Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas

Voyages of David Fairchild to Guatemala and Panama: An overview and the 1941 expedition

2024-10-17T13:34:10+00:00

Between 1938 and 1954, Dr. David Fairchild (1869–1954) was Director Emeritus of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (FTBG). During this period, he undertook four expeditions in the Old and New World. The second of these took place between June and October 1941 and targeted Panama, Colombia, and Guatemala. Results pertinent to the Central American endeavors are presented. Plant material from 46 species was collected and 108 photos were taken. Due to unknown reasons these collections did not reach FTBG and only 15 of the accessions were sent to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant germplasm repositories. Upon his return to USA, Fairchild published only one article with highlights of this expedition, it was on cherimoyas of Colombia and Guatemala. Unlike for his other expeditions, Fairchild did not write a journal for the trip; therefore, details of this voyage have been mostly inferred from his plant collection books, scattered correspondence, and photographs. Fairchild’s wife, Marian Fairchild (1880–1962), also joined the trip and during the visit to Panama, his son Graham Bell Fairchild (1906–1994) participated in the expedition. Botanists Wilson Popenoe (1892–1975, from United Fruit Company), Paul Allen (1911–1963, from Summit Gardens, Panama), and Walter R. Lindsay (also from Summit Gardens) as well as the family of coffee plantation owner Robert Hempstead (1912–1942) assisted during the trip. An overview of the other expeditions that Fairchild made to Panama (years 1899, 1921, 1924, and 1933) and Guatemala (year 1944) is also provided.

Reviewers for JBRIT Volume 18 (2024)

2024-10-31T16:04:12+00:00

Fifty-five (55) individuals reviewed manuscript submissions for JBRIT Volume 18 (2024). Thank you for supporting Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas

FROM THE GROUND UP, conversations with Wes Jackson

2024-10-31T15:25:55+00:00

The book narrative is a series of five conversations with Wes Jackson. Questions are posed and Jackson answers. The First Conversations is about Intellectual Grounding that focuses on his schooling beginning with a two-room rural school house to his doctorate in genetics. He tries to dispel the notion he is a genius but his thinking about the importance of soil and conservation issues has always been “outside the box.” There is an appreciation of growing up on a farm in rural Topeka, Kansas, and the importance of a work ethic. This topical section is worth reading to appreciate the beauty of the tallgrass prairie landscape in the Flint Hills of Kansas.

Ferns, Spikemosses, Clubmosses, and Quillworts of Eastern North America

2024-10-31T15:31:30+00:00

I have had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Emily Sessa, the author of this extraordinary field guide, for over 15 years. Our paths first crossed at a field course on Tropical Ferns and Lycophytes in Costa Rica, sponsored by the Organization for Tropical Studies. Since then, we have regularly seen each other at botanical conferences, workshops, and American Fern Society meetings, among others. When I learned that Emily was embarking on the ambitious project of writing this book, I was both amazed and thrilled. Creating a comprehensive guide covering such an extensive region—from Peninsular Florida and the outer southern coastal plains to the central United States, the northern Midwest, the Northeast, and Canada—is a big task, and Emily has accomplished it with remarkable skill and dedication.

In 2023, during the Botanical Society of America meetings in Boise, Idaho, Emily shared with us some of her field stories while working on the book. She even showed us some of the pages she was proofreading, and I was struck by the sheer amount of work and passion she had poured into this project. Now, holding the finished book in my hands, I can say that my excitement was well-founded.

In the Country of the Kaw: A Personal Natural History of the American Plains

2024-10-31T15:46:43+00:00

The prologue describes his boy-hood days traveling in Kansas and Colorado noting the rivers, and following his dad on fishing trips. The author describes his college days at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Missouri, and his interest in botany. This led to his work experience at Dyck Arboretum of the Plains in Hesston, Kansas, the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, and Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Headlands chapter introduces the reader to the rivers in Kansas, for example, the Smoky Hill, Saline, Republican, and Kaw with tributaries finally reaching the bigger Missouri River. The author takes the reader through the High Plains and a description of the Ogallala Aquifer, the largest body of ground fossil water in the U.S.A. Many years of irrigation in western Kansas has significantly lowered water levels of the Ogallala water table. Here is where the author describes playas as a landform consisting of shallow depressions lined with soils of a higher clay content that holds water creating ephemeral wetlands attracting waterfowl.

Introduction to Plants in Central Somaliland (Hordhac ku saabsan dhirta ka baxda badhtamaha Soomaalilaand)

2024-10-31T15:50:58+00:00

Reading this attractive and unique diglot book brings me both a sense of nostalgia coupled with optimism for the future. Having taught range ecology at both the Agricultural Faculty of the Somali National University and the adjacent Agricultural Secondary School near Afgooye from 1982–1984, I recognized many familiar species. If only such a book like this had been available 40 years ago when we went on field trips! There were some basic field guides available in Kenya, but the floristic differences from Somalia limited their usefulness.

This book is well illustrated by clear photos of all the species described. Its size and sturdy binding make it handy for bringing into the field. Beginning with a description of the basic natural regions of Somaliland and ending with References, Glossary, Index and Appendix, Awale, Gelle, and Pickering have produced a very useful guide to common plants of this region. Distribution for each species is clearly stated with many regional endemics highlighted.

Naturalist’s Austin: A Guide to the Plants and Animals of Central Texas

2024-10-31T15:55:55+00:00

The reader can be expected to find the following groups of plants: Trees (pages 42–53, Shrubs (54–65), Wildflowers (66–109), Vines (110–119, Ferns and Allies (120–127), Yucca, Cacti and Allies (124–127), Grasses and Sedges (128–133), and Fungi Lichens, and others (134–141) this section is color coded green in margins; animals starting with Mammals (142–147, Birds (148–175), Amphibians, Frogs and Toads (176–191), Fishes (192–193), Mollusks (194–194), Dragonflies and Damselflies (196–207), Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets (208–221), Lacewings, Antlions, and Others (222–223), Beetles (224–231), True Flies (232–235), Butterflies and Moths (236–271), Sawflies, Bees, Wasps, and Ants (272–279), Spiders and Other Arthropods (280–284).

Louisiana coastal prairie vascular flora checklist with coefficients of conservatism for floristic quality assessments

2024-10-17T14:21:11+00:00

Coastal prairie historically ranged across ~ 3.6 million ha in Texas and Louisiana, with approximately 1.01 million ha in Louisiana. This once-expansive grassland is now critically imperiled, with less than one percent remaining (0.02% remaining in Louisiana). This work was inspired by recent discovery of defensible prairie remnants on grazing lands in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes of Louisiana. Despite the dire status of coastal prairie, there are exciting conservation opportunities across Louisiana’s coastal prairie ecoregion. We present a vouchered checklist of the vascular flora of Louisiana’s coastal prairie based on original fieldwork and upon specimens preserved in regional herbaria. We assigned coefficients of conservatism (C-values) for each species to enable quantitative floristic quality assessments (FQA). We provide ancillary data, including physiognomic traits and wetland indicator ratings, for each species. Our C-values ranged from -3 to 10. Unlike other FQA systems, some native taxa injurious to coastal prairie received negative C-values, along with damaging non-natives. Our C-value criteria are stated herein, with functional guilds explained in detail. The coastal prairie flora consists of 728 species and subspecific taxa distributed among 94 families and 323 genera. Of the 728 taxa, 662 (90.93%) are native and 66 (9.07%) are non-native. Proportionally the families Poaceae, Cyperaceae, and Asteraceae represent the largest number of taxa in this flora. Of the 728 taxa, we regard 331 as true (determinative) coastal prairie taxa (having a C-value of ≥5). Determinative coastal prairie species represent 45 families and 150 genera. The mean C-value for the entire flora (728 taxa) was 4.09. Mean C-value for native taxa was 4.58. Mean C-value for determinative taxa was 7.04. We present an analysis of the coastal prairie flora with respect to FQA, physiognomic traits (e.g., Raunkiaer Life Forms), and wetland indicator ratings. Our work will enable more robust floristic quality assessments in Louisiana’s coastal prairie ecoregion, where prairie stewardship and re-establishment projects have increased.

Index for JBRIT Volume 18 (2024)

2024-10-31T16:09:45+00:00

There is an index to 30 titles with authors, an index of 108 authors, botanical names and subject index, an index to 44 new names and new combinations.

Helianthus waccamawensis (Asteraceae), a new species of sunflower endemic to the Cape Fear Arch Region of North and South Carolina (U.S.A.)

2024-10-15T17:00:24+00:00

A new species of Helianthus (Asteraceae), Helianthus waccamawensis Ungberg, sp. nov., is described from the Cape Fear Arch Region of North and South Carolina. Most recently, it has been included in H. floridanus A. Gray ex Chapm. but differs in its narrower leaves, achene and floral morphology, and habitat preferences. It superficially resembles H. angustifolius L. but differs in its extensively rhizomatous habit, shorter leaves, and achene and floral morphologies. It is further differentiated from the diploids H. floridanus and H. angustifolius by being hexaploid, and molecular phylogenetic data do not indicate a close relation to either species. In situ photos, diagnostic morphological photos, molecular phylogenetic data, cytological data, a range map, a list of additional collections, and a revised key for relevant southeastern Helianthus species are provided.

Vaccinium virgatum (Ericaceae): A species to be recognized

2024-10-15T18:32:10+00:00

Since its original publication in 1789, Vaccinium virgatum has been treated by most authors as an accepted species in V. sect. Cyanococcus. In the latest comprehensive taxonomic treatment of the section, however, it is treated as a synonym of the broadly circumscribed species V. corymbosum. Here we use a combination of morphology, ploidy assessment with flow cytometry, and previously published phylogenomic analysis based on high-throughput DNA sequencing to support the taxonomic status of V. virgatum as a species to be recognized. As circumscribed here, V. virgatum occurs in the southeastern U.S. Coastal Plain from Arkansas, Texas, and southeastern Oklahoma to northeastern Florida and southeastern Carolina. An updated taxonomic treatment of the species, including an expanded description, distribution map by county, and a representative list of specimens examined by county is included. We provide a means of distinguishing V. virgatum from V. ashei, a similar species recently also segregated from V. corymbosum, and from presumed rabbiteye blueberry escapes from cultivation, which can occur both within and outside the native range of V. virgatum. We designate a neotype for V. virgatum and lectotypes for V. virgatum vars. angustifolium, parvifolium, and speciosum.

Evaluation of the Hispaniolan endemic Graffenrieda ottoschulzii (Melastomataceae)

2024-10-15T18:57:11+00:00

The putative Hispaniolan endemic Graffenrieda ottoschulzii (syn. = Miconia ottoschulzii) was evaluated morphologically and phylogenetically. Morphological data clearly place the species within Miconia, as the taxon is missing the dorsal appendage on the connective and capsule fruits of Graffenrieda but has the berry fruits of Miconia. Phylogenetically G. ottoschulzii was resolved as sister to the widespread and mostly South American, M. pyrifolia, and we conclude here that the two taxa are conspecific. We provide an updated description of M. pyrifolia and lectotypify the names M. ottoschulzii and M. pyrifolia.

Nomenclatural notes in Melidiscus (Cleomaceae)

2024-10-15T19:21:06+00:00

Nomenclature of Melidiscus species requires clarification. Two species are currently recognized in the genus, and the correct names for these species are clarified with typification. A key to the two species is also provided.

Three new epiphytic species and a new variety in Ceratostema (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae) from southeastern Ecuador

2024-10-15T19:35:27+00:00

Ceratostema guachizacae, Ceratostema portillae, Ceratostema portillae var. lucida, and Ceratostema glandipedicellata (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae), three new species and a new variety of pendulous epiphytic shrubs, from southeastern Ecuador of ornamental potential are described and illustrated.

A new species in the lichen genus Circinaria (Megasporaceae) from Pakistan based on morphology and DNA sequence data

2024-10-16T16:38:34+00:00

Circinaria terrenoides sp. nov. was collected in Balochistan and Gilgit Baltistan. Comparative morpho-anatomical research, chemical analysis, and ITS-based DNA analyses all support its placement within the genus Circinaria. Circinaria terrenoides sp. nov. is distinguished from the closely related species C. affinis in having a crustose, areolate to rimose-areolate thallus (vs. subfruticose, verrucose-areolate), earthy brown to greenish gray upper surface (vs. earthy gray to gray-green), smaller conidia 12–18 × 0.4–0.9 µm (vs. 16–20 ×1–1.2 μm), (vs. black to brownish), and growing on calcareous sedimentary rock (vs. stony steppes).

Actualización de la colección tipo de monocotiledoneas del Herbario Nacional de Costa Rica (CR)

2024-10-16T17:12:40+00:00

The National Herbarium of Costa Rica (CR) houses the country's oldest and largest collection of type specimens, with an important representation of type specimens in many families. This study presents the results of updating the information on the type specimens of the monocotyledonous group present in CR. In total, the monocot type material represents 663 species and infraspecific taxa. One thousand, four hundred sixty-six type specimens are registered. This corresponds to an increase of 308 species and 1 018 type specimens compared to the last revision in 2003. The foreign type material corresponds to 4.6% of the monocot type collection.

In Memoriam: Kenton L. Chambers (27 September 1929–22 May 2024)

2024-10-22T14:46:22+00:00

Kenton L. Chambers passed away on May 22, 2024 at Good Samaritan Regional Hospital after a brief illness. He was born in Los Angeles, California on September 27, 1929 to Maynard Macy Chambers and Edna (Miller) Chambers. Ken spent his early years in Pasadena, Whittier and Laguna Beach. He was active in Boy Scouts, attaining the rank of Eagle Scout.

In Memoriam: J. Mickey Cooper (29 March 1940–06 September 2024)

2024-10-22T14:54:06+00:00

J. Mickey Cooper passed away on Friday, September 6, 2024. He was born in rural Centrahoma, Oklahoma, on March 29, 1940. Mickey was the son of Sonnie and Edna (Sawyers) Cooper. He spent his early years near Lula, Oklahoma, and graduated from Tupelo High School in 1958.

Germination, seed traits, and seedling vigor of Pilosocereus robinii (Cactaceae) from northwestern Cuba

2024-10-17T13:12:24+00:00

Studies on the germination of Caribbean cacti are essential for conservation and ecological restoration programs. We evaluated the seed traits and germination response of Pilosocereus robinii under five temperatures and two light conditions and compared the vigor of the seedlings obtained. Seminal traits showed characteristics of orthodox seeds. Pilosocereus robinii seeds showed positive photoblastism and a range of optimal temperatures below 30°C. In all treatments where germination was suboptimal, the seeds demonstrated high recovery percentages when they were exposed to the optimal temperature. The vigor of the seedlings showed a behavior similar to germination. Our study shows that restoration plans for the species' populations are viable from seeds.

Index to New Names and New Combinations and Typifications in JBRIT 18(2)

2024-11-26T14:09:50+00:00

Index to New Names and New Combinations and Typifications published in JBRIT 18(2), 26 Nov 2024.

Annual Review of Plant Biology, Volume 75

2024-10-31T15:59:36+00:00

The Annual Review of Plant Biology, in publication since 1950, covers the significant developments in the field of plant biology, including biochemistry and biosynthesis, genetics, genomics and molecular biology, cell differentiation, tissue, organ and whole plant events, acclimation and adaptation, and methods and model organisms.

There are 29 papers in the volume.