Article Alerts: Selected Staff Publications
Molecular systematics studies, new species descriptions, developmental genetics of seeds, land plant phylogenomics, the description of a 125 million year old tree fern fossil–this, and more, is the research of the scientists at The New York Botanical Garden.
Building a Feral Future: Open Questions in Crop Ferality
A feral crop is an edible plant that escapes domestication and still thrives. The phenomena of feral crops is an understudied opportunity. These free-range plants may serve as a pool of genetic diversity for future crop improvements. It is imperative for the wellbeing of our planet and continuation of our species to find new and innovative approaches for food security.
Weather Magic as Environmental Knowledge in Southern Vanuatu
Vanuatu frequently experiences extreme weather, such as cyclones and acid rain. The detailed knowledge that weather magic practitioners on these islands hold regarding their local environment represents an important means of transmitting not only cultural heritage, but also botanical knowledge, which may be critical for current and future conservation efforts.
Traditional Knowledge of Textile Dyeing Plants: A Case Study in the Chin Ethnic Group of Western Myanmar
Traditional knowledge of the plants used for textile dyeing is disappearing due to the popularity of synthetic dyes. Recently, natural products made from plants have gained global interest. Thus, preserving traditional knowledge of textile dyeing plants is crucial.
Four New Species of (Harringtonia): Unravelling the Laurel Wilt Fungal Genus
Laurel Wilt disease is caused by a symbiosis between the fungus Harringtonia lauricola, (formerly Raffaelea lauricola) and ambrosia and bark beetles who are manipulated by the fungus into inhabiting wood, constructing galleries, introducing fungal inoculum into the tree host, and then feeding on the fungus as larvae.
Evolutionary History of the Trans-pacifically disjunct tropical tree genus Ormosia (Fabaceae)
Ormosia is one of several, divergent lineages of legumes that bear “mimetic” seeds. They are extremely hard and brightly colored—red, orange, or bicolored red/orange and black. The seeds provide little nutritive value and contain toxic alkaloids but are widely used for jewelry and handcrafts.
Insight into the Origin and Spread of Invasive Starry Stonewort (Nitellopsis obtusa)
Starry Stonewort (Nitellopsis obtusa) is a species of invasive green algae in the macrophyte family, Characeae. It is estimated that damage caused by aquatic invasive species exceeds $100 million annually and they have contributed directly to the decline of 42% of the threatened and endangered species in the U.S.A.
The Herbarium 2021 Half-Earth Challenge Dataset and Machine Learning Competition
The Herbarium Half-Earth Challenge is an annual competition to create software that can accurately and consistently identify plant taxa. Plant specimens are preserved on herbarium sheets after they had been thoroughly dried and pressed. However, collecting physical specimens requires a costly increase in space. For many institutions it is impractical or difficult for expansions to occur.
Monograph of Ceratozamia (Zamiaceae, Cycadales): an endangered genus
Ceratozamia is monophyletic with a fossil record dating to the lower Oligocene—the third epoch of the Tertiary period. Ceratozamia (Zamiaceae, Cycadales) is a member of one of the most endangered seed plant groups. They grow in mountainous areas at high elevations through Mexico and Mesoamerica. Some species can grow as tall as up to 2,100 meters, almost 7,000 ft!
Dynamic Genome Evolution in a Model Fern
Ferns do not reproduce using the same flower-fruit-seed life cycle as other plants do. They produce spores which later grow into gametophytes. Ferns also contain massive amounts of DNA and an exceptionally large number of chromosomes. For the first time, the complete genome of the homosporous ferns Ceratopteris (Ceratopteris richardii) and flying spider monkey tree fern (Alsophilia spinulosa) has been revealed.
Rare New Species of Beaksedge Discovered in Southeastern North America
Rynchospora stiletto grows in sunny wet areas rich in calcium but otherwise nutrient-poor. The species is classified as ‘Vulnerable’ in conservation status due to its very small area of occupancy in a total of seven specific regions.
Analysis of Plant–Plant Interactions Reveals the Presence of Potent Antileukemic Compounds
Some plants exhibit allelopathy, a “chemical defense” where they release compounds into the soil that will inhibit the growth of other plants around them. Allelopathy is used by a plant to take control of the area in which it grows, utilizing the resources of its environment.
Lectotypification of the Threatened Endemic Apalachian Lichen Alectoria fallacina
Alectoria fallacina is a threatened species of lichen narrowly endemic to the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern North America. Recently we have discovered that a small collection management error by Polish lichenologist Josef Motyka (1900 – 1984) and others is what led to the long-standing uncertainty regarding the clear delineation of A. fallacina.
Diversity of Farmers’ Varieties of Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.) in Northeastern and Southwestern Ethiopia
Faba beans are a legume crop famed for their high protein and starch. Vicia faba L. exhibits branching bushels of leaves and clusters of flowers along a robust hollow stem. Its flowers can be white or purple with dark blotches in the center of each petal. Faba pods are long and broad and can develop up to 10 seeds.
A Call to Reconceptualize Lichen Symbioses
Lichens are remarkable creatures that grow on rocks, tree bark and soil across the entire planet. They can appear crusty and paint-like, relatively flat and round, leafy, or they can grow in shrubby branching patterns. Lichens are symbiotic associations formed from fungi, algae and bacteria where the fungus is the dominant and consistent partner.
Nine New Species and a New Country Record for Meriania (Melastomataceae) from Peru
Meriania is the genus of flowering plants in the family Melastomataceae. Merianieae blooms are characterized by their cuplike campanulate corollas with lobed petals that may be tightly or loosely whorled, and house anthers with dorsally inclined pores.
DNA Barcode Authentication of Devil’s Claw Herbal Dietary Supplements
Devil’s claw is the vernacular name for a genus of medicinal plants that occur in the Kalahari Desert and Namibia Steppes. The genus comprises two distinct species: Harpagophytum procumbens and H. zeyheri.
Agronomic and Metabolomic Side-Effects of a Divergent Selection for Glucosinolate Content in Kale
Brassica oleracea var. acephala (kale) is a cruciferous vegetable widely cultivated for its leaves and flower buds in Europe and a food of global interest as a “superfood”. Brassica crops accumulate phytochemicals called glucosinolates (GSLs) which play an important role in plant defense against biotic stresses.
The Herbarium 2021 Half–Earth Challenge Dataset
Herbarium sheets present a unique view of the world’s botanical history, evolution, and diversity. This makes them an all–important data source for botanical research.
Impacts of Rock Climbing on Cliff Vegetation
Cliff vegetation is diverse, understudied, and threatened by increased human disturbance. The growing popularity of rock climbing heightens the need for science-based management to balance recreational use and conservation of cliff ecosystems.
Low bee visitation rates explain pollinator shifts to vertebrates in tropical mountains
Evolutionary shifts from bee to vertebrate pollination are common in tropical mountains, and reduction in bee pollination efficiency under adverse montane weather conditions has been proposed to drive these shifts. Although pollinator shifts are central to the evolution and diversification of angiosperms, we lack experimental evidence of the ecological processes underlying such shifts.
Understanding Medical Cannabis
This book provides a cutting-edge overview of topics related to the medical and therapeutic use of cannabis. Employing an interdisciplinary, biopsychosocial framework, the book explores the biological, cultural, and policy context of medical cannabis from a wide range of perspectives including practitioners, academics, and medical cannabis advocates.
First Reports of Vivipary in Neotropical Melastomataceae
The authors present the first reports of vivipary in Neotropical Melastomataceae and remark on the evolutionary relationships among the three lineages that share this feature.
Retracing origins of exceptional cycads in botanical collections to increase conservation value
Cycads have a long history of use in traditional medicine and food, and are among the most highly sought‐after plants in ornamental horticulture. Threatened by overharvesting and habitat destruction, cycads are the most threatened group of plants in the world.
Herbarium: The Quest to Preserve & Classify the World's Plants
Since the 1500s, scientists have documented the plants and fungi that grew around them, organizing the specimens into collections. Known as herbaria, these archives helped give rise to botany as its own scientific endeavor.
New Edition of Plants, People and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany
NYBG’s Michael Balick and his colleague Paul Alan Cox, head of the Institute of Ethnomedicine and Brain Chemistry Labs in Jackson Hole, Wyoming have just published the second edition of their widely acclaimed book, Plants, People and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany.
