From the Machete to the Microscope: Dennis Stevenson, Plant Morphologist

To mark the commencement of Dennis Stevenson’s status as Senior Curator Emeritus at New York Botanical Garden, we present a brief and subjective overview of his academic achievements to date. We highlight his deep and scholarly background in plant morphology, his adherence to cladistic methodologies for testing hypotheses of organismal relationships, especially in cycads and monocots, and his inspirational influence on students and colleagues within the botanical community.

Lectotypification of Plagiothecium mauiense, a Hawaiian synonym of Plagiothecium longisetum (Plagiotheciaceae)

In 2020, Plagiothecium mauiense Broth. was recognised as a synonym of P. longisetum Lindb.; however, due to the inability to compare all known original material, the conducted taxonomic analysis was not completed with lectotypification of the name. Syntypes of P. mauiense were found in four American herbaria: Harvard University Herbarium (FH00220142), Miami University Herbarium (MU 000000546), New York Botanical Garden Herbarium (NY01256708) and Yale University Herbarium (YU 233890). Considering the condition of the found material and Articles 9.3, 9.11 and 9.12 of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants (Shenzhen Code) that is currently in force, a specimen NY01256708 was proposed to be the lectotype of P. mauiense.

Mid-Atlantic

The chapter “Mid-Atlantic” discusses scientific and technological sites of adult interest in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC, including the Johnson Victrola Museum, National Cryptologic Museum, the Sarnoff Collection, New York Botanical Garden, Joseph Priestley House, and Smithsonian Institution. The traveler is provided with essential information, including addresses, telephone numbers, hours of entry, handicapped access, dining facilities, dates open and closed, available public transportation, and websites. Nearly every site included here has been visited by the authors. Although written with scientists in mind, this book is for anyone who likes to travel and visit places of historical and scientific interest. Included are photographs of many sites within each state.

Coletas botânicas na zona costeira do estado do Maranhão, nordeste do Brasil.

A área costeira do estado do Maranhão representa, em grande parte, a diversidade ambiental, em especial vegetacional, do Brasil, pela sua extensão e posição geográfica transicional entre o Nordeste e o Norte do país. Este estudo pretendeu levantar, catalogar, analisar e classificar as espécies vegetais da flora de formações costeiras do estado do Maranhão presentes nas coleções e bancos de dados de jardins botânicos. Foram levantadas as espécies vegetais da zona costeira do Maranhão presentes nas coleções dos seguintes jardins botânicos: New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY, USA; Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA; Royal Botanic Gardens (KEW, UK); e Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro (JBRJ, Brasil). As seguintes informações foram extraídas: a) número total de espécies nas quatro instituições, por município costeiro do estado; b) espécies mais coletadas e menos coletadas; c) tipologias de vegetação nas áreas coletadas; d) espécies mais representativas nas tipologias de vegetação; e) formas de crescimento das espécies coletadas; f) distribuição temporal das coletas e das espécies coletadas; g) presença e ausência de espécies em faixas temporais das coletas botânicas. Os dados coletados e as diferentes abordagens nas análises mostraram, no geral, que a área territorial estadual é insuficientemente coletada, com baixo número de coletas, além de temporalmente mal representadas. O estudo resume a realidade vegetal maranhense nos acervos das principais instituições botânicas do mundo e do Brasil. Botanical records of coastal formations in Maranhão, northeastern Brazil A B S T R A C TThe coastal area of the state of Maranhão represents, to a large extent, the environmental diversity, especially the plant diversity, of Brazil, due to its extension and transitional geographical position between the Northeast and the North regions of the country. This study aimed to survey the plant species of the flora from coastal plant formations in the state of Maranhão present in the collections and databases of botanical gardens. Plant species from the coastal zone of Maranhão in the collections of the following botanical gardens were surveyed: a) New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY, USA; b) Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA; Royal Botanic Gardens (KEW, UK); and Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro (JBRJ, Brazil). The following information were extracted: a) total number of species in the four institutions, by institution, by coastal state municipality; b) more collected species and less collected species; c) types of vegetation in the areas collected; d) more representative species in types of vegetation; e) forms of growth of the species collected; f) temporal distribution of collections and species collected; g) presence or absence of species in collection time frames. The data collected and the different approaches from the analysis showed, in general, that state territorial area is insufficiently collected, with a low number of collections, in addition to collections that are temporally poorly represented. This study summarizes Maranhão’s plant reality in the collections of the main botanical institutions of the world and Brazil.Keywords: botanical collections, herbarium, Maranhão.

A new synonym from Hawaii and lectotypification of Plagiothecium longisetum (Plagiotheciaceae)

Plagiothecium mauiense was first described in 1927 by V.F. Brotherus, based on materials from Hawaii. It has, so far been, treated as a separate species. A detailed analysis of the original material housed in the New York Botanical Garden Herbarium (NY01256708) found the specimen to be characterised by a lack of metallic lustre; concave, asymmetrical, lanceolate to lanceolate-ovate leaves, shrunken in their dry condition; a straight, not denticulate, acute to apiculate apex; elongate-hexagonal cells in irregular transverse rows, 101–131 × 15–21 µm at mid-leaf; very lax areolation, with decurrencies composed of three rows of cells. These characteristics indicate that this species is identical to the original material of P. longisetum (e.g. H-SOL 1563 011; PC0132572). Hence, we propose that P. mauiense should be recognised as a new synonym of P. longisetum. In addition, a review of P. longisetum syntypes found one (H-SOL 1563 011) to have the same date of collection as the protologue, and to possess a quite abundant gametophyte turf with well-preserved sporophytes, indicating it to be fertile. Considering the above, we propose that specimen H-SOL 1563 011 be designated the lectotype of P. longisetum.

O uso de dados de coletas botânicas em estudos de diversidade e conservação vegetal nas zonas costeiras das regiões Norte e Nordeste do Brasil (The use of data from botanical collections in studies of diversity and plant conservation in the coastal zones of the North and Northeast regions of Brazil)

Os herbários documentam a diversidade vegetal de determinada região ou país, funcionando como ferramentas para os estudos de plantas. Para este estudo, foram levantandos dados da flora costeira das regiões Norte e Nordeste do Brasil presentes nas coleções e bancos de dados do New York Botanical Garden (EUA), Smithsonian Institution (EUA), Royal Botanic Gardens (UK) e Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro (Brasil). Foram coletados e analisados dados botânicos e ambientais obtidos das etiquetas de coletas botânicas em 232 municípios costeiros das regiões Norte e Nordeste do Brasil. Os dados foram processados e analisados com o uso do software estatístico JMP, resultando em uma avaliação da terminologia de classificação da vegetação usada por coletores botânicos, da distribuição do número de espécimes e espécies coletadas nestas regiões, da distribuição espacial e temporal das coletas botânicas, além de uma avaliação da riqueza e da conservação de espécies com base nas informações das coleções botânicas. Os resultados mostraram falta de padrões para classificações e terminologias usadas por coletores, o que dificulta o uso dos dados em estudos mais amplos. Revelaram também baixa representatividade de espécies nos herbários em relação ao número de espécimes existentes, bem como um significativo desequilíbrio numérico, temporal e espacial nas coletas botânicas na área de estudo com distribuição irregular ao longo do espaço geográfico, produzindo áreas bem coletadas e áreas com grandes lacunas de coletas. Em geral, parece ser necessário um esforço mais coordenado, não somente entre instituições, mas também dentro de cada instituição, que resulte em coletas mais efetivas e mais bem distribuídas, em número, tempo e espaço. A B S T R A C THerbaria document the plant diversity of a particular region or country, functioning as tools for plant studies. For this study, data were collected on the flora of the coastal formations of the North and Northeast of Brazil present in the collections and databases of the New York Botanical Garden (USA), Smithsonian Institution (USA), Royal Botanic Gardens (UK) and Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Data were collected and analyzed from botanical collections of 232 coastal municipalities of the North and Northeast regions of Brazil obtained from labels of botanical collections. The data were processed and analyzed using the statistical software JMP, resulting in an evaluation of the classification of the vegetation used by botanical collectors, distribution of the number of specimens and species collected, spatial and temporal distribution of the botanical collections, as well as an evaluation of the richness and conservation of species based on botanical collections. The results showed lack of standards for classifications and terminologies used by collectors what make difficult the use of these data on broader studies. They also revealed low representativeness of species in herbaria in relation to the number of existing specimens, as well as a significant numerical, temporal and spatial imbalance in the botanical collections in the study area with irregular distribution along the geographic space, producing well-collected areas and also areas with large collection gaps. In general, a more coordinated effort seems to be needed, not only among institutions, but also within each institution, which could result in more effective and better distributed collections, in number, time and space.Keywords: Botanical Collection, Herbarium, Distribution, Diversity, Conservation

Notes about the Berger’s new Opuntia s.l. species (Cactaceae) described from the Hanbury Botanical Gardens collection

Alwin Berger, a German Botanist, was curator of the Hanbury Botanical Gardens (also known as “La Mortola” from the name of its locality near Ventimiglia, North-Western Italy) during the period 1897–1915. During his curatorship, the cactus collection was enlarged thanks to the numerous specialist, American collectors and the exchanges with prestigious Botanical Gardens such as New York Botanical Gardens and Botanic Garden of Palermo. The study of this unique collection allowed Berger to publish a revolutionary systematics work on the genus Cereus s.l., including the description of many new species under Opuntia s.l.. The taxa described as new by Berger are currently considered as unresolved cases with a incertae status, and few names are typified with dry specimens at present, and without still living known or studied plants in cultivation or with modern illustrations. The discovery of many Berger’s Opuntia in cultivation in some Italian historical gardens and as well as the finding of exsiccata in K, HMGBH (Herbarium Mortolensis), NY and US which were never before studied, led us to start a revision of the Berger’s new names in Opuntia s.l.. Our investigation allowed to confirm the identities of Opuntia bergeriana, O. gilva, O. haematocarpa, O. ledienii and O. winteriana, and the recognition as valid species for O. exaltata, O. schumannii and O. zacuapanensis. 5 lectotypes, 1 neotype, and 4 epitypes are designated in the present paper. In addition, a new Opuntia species, O. mantaroensis is here described for a Peruvian plant misidentified by F. Ritter as O. inaequilateralis. To completion, the neotype of O. tomentosa, the valid species to which the Berger’s name is referred (i.e. O. tomentella) was also designated here.