A visit with John L.

Over the last couple of days, I have had the pleasure of visiting John L. Clark at his University of Alabama home in Tuscaloosa. He graciously invited me to give a talk as part of his departmental seminar series and I seized the opportunity. While here, I have had a great time talking gesneriad science and research with John L., as well as exploring opportunities for continued collaboration with him.

John L., as many of you know, has been making great strides in his own research including new species descriptions, more intensive fieldwork in Ecuador and Cuba, and basic research in gesneriad systematics.

John L. asked that I inform GRC blog readers of his newest outreach/educational project: gesneriad podcasts!! Follow this link (either click on or copy and paste into your browser) to download his first cast - 2008 Gesneriad Cuban Expedition:

http://bama.ua.edu/~jlclark4/links.html

John L., one of the few American botanists to gain access to Cuba's diverse and largely pristine flora since the Revolution in the 1950's, has made several discoveries of long lost gesneriads including Rhytidophyllum rhodocalyx, a species previously known only from the type herbarium specimen. I for one am looking forward to what else John L. will be rediscovering (or newly discovering) on future trips to this intriguing island paradise.

~ John R.