Herbarium Specimens Research Articles

Salvia josetta (Nepetoideae; Lamiaceae), a new species from Lebanon

Salvia josetta, a new species of Lamiaceae, is described and illustrated. The species was discovered in 2018 from the district of Danniye, North Lebanon. We collected samples each year and prepared herbarium specimens. By comparing our samples with the already known taxa in the genus Salvia, through morphological descriptions and herbarium specimens, we established that they belong to a species new to science. This new species grows in openings within pine woodlands on brown soil developed from limestone and sandy bedrocks. Following the guidelines and criteria of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it is assessed as critically endangered, based on its limited distribution area (0.02 km²) and the threats impacting the site where it was found, namely illegal logging, forest fires, and quarrying. The morphological characters are compared with two similar species, Salvia fayruziana from Lebanon and Salvia veneris from Cyprus.

Chlorohiptage (Tetrapteroids, Malpighiaceae), a distinct new genus endemic to Vietnam based on morphological and molecular data

Background and aims – Vietnam is one of the leading diversity centres for Asian Malpighiaceae, comprising 24 accepted species and three native genera (i.e. Aspidopterys, Hiptage, and Tristellateia). During recent fieldwork towards completing the taxonomic revision of Malpighiaceae for the Flora of Vietnam, we have collected specimens from two populations that could not be placed in any of the three native genera of this family. We performed morphological and molecular phylogenetic studies to test the generic placement of those specimens. Material and methods – We sampled 27 genera (including the Asian Acridocarpus, Aspidopterys, Brachylophon, Hiptage, Stigmaphyllon, and Tristellateia, out of a total of 75) of Malpighiaceae representing all phylogenetic clades comprising paleotropical lineages (i.e. acridocarpoids, bunchosioids, tetrapteroids, malpighioids, and stigmaphylloids), the unusual specimen recently collected in Vietnam, and the two genera of Elatinaceae as outgroups. Maximum Likelihood analysis was carried out based on a molecular matrix alignment of the internal transcribed spacer marker (ITS). Comprehensive morphological analyses were also carried out based on the collected specimens and additional herbarium specimens. Key results – Our molecular phylogeny strongly supported the unusual specimen from Vietnam placed as sister to Hiptage in the tetrapteroid clade. Key morphological traits differing these Vietnamese specimens from Hiptage were identified related to the floral bud imbrication, shape, colour, posture of sepals and petals, length of stamen filaments, number of styles, and shape of mericarps, allowing the proposition of a new monospecific genus. Conclusions – Chlorohiptage vietnamensis is proposed as a new monospecific genus closely related to Hiptage but differing in several key morphological traits. A complete morphological description is provided alongside photographic illustrations and notes on its conservation, distribution, ecology, etymology, and taxonomy. Additionally, an updated identification key to the genera of the tetrapteroid clade is provided.

Nomenclatural standards of barley cultivars bred by the Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture for Northern Trans-Ural Region – Branch of the Tyumen Scientific Research Center SB RAS

The article contains descriptions of the morphological, biological and economic characters of spring barley cultivars ‘Kudesnik’ and ‘Divnyj’ (Hordeum vulgare L. ssp. distichon (L.) Körn. var. nutans Körn.) bred by the Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture for Northern Trans-Ural Region – Branch of Federal Research Centre Tyumen Scientific Centre of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SRIA for NTUR – Branch of Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS, Tyumen region, Russia) as well as information about the history of spring barley breeding at the said Institute.As part of this work, the nomenclatural standards of cultivars ‘Kudesnik’ and ‘Divnyj’ were created. The plant material for nomenclatural standards was collected at the Pushkin laboratories of the Research and Production Base “Pushkin and Pavlovsk laboratories of VIRˮ. All plants for making a herbarium specimen of a cultivar were those grown from one seed sample.The nomenclatural standard of cultivar ‘Kudesnik’ is represented by one herbarium sheet and is duplicated by four herbarium sheets, while the nomenclatural standard of cultivar ‘Divnyj’ is mounted on one herbarium sheet and has three duplicate sheets. Every sheet contains the entire plant at the milky ripeness stage, mature spikes and grain samples.The nomenclatural standards were produced in accordance with the recommendations of the International Code of Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants (ICNCP) and registered in the VIR Herbarium database. The herbarium specimens were deposited at the Herbarium of Cultivated Plants of the World, their Wild Relatives and Weeds (WIR) at the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources. 

Nomenclatural standard of barley cultivar ‘Talovsky 9’

The nomenclatural standard of spring two-row barley cultivar ‘Talovsky 9’, bred by the Federal Government Budgetory Scientific Institution "Voronezh Federal Agricultural Scientific Centre named after V.V. Dokuchaev" (FGBSI "Voronezh FASC named after V.V. Dokuchaev") former V.V. Dokuchaev Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture of the Central Black Earth Zone was created.The pedigree of the 'Talovsky 9' barley cultivar includes the ‘Pervenets’ and ‘Donetsk 8’ cultivars, highly resistant to smut, and highly resistant to root rot cultivars the ‘Donetsk 8’ and ‘Preriya’. Cultivar ‘Talovsky 9’ was selected by the method of stepwise hybridization between productive and drought-resistant cultivars ‘Pervenets’, ‘Donetsk 8’, ‘Prairie’, followed by individual selection from the hybrid population F3. The barley cultivar 'Talovsky 9' is zoned in Belgorod, Voronezh, Kursk, Lipetsk and Tambov regions within the Central Black Earth region and was included in the State Register, State Register code 9610219 in 2007 (State Register…, 2023).The herbarium specimen of the nomenclatural standard of cultivar ‘Talovsky 9’ is presented on one herbarium sheet and has 2 sheets of doublet. All sheets contain entire plants in a state of milk stage collected at the Research and Production Base “Pushkin and Pavlovsk laboratories of the VIR”, ripe inflorescences and grains collected at the Voronezh Federal Agricultural Scientific Centre named after V.V. Dokuchaev. All specimens for the herbaria are plants grown from the same seeds generation.The nomenclatural standard was prepared in accordance with the recommendations of the International Code of Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants (ICNCP), registered in the VIR Herbarium database and were processed and accessioned to the Herbarium WIR. 

Herbarium data accurately predict the timing and duration of population‐level flowering displays

Forecasting the impacts of changing climate on the phenology of plant populations is essential for anticipating and managing potential ecological disruptions to biotic communities. Herbarium specimens enable assessments of plant phenology across broad spatiotemporal scales. However, specimens are collected opportunistically, and it is unclear whether their collection dates – used as proxies of phenological stages – are closest to the onset, peak, or termination of a phenophase, or whether sampled individuals represent early, average, or late occurrences in their populations. Despite this, no studies have assessed whether these uncertainties limit the utility of herbarium specimens for estimating the onset and termination of a phenophase. Using simulated data mimicking such uncertainties, we evaluated the accuracy with which the onset and termination of population‐level phenological displays (in this case, of flowering) can be predicted from natural‐history collections data (controlling for biases in collector behavior), and how the duration, variability, and responsiveness to climate of the flowering period of a species and temporal collection biases influence model accuracy. Estimates of population‐level onset and termination were highly accurate for a wide range of simulated species' attributes, but accuracy declined among species with longer individual‐level flowering duration and when there were temporal biases in sample collection, as is common among the earliest and latest‐flowering species. The amount of data required to model population‐level phenological displays is not impractical to obtain; model accuracy declined by less than 1 day as sample sizes rose from 300 to 1000 specimens. Our analyses of simulated data indicate that, absent pervasive biases in collection and if the climate conditions that affect phenological timing are correctly identified, specimen data can predict the onset, termination, and duration of a population's flowering period with similar accuracy to estimates of median flowering time that are commonplace in the literature.

Leionema paulii (Rutaceae), a new, range-restricted endemic species from south-eastern New South Wales, Australia

Leionema paulii G.P.Phillips (Rutaceae), a newly recognised species of restricted distribution from montane south-eastern New South Wales is here described. It is compared with the morphologically similar L. phylicifolium (F.Muell.) Paul G.Wilson, L. ceratogynum N.G.Walsh and L. lachnaeoides (A.Cunn.) Paul G.Wilson. The distribution, habitat and proposed conservation status for the new taxon are presented, and a modified key to the species of Leionema found in New South Wales is also included. Leionema paulii was previously recorded as a disjunct population of L. phylicifolium that was previously not represented by any herbarium specimens. This highlights the opportunity for further taxonomic discovery through the collection and analysis of specimens from more disjunct and discrete populations in genera that contain large numbers of narrow-range endemics.

Systematic revision of species of Atractilina and Spiropes hyperparasitic on Meliolales (Ascomycota) in the tropics

Atractilina Dearn. & Barthol. and Spiropes Cif. are genera of asexual fungi that comprise species mainly hyperparasitic on black mildews (Meliolales, Ascomycota). Although a common group of anamorphic fungi, they have been described up to now only by morphology and their systematic position is unknown. The present study provides a morphological treatise of all known species of Atractilina and Spiropes hyperparasitic on Meliolales, including insights into their systematic position, based on DNA sequences generated here for the first time. The study was conducted, based on 33 herbarium specimens and 23 specimens recently collected in Benin and Panama. The obtained DNA sequence data (28S rDNA and ITS rDNA) of A. parasitica and of two species of Spiropes show systematic placements in the Dothideomycetes and Leotiomycetes, respectively. The sequence data of the two Spiropes spp. do not group together. Moreover, the anamorph-teleomorph connection between Atractilina parasitica and Malacaria meliolicola, a pseudothecioid fungus, is confirmed. Three species in the genus Spiropes are proposed as new to science, namely S. angylocalycis, S. carpolobiae and S. croissantiformis. Four species are reported for Benin for the first time, three species for Panama and one species for mainland America. Atractilina and Spiropes are currently two genera with highly heterogeneous species and they might have to be split in the future, once the taxonomic concepts are validated by morphology and molecular sequence data.

The comprehensive checklist of myxomycetes of Ukraine, based on extended occurrence and reference datasets

A significant body of valuable data about the myxomycetes of Ukraine lies in a “grey zone”. This encompasses undigitised historical books and articles published in languages such as Polish, French or German, as well as proceedings from local conferences, articles featured in local scientific journals and annual reports submitted to public authorities by employees of protected areas, published in Ukrainian or Russian. Yet, due to their exclusive existence in print and often the Cyrillic alphabet, these publications remain neither findable nor accessible to a wider audience. The datasets presented here aim to summarise over 150 years of myxomycetes research in Ukraine. The majority of the data has been extracted from published literature sources spanning the years 1842 to 2023, with a minor supplement from unpublished herbarium specimens. The datasets include 5036 georeferenced occurrences, 339 taxa and 91 literature sources. Seventy-one of the used literature sources, mostly published before 2010, were uploaded to Zenodo and are available in open access.

Hiding in plain sight: a widespread native perennial harbors diverse haplotypes of 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum' and its potato psyllid vector.

The unculturable bacterium 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum' (CLso) is responsible for a growing number of emerging crop diseases. However, we know little about the diversity and ecology of CLso and its psyllid vectors outside of agricultural systems, which limits our ability to manage crop disease and understand the impacts this pathogen may have on wild plants in natural ecosystems. In North America, CLso is transmitted to crops by the native potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli). But the geographic and host plant range of the potato psyllid and CLso beyond the borders of agriculture are not well understood. A recent study of historic herbarium specimens revealed that a unique haplotype of CLso was present infecting populations of the native perennial Solanum umbelliferum in California decades before CLso was first detected in crops. We hypothesized that this haplotype, and other potentially novel CLso variants, are still present in S. umbelliferum populations. To test this, we surveyed populations of S. umbelliferum in Southern California for CLso and potato psyllid vectors. We found multiple haplotypes of CLso and the potato psyllid associated with these populations, with none of these genetic variants having been previously reported in California crops. These results suggest that CLso and its psyllid vectors are much more widespread and diverse in North American natural plant communities than suggested by data collected solely from crops and weeds in agricultural fields. Further characterization of these apparently asymptomatic haplotypes will facilitate comparison with disease-causing variants and provide insights into the continued emergence and spread of CLso.

First Report of Powdery Mildew Caused by Golovinomyces adenophorae on Adenophora triphylla var. japonica in Korea.

Adenophora triphylla var. japonica (Campanulaceae), known as Japanese lady bell, is native to East Asia. It has been used as a medicinal plant but is widely cultivated in Korea as an indigenous vegetable (Park et al. 2011). In the summer of 2020, about 100 plants in an experimental plot at the National Institute of Forest Science, Seoul, Korea, showed powdery mildew symptoms with a 100% disease incidence. Signs first appeared as white colonies, subsequently expanding over the leaves, stems, and inflorescences. Infected young shoots were elongated and became slender. Chasmothecia were found in late October. Voucher specimens were deposited in the Korea University Herbarium (KUS-F). Conidiophores arising from the lateral part of the hyphae were upright, 100 to 220 × 10 to 12 µm, and produced 2 to 5 immature conidia in chains with sinuate edge lines. Basal parts of foot-cells in conidiophores were curved. Conidia were barrel-shaped to ellipsoid, 26 to 40 × 14 to 20 µm, and produced germ tubes on the perihilar position of the conidia. Chasmothecia with short mycelioid appendages were gregarious, 144 to176 µm in diam., and contained 8 to 22 asci. Asci were clavate-saccate with short stalks, 60 to 82 × 28 to 42 µm, and contained two spores. Ascospores were broadly ellipsoid, cytoplasm-dense without vacuoles, colorless, and 22 to 28 × 12 to 18 µm. The structures and measurements were consistent with those of Golovinomyces adenophorae (R.Y. Zheng & G.Q. Chen) Heluta (Braun & Cook, 2012). To confirm the morphology-based identification, two herbarium specimens (KUS-F29252 and F31898) were sequenced for the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) regions with PM10/ITS4 and PM3/TW14 primers, respectively (Bradshaw and Tobin, 2020). A Blastn search revealed high similarities in the ITS and LSU sequences, with 99.81% (538/539 bp) and 99.86% (697/698 bp) to G. adenophorae sequences (AB077633 and AB077632), respectively. All resulting sequences were deposited in GenBank under accession numbers OR841069-70 for ITS and OR841071 for LSU. A pathogenicity test was performed through inoculation by gently dusting the conidia from a detached symptomatic leaf onto the leaves of five healthy plants. Five non-inoculated plants served as controls. Following inoculation, plants were covered with plastic film and maintained in a greenhouse (24 to 32°C) until symptoms developed. Powdery mildew colonies developed on the inoculated plants after twelve days, whereas the control plants remained symptomless. The inoculated pathogen was confirmed morphologically and molecularly by the sequence comparison aforementioned, fulfilling Koch's postulates. Based on morphological characteristics and the sequencing data, the powdery mildew was identified as G. adenophorae. The association of G. adenophorae and Adenophora spp. has been known in China, Japan, Kazakhstan, and the Far East of Russia (Farr and Rossman, 2023). This is the first report of powdery mildew caused by G. adenophorae on A. triphylla var. japonica in Korea. Since the commercial cultivation of this plant aims to harvest young shoots as one of the most popular vegetables in Korea, appropriate control measures for the powdery mildew should be considered.

Ecological drivers of flower-leaf sequences: aridity and proxies for pollinator attraction select for flowering-first in the American plums.

Across temperate forests, many tree species produce flowers before their leaves emerge. This flower-leaf phenological sequence, known as hysteranthy, is generally described as an adaptation for wind pollination. However, this explanation does not address why hysteranthy is also common in biotically pollinated taxa. We quantified flower-leaf sequence variation in the American plums (Prunus, subg. Prunus sect. Prunocerasus), a clade of insect-pollinated trees, using herbaria specimens and Bayesian hierarchical modeling. We tested two common, but rarely interrogated hypotheses - that hysteranthy confers aridity tolerance and/or pollinator visibility - by modeling the associations between hysteranthy and related traits. To understand how these phenology-trait associations were sensitive to taxonomic scale and flower-leaf sequence classification, we then extended these analyses to all Prunus species in North America. Our findings across two taxonomic levels support the hypotheses that hysteranthy may help temporally partition hydraulic demand to reduce water stress and increase pollinator visibility - thereby reducing selective pressure on inflorescence size. Our results provide foundational insights into the evolution of flower-leaf sequences in the genus Prunus, with implications for understanding these patterns in biotically pollinated plants in general. Our approach suggests a path to advance these hypotheses to other clades, but teasing out drivers fully will require new experiments.

A new species of Passiflora (Passifloraceae, subgenus Passiflora) in the flora of Colombia discovered in uncharted Andean territory

A new species of Passiflora belonging to the subgenus Passiflora (supersection Stipulata, section Kermesinae) is described and illustrated from living material and herbarium specimens. Passiflora pitalensis is similar to P. lehmannii, and it can be recognized primarily by its petiole green, leaves with broader lobes, peduncle green, bract lanceolate, corona filaments in 5 series with outer filaments in 2 series, fruit ovoid, and seed margin dentate. This species is rare and endemic to Colombia in the Andean region at elevations ranging from 1,749–2,027 m and should be considered Endangered (EN) due to its restricted occurrence with a small population size of no more than 90 individuals.

Re-establishment of Aechmea laxiflora (Bromeliaceae, Bromelioideae) based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence, with notes on its geographical distribution

Background: Previous phylogenetic analyses suggested that Aechmea bracteata is not a monophyletic species, being each variety an individual lineage within the Aechmea bracteata complex.
 Hypothesis: A phylogenetic analysis based on molecular data and a morphological analysis will provide evidence to support the taxonomic recognition of A. bracteata var. pacifica as a distinct species.
 Studies species: A. bracteata var. bracteata, A. bracteata var. pacifica and related species.
 Study site and dates: Mexico to Northern South America; 17 populations from Southeastern and Western Mexico. Analyses were performed between 2021 and 2023.
 Methods: A linear morphometric analysis was conducted with 85 herbarium specimens testing 28 quantitative and three qualitative variables. Potential diagnostic traits were reviewed in living specimens. A phylogenetic analysis was performed with two nDNA markers (ETS and g3pdh) and one cpDNA marker (trnL-F). A total of 373 records were projected into biogeographical provinces of the Neotropics.
 Results: The morphometric analysis allowed to separate each variety into a group, also, nine of the evaluated traits resulted statistically significant through a univariate analysis. Five additional diagnostic traits from the inflorescence and leaves were recognized. According to nDNA both taxa present reciprocal monophyly, however, cpDNA groups A. bracteata var. pacifica with Central American species, showcasing a potential hybrid origin. Geographically, the Sierra Madre del Sur acts as a barrier between both taxa.
 Conclusions: Due to the gathered evidence is possible to recognize A. bracteata var. pacifica as an endemic species to Mexico, reestablishing the basionym A. laxiflora.

New records of forty-nine herbaceous plant species from lateritic plateaus for Ratnagiri District of Maharashtra, India

Ratnagiri is a coastal district and a part of Konkan region of Maharashtra. During our floristic studies on ephemeral and herbaceous plants of lateritic plateaus of Ratnagiri district from year 2020 to 2022, we have collected 49 herbaceous and ephemeral flowering plant species new addition to the Ratnagiri district. Newly added above said plant species belonging to 19 families and among them 16 species are endemic to India. This paper provides detailed checklist with herbarium specimen numbers for all the collected species and photographs of 16 endemic species.

Incorporating plant phenological responses into species distribution models reduces estimates of future species loss and turnover.

Anthropogenetic climate change has caused range shifts among many species. Species distribution models (SDMs) are used to predict how species ranges may change in the future. However, most SDMs rarely consider how climate-sensitive traits, such as phenology, which affect individuals' demography and fitness, may influence species' ranges. Using > 120 000 herbarium specimens representing 360 plant species distributed across the eastern United States, we developed a novel 'phenology-informed' SDM that integrates phenological responses to changing climates. We compared the ranges of each species forecast by the phenology-informed SDM with those from conventional SDMs. We further validated the modeling approach using hindcasting. When examining the range changes of all species, our phenology-informed SDMs forecast less species loss and turnover under climate change than conventional SDMs. These results suggest that dynamic phenological responses of species may help them adjust their ecological niches and persist in their habitats as the climate changes. Plant phenology can modulate species' responses to climate change, mitigating its negative effects on species persistence. Further application of our framework will contribute to a generalized understanding of how traits affect species distributions along environmental gradients and facilitate the use of trait-based SDMs across spatial and taxonomic scales.

A taxonomic revision of the genus Crocus (Iridaceae) in Iran

The taxonomic classification of the genus Crocus has undergone substantial revisions over the past half‐century. Likewise, over the last two decades, the number of known species in Iran has tripled with the discovery of 16 additional species. Despite these noteworthy recent findings, there is a lack of an updated taxonomic revision that encompasses all these newcomers. This revision of the genus in Iran is based on comprehensive morphological examinations conducted on fresh plant material collected in the field, cultivated plants, herbarium specimens, and an extensive literature review. Presently, 24 species are recognized in Iran. They are classified into two sections: Crocus and Nudiscapus. Notably, 18 species (75%) are endemic to Iran, with 14 among them being steno‐endemics, the five remaining species are subendemic elements whose distribution is limited to Iran and the adjacent countries. An identification key to all 24 recognized species is presented, accompanied by illustrations, detailed descriptions, distribution maps and information on the conservation status of each species. According to the IUCN criteria, the conservation status of all species, excluding C. caspius, C. damascenus, C. haussknechtii and C. michelsonii is at an alarming level. This revision aims to resolve ambiguities in the Iranian Crocus taxonomy, and offers the opportunity to collectively examine all previously described species in one comprehensive contribution.

Palmer Amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.) and Waterhemp [Amaranthus tuberculatus (Moq.) J.D. Sauer] Biovigilance in Canadian Agro-ecosystems.

The evolution and spread of herbicide-resistant weeds threatens long-term sustainability of Canadian agro-ecosystems. Herbicide-resistant weeds increase management inputs and costs, increases off-target and environmental exposure to pesticides, reduces yield quality and quantity, and impedes harvest efficiency. Amaranthus species including Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.) and waterhemp [Amaranthus tuberculatus (Moq.) J.D. Sauer] are particularly concerning due to both their propensity towards herbicide resistance evolution, their history of invasion, and their spread in agro-ecosystems. A biovigilance approach is taken to build awareness of these pigweeds initial invasion and spread in the USA. Characteristics of their identification, potential hybridization, and known herbicide resistance evolution are reviewed. Fourteen species of Amaranthus are found in Canada, nine of which (including waterhemp) possess herbicide-resistant biotypes. A total of forty-five hybrids between various Canadian Amaranthus species with each other or Palmer amaranth have been noted. Hybrids have been experimentally produced or observed from herbarium specimens, with three cases of herbicide resistance transfer notably with Palmer amaranth or waterhemp. Mitigation strategies will depend on successful species identification and herbicide resistance status determination. Common pathways for Palmer amaranth introductions in the northern USA include both animal feed systems with grain screenings and crop production systems including seed and equipment contamination. Regional awareness campaigns will be critical to support Canadian farmers in identifying and quickly mitigating invasions of Palmer amaranth and waterhemp to prevent establishment and spread of infestations into new areas.

A Taxonomic Revision of the Mexican Genus Bakerantha (Hechtioideae, Bromeliaceae)

A taxonomic revision of the Mexican genus Bakerantha L. B. Sm. is here presented. Each species entry includes full nomenclature, a morphological description, distributional and phenological data, a discussion of affinities, illustrations, and a conservation assessment according to IUCN criteria. An artificial key is also included to identify live as well as herbarium specimens of all taxa.

The leaf micromorphology and anatomy of gamba grass, Andropogon gayanus Kunth (Poaceae: Panicoideae)

Context Andropogon gayanus, commonly known as gamba grass, is one of the declared weeds of national significance in Australia. Past studies have focused on gross morphology of root structures, biogeochemical behaviour, and ecology, but there has been limited work on comparative descriptions of leaf micromorphology and anatomy. Aims We investigated and described its leaf micromorphology and anatomy to understand weed biology and ecophysiology. Methods Optical and scanning electron microscope examination of the adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces of A. gayanus was carried out. We identified and generated a list of morphological characters that were used to compare several dried herbarium specimens of A. gayanus. Key results The leaf characters were consistent across all specimens examined, with minor differences in leaf pubescence, indicating this could be a plastic trait. Conclusions Andropogon gayanus leaves are well adapted to wet and dry tropical conditions. Plasticity in leaf surface pubescence possibly enhances its adaptability, increasing its success as a weed in Australian ecosystems. The success of A. gayanus in Australia could be because the environment compares favourably with the native environment of the species in Africa, where it has adapted to extremes of wet and dry conditions over a large geographical range. Implications Plant morphological and taxonomic studies of A. gayanus focused on describing characters of spikelets and caryopses are recommended to understand how reproductive structures aid in its successful proliferation.

Geographic And Taxonomic Occurrence R‐based Scrubbing (gatoRs): An R package and workflow for processing biodiversity data

AbstractPremiseDigitized biodiversity data offer extensive information; however, obtaining and processing biodiversity data can be daunting. Complexities arise during data cleaning, such as identifying and removing problematic records. To address these issues, we created the R package Geographic And Taxonomic Occurrence R‐based Scrubbing (gatoRs).Methods and ResultsThe gatoRs workflow includes functions that streamline downloading records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio). We also created functions to clean downloaded specimen records. Unlike previous R packages, gatoRs accounts for differences in download structure between GBIF and iDigBio and allows for user control via interactive cleaning steps.ConclusionsOur pipeline enables the scientific community to process biodiversity data efficiently and is accessible to the R coding novice. We anticipate that gatoRs will be useful for both established and beginning users. Furthermore, we expect our package will facilitate the introduction of biodiversity‐related concepts into the classroom via the use of herbarium specimens.