Andrew
Henderson
My research interests are the systematics, floristics, and ecology of the palm
family (Palmae or Arecaceae). On the systematic front, one of my long-term
interests has been the treatment of the New World palms for Flora Neotropica.
I have monographed eight genera in this series, containing over 100 species.
I have recently become interested in multivariate techniques and their application
in systematics. In my current project, the large and complex genus Geonoma,
I plan to use these techniques. Because extant specimens are seldom abundant
in herbaria, this systematic research has been based on extensive field work in
the Caribbean, Central and South America. This has been funded in large
part by the National Science Foundation.
In 1995 myself and Colombian colleagues summarized our collective systematic experience
in palms and published a popular work, Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas.
For floristic work, I have long had an interest in the Amazon region.
I summarized this in a book, Palms of the Amazon, published in 1995.
I have also contributed treatments to various neotropical floristic projects
(e.g., Flora de Nicaragua, Flora of Reserva Ducke, Flora
of the Venezuelan Guayana).
Ecological studies have been centered on understanding something of
the reproductive biology of palms. Myself and Brazilian colleagues
have recently published the results of our research on phenology and pollination
of palms in a forest area near Manaus. I have summarized my own research
and combined this with an extensive literature review in a book on the
ecology and evolution of palms, and I expect this to be published next
year.
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CURATOR, Institute of Systematic Botany.
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Born 1950.
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Ph.D. City University of New York (1987).
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Research Associate, New York Botanical Garden (1987- 1992); Assistant Curator
(1992-1995); Associate Curator (1995-2000).
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Memberships in The Coleopterists Society; International Palm Society; International
Association of Plant Taxonomists; American Society of Plant Taxonomists;
Association for Tropical Biology; Botanical Society of America.
E-mail Address: ahenderson@nybg.org
Selected Publications
- Henderson, A. 1990. Arecaceae Part 1. Introduction and Iriarteinae. Flora
Neotropica Monograph 53: 1-100.
- Henderson, A., S. Churchill & J. Luteyn. 1991. Neotropical plant diversity.
Nature 351: 21-22.
- Henderson, A. 1995. The Palms of the Amazon. Oxford University Press,
New York.
- Henderson, A., G. Galeano & R. Bernal. 1995. A Field Guide to the
Palms of the Americas. Princeton University Press.
- Henderson, A. & G. Galeano. 1996. A revision of Euterpe, Prestoea,
and Neonicholsonia (Palmae). Flora Neotropica Monograph 72:
1-90.
- Henderson, A. & F. Borchsenius (editors). 1999. Evolution, Variation,
and Classification of Palms. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 83.
- Henderson, A. 2000. Bactris (Palmae). Flora Neotropica Monograph
79: 1-181.