Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas

Medicine from the trees: Herbal remedies from the forest for whole-body health and wellness

Barney Lipscomb — 2026-04-15

From the Publisher: These recipes (including teas, tinctures, bath soaks, syrups, salves, and even cookies) will teach readers how to manage day-to-day physical complaints such as immune system health, colds, and stress. Did you know that you can pickle the seeds of American ash trees as a beneficial gut microbiome supplement and source of nutrition? That a morning tea made from banyan tree bark will balance blood sugar levels all day? That a tincture of beech leaves improves circulation? That a delicious ketchup made from hawthorn is good for the heart? That steamy spruce baths are effective for treating lower back pain as well as colds? Pursell reveals all these surprisingly simple and easy uses for medicinal preparations from the trees that surround us all, and many more.

A Conspectus of the North American Isoetaceae

Lytton John Musselman — 2026-04-15

Isoetes (Isoetaceae; Lycopodiopsida; quillworts) constitutes a highly successful, cosmopolitan genus with over 200 species. Isoetes is derived from isos Greek for equal and eter for year, referring to the typically long persisting leaves of the sole genus in this ancient plant family. The leaves resemble a ‘quill-of-feather,’ hence the common name ‘Quillworts,’ wort, from old Germanic wurti, meaning plant. In large measure due to its simple form, inconspicuous appearance and negligible economic value, it represents one of the least studied and least collected of all North American genera. Isoetes constitutes a taxonomically enigmatic group with numerous polyploid species that arose through hybridization.

Updates to the flora of New Mexico (U.S.A.): Notable botanical findings from the next generation of southwestern botanists

Harpo Faust — 2026-04-15

New Mexico is among the most botanically diverse states in the country. However, it is also among the most poorly collected. Recent interest in botanical collection by early career and interdisciplinary botanical groups with varied goals has yielded several noteworthy collections in the state of New Mexico. These include 15 state collection records as well as 134 other notable collection records, including range extensions, collections of poorly represented taxa, collections of rare taxa, county records, and atypical specimens. We report these findings and detail the variety of methods by which botanists can approach continued collection amidst uncertain times. Across floristic, taxonomic, habitat, agency, educational, and opportunistic collecting approaches, floristics produced the most noteworthy records. However, we argue that all collecting approaches remain vital to the tracking of statewide botanical biodiversity. Continued collecting will be imperative for documenting and conserving the extraordinary plant biodiversity of New Mexico.

High germinability can facilitate recovery of Adelia vaseyi (Euphorbiaceae), an imperiled Tamaulipan thornscrub shrub

Saroj Dhakal — 2026-04-15

While critical to maintaining dryland biodiversity and drought resilience, reforestation has been limited in subtropical dry forests because of knowledge gaps in seed biology that must be filled to upscale seedling production and ensure recovery of imperiled endemic plants. We characterized seed germination, dormancy, and storage needs for Adelia vaseyi, a threatened endemic shrub commonly included in planting mixes to restore Tamaulipan thornscrub, an imperiled subtropical forest spanning South Texas and Northeastern Mexico. We found A. vaseyi seeds have high germinability (82.0%) and a short mean germination time (3.04 ± 0.08 days). A delia vaseyi seed does not appear to have physical or other dormancies and may have orthodox behavior maintaining their viability with a moisture content of 6.7%, which is adequate for long-term storage. Our results indicate that A. vaseyi can be readily propagated in nurseries and seed banked for future recovery actions. Conversely, its high germinability and lack of dormancy hint there are no inherent constraints to germination, suggesting that natural seedling recruitment may instead limit population growth in the wild. Therefore, reforestation with nursery-grown seedlings of A. vaseyi may be necessary to support recovery of this threatened shrub.

Solidago for the mid-Atlantic region

Barney Lipscomb — 2026-04-15

Solidago, commonly known as goldenrod, is a genus that includes more than 100 species in the aster family that are primarily found in North America. This trial focused on highlighting and evaluating more than 50 Solidago species that are found in the eastern United States along with various cultivars, hybrids, and closely related plants including members of the genus Euthamia.

The Cenchrus spinifex group (Poaceae: Panicoideae) in Texas and notes on reinstated Cenchrus S.S. in the United States

Joseph K. Wipff, III — 2026-04-15

An account of the Cenchrus spinifex group for Texas is provided based on an examination of the type specimens, field work, and the examination of herbarium accessions and digital images. From this study several species previously synonymized under Cenchrus spinifex are reinstated: C. albertsonii, C. incertus, C. roseus, C. strictus (coastal S. Carolina to Florida), and C. bambusoides (Florida, coastal southern Mexico). The Mexican species Cenchrus roseus is reported new for Texas. A new species of Cenchrus from Texas is described: C. densiflorus Wipff, sp. nov. from southern Texas. Keys to the documented taxa in Texas and the United States, descriptions, images of the types for each taxa, and distribution maps are provided.

Four new species of Tragia (Euphorbiaceae) from the Tehuantepec region of Mexico

Roberto J. Urtecho — 2026-04-15

Four new species of Tragia sect. Tragia (Euphorbiaceae) are here described from the Mexican states adjoining the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Tragia acahualicola Urtecho, sp. nov., has ovaries that are densely stipitate-glandular. This species is widely distributed throughout southern Mexico. Tragia catemacoensis Urtecho, sp. nov., has very distinctive pistillate and staminate flowers. It is limited in distribution to an area in Veracruz in the vicinity of Lake Catemaco. Tragia maculata Urtecho, sp. nov., is similar to T. nepetifolia var. setosa. It differs from this taxon in having a much less papillate stigma, wider, narrowly-triangular leaves, and prominent white spots on the seed. Tragia chiapensis J-B. Urtecho & Urtecho, sp. nov., is similar to Tragia affinis Rob. & Greenm. in leaf shape and in possessing more than three stamens per staminate flower. It differs from this species in stigma texture, uniform stamen number (6), and smaller seeds.

Gustavia crassifolia (Lecythidaceae): A large-flowered new species from northwestern Colombia

Xavier Cornejo — 2026-04-15

Gustavia crassifolia (Lecythidaceae), a new species of tree that produces beautiful large flowers, ca. 24 cm in diameter, from the departments Chocó and Antioquia in northwestern Colombia is formally presented and illustrated.

Columnea versicolor, a new species of Gesneriaceae from the Cordillera Occidental in the Colombian Andes

John L. Clark — 2026-04-15

Exploratory field expeditions and herbarium research have led to the discovery of Columnea versicolor J.L. Clark & Clavijo, sp. nov. in the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae. The new species is distinguished from congeners by a distinctly bicolored corolla, with the tube uniformly magenta with dark purple lobes, or magenta with a purple section and dark purple lobes. The species is endemic to the western slopes of the Cordillera Occidental in the Colombian Andes.

Reldia oligantha (Gesneriaceae), a new lithophytic herb from the Cordillera del Cóndor in southern Ecuador

John L. Clark — 2026-04-15

Recent fieldwork in southern Ecuador resulted in the discovery of a new species of Reldia (Gesneriaceae) from limestone outcrops in the Cordillera del Condor. Reldia oligantha J.L. Clark is described here as endemic to the eastern Andean slopes of Ecuador. The species is distinguished by its highly reduced, typically uniflorous inflorescences, lithophytic habit with leaves arranged in a basal rosette, and diminutive stature, representing the smallest species currently recognized in the genus.

A new species of Chusquea subg. Rettbergia (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae) from Bolivia and a range extension and revised description for C. yungasensis

Lynn G. Clark — 2026-04-15

Chusquea latispicula, the second species of Chusquea subg. Rettbergia to be confirmed from Bolivia, is here described, illustrated, and compared with C. yungasensis. The new species is distinguished primarily on spikelet characters, including spikelet length and number of nerves on the lemma, but mainly by its spikelet width of 4–5 mm, for which this species is named. The new species is known from only one collection and thus is considered endemic to Bolivia. Four additional collections of C. yungasensis have been recorded since its original description in 2014, representing a range extension into the department of Cochabamba, which is documented herein. The newer collections also provide the basis for an updated description of this species. A preliminary conservation status assessment for C. latispicula and a revised one for C. yungasensis are included.

Nuevas especies y notas en Qualea (Vochysiaceae; Myrtales) de Mesoamérica y el Pacífico colombiano

Daniel Santamaría-Aguilar — 2026-04-15

Qualea is the second largest genus in the Vochysiaceae (Myrtales), comprising ca. 53 species, most of which occur in the Amazon basin. Six species are known from southern Mesoamerica (Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama) and the Colombian Pacific coast. Three new species are proposed: Qualea areno (Caribbean slope of Nicaragua and Costa Rica), Q. masicaran (Pacific slope of Costa Rica), and Q. chocoensis (Choco, Colombia). The name Qualea lineata (Valle del Cauca, Colombia) has been used and proposed for the new species. We also designate a lectotype for Q. panamensis, a key to the species present in these regions, figures. distribution maps and conservation assessments.

Christine Heller’s legacy and the potential for integration of traditional knowledge and biocultural labels (U.S.A.)

Channing M. Buckmaster — 2026-04-15

Christine A. Heller (1907–1989) was a nutritionist, author, and botanist whose work in the 1960s–1970s had a lasting impact on Alaska’s botanical and cultural landscapes. Her research focused on the nutritional and medicinal qualities of native plants, making important contributions to the understanding of Alaska’s wild flora and its role in human health. Heller’s work is particularly relevant to contemporary discussions on subsistence living because of the historical moment in which her data was collected. Although her documentation often failed to adequately acknowledge the cultural significance of Alaskan foodways, the nutritional and botanical records she compiled remain valuable as time-specific evidence of what people gathered and consumed, enabling meaningful comparison with present-day data on subsistence practices and community health. These areas of Heller’s expertise emphasize the interconnectedness of human well-being, ecological sustainability, and cultural knowledge. In honoring Heller’s legacy, it is important to recognize that her research, while valuable, was conducted at a time when Indigenous knowledge systems were not widely respected or acknowledged as legitimate forms of science. The historical lack of recognition for Indigenous cultural practices and knowledge has perpetuated the belief that Indigenous communities are incapable of making autonomous decisions regarding their own development, including how their scientific knowledge is recorded. This colonial mindset has contributed to the treatment of Indigenous heritage as artifacts of the past that do not require specific attribution to the communities that steward them. One emerging solution to this challenge is the implementation of Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Biocultural (BC) Labels, which are digital labels that seek to safeguard Indigenous knowledge and provide guidelines for its ethical use by attributing this information while remaining compatible with widely used scientific frameworks. This paper seeks to both honor the invaluable work Christine Heller performed in Alaska in the previous century and examine whether integrating TK and BC Labels into Alaska Native ethnobotanical knowledge would be meaningful and beneficial to Indigenous knowledge preservation efforts in the state.