and to support them in their nominations for Council positions – 3 September applications. – is approaching. The next Council will be Australian Systematic Botany improves substantially different from the current as several impact factor incumbents will not be continuing, namely Matt Renner (Treasurer), Dan Murphy (Vice-President) In the very recently released 2017 Journal Impact and I (President). Of course these are not the only Factor measures, Australia’s flagship systematics positions that will be open: the incumbents of all journal Australian Systematic Botany achieved Council positions are elected for one year so all an IF of 1.614, its highest ever. This compares positions become vacant at the end of each term. very favourably to other relevant journals such as the International Journal of Plant Sciences Serving on Council is a rare pleasure. I can (1.82) and Systematic Botany (1.24). This result say without hyperbole that in my three years is testament to the hard work of the Editor-in- as President I have grown personally and Chief Dan Murphy and all of the editorial board professionally through the role. It has been great (full disclosure: I am an associate editor), and of fun also. While at times busy, the opportunity course to the plant systematics community which to interact widely and deeply with the plant continues to value this excellent journal. This systematics community, and to in some small rise in status for the journal should encourage way make a contribution to the sustenance of our more, higher impact papers that will drive further science, is profoundly satisfying. ranking jumps in the years ahead. I encourage I hope there are members out there that are all members to consider Australian Systematic considering putting their hand up – if so I Botany and the equally excellent New Zealand sincerely hope you do. I’m sure all current and Journal of Botany as worthy outlets for your past Council members would be willing to talk to research. you about the benefits of Council service. Your Membership friendly local ex-Council member can be found via the ASBS website (Web ref.).