8 documents found, page 1 of 1

Nomenclature and typification of Staudtia pterocarpa (Myristicaceae)

A synopsis of feral Agave and Furcraea (Agavaceae, Asparagaceae s. lat.) in the...

Background – Species of Agave and Furcraea (Agavaceae, Asparagaceae s. lat.) are widely cultivated as ornamentals in Mediterranean climates. An increasing number is escaping and naturalising, also in natural habitats in the Canary Islands (Spain). However, a detailed treatment of variously naturalised and invasive species found in the wild in the Canary Islands is not available and, as a result, species identif...

Twentieth century vascular plant taxonomy in Portugal

We discuss the development of, and trends in, vascular plant taxonomy in Portugal during the 20th century, with emphasis on the institutions and taxonomists that were instrumental in advancing and facilitating this branch of scientific botanical endeavour. We show that the bulk of the nomenclatural novelties published by Portuguese botanists for elements of the vascular flora of the country, and beyond, were pr...

Some outcomes of the Nomenclature Section of the XIXth International Botanical ...

Background: A Nomenclature Section meeting to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants is held every six years, a week before the International Botanical Congress. Objectives: To report on some of the outcomes of the Nomenclature Section of the XIXth International Botanical Congress that was held in Shenzhen, China, in July 2017. Method: Outcomes that are especially relevant to S...

Understanding and monitoring the consequences of human impacts on intraspecific...

Intraspecific variation is a major component of biodiversity, yet it has received relatively little attention from governmental and nongovernmental organizations, especially with regard to conservation plans and the management of wild species. This omission is ill-advised because phenotypic and genetic variations within and among populations can have dramatic effects on ecological and evolutionary processes, in...

Evolutionary history and leaf succulence as explanations for medicinal use in a...

Background: Aloe vera supports a substantial global trade yet its wild origins, and explanations for its popularity over 500 related Aloe species in one of the world’s largest succulent groups, have remained uncertain. We developed an explicit phylogenetic framework to explore links between the rich traditions of medicinal use and leaf succulence in aloes. Results: The phylogenetic hypothesis clarifies the orig...

Quantification of climate change for the last 20,000 years from Wonderkrater, S...

In southeast Africa – a region for which few palaeoenvironmental records are available – the fossil pollen record from the Wonderkrater spring mound has contributed substantially to our understanding of past vegetation change since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; 21 ka). Multivariate analysis of the pollen data by Scott and Thackeray (1987) provided environmental reconstructions suggesting relatively mesic LGM c...

Hitting the right target: taxonomic challenges for, and of, plant invasions

This paper explores how a lack of taxonomic expertise, and by implication a dearth of taxonomic products such as identification tools, has hindered progress in understanding andmanaging biological invasions. It also explores how the taxonomic endeavour could benefit from studies of invasive species. We review the literature on the current situation in taxonomy with a focus on the challenges of identifying alien...