Herbarium Research Articles

Role of Herbaria in the Study of Orchid Flora of Arunachal Pradesh, Conservation and Development with Particular Reference to Orchid Herbarium Tipi

Arunachal Pradesh is known for its rich orchid Flora and to study them. An Orchid Herbarium has been established at Tipi in the year 1979. The herbarium has 2182 numbers of specimens representing 420 species of orchids deposited from time to time by the conserted efforts of the authors. This herbarium includes 15 holotype specimens and specimens of 57 endangered orchids. In this paper detailed list of the specimen deposited have been given. Its role in the study of orchid flora, conservation and development has been discussed.

Asclepiadaceae of Maharashtra

Family Asclepiadaceae is represented by 250 genera and ca 3000 species mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is represented by 43 genera and ca 243 species in India, of which, 31 genera, 82 species, 2 subspecies and 7 varieties are known from the State of Maharashtra. The family is well known for endemism, most elaborate complicated flower of all the dicots and contrivances for pollination. Most of the members of the family are restricted in distribution and many of them fall under some IUCN categories of rare plants. Many of the species are not available for taxonomic studies due to rarity of plant materials. Similarly fleshy nature of flowers makes it difficult to study floral structure in dried herbarium specimens. During last decade, deliberate attempts were made to collect asclepiads of Maharashtra and study their characters in fresh and prickled liquid preserved materials. During 10 years intensive survey of asclepiads of Maharashtra, about 63 species of the total 82 species reported for the State have been collected, documented, photographed, studied and reported in the present paper. The genus Ceropegia alone accounts for 24 species and 2 varieties for the state. Photographs of asclepiad flowers are found to be of paramount value in easy identifications than their descriptions. The paper gives an account of Asclepiads of Maharashtra, their distribution and present field status.

Herbaria are Worth Having, but Why?

Herbaria are Worth Having, but Why?

Botany of Mt. Saramati and its Environs

The paper gives a brief account of botany of Mt. Saramati in Nagaland, India which represents the state's highest mountain peak (3841m), the remotest and the botanically unexplored area. A brief note on topography, geology, climate and vegetation together with a comprehensive analysis of the floristic compositions of the vegetation types and is followed by enumeration of the species of angiosperms and gymnosperms. Analysis of the species collected established the following five families as the richest ones on the basis of the number of the species. Orchidaceae (25), Poaceae (24), Asteraceae (17), Ericaceae (13), Cyperaceae (9). These together represent about 40% of the total number of species collected. All the species recorded in this paper, except Deyeuxia pulchella (Griseb.) Hook. f. (Poaceae) are new additions to the Kanjilal's Herbarium (ASSAM) from the area. There is also no record of any representation of plant species from there by Clarke (1886, 1889), Hooker (1872-97), Kanjilal et al. (1934-40), Bor (1942), Jamir and Rao (1088). The present paper, therefore, represents the first source of information regarding botany of the Mt. Saramati.

<p><strong>Typification of names in <em>Amaranthus</em> (Amaranthaceae) described by Sennen from Spain</strong></p>

The names in Amaranthus described by Frère Sennen from Spain were studied and, when necessary, typified. Seventeen lectotypes, preserved in BC and MA herbaria, have been designated. Isolectotypes were traced at BCN, herb. Sennen II, JE, JBAG (herb. Laínz), K, MA, P, and PH.

Catálogo de Solanaceae de la región La Libertad, Perú

We provide a catalogue of the Solanaceae family of La Libertad region, Peru. The study was based on new collections made by the authors in recent years, on the reviews of a significant number of herbarium specimens and specialized bibliography. A total of 22 genera, 173 species and 8 varieties were registered; including 20 cultivated species and 78 endemic taxa. Browallia, Iochroma, Jaltomata and Solanum present the highest number of species of the total family (119 sps.; 68,79%) and the highest number of endemisms (64 sps.; 82,05%). Endemic taxa according to their degree of threat are categorized: Critically Endangered (CR) (30), Endangered (EN) (8), Vulnerable (VU) (16), Near Threatened (NT) (9), Least Concern (LC) (3), Data Deficient (DD) (7), Not Evaluated (NE) (5). Browallia, Iochroma and Jaltomata are the genera whose species present the highest degree of threat (CR). 13 endemic species are found in protection areas [Calipuy National Reserve and Lomas Cerro Campana Private Conservation Area (PCA)]. The material examined for each species includes the geographical distribution according to the provinces and altitudes, the common name if it existed, the type specimen only of the material described for the La Libertad region, marked by the name and number of the main collector, followed by the acronym for the herbarium where it is deposited; as well as the current state of conservation of the taxon only in the case of endemic taxa. The threats and destruction of the species’ habitats are due to anthropic action. The information presented will serve to continue research in taxonomic, ecological, environmental, molecular aspects, obtaining bioactive compounds and innovation.

Herbário de plantas medicinais como estratégia no ensino de Botânica

A contextualização no ensino de Botânica é fundamental para a promoção de uma aprendizagem mais significativa. Nesse sentido, a construção de um herbário pode ser uma ferramenta utilizada para relacionar os conteúdos programáticos com o cotidiano do aluno. Essa ferramenta pode sensibilizar os estudantes quanto à importância da preservação da flora brasileira e sua biodiversidade. Nesse contexto, este estudo teve como objetivo principal contextualizar o ensino de Botânica por meio da construção de herbário de plantas medicinais. Além disso, pretendeu-se resgatar o conhecimento empírico sobre as plantas medicinais, despertar o interesse pelas aulas de Botânica e sensibilizar os estudantes quanto à importância do uso consciente dos fitoterápicos. O público-alvo desta pesquisa foi o 2° ano do Ensino Médio da Escola Estadual Hilda Trautwein Kamal, situada no município de Umuarama - PR, Brasil. Os alunos participaram do processo de confecção do herbário, desde a escolha das plantas que foram colocadas na pasta, até a sua classificação e realização de pesquisas sobre suas utilidades terapêuticas. O resultado de um pré-teste (diagnóstico inicial) demonstra que os discentes não tinham conhecimento efetivo sobre as plantas medicinais utilizadas neste estudo, herborização ou sequer sobre a importância do ensino de Botânica. Com a aplicação das aulas de Botânica contextualizadas que resultaram na construção do herbário, os alunos obtiveram maior conhecimento sobre o assunto, fato averiguado na avaliação dos resultados de um pós-teste aplicado.

Notes on Philonotis (Bartramiaceae, Bryophyta). 17. Australian and New Zealand Taxa P. tenuis, P. austrofalcata, P. pseudomollis and P. streimannii, nom. nov.

A number of the Australian and New Zealand Philonotis specimens mainly in V.F. Brotherus's herbarium (H-BR) and in NY were studied, with special attention to the placement of mammillae/papillae on the leaf cells and the cell areolation, and to the taxa synonymized previously with Philonotis tenuis. Philonotis austrofalcata (syn. nov. P. rigens) is distinct from P. tenuis at the specific level. Bartramia pallida and Philonotis laii are synonymized with Philonotis pseudomollis. Philonotis streimannii T.J. Kop. is a new name for P. fontanoides Broth. & Watts (hom. illeg.). Lectotypes are selected to P. pallida and P. streimannii. Philonotis pseudomollis is recorded as new to New Zealand.

Revealing a Significant Center of Sedge Diversity: Carex (Cyperaceae) of Jackson County, Alabama, U.S.A.

Jackson County is the northeasternmost county of Alabama, U.S.A., and falls entirely in the southern portion of the Appalachian Plateaus physiographic province. Based on multiple years of fieldwork, herbarium work, and review of online (digitized) specimens, this study presents the diversity, habitats, biogeography, and conservation status of Carex in Jackson County. We document 90 Carex taxa from Jackson County by voucher specimens deposited in multiple herbaria. This value exceeds the number of taxa known from other, similar-sized regions in the southern part of the Appalachian Plateaus. Carex albicans var. emmonsii is a new state record and is known in Alabama only from Jackson County. We encountered high numbers of misidentifications among specimens collected prior to this study and exclude nine taxa previously reported from Jackson County that are based on misidentifications. Carex plants grow in a great number of habitats in Jackson County, with two hosting the greatest number of taxa: mature, wet-mesic, deciduous, floodplain forests on clays and clay loams; and mature, mesic, calcium-rich, deciduous, upland forests on loams. Jackson County is a nexus for both southeastern endemics and taxa occurring at or near their southern limits. Thirteen of the Carex taxa are rare in Alabama and likely of conservation concern in the state. This study contributes fundamental knowledge that makes sedge diversity, ecology, geography, and conservation better known, and is especially important for revealing a significant center of Carex diversity in North America.

<p><strong>Italian alien species in Caryophyllaceae: nomenclatural remarks</strong></p>

The typification of the names Cerastium biebersteinii, Dianthus glumaceus, D. plumarius, Gypsophila collina, and G. elegans is discussed. Specimens from the herbaria G, LE, LINN, and P are designated as lectotypes, or neotype (G. elegans) of the concerned names.

LeafMachine: Using machine learning to automate leaf trait extraction from digitized herbarium specimens.

PremiseObtaining phenotypic data from herbarium specimens can provide important insights into plant evolution and ecology but requires significant manual effort and time. Here, we present LeafMachine, an application designed to autonomously measure leaves from digitized herbarium specimens or leaf images using an ensemble of machine learning algorithms.Methods and ResultsWe trained LeafMachine on 2685 randomly sampled specimens from 138 herbaria and evaluated its performance on specimens spanning 20 diverse families and varying widely in resolution, quality, and layout. LeafMachine successfully extracted at least one leaf measurement from 82.0% and 60.8% of high‐ and low‐resolution images, respectively. Of the unmeasured specimens, only 0.9% and 2.1% of high‐ and low‐resolution images, respectively, were visually judged to have measurable leaves.ConclusionsThis flexible autonomous tool has the potential to vastly increase available trait information from herbarium specimens, and inform a multitude of evolutionary and ecological studies.

Ejemplares tipo de Asteraceae (= Compositae) de A. L. Cabrera

Fil: Freire, Susana Edith. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Division de Plantas Vasculares; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas; Argentina

Types of Triticum durum Desf. intraspecific taxa preserved in the VIR herbarium (WIR)

The paper presents a complete annotated list of botanical varieties and forms of durum wheat (T. durum Desf.) preserved in the VIR herbarium collection (WIR) and described by Olga A. Lyapunova. These include eight new varieties, namely T. durum var. falcaterythromelan Lyapun., T. durum var. falcataffine Lyapun., T. durum var. falcativalencia Lyapun., T. durum var. caumelanopus Lyapun., T. durum var. muticoleucomelan Lyapun., T. durum var. muticerythromelan Lyapun., T. durum var. muticapulicum Lyapun., T. durum var. horanileucomelan Lyapun., and nine new forms: T. durum f. tristealbiprovinciale Lyapun., T. durum f. tristeprovinciale Lyapun., T. durum f. tristemelanopus Lyapun., T. durum f. tristeboeufii Lyapun., T. durum f. tristemuticerythromelan Lyapun., T. durum f. tristemuticapulicum Lyapun., T. durum f. tristemuticoboeufii Lyapun., T. durum f. tristecauleucomelan Lyapun., and T. durum f. tristehoranileucomelan Lyapun.

<p><strong>Typification and taxonomic remarks in <em>Petrosedum</em> (Crassulaceae)</strong></p>

Within the genus Petrosedum Grulich (1984: 39), as already previously stated (Gallo 2017: 208), some names still lack of a typification, and in view of a review of this genus, it seems appropriate to fill this gap. Four names are concerned here: S. amplexicaule, S. montanum, S. pruinatum and S. tenuifolium. Herbarium acronyms follow Thiers (2020+).

Primer registro de Unguiculariopsis ravenelii (Leotiomycetes, Ascomycota) en México

Antecedentes y Objetivos: El género Unguiculariopsis de la clase Leotiomycetes dentro de Ascomycota se caracteriza por formar apotecios inconspicuos de hasta 2 mm de diámetro, con una superficie formada por pelos en forma de gancho, ascas inoperculadas, inamiloides y ascosporas globosas, subglobosas a elipsoidales, hialinas con gútulas. Son hongos fungícolas que presentan especificidad por el hospedero; en el presente estudio se tiene por objetivo reportar a Unguiculariopsis ravenelii por primera vez en México.Métodos: Los especímenes estudiados están depositados en el herbario ENCB del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México. Los materiales fueron revisados en fresco y en seco, se describieron macro morfológicamente usando un estereoscopio, fotografías tomadas in situ y micro morfológicamente con un microscopio óptico. Se identificaron con claves y literatura especializada.Resultados clave: Se presenta la descripción de Unguiculariopsis ravenelii de México, una especie que se caracteriza por ser micoparásita y por formar apotecios gregarios sobre Rhytidhysteron rufulum. Conclusiones: Esta especie se distribuye en bosque tropical caducifolio y produce sus esporomas durante la temporada de lluvias en los estados de Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Sonora, Tabasco y Tamaulipas en la región Neotropical de México.

Nuevo registro de Govenia purpusii (Orchidaceae) en el Parque Nacional La Malinche, Tlaxcala

Antecedentes y Objetivos: Govenia purpusii es una especie de la familia Orchidaceae, tiene una distribución restringida dentro de los bosques subalpinos de los estados de Chiapas, Colima, Durango, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Veracruz y Zacatecas. El propósito de este trabajo fue describir el hallazgo de esta especie presente en el Parque Nacional La Malinche, Tlaxcala, para incluirla en el inventario florístico. Métodos: Se identificó una población de G. purpusii en campo y se realizaron colectas. A través del cotejo de material botánico recolectado con ejemplares de herbario, se determinó la especie considerando caracteres vegetativos y florales para su identificación. Resultados clave: La especie se encontró en una vegetación de Quercus-Pinus a 2780 m de altitud; comparte el espacio con Selaginella sp., Oxalis sp., Peperomia sp. y Pinguicula moranensis. Conclusiones: Se recomienda monitorear esta población debido a la reducida área de distribución dentro del Parque Nacional La Malinche y al escaso conocimiento sobre orquídeas terrestres en la entidad. La extinción local representaría una pérdida de material genético para la especie. No se debe interpretar este registro como una ampliación reciente de área de distribución; la presencia dentro de esta zona puede ser el resultado de la fragmentación de los bosques en la Faja Neovolcánica Transmexicana.

Nuevos registros de licofitas y helechos para el estado de Puebla, México

Antecedentes y Objetivos: Son pocos los trabajos florísticos que se han publicado sobre licofitas y helechos (pteridofitas en conjunto) de Puebla, México, por lo que se considera muy probable que la riqueza de especies en el estado sea mayor a la que se tiene documentada hasta el momento. El objetivo de este trabajo es reportar nuevos registros de este grupo de plantas para la entidad, incluyendo su distribución municipal y altitudinal, así como el tipo de vegetación en que se presentan. Métodos: De 2010 a 2018 se efectuaron diversos viajes de recolección a distintas localidades de Puebla, durante los cuales se recolectaron y herbori­zaron ejemplares de licofitas y helechos, que fueron identificados y depositados en el Herbario de la Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa (UAMIZ). La información generada se confrontó con la lista de especies reportadas en la literatura para la entidad, lo que permitió reconocer los nuevos registros. Resultados clave: Se documenta por primera vez para Puebla la presencia de 32 especies y un híbrido de licofitas y helechos, la mayoría de las cuales pertenecen a las familias Pteridaceae, Dryopteridaceae y Aspleniaceae, crecen en bosque mesófilo de montaña y vegetación derivada de bosque tropical perennifolio, entre 250 y 2500 m de altura. Conclusiones: Los nuevos registros incrementan de 335 a 367 el número de especies de licofitas y helechos que habitan en el estado de Puebla y ponen en evidencia la necesidad de continuar con el trabajo de exploración en la entidad.

Revision of specimens of Melastiza deposited in the PRM herbarium.

Revision of specimens of <i>Melastiza</i> deposited in the PRM herbarium.

Novel cyphelloid fungi in Glabrocyphella, Heteroscypha, and Rectipilus from Brazil

New records of cyphelloid fungi from Brazil are presented, based on specimens collected and identified by J. Rick and conserved at Herbarium PACA (São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul). Glabrocyphella cyathiformis sp. nov. is characterized by small (0.1–0.5 mm diam.), pale yellow, turbinate basidiomes and ellipsoid to fusoid basidiospores (5–6 × 2–2.5 μm). Flagelloscypha malmei is recombined as Heteroscypha malmei comb. nov., and Rectipilus natalensis is reported for the first time from the Americas. Descriptions, photographs, and illustrations are presented for the three species.

O gênero Paspalum L. (Poaceae) na Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brasil

No presente estudo foi realizado o levantamento das especies de Paspalum ocorrentes na Chapada Diamantina, porcao norte da Cadeia do Espinhaco, com base emcoletas proprias e materiais depositados nos principais herbarios do Brasil. Foram encontradas 37 especies, tres delas representando novos registros para a Bahia ( P. robustum, P. erianthum e P. lanciflorum ) e tres sao novos registros para o Nordeste ( P. mandiocanum var. subaequiglume , P. plenum e P. trichostomum ) O trabalho fornece chave de identificacao para as especies de Paspalum encontradas na area, descricoes, ilustracoes e mapas de distribuicao.