tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89328507662660960812024-03-12T21:56:58.367-04:00Gesneriad Research CenterJohn R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-58457950815211613992011-04-15T16:49:00.004-04:002011-04-15T16:59:20.573-04:00Gesneriad Society Student Convention Grants - Deadline Extended, May 1st.We are pleased to announce the Gesneriad Society Student Convention Grants to be awarded to students interested in or actively studying the plant family Gesneriaceae. The grants will provide registration and accommodation costs for students to attend this year's convention to be held July 5-9 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Visit www.gesneriadsociety.org/conv2011 for more information.<br /><br />The grants have been established to promote participation among students and tomorrow's researchers and to foster scholarship in students of Gesneriaceae. Grants will be issued on a competitive basis. It is expected that each award recipient will present a poster or 15-minute presentation at the convention.<br /><br />The application for 2011 awards is due by May 1st. To apply, send the following materials (with the subject line: Student Convention Grant Application) in a single PDF document to studentsconventiongrants@gesneriadsociety.org and include:<br /><br />● Your name, institutional affiliation, and all contact information including address, telephone, and email.<br />● A 500-word or less description of why you should attend the convention including comments about your education and research goals and how attending convention will help advance these goals (sign and scan it to PDF).<br />● Your curriculum vitae, not to exceed two US letter-sized pages (scan and include in the single PDF).<br />● A letter of recommendation signed by your major advisor or faculty representative (scan and include in the single PDF).<br />● The title and brief description of your poster or talk (please specify) to be presented at convention.<br /><br />Label the file as in the following example: Jane Q Doe would label her file Doe_JQ_Convention_Student_Award_2011.PDF. Applications exceeding the specified length for description and CV will not be accepted.<br /><br />Grant recipients will be notified by email of their award status by May 1, 2011. Awards will cover all convention meals and activities costs (refer to the website noted above) and registration as well as shared room accommodations for up to five nights during the convention. Travel to and from convention, other meals not included in the convention program, and incidentals will be at the expense of each student. <br /><br />The Gesneriad Society's annual conventions offer enthusiasts and researchers alike the opportunity to come together to see a diverse array of living gesneriads, to hear programs and workshops about recent research, field work, specific genera, and culture of gesneriads. <br /><br />If you have any questions about the application or this year's convention, please email studentsconventiongrants@gesneriadsociety.orgJohn R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-14253276246230467122011-01-05T09:12:00.003-05:002011-01-05T13:24:39.260-05:00Letter of Resignation5 January 2010<br /><br />Dear GRC and Selby Supporters and Friends,<br /><br />It is with great reservation and a degree of sadness that I must inform you of my resignation as Director of the Gesneriad Research Center and Head of Molecular Programs at Selby Gardens. My decision to leave was a difficult one, owing to my long history with Selby and my fondness for its mission and staff. On February 1st, I begin my new position as Senior Plant Ecologist for the Catalina Island Conservancy in California (<a href="http://www.catalinaconservancy.org">www.catalinaconservancy.org</a>). <br /><br />While at Selby and even before, my intention was to advance the mission of the Gardens and The Gesneriad Society, ideally at the same time. The goal was to build institutional capacity at Selby beyond a specific project or even a specific plant group. Rather, research at Selby would be modeled after other successful botanical garden research programs where scholarship through research and graduate-level training fuel continued advancements. With financial backing from members and supporters of The Gesneriad Society and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, we were able to make great headway in this regard. I was able to forge a solid research program at Selby complete with the first ever molecular research laboratory in the Gardens' history. <br /><br />I also made great advances in establishing collaborative ties with regional and international institutions, ties that would be vital to establishing a graduate-level training program at the Gardens. Also in the vein of collaboration and education, we held the World Gesneriad Research Conference 2010 at Selby Gardens this last October which I had the honor of chairing. One of the greatest highlights of my career to date, WGRC 2010 was a resounding success with excellent participation of scientists, students, and enthusiasts from around the world. We accomplished much over the last two and a half years and I am proud to say that I was a part of it.<br /><br />Despite my leaving Selby Gardens, I remain a supporter and proponent of Selby as an institution of learning and scholarship. Selby has always had great potential and I am continually amazed at the breadth and quality of research (and botanists) that Selby has produced over the last 35 years. This legacy has never been attached to an individual or even a group of people. It is the product of a founding wisdom and a collective realization that there is something profound tucked away on the Bay in Sarasota. Now more than ever, Selby Gardens needs your support. I encourage all of you to take a more active role in the future of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.<br /><br />The Gesneriad Society also needs our allegiance. TGS, as much or more so than any other lay plant society, supports research both financially and intellectually. I am a direct product of this support: from my early days curating the Wiehler collections at Selby, to my graduate research involving expeditions around the world, to the GRC and gesneriad research at Selby Gardens, TGS has been there. Please consider what you can do to help keep The Gesneriad Society strong and viable well into the 21st Century. Current and future students of Gesneriaceae are depending on it.<br /><br />As for me, it is difficult to leave behind the GRC and Selby Gardens, but I am thrilled to embark on this new endeavor with the Conservancy. My role as Senior Plant Ecologist will be multifaceted and allow me the opportunity to utilize my various skills in support of the Conservancy's mission in conservation and sustainability. I also will be continuing my role as a member of the Board of Directors for The Gesneriad Society and will remain the program coordinator for the Gesneriad Conservation Alliance. The next several years promise to be very busy but incredibly rewarding.<br /><br />I wish to personally thank Selby Gardens, The Gesneriad Society, and all the individuals who have supported me as I have grown as a scientist and researcher. I hope to see many of you often at gesneriad meetings and events as well as scientific conferences and the like. Of course, you are all invited to visit Catalina whenever you want to see firsthand what the next chapter in my life is all about.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />John R. ClarkJohn R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-84306431298219073612010-11-05T14:43:00.011-04:002010-11-05T16:23:00.432-04:00World Gesneriad Research Conference a success<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/TNRnRZxyuII/AAAAAAAADjI/PlwqRdFbOhk/s1600/WGRC_poster_small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/TNRnRZxyuII/AAAAAAAADjI/PlwqRdFbOhk/s400/WGRC_poster_small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536163390620350594" /></a><br /><br />The World Gesneriad Research Conference 2010 (WGRC 2010) was an international meeting of the world’s Gesneriacae researchers, students and lay enthusiasts who came together with the goal of understanding and promoting knowledge of the plant family Gesneriaceae (the African violet family and one of the core group of plants under study at Selby Gardens). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/TNRh6NEVj1I/AAAAAAAADiw/9gECPCgUhDo/s1600/Conference+Venue.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 126px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/TNRh6NEVj1I/AAAAAAAADiw/9gECPCgUhDo/s400/Conference+Venue.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536157494513340242" /></a><br />The conference venue (photo by Bruce K. Holst)<br /><br />The conference was held October 13-15, 2010 at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, FL, USA. Over 70 people from around the world attended WGRC 2010, with registrants from North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Attendees were rewarded with 34 oral presentations by researchers and students, with topics covered including phylogeny and taxonomy, biogeography, floristics, development and reproduction, and education and conservation. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/TNRRfU9Ht5I/AAAAAAAADig/RjUE5dgbrvA/s1600/Conference+Presenters.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 148px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/TNRRfU9Ht5I/AAAAAAAADig/RjUE5dgbrvA/s400/Conference+Presenters.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536139440588044178" /></a><br />WGRC 2010 Presenters (Photo by Bruce K. Holst)<br /><br />WGRC 2010 was principally organized by Dr. John R. Clark, Head of Molecular Programs at Selby Gardens and Jeanne Katzenstein, The Gesneriad Society, with a great deal of assistance from Bruce Holst and other Selby Gardens staff and volunteers. The conference has been deemed a complete success, with many attendees commenting on the scope and professionalism of the event. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/TNRRK4wnyFI/AAAAAAAADiY/iP5mGAf9Vpk/s1600/P1200982.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/TNRRK4wnyFI/AAAAAAAADiY/iP5mGAf9Vpk/s400/P1200982.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536139089422043218" /></a><br />Fred Barrie, The Field Museum/Missouri Botanical Garden, John R. Clark, Selby Gardens, and Warren L. Wagner, The Smithsonian Institution, enjoying beers at the conference mixer (photo by Bruce K. Holst)<br /><br />“This is one of the best conferences of this scale that I have ever attended,” Commented Dr. Warren L. Wagner, Head of Botany at the Smithsonian Institution. Dr. Wagner listed the number and caliber of talks as well as the camaraderie between attendees as reasons for this comment. Dr. Peter Schalit, President of The Gesneriad Society stated, “this was by far the best gesneriad event I've ever experienced.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/TNRiszL3LJI/AAAAAAAADi4/S9UDeNsw5Yg/s1600/P1200960.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/TNRiszL3LJI/AAAAAAAADi4/S9UDeNsw5Yg/s400/P1200960.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536158363738909842" /></a><br />Paul Susi, Peter Shalit, and Bob Clark, Gesneriad Society Board Members (photo by Bruce K. Holst)<br /><br />By planning and hosting international meetings, Selby Gardens continues its role as a leader in global botanical research and conservation. Dr. John R. Clark says, “hosting this very successful conference illustrates our ability to not only provide a service to our greater community but also our leadership in scientific research among the global botanical community.” <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/TNRS3QyJt9I/AAAAAAAADio/KeG8CXUf6a0/s1600/P1200997.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/TNRS3QyJt9I/AAAAAAAADio/KeG8CXUf6a0/s400/P1200997.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536140951296784338" /></a><br />Thomas Buchter, Selby President and CEO, and Nora Johnson, President, Selby Gardens Board of Trustees at the WGRC 2010 mixer (photo by Bruce K. Holst)<br /><br />Thomas Buchter, President and CEO of Selby Gardens states, “we are committed to excellence in all that we do at the Gardens and the success of WGRC 2010 demonstrates this well. I hope our supporters and city are as proud of this accomplishment as we are; consider it a prelude of things to come for Selby Gardens and for Sarasota.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/TNRlZm4tnEI/AAAAAAAADjA/pf4RE2YEjFk/s1600/Chirita_longgangensis.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/TNRlZm4tnEI/AAAAAAAADjA/pf4RE2YEjFk/s400/Chirita_longgangensis.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536161332554734658" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Chirita longgangensis</span> (photo by Dr. Phil Nelson)John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-34813977432861879022010-09-10T13:14:00.006-04:002010-09-10T13:28:36.479-04:00US Postal Service issues a stamp featuring a gesneriadThe United States Postal Service, as part of a 12-year series on the "Nature of America", has issued "Hawaiian Rain Forest" featuring 24 native Hawaiian species of plants and animals. Click the link below to see and read more:<br /><br /><a href="https://shop.usps.com/wcsstore/PostalStore/upload/htm/rainforest/?langId=-1&storeId=10052&storeId=10052&catalogId=10001&krypto=1sl2igLXZGXgkmSxfyF5jaSci8zZMgnnrFDpXimBtbOjsfQLhi6y03lMJG0z5vqTx5IstQZwKqA%3D&ddkey=https:CategoryDisplay">USPS Nature of America: Hawaiian Rain Forest</a><br /><br />Among the species featured, a <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Cyrtandra platyphylla</span></span> (Gesneriaceae) is prominently displayed near the middle of the sheet.<br /><br />Here's a link to a few actual photographs of the species, taken by Warren Wagner (Smithsonian):<br /><br /><a href="http://botany.si.edu/pacificislandbiodiversity/hawaiianflora/result.cfm?ID=969&format=long1"><span style="font-style:italic;">Cyrtandra platyphylla</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Cyrtandra</span> is the largest genus in the Gesneriaceae (~600 species) and is particularly diverse in Hawaii, with 58 recognized species native to this archipelago (Wagner, Clark and Roalson, in prep.).John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-12750161613008146492010-08-27T14:47:00.006-04:002010-10-06T11:59:43.607-04:00Gesneriads Around the World"Gesneriads Around the World" is the gesneriad exhibition, show, and sale (October 16 and 17) that will immediately follow the World Gesneriad Research Conference 2010 (October 13-15).<br /><br />Show time:<br /><br />Saturday, 16 October, 1:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.<br />Sunday, 17 October, 10:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M.<br /><br />All individuals registered for WGRC 2010 will have admission to the show as part of their registration fee.<br /><br />For individuals and parties interested in attending the flower show, but who are not planning on attending the conference, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Selby Gardens has graciously offered two for one admission to the Gardens for those visiting expressly for the show.<br /></span><br />To receive the discounted rate, simply download the coupon image below and print it out. Bring the coupon with you for two for one admission (or half price admission for one) on either Saturday, October 16th or Sunday, October 17th, 2010.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/THgUiAsEnrI/AAAAAAAADg0/l6BI_aJG4E4/s1600/Ges_Around_World_Coupon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/THgUiAsEnrI/AAAAAAAADg0/l6BI_aJG4E4/s400/Ges_Around_World_Coupon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510176718620761778" /></a><br /><br />The show promises to be a diverse and beautiful collection of the world's gesneriads. There will be both expert growers and gesneriad scientists on hand to answer questions. There will also be plenty of plants for sale so you can start your own collection of gesneriads. <br /><br />We hope to see you at Selby Gardens for Gesneriads Around the World.John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-15154325647198527782010-07-07T19:01:00.004-04:002010-07-07T19:16:24.577-04:00Call for applications - Hans Wiehler Student Travel AwardWe are pleased to announce The Hans Wiehler Student Travel Award to be given to students and/or beginning researchers for attending the World Gesneriad Research Conference 2010 in Sarasota, FL, USA.<br /><br />This fund has been established to promote participation and community among today's researchers and to foster scholarship in students of the family.<br /><br />Awards will be issued on a competitive basis.<br /><br />Application Deadline: 15 August 2010<br /><br />To apply, send the following materials in a single PDF document to wgrc2010@gmail.com with the attention line: HANS WIEHLER STUDENT TRAVEL AWARD.<br /><br />1) Include your name, institutional affiliation, all contact information including address, telephone and email.<br />2) A 500 word or less description of why you should attend WGRC 2010. Be sure to include comments on your education and research goals and how attending WGRC 2010 will help advance these goals. Please sign the letter (and scan to PDF).<br />3) Your curriculum vitae, not to exceed two US letter size pages (CV's exceeding two pages will not be accepted).<br />4) Letter of recommendation from your major advisor, signed (scan and include in the single PDF).<br /><br />Label the file exactly as done in the following example: John R. Clark would label his file Clark_JR_Wiehler_Travel_Fund_2010.pdf (i.e., last name, underscore, first and middle initials - no dots or spaces, underscore, Wiehler_Travel_Fund.pdf).<br /><br />Applications submitted as multiple documents and/or in a different format (e.g., MS Word document) will not be reviewed with the exception for unavoidable technical limitations (e.g., no access to a scanner or program to assemble the single PDF document). In the latter case, contact the WGRC 2010 Registrar (wgrc2010@gmail.com) well in advance of the deadline to make other arrangements.<br /><br />Applications exceeding the specified length for description and CV will not be reviewed.<br /><br />Review of applications will begin immediately after the deadline. Award recipients will be notified as soon as possible to expedite airline and hotel bookings as required. However, funds will not be issued until the conference - students will need to cover these costs in advance. <br /><br />All applicants will be notified by email of their award status prior to the conference.<br /><br />Thank you. We look forward to receiving your applications.<br /><br />The WGRC 2010 Planning CommitteeJohn R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-55265999883712785352010-06-23T16:51:00.006-04:002010-06-23T17:11:22.960-04:00Registration Now Open - World Gesneriad Research Conference 2010On-line Registration for the World Gesneriad Research Conference 2010 is now open. Please click on the link in the right hand column of the GRC blog for more information and to register.<br /><br />To go to the GRC blog (if you aren't already there): <a href="http://gesneriadresearchcenter.blogspot.com/">GRC Blog Home</a><br /><br />Or go straight to the WGRC 2010 registration site: <a href="https://www.123signup.com/event?id=mdqjt">Register Now!</a><br /><br />On the link you will find detailed information on registration, a general schedule, information on hotels, travel, other important considerations, and more.<br /><br />Registration is easy and takes just a few minutes. All registration is being handled through our on-line provider 123Signup, the same outfit that has been handling The Gesneriad Society Annual Convention for several years now. Those of you familiar with registering for Convention will know exactly what to do. For everyone else, the site is user friendly. <br /><br />If at any time you have questions concerning the conference, please contact the WGRC 2010 Registrar at wgrc2010@gmail.com.<br /><br />Looking forward to October!<br /><br />The WGRC 2010 Planning CommitteeJohn R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-35699575159149865472010-06-04T15:48:00.001-04:002010-06-04T15:50:21.007-04:00REGISTRATION INFORMATION - World Gesneriad Research Conference 2010GENERAL INFORMATION<br /><br />The World Gesneriad Research Conference 2010 (WGRC 2010) is an international meeting of the world’s Gesneriaceae researchers, students and lay enthusiasts who come together with the goal of understanding and promoting knowledge of the plant family Gesneriaceae. The next conference will be held at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, FL, USA from 13-15 October 2010 with a gesneriad exhibition 15-17 October. The objectives of WGRC 2010 are to provide opportunities internationally for new researchers and students of Gesneriaceae to enter into discussion groups, formalize existing informal international collaborations and working groups into a virtual organization by initiating a web-based Gesneriaceae coalition, and summarize the current state of knowledge on Gesneriaceae phylogenetics with the ultimate goal of creating a comprehensive Gesneriaceae phylogeny.<br /><br /><br />SCHEDULE:<br /><br />Tuesday 12 October: Arrivals, registration, poster set-ups (optional activities may include tours of the gardens, research facilities, collections, local sights, as well as a visit to a private grower's extensive gesneriad collection)<br /><br />Wednesday 13 October: Registration, conference opening, presentations, and discussions followed by evening mixer<br /><br />Thursday 14 October: Conference presentations and discussions followed by dinner with keynote speaker<br /><br />Friday 15 October: Morning summary session and closing remarks (optional afternoon tours and time in the herbarium; optional evening preview of gesneriad flower show; possible departures)<br /><br />Saturday 16 October: Continuing departures (optional time in herbarium and at gardens and show or local sights)<br /><br />Sunday 17 October: Continuing departures (optional visit to a private grower's collection or local sights)<br /><br />Note that all conference activities will be held at Selby Gardens; attire will be casual. Optional activities will be planned based on interest levels and time available of individual attendees based on responses received on the soon-to-be-available registration form.<br /><br /><br />REGISTRATION INFORMATION<br /><br />Formal on-line registration will begin as soon as possible (most likely within the month) and a more detailed daily schedule will be provided along with a listing of the more than 35 presenters and abstracts. However, to aid in planning and budgeting for potential attendees and presenters, the following is a breakdown of registration fees and some preliminary information on travel and accommodations in Sarasota.<br /><br /><br />Full Registration: US$220: Includes full access to meetings and events, misc. conference materials, coffee/tea breaks, 2 lunches, mixer (Wednesday evening; light food; cash bar), dinner [Thursday evening with cash bar), and printed proceedings (special proceedings issue of Selbyana).<br /><br />Student Registration: US$150: Letter from major advisor required; includes all of the above except printed proceedings (which can be purchased separately).<br /><br />Partial Registration Options: Wednesday only (US$65) includes presentations, breaks, lunch, and evening mixer; Thursday only (US$80) includes, talks, breaks, lunch, and dinner with keynote address. (Proceedings not included in individual day registration but can be purchased separately.)<br /><br />Housing (preliminary): We have identified three options for nearby accommodations (within walking distance or less than a mile from the Gardens): basic, about $US65; mid-range, about $US85; and deluxe, over $US125. The rates indicated are per room for 1-2 people per night and include taxes, but we are negotiating better group rates based on conference registrations. More information will follow.<br /><br /><br />Travel: Two main regional airports (both international) service the area - Sarasota (SRQ) and Tampa/ St. Petersburg (TPA) which is the larger airport served by more carriers with more frequent flights at better cost. TPA is, however, over an hour-long commute to Sarasota so we are also looking at shuttle, bus, carpool, and car rental options. Additional information will follow.<br /><br />Student Travel and Participation: We have sponsors for two students at this time and are soliciting more. These sponsorships will be awarded on a competitive basis and will cover basic travel expenses and conference fees. We currently estimate that expenses will range from US$720-US$920 for domestic (in US) student attendance, and US$920-US$1420 for international. More details about student sponsorships will follow. Students are encouraged to apply for other sources of funding and the WGRC Planning Committee will assist in providing letters of support.<br /><br />We hope this preliminary information will help in planning your attendance at the conference. Specific questions about the conference can be directed to John R. Clark at gesneriadresearch@gmail.com. As noted earlier, online registration and more details will be available soon.<br /><br />We look forward to seeing everyone in Sarasota this October.<br /><br />The WGRC 2010 Planning CommitteeJohn R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-77971013658856820112010-04-28T10:51:00.020-04:002010-04-28T15:05:29.551-04:00Selby Gardens publications on gesneriadsIn my experience, many gesneriad enthusiasts are interested not only in growing and displaying plants, but also in learning as much as they possibly can about their favorite plant family. Society members eagerly await each quarter's instalment of <span style="font-style:italic;">Gesneriads</span>, the preeminent journal for all things gesneriad. But did you know that the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, home of the Gesneriad Research Center, is a great connection to receive current literature on gesneriads as well? <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S9h2fE05aUI/AAAAAAAADZY/qEGc6u--bjI/s1600/DSCF9411+(Modified).JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S9h2fE05aUI/AAAAAAAADZY/qEGc6u--bjI/s400/DSCF9411+(Modified).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465248424057727298" /></a><br /><br />Both the Gardens' membership magazine, the <span style="font-style:italic;">Tropical Dispatch</span>, and the Gardens' peer-reviewed scientific journal, <span style="font-style:italic;">Selbyana</span>, frequently feature gesneriad articles, images and information.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S9h5VCzhCMI/AAAAAAAADZo/3OA7mALLz7Q/s1600/DSCF9416+(Modified).JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 237px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S9h5VCzhCMI/AAAAAAAADZo/3OA7mALLz7Q/s400/DSCF9416+(Modified).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465251550251256002" /></a><br />A peek insides the most recent issue of the <span style="font-style:italic;">Tropical Dispatch.</span><br /><br />This month's <span style="font-style:italic;">Tropical Dispatch</span>, with a picture of <span style="font-style:italic;">Drymonia decora</span> on the cover, contains several articles of interest to gesneriad enthusiasts. In the magazine, Bruce Holst provides a valuable overview of epiphyte biology, and in it he discusses gesneriads and other plant families that contain epiphytic species. Selby's Director of Horticulture Mike McLaughlin explains the challenges and pleasures of maintaining one of the world's most scientifically valuable collections of living plants and features an image and discussion on <span style="font-style:italic;">Gasteranthus atratus</span>. In a column on epiphyte evolution, I explain how we are using DNA and molecular techniques at Selby Gardens to better understand epiphytism in the Gesneriaceae and other plant families.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S9h6GhA8bdI/AAAAAAAADZw/LUs1RITFss4/s1600/DSCF9418+(Modified).JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S9h6GhA8bdI/AAAAAAAADZw/LUs1RITFss4/s400/DSCF9418+(Modified).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465252400174230994" /></a><br />A page out of a past issue of <span style="font-style:italic;">Selbyana</span> featuring a new gesneriad species description.<br /><br />Bruce Holst and I have taken over editorship of <span style="font-style:italic;">Selbyana</span> and just recently submitted the next instalment, <span style="font-style:italic;">Selbyana</span> 30(2) to Allen Press for publishing. This issue contains two original scientific articles on gesneriads. Laura Clavijo and John L. Clark publish a new species of <span style="font-style:italic;">Drymonia</span> from Colombia and Ivonne SanMartin-Gajardo and José Renato Santana Vianna present a fascinating study on hummingbird pollination in <span style="font-style:italic;">Nematanthus brasiliensis</span>. Both articles feature excellent photographs and new insights on gesneriad biology.<br /><br />So, are you interested in receiving either or both of these publications? If you become a member of Selby Gardens, you will automatically receive the <span style="font-style:italic;">Tropical Dispatch</span>. <span style="font-style:italic;">Selbyana</span> is available through subscription.<br /><br />How to join and subscribe:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Tropical Dispatch </span>- Basic Membership at Selby Gardens, starting at $60/year, includes three instalments of the <span style="font-style:italic;">Tropical Dispatch</span> and unlimited access to the Gardens for you and a guest (among other benefits). Not in Sarasota that often or at all? There's still reason to join. Your membership to Selby gives you free admission to over 200 participating gardens, arboreta, and conservatories nationwide, so the rewards from your Selby membership are likely within a short drive from where you are right now. To learn more about the benefits of being a member and to join, please visit <a href="http://www.selby.org/index.php?submenu=GetInvolved&src=gendocs&link=Membership_Intro&category=Belong&PHPSESSID=8ba5ba7ffc397a05e22928360f1d463f">Selby Gardens' website</a> or call me directly (941.366.5731 x256) and I'll get you in touch with our membership department.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Selbyana</span> - The journal of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, published since 1975, <span style="font-style:italic;">Selbyana</span> is a peer-reviewed scientific journal devoted to publishing original research on tropical plants, with an emphasis on epiphytes and their forest canopy habitats. <span style="font-style:italic;">Selbyana</span> is available by yearly subscription for only $55. Gesneriad articles frequent the pages of <span style="font-style:italic;">Selbyana</span> and as editor, I am working to include gesneriad-related articles in every issue. To subscribe, please visit <a href="http://www.selby.org/index.php?src=directory&view=db_RF_Products&srctype=display&refno=439&category=Selbyana">SBG Press</a> or give me a call and I can help you get signed up.John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-20493491910224359762010-04-21T12:03:00.008-04:002010-04-21T15:04:30.962-04:00Welcome new Research Assistants at Selby Gardens<a href="http://www.selby.org">Selby Gardens</a> is pleased to announce the addition of two new staff members into the Research Department – Carly Summers, a B.Sc. graduate from New College of Florida, and Elaina Margenthaler, a B.Sc. graduate from Southern Illinois University. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S88iroHmOrI/AAAAAAAADZQ/TzPI60EXnco/s1600/P1150702.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 354px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S88iroHmOrI/AAAAAAAADZQ/TzPI60EXnco/s400/P1150702.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462623005922704050" /></a><br />Elaina Margenthaler (left) and Carly Summers (right)<br /><br />Both Carly and Elaina have exceptional experience in modern molecular methods and will be working under the direction of Dr. John R. Clark in Selby’s new molecular laboratory. Their research will be geared towards understanding the role of plant characters and ecology in the evolution and diversification of epiphytic plant lineages, with a focus on Selby’s three core plant families – bromeliads, gesneriads and orchids. Dr. Clark is particularly excited to have two qualified and eager research assistants in his department. He encourages staff, volunteers and members to stop by Research to meet Carly and Elaina and to learn more about this new and exciting research program at the Gardens.John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-66972648775660252422010-04-06T16:26:00.005-04:002010-04-06T16:39:05.488-04:00Cyrtandra samoensis - on display in Selby's Tropical Conservatory<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S7uazxBzsgI/AAAAAAAADYk/QNx30ygI9PM/s1600/DSCF9370+(Modified).JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 289px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S7uazxBzsgI/AAAAAAAADYk/QNx30ygI9PM/s400/DSCF9370+(Modified).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457125587614413314" /></a><br />We have a rather impressive specimen of <span style="font-style:italic;">Cyrtandra samoensis</span> currently on display in Selby's Tropical Conservatory. The plant is just about 1 meter (3 ft) tall and is in full bloom. The delicate white corollas last only about a day or two but are constantly being replaced by new blooms.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S7ubKNjbXbI/AAAAAAAADYs/lUxVYuPZxXQ/s1600/DSCF9364+(Modified).JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 355px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S7ubKNjbXbI/AAAAAAAADYs/lUxVYuPZxXQ/s400/DSCF9364+(Modified).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457125973228740018" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Cyrtandra samoensis</span> belongs to a group of about 10 closely related species that are found scattered across the South Pacific from Papua New Guinea all the way out to the Society Islands. At the GRC, we are using traditional morphological studies combined with modern molecular methods to better understand how these species are related to each other and how they came to be distributed across so many remote islands in the Pacific.John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-24591780725503094742010-03-30T15:20:00.001-04:002010-03-30T15:25:36.447-04:00Call for Abstracts - World Gesneriad Research Conference 2010The Gesneriad Research Center, The Gesneriad Society, Inc., and the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens are pleased to announce</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>CALL FOR ABSTRACTS</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>WORLD GESNERIAD RESEARCH CONFERENCE 2010</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Abstract Deadline: May 1, 2010<br /></b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The <span style="font-weight: bold;">World Gesneriad Research Conference 2010</span> (WGRC 2010) is an international meeting of the world’s Gesneriaceae researchers, students and lay enthusiasts who have come together with the goal of understanding and promoting knowledge of the plant family Gesneriaceae. The objectives of WGRC 2010, to be held <span style="font-weight: bold;">13-15 October 2010 (with a gesneriad exhibition show the 15-17 October)</span> at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, FL, USA, are to provide opportunities internationally for new researchers and students of Gesneriaceae to enter into working groups, formalize existing informal international collaborations and working groups into a virtual organization by initiating a web-based Gesneriaceae coalition, and summarize the current state of knowledge on Gesneriaceae phylogenetics with the ultimate goal of creating a comprehensive Gesneriaceae phylogeny. The key note address will be delivered by Prof. Anton Weber, distinguished Gesneriaceae researcher and faculty emeritus of the University of Vienna, Austria. WGRC 2010 will also provide opportunities meant to broaden awareness of the plant family Gesneriaceae including conservation-based lectures/discussions and a gesneriad exhibition where rare and lesser known gesneriads from around the world will be on public display.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>ABSTRACT SUBMISSION AND REGISTRATION</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">All researchers interested in the biology and systematics of the plant family Gesneriaceae are encouraged to attend and present some aspect of their scholarly research at WGRC 2010. <b>The deadline for abstract submissions is May 1, 2010</b>. Registration will begin June 1, 2010. Additional details on the conference including program schedule, registration fees, and options for other special events, will also become available in June. At this point, submission of abstracts does not mean a submitter is obligated to attend WGRC 2010. If you are considering presenting but are unsure about attending the conference (due to costs and/or logistics), please submit an abstract and indicate your level of commitment (see below). You will then be contacted with additional information regarding your registration.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>PRESENTATION TYPES</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">There are three options for presenting at WGRC 2010. Researchers are encouraged to submit abstracts for more than one option (e.g., give a talk and a poster, two talks, etc.). However, presentation at WGRC 2010 is not required to attend the conference.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>CONTRIBUTED PRESENTATIONS</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Talks</b> – Talks or oral papers will be 25 minutes in length including questions. Talks will be grouped into sessions and included within the program based on the subject matter of the presentation.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Posters</b> – Posters should be 4’ high by 4’ wide (122 x 122 cm). Materials may be secured to bulletin boards with push-pins that will be provided. All posters will be on display for the duration of the conference, and at least two poster sessions will be held where presenters will have opportunities to discuss their work.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Discussion Forums</b> – Three Forums will be convened during the conference: 1) Gesneriaceae systematics, 2) Developing a virtual coalition of researchers, and 3) Gesneriaceae conservation. While these forums will be directed by invited presenters, other researchers interested in contributing to these forums are encouraged to contact the conference Chair, John R. Clark, for additional information (<span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="mailto:jrclark@selby.org">jrclark@selby.org</a></u></span>).</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>To submit an abstract for WGRC 2010:</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Abstracts should be emailed to <span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="mailto:gesneriadresearch@gmail.com">gesneriadresearch@gmail.com</a></u></span> by no later than May 1<sup>st</sup>, 2010 and include the follow information in this order:</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Presenter’s full name(s) and title(s)</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Affiliation or Institution</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Address</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Telephone (with country code)</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Email address</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Presentation type (talk or poster)</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Title</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Abstract Text: The abstract should be 250 words or less.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Key words: Include a list of six keywords related to the presentation that are not in the title or body of the abstract.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Level of commitment: Please indicate your level of commitment to attending WGRC 2010 (high, moderate, low) and please briefly explain (e.g., low due to travel costs). This information will be used to plan the conference schedule, details of which will be available by no later than June 1, 2010. <i>We encourage potential participants to keep the committee updated on circumstances related to attending WGRC.</i></p> <p style="border-style: none none solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(0, 0, 0); border-width: medium medium 1pt; padding: 0in 0in 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Thank you for your interest in WGRC 2010. We look forward to receiving your abstracts and seeing you in Sarasota this coming October.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The WGRC 2010 Steering Committee</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-71445640158312732312010-01-13T10:42:00.024-05:002010-01-13T16:16:14.781-05:00A wrap-up of fall GRC lectures<span style="font-style: italic;">The last several months have been a flurry of activity at the GRC. Everything from continued development and fund raising to research and lectures and even a little construction work. When I finished up my Ph.D. in May of 2008 and started full-time work at the GRC, I never imagined I would be involved in all of this...or that all of this was going to be so involved.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">In order to catch everyone up, I will be giving a series of updates on different projects we have been working on.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />~JRC</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~<br /><br /></div>Today's installment is a wrap-up of lectures that I gave this fall. As many of you know, a critical part of doing what we do at the GRC is making sure that others know what we are doing. This means giving lectures at Selby Gardens for staff, volunteers and visitors as well as traveling to other venues to inform folks on gesneriads and gesneriad research.<br /><br />On October 22, I gave a lecture on the new Molecular Programs and laboratory at Selby Gardens to staff, volunteers, and visitors in Selby's Cooley Theater. Basic concepts in evolution, facts that I often take for granted as an evolutionary biologist, are oftentimes unfamiliar to many, so I started out simple and tried to include as much humor as possible (lots of monkey jokes).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04IrFhplnI/AAAAAAAADTY/NyiCGa2eNkQ/s1600-h/Evolution_talk1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04IrFhplnI/AAAAAAAADTY/NyiCGa2eNkQ/s400/Evolution_talk1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426284137338738290" border="0" /></a>I talked about how all life on earth is related and has evolved over millions of years from a single common ancestor into all of the diversity we see on our planet today.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04LhtqZw9I/AAAAAAAADTg/qR5vVyWrn-s/s1600-h/Evolution_talk2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04LhtqZw9I/AAAAAAAADTg/qR5vVyWrn-s/s400/Evolution_talk2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426287274849059794" border="0" /></a>A popular feature of this talk were the "gene-gnomes" -- little characters I created to illustrate concepts in gene expression and inheritance. Not sure if everyone got it, but at least they were entertained somewhat. In this slide, I discussed how mutations in DNA were responsible for heritable differences found in living organisms.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04MixUIWhI/AAAAAAAADTo/wLxYXSBzltI/s1600-h/Evolution_talk3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04MixUIWhI/AAAAAAAADTo/wLxYXSBzltI/s400/Evolution_talk3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426288392520882706" border="0" /></a>After covering the basics, I jumped into a discussion on the actual methods employed in the lab. The slide above illustrates a basic DNA "extraction". While the details are rather complex, the basics are easy to comprehend, even by non-scientists. Later slides illustrated the entire process, from extraction, to gene amplification, to reading the order of the DNA building blocks (nucleotides).<br /><br />The molecular laboratory at Selby is now finished. You can view pictures of the lab and its construction <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/johnrobertclark/MSBG_Molecular_lab#">here.</a> There is also a slide show of these images in the right hand column of this blog. Look for a discussion on the lab and what we are doing in an upcoming installment of the GRC blog.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~<br /></div><br />On November 21, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting the <a href="http://www.nygesneriad.org/index.html">Greater New York Gesneriad Society</a> to give a talk on Gesneriads around the World, a lecture I've been building and adding to over the last year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04Tg4uGf4I/AAAAAAAADTw/JFVy_czUtE0/s1600-h/NY_TGS_Nov_09_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04Tg4uGf4I/AAAAAAAADTw/JFVy_czUtE0/s400/NY_TGS_Nov_09_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426296056730517378" border="0" /></a>The lecture had three parts -<br /><br />1) An introduction to gesneriads and discussion on when, where and how gesneriads evolved:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04W3XiTC-I/AAAAAAAADUA/LvchWmH8SNY/s1600-h/NY_TGS_Nov_09_4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04W3XiTC-I/AAAAAAAADUA/LvchWmH8SNY/s400/NY_TGS_Nov_09_4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426299741494512610" border="0" /></a>In this slide, a hypothesis on the early evolution and range expansion of gesneriads is shown, including a hypothesis of gesneriads originating in South America and then dispersing into the "Old World" and Australia.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04XwbVZLTI/AAAAAAAADUI/gw0_hFXEL0k/s1600-h/NY_TGS_Nov_09_5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04XwbVZLTI/AAAAAAAADUI/gw0_hFXEL0k/s400/NY_TGS_Nov_09_5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426300721766673714" border="0" /></a>Today, as shown in this slide, gesneriads are found distributed throughout the world's tropics as well as extensions into subtropical to temperate regions in South America, Europe, Japan and Australia-Oceana.<br /><br />2) Part two included an overview of gesneriad diversity from around the world:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04UvExqrFI/AAAAAAAADT4/oNBfTF3crgM/s1600-h/NY_TGS_Nov_09_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04UvExqrFI/AAAAAAAADT4/oNBfTF3crgM/s400/NY_TGS_Nov_09_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426297399996492882" border="0" /></a>Representative genera were illustrated, along with maps indicating the known ranges for these genera. In this example, the genus <span style="font-style: italic;">Columnea</span> is featured.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04Y5gtIluI/AAAAAAAADUQ/xD4HibeB7js/s1600-h/NY_TGS_Nov_09_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04Y5gtIluI/AAAAAAAADUQ/xD4HibeB7js/s400/NY_TGS_Nov_09_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426301977338877666" border="0" /></a>Similarly, in this slide, the largest genus of gesneriad, <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span>, is shown.<br /><br />3) The final part of this lecture included a more detailed discussion on how my research is focused on understanding the biogeography of gesneriads:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04bDbeVf7I/AAAAAAAADUY/xQs8l6E6uhA/s1600-h/NY_TGS_Nov_09_6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04bDbeVf7I/AAAAAAAADUY/xQs8l6E6uhA/s400/NY_TGS_Nov_09_6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426304346756579250" border="0" /></a>At the core of this research is understanding how and why some gesneriads have dispersed across great ranges while others have not. I have written other entries about this subject <a href="http://gesneriadresearchcenter.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-have-entered-interface-zone.html">here</a>. The lecture also featured slides and discussion on my recent trip to the Solomon Islands as part of this work. Several past <a href="http://gesneriadresearchcenter.blogspot.com/2009/05/gesneriads-from-isabel-island.html">entries</a> featured some of these images as well.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~<br /></div><br />The next major lecture was on December 3rd, a summary of my research and experiences on my recent expedition to the Solomon Islands: Extreme Botany - adventure tales from the edge of the world.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04fvGE9_gI/AAAAAAAADUg/yT3vC_q7qto/s1600-h/Solomons_SarasotaMagazine_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04fvGE9_gI/AAAAAAAADUg/yT3vC_q7qto/s400/Solomons_SarasotaMagazine_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426309494973791746" border="0" /></a>This lecture was an opportunity to talk about my experiences in the Solomon Islands this last May and June. Not simply a travel log, I used the opportunity to highlight gesneriads as well as research and conservation issues related to the expedition.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04ixkzabfI/AAAAAAAADUo/m7BpprsmKlQ/s1600-h/Solomons_SarasotaMagazine_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04ixkzabfI/AAAAAAAADUo/m7BpprsmKlQ/s400/Solomons_SarasotaMagazine_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426312836116278770" border="0" /></a>The Solomon Islands are located east of Papua New Guinea and northeast of Australia. Several genera of gesneriads including <span style="font-style: italic;">Aeschynanthus, Boea, Coronanthera, Cyrtandra </span>and<span style="font-style: italic;"> Epithema</span> are found in the Solomons. Only one genus, <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span>, makes it further into the remote Pacific.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04lxmutsPI/AAAAAAAADUw/Ju8n3wTpitk/s1600-h/Solomons_SarasotaMagazine_5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04lxmutsPI/AAAAAAAADUw/Ju8n3wTpitk/s400/Solomons_SarasotaMagazine_5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426316135168323826" border="0" /></a>Many of slides had images of the Solomon Islands from Google Earth. On these satellite images, I included paths, areas, and features that I visited. It was an effective way to place the story I was telling into a geographical context.<br /></div>~~~~~<br /><br /></div>The following week, on December 7th and 8th, I gave two lectures at Texas A & M University Corpus Christi. The first was to an undergraduate botany class in which I gave the Genseriads Around the World lecture. The following morning, I gave a scientific talk on my research to faculty and students in the School of Biological Sciences at the University.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04tSY6PuLI/AAAAAAAADU4/m-l8pD3s8e0/s1600-h/Clark_TAMU_Dec09_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04tSY6PuLI/AAAAAAAADU4/m-l8pD3s8e0/s400/Clark_TAMU_Dec09_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426324394975672498" border="0" /></a>This lecture was an opportunity to talk about my research to other scientists at a level of detail that I enjoy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04t5WmG01I/AAAAAAAADVA/Pq6_0GDOUVQ/s1600-h/Clark_TAMU_Dec09_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04t5WmG01I/AAAAAAAADVA/Pq6_0GDOUVQ/s400/Clark_TAMU_Dec09_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426325064369230674" border="0" /></a>The core of the discussion was about methods used to infer the ancestral range of an evolving lineage. This schematic outlines what components go into inferring these past events.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04uhGYd--I/AAAAAAAADVI/T397EY7PzPc/s1600-h/Clark_TAMU_Dec09_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04uhGYd--I/AAAAAAAADVI/T397EY7PzPc/s400/Clark_TAMU_Dec09_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426325747211828194" border="0" /></a>This busy slide shows the results from a detailed study of the evolutionary relationships in <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span>, including divergence dates (i.e., how old the lineage is), and when and where lineages evolved. These data support the hypothesis of a Fiji-first expansion of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span> into the Pacific followed by divergence and dispersal of other lineages into the remote Pacific from this "center of origin."<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04vAAG9UsI/AAAAAAAADVQ/tIeDS73BrqI/s1600-h/Clark_TAMU_Dec09_4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/S04vAAG9UsI/AAAAAAAADVQ/tIeDS73BrqI/s400/Clark_TAMU_Dec09_4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426326278103716546" border="0" /></a>This map is basically a summary of the complicated results in the previous slide. The gist of it is that <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span> dispersed to Fiji and Samoa and from there, numerous lineages populated the remote islands of the Pacific.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~<br /></div><br />The New Year, 2010, promises to be an equally full lecture schedule. This month, on January 21st, at 12:00 p.m., I will be giving another update on Molecular Programs for Selby Gardens volunteers and guests. Check back here in the next few weeks to learn more about other upcoming GRC lectures and events.John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-69501528004351842712009-10-12T14:37:00.004-04:002009-10-12T14:46:19.184-04:00Sad News - Selby Horticulturalist Gail McDaniel has passed away.<span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">A message from Thomas Buchter, CEO of Selby Gardens:</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It’s with a heavy heart that I must inform you that Gail McDaniel passed away this morning, October 12<sup>th</sup> at 3:00am. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Gail began her career at Selby Gardens as a volunteer. With her great enthusiasm for tropical plants, she was hired May 25<sup>th</sup>, 1994 on the Grounds staff. As her skills advanced, she was moved to the Greenhouse collections, where she worked skillfully with a wide variety of epiphytes and other tropical plants, including bromeliads, gesneriads, ferns, aroids, and carnivorous plants. A former book-keeper and interior-scaper, she was in her element in her greenhouses.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">She was an extremely thoughtful person, and an avid animal lover. She survived a bout with breast cancer in 2006-2007. A few weeks ago she came down with pneumonia, and was moved to the Sarasota Memorial Hospital intensive care unit late last week.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Gail touched many lives during her 15+ years at Selby Gardens. She will be deeply missed by so many.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">~ Thomas Buchter<br /></span></span></p>John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-24578967796207923452009-08-28T09:16:00.006-04:002009-08-28T10:13:50.444-04:00Frequently Asked Questions about the GRC<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Note: You can view this FAQ sheet at any time by going to the link posted on the right side of the GRC blog. You can also download a pdf copy of the FAQ, if desired. ~JRC</span><br /></span><br />Gesneriad Research Center at Selby Gardens</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">What is the Gesneriad Research Center (GRC)?</span><br />The GRC is the center in North America for botanical research on the plant family Gesneriaceae. The mission of the GRC is to increase and diffuse knowledge of the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae through exploration, research, professional collaborations, and education, and to facilitate conservation initiatives that benefit gesneriads and the tropical ecosystems where they occur.<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><br />Why study gesneriads?</span><br />Formally recognized as the plant family Gesneriaceae in 1816, gesneriads have captured the attention of botanists, explorers, and plant enthusiasts for centuries. Gesneriads are often quite striking with a wide range of growth forms, flower colors, and fruit types. They are significant ecologically for their pollinators and seed dispersal interactions as well as for their adaptations to specialized habits such as epiphytism. Gesneriads comprise a major portion of diversity in tropical forests, and many are exceptional horticultural subjects. <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />Why is the GRC at Selby Gardens?</span><br />Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (est. 1973) has been involved with gesneriad research since its inception, as is evident from the Gardens’ official seal that illustrates a bromeliad, an orchid, and a gesneriad. Dr. Hans Wiehler was the driving force behind Selby’s early gesneriad program, helping to build the living and preserved collections during his tenure there. In 2002, Wiehler donated the several thousand herbarium specimens, liquid-preserved specimens and other resources of the Gesneriad Research Foundation (GRF) to Selby Gardens. A dedicated gesneriad research program was established to curate, manage and utilize the newly acquired gesneriad resources at Selby Gardens and to further the legacy established by Dr. Wiehler.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />How is the GRC funded?</span><br />The GRC is currently funded through charitable contributions from individuals, an annual grant from The Gesneriad Society, Inc., and through competitive grants (most recently through an award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services). Selby Gardens, while not directly funding the GRC, generously provides essential overhead and space for GRC operations including office, lab, herbarium and greenhouse.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />How are GRC funds managed?</span><br />Contributions are managed in two ways: 1) Selby Gardens maintains a designated account for GRC related contributions and grants; all monies in this account are used exclusively for GRC related activities; 2) The Gesneriad Society has set up the GRC Fund to accumulate and distribute funds to the GRC; the goal of this fund is to ultimately raise enough contributions for the endowment of the GRC.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />Who is the GRC?</span><br />Director: Dr. John R. Clark; GRC Senior Advisory Committee: Dr. Larry Skog (Smithsonian), Dr. Eric Roalson (Washington State University), Dr. John L. Clark (University of Alabama); Selby Senior Staff Advisor: Bruce Holst; Core Volunteers and Supporters*: Karyn Cichocki, Nancy Kast, Jeanne Katzenstein, JoAnne Martinez, Melissa McDowell, Donna Pound, Bill Price, Carolyn Ripps, Doug Rist, Marge Schmiel, Paul Susi, Jim Sciarello, Anne Vidaver; Affiliated organizations: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, The Gesneriad Society, Inc., Suncoast Chapter of the Gesneriad Society, Tampa Bay Chapter of the Gesneriad Society, Frelinghuysen Arboretum Chapter of the Gesneriad Society.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">*Listed alphabetically; list includes volunteers and financial contributors of $100 or more. If you see any omissions, please notify John R. Clark at johnrobertclark@gmail.com</span></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />Who do I contact for more information about the GRC?</span><br />Contact: Dr. John R. Clark, Director, Gesneriad Research Center, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 811 S. Palm Ave., Sarasota, FL 34236; 941.366.5731x256; jrclark@selby.org or johnrobertclark@gmail.com.John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-327618249777536202009-08-14T11:50:00.003-04:002009-08-14T12:06:00.826-04:00<p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><img src="http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=7dd7d74122&view=att&th=123198eda1a2943f&attid=0.1&disp=emb&zw" border="0" height="63" width="65" /></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> MARIE SELBY BOTANICAL GARDENS 811 SOUTH PALM AVE. SARASOTA FLORIDA 34236</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">941-366-5731 941-366-9807 FAX WWW.SELBY.ORG<br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</span></span></b></p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial;">Contact: Dr. John R. Clark, Head of Molecular Programs, (941) 366-5731 x 256, jrclark@selby.org<br />IMLS Contact: Jeannine Mjoseth, (202) 653-4632, jmjoseth@imls.gov<br />Selby Contact: Debbie Steele, Director of Marketing, (941) 366-5731 x 225, dsteele@selby.org<br /></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial;"></span></span><p style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Awarded Prestigious Grant </span></span></b></p> <p style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">from the Institute of Museum and Library Services</span></span></b></p> <p style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial;">(August <span style="color:black;"><span style="color: black;">14</span></span>, 2009 – Sarasota, FL): Thanks to a grant of $133,025 from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Selby Gardens’ Center for Tropical Plant Sciences and Conservation jumps into the 21st Century with the establishment of its new Molecular Research Program. This new program, a two-year start-up project, will provide Selby scientists with cutting-edge resources needed to conduct plant identification, classification and conservation research.</span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial;">Dr. John R. Clark, Head of Molecular Programs and Director of the Gesneriad Research Center at Selby Gardens says, “Molecular research capabilities, using DNA to understand the relationships between organisms, allows us to address critical questions about plant evolution and conservation, questions that concern the identity and origin of the plants we study. Think of it as CSI meets Selby Gardens where botanists, instead of forensic scientists, use DNA to identify and ultimately conserve plants.”</span></span></p> <p style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial;">Epiphytes are a diverse group of plants that live on other plants and warrant continued research based on their high scientific and economic importance. Dr. Clark and other Selby scientists will conduct molecular-based studies on the plant families Gesneriaceae and Orchidaceae, two focal research plant groups at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. These research projects will address relevant questions in epiphyte diversification and conservation, and utilize molecular-based methods in conjunction with traditional techniques to answer them.<br /></span></span></p> <p style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial;">Bruce Holst, Director of Research at Selby Gardens, states, “The new Molecular Program is vital to Selby Gardens’ ongoing commitment to science and conservation. This grant and the projects it supports are a major step forward in achieving Selby Gardens’ goal of being the leading institution for advancing the scientific understanding of epiphytes.”</span></span></p> <p style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial;">The new Molecular Research Program will be based in Selby’s existing research facilities. The IMLS Grant will provide funding to equip the new program as well as salary and research budget support for Gardens scientists for two years.<br /></span></span></p> <p style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial;">The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge, enhance learning and innovation, and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, visit <a href="http://www.imls.gov/" target="_blank">www.imls.gov</a>.</span></span></p> <p style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial;">Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a respected center for research and education as well as a famous orchid showplace. The Gardens is located at 900 South Palm Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. It is open to the public daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with the exception of Christmas day. For further information call (941) 366-5731 or visit <a href="http://www.selby.org/" target="_blank">www.selby.org</a>.</span></span></p> <p style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial;"> </span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial;"># # #</span></span></p>John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-20968468683024970762009-08-04T15:38:00.004-04:002009-08-05T12:44:44.345-04:00A brief update on living gesneriad collections at SelbyNew Accessions for Selby<br /><br />Thanks to Atlanta Botanical Garden, and numerous growers in The Gesneriad Society including Nancy Kast, Jeanne Katzenstein, JoAnne Martinez, Melissa McDowell, and Bill Price, Selby Gardens has a far more diverse collection of gesneriads than it did a year ago. These and other supporters have donated cuttings and sometimes whole plants to bolster the Gardens' collection for education and display.<br /><br />Recently, Jeanne, Melissa and I, with the assistance of Gail McDaniel - Greenhouse Collections Horticulturalist, repotted and accessioned nearly 40 new specimens into Selby's living collection.<br /><br /><img src="file:///Users/johnclark/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SniVpSCoWzI/AAAAAAAADGk/X-UHmI3YTHc/s512/DSCF9201.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 512px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SniVpSCoWzI/AAAAAAAADGk/X-UHmI3YTHc/s512/DSCF9201.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Newly accessioned gesneriads in Selby's living collection.<br /><br />~~~~~~~<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">New accessions from expeditions<br /><br />A recent trip by Selby Gardens scientist Wes Higgins (Guatemala 2009) has also resulted in new gesneriad collections in cultivation at Selby.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SnMFO8ipRII/AAAAAAAADGI/oA0-aChwaC0/s640/DSCF9235.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SnMFO8ipRII/AAAAAAAADGI/oA0-aChwaC0/s640/DSCF9235.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Columnea calotricha</span> (Guatemala; Higgins, s.n.). Note the closed flower, despite being mature; this feature is characteristic for this species.<br /><br />On my recent trip to the Solomons, sponsored by Dr. Anne Vidaver, I was able to collect live specimens of at least five different species of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SnCrclfzpaI/AAAAAAAADEw/dRGwD2yCwFk/s512/DSCF9208.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 512px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SnCrclfzpaI/AAAAAAAADEw/dRGwD2yCwFk/s512/DSCF9208.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Cuttings of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra erectiloba</span> (Solomon Islands; Clark 801). This species has pseudo-alternate leaves at maturity and attractive, white calyces and corollas that are born on the woody stems. This species seems to be growing rapidly and has readily rooted.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SnCre5RDzOI/AAAAAAAADE8/aD6UWC89FV8/s640/DSCF9211.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SnCre5RDzOI/AAAAAAAADE8/aD6UWC89FV8/s640/DSCF9211.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Cuttings of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra subulabractea</span> (Solomon Islands; Clark 805). This is one of two red-flowered cyrtandras I found growing in the Solomons.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I was also able to bring back seeds from the Solomons, many of which have successfully germinated.<br /><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SnCri48jrZI/AAAAAAAADFQ/HjmrwOq18Nc/s640/DSCF9216.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SnCri48jrZI/AAAAAAAADFQ/HjmrwOq18Nc/s640/DSCF9216.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Minute seedlings of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span> cf. <span style="font-style: italic;">cominsii</span> from the Solomons. Note the small cotyledons of the dozens of germinated seedlings.<br /><br />~~~~~~~<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Existing accessions at Selby<br /><br />Selby Gardens has maintained a collection of gesneriads since its inception back in the early 1970s. The facilities are often ideal for growing species requiring high temperature and humidity. Larger shrubs and tree gesneriads can also reach their full potential in the large greenhouses of the Gardens.<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SniWCPmNrrI/AAAAAAAADHA/FBhT0IwaT4M/s512/gesn%20Sanango%20racemose2%20MSBG2004-0154A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 342px; height: 512px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SniWCPmNrrI/AAAAAAAADHA/FBhT0IwaT4M/s512/gesn%20Sanango%20racemose2%20MSBG2004-0154A.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sanango racemosum </span>(Peru; MSBG 2004-0154).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SniWDkYw8wI/AAAAAAAADG4/XBjqiHT77rg/s720/gesn%20Sanango%20racemose5%20MSBG2004-0154A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SniWDkYw8wI/AAAAAAAADG4/XBjqiHT77rg/s720/gesn%20Sanango%20racemose5%20MSBG2004-0154A.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Close up of <span style="font-style: italic;">S. racemosum</span> flowers (Peru; MSBG 2004-0154).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This specimen was originally acquired by Harry Luther from Jerry Trowbridge. The two proceeding photographs were taken by Dr. Phil Nelson, Selby Gardens volunteer collections photographer.<br /><br /><br /></div></div>John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-26701899929770526962009-06-07T04:25:00.017-04:002009-06-07T05:32:52.731-04:00More gesneriads from the Solomon IslandsAs I have continued my explorations of the Solomons, I have encountered several more species of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span>, this time on Kolombangara Island.<br /><br />The first species we came across was <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra filibracteata</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuB34Nd4aI/AAAAAAAACs8/-6Nr2zu4HX4/s1600-h/C_fili_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuB34Nd4aI/AAAAAAAACs8/-6Nr2zu4HX4/s320/C_fili_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344508179786883490" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">C. filibracteata</span> is a common understory shrub found throughout Kolombangara and presumably most of the Solomon Islands. The species’ red flowers suggest bird pollination. It is apparently tolerant of disturbance and occurs in large numbers along alluvial plains, landslides and recovering deforested areas. Among forests near sites we visited it can be found growing in a variety of areas including hillsides, gorges and along streams and riverbanks. The species can be easily identified by the large 3-5 cm inflorescence clumps growing on the woody trunks and stems. These clusters superficially resemble epiphytes growing on the tree but are in fact a part of it.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~~<br /></div><br />We also saw a few specimens of what I previously called <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra cominsii</span>. I now believe this identification to be incorrect and have started calling this "<span style="font-style: italic;">C</span>. sp. A." I don't think it is a "new" species but I am having difficulty in positively identifying it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuDJwaEJlI/AAAAAAAACtM/eRMdhR-f2gc/s1600-h/C_spA_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuDJwaEJlI/AAAAAAAACtM/eRMdhR-f2gc/s320/C_spA_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344509586441512530" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">C. </span>sp. A is common along wet, umpland areas, particularly along stream and river banks, and should be readily identifiable using herbarium records. This species appears to be more susceptible to disturbance and/or adverse conditions than <span style="font-style: italic;">C. filibracteata</span> and was found in far fewer numbers. The long, often white petioles, clustered at the top of stout, large-diameter stems, is perhaps the most recognizable feature of this species. Inflorescences in the leaf axils accumulate decaying flowers and other debris forming a layer of thick sludge from which the ripening, white fruit emerge.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuCmfQlM1I/AAAAAAAACtE/nscu-IHQF28/s1600-h/C_spA_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuCmfQlM1I/AAAAAAAACtE/nscu-IHQF28/s320/C_spA_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344508980542911314" border="0" /></a><br />~~~~~~~</div><br />What is more likely <span style="font-style: italic;">C. cominsii</span> or a closely related species is pictured here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuEFCYcuuI/AAAAAAAACtU/mI1eTksLOZE/s1600-h/C_cf_samoensis_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuEFCYcuuI/AAAAAAAACtU/mI1eTksLOZE/s320/C_cf_samoensis_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344510604878854882" border="0" /></a><br />This species appears to be part of a group of cyrtandras that are distributed throughout the Pacific. Related species are principally found in the Solomon islands, Fiji and Samoa, but can be found as far away as Micronesia and Tonga. A remarkable feature of the current collections is their location: they were made at about 600 meters elevation. Other members of this lineage are commonly associated with ranges at or below 400 meters. Additional study is warranted.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuFOEUO0mI/AAAAAAAACtk/RMF0hswkius/s1600-h/C_cf_samoensis_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuFOEUO0mI/AAAAAAAACtk/RMF0hswkius/s320/C_cf_samoensis_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344511859528487522" border="0" /></a><br />~~~~~~~</div><br />Also at higher elevations, we found <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra subulabractea.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuEwRbiT6I/AAAAAAAACtc/cRROHYLYNcY/s1600-h/C_subu_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuEwRbiT6I/AAAAAAAACtc/cRROHYLYNcY/s320/C_subu_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344511347652710306" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">C. subulabractea </span>is related to but markedly distinct from <span style="font-style: italic;">C. filibracteata</span>, most notably in the placement and number of flowers along the branches and stems. Calyces are markedly different as well. Both species have red flowers that distinguish them from the other cyrtandras of the Solomons. <span style="font-style: italic;">C. subulabractea</span> may represent a higher elevation counterpart to <span style="font-style: italic;">C. filibracteata</span>, but more detailed distribution surveys are required to confirm this.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuFq1tKtNI/AAAAAAAACts/urWtmQznFIg/s1600-h/C_subu_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuFq1tKtNI/AAAAAAAACts/urWtmQznFIg/s320/C_subu_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344512353822749906" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The pollinator for these species, while unknown, is possibly one of two bird species (C. Filardi and A. Uy. pers. comm.). Detailed study of pollinator visitation will be required to better understand the ecological roles of these species in the Solomon Islands.<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~~<br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>Here is a photograph of another species of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span> that I have yet to identify.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuGTS4h_LI/AAAAAAAACt0/LuQ8GlzO8qM/s1600-h/C_spB_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuGTS4h_LI/AAAAAAAACt0/LuQ8GlzO8qM/s320/C_spB_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344513048849808562" border="0" /></a><br />It is of close affinity to <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span> sp. A, but differs in the smaller, herbaceous habit and linear, glabrous inflorescence bracts. The only collection of this species was made at over 600 meters.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuG643ANUI/AAAAAAAACt8/-TPdyXFxxwY/s1600-h/C_spB_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuG643ANUI/AAAAAAAACt8/-TPdyXFxxwY/s320/C_spB_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344513729058846018" border="0" /></a><br />No members of the related species <span style="font-style: italic;">C</span>. sp. A were seen near the same area, suggesting that this species may be a higher-elevation ecological replacement of the other. More distribution data will be required to evaluate this hypothesis.<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~~<br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>Finally, we found a population of <span style="font-style: italic;">C. erectiloba</span>, the species found only at 900 meters on Isabel Island. This population, however, was found growing at 400 meters. The species apparently has a greater elevational tollerance than I first hypothesized.<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuIGYGG4tI/AAAAAAAACuE/x5zgIDifP9o/s1600-h/C_erectiloba.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SiuIGYGG4tI/AAAAAAAACuE/x5zgIDifP9o/s320/C_erectiloba.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344515025933886162" border="0" /></a><br />~~~~~~~<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">My time on Kolombangara was a fantastic journey made all the better by the hospitality and kindness extended to me by the staff of Kolombangara Forest Products Ltd. KFPL staff exemplified why the Solomon Islands are known as the "friendly isles." In particular, I’d like to acknowledge Simon LaGassicke, Vaeno Vigulu, Derol Sikua, Grayton Saghelama, Sue Vave, Tim Bula and Ferguson Vaghi for their direct assistance. For more on my adventures on Kolombangara, please check out my other blog "<a href="http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/">Extreme Botany</a>" hosted by Sarasota Magazine.<br /><br />Thank you for the continued interest and support!<br /><br />~JRC<br /></div></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><br /></span>John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-20717975367240806632009-05-17T17:41:00.025-04:002009-05-18T02:35:17.032-04:00Gesneriads from Isabel Island.I encountered my first Solomon Islands native gesneriads last week while on Isabel Island. The region has been tragically logged in the last decade, so finding them took quite some effort. We hired a guide and two porters from the inland village of Tirotonga to attempt a summit of the highest peak on the island, Mt. Kubonito - a 1200 meter mountain that can only be reached through kilometers of winding, difficult mountain trails. After much toil, we reached intact, solid habitat and <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span> and other gesneriads were located. The team was instrumental in making this happen and both members from the Forestry Minisitry and the Tirotonga men were excellent at spotting gesneriads. This was good, because I had to keep my eyes firmly planted on the trail most of the time!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShCS4vftcNI/AAAAAAAACrA/Wx0vjviIgLI/s1600-h/C_cominsii_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShCS4vftcNI/AAAAAAAACrA/Wx0vjviIgLI/s320/C_cominsii_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336927061953835218" border="0" /></a>The first species we found is most likely <span>related to</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Cyrtandra fulvo-villosa </span>or <span style="font-style: italic;">C. cominsii</span>. It is a large monopodial shrub with tight rosettes of large, petiolate leaves. Notice the length of the greenish-white petioles; they are at least 30-40 cm! The flowers are born in tight clusters in the leaf axils.<br /><br /><br /><br />The man pictured with this specimen is Hudson, our guide from Tirotonga village.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShD0cAhw0jI/AAAAAAAACrg/qu48ipUCriU/s1600-h/C_cominsii_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShD0cAhw0jI/AAAAAAAACrg/qu48ipUCriU/s320/C_cominsii_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337034320449163826" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~~<br /></div><br />The next gesneriad we came across was <span style="font-style: italic;">Aeshynanthus solomonensis</span>. This was my first <span style="font-style: italic;">Aeschynanthus</span> sighting in the field, so I was very excited to find it. Although it is typical for the genus, its range is unique - it is the only known <span style="font-style: italic;">Aeschynanthus</span> found in the Solomons and yet it is quite common throughout the archipelago. I am curious to know how it is related to other species living further West.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShD1DdrXAaI/AAAAAAAACro/3IDwCxi6aYg/s1600-h/A_solomonensis_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShD1DdrXAaI/AAAAAAAACro/3IDwCxi6aYg/s320/A_solomonensis_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337034998288941474" border="0" /></a><br />The calyx is rather small on <span style="font-style: italic;">A. solomonensis</span> (less than 1 cm), and the lobes are tinged with pink. The corolla is dark pink to sometimes red and the throat is lined with wine red markings. The leaves are glossy and dark green above, lighter green below.<br /><br />Some areas of the trail were littered with fallen red blossoms from populations that could be seen in the canopy above.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~~<br /></div><br />Another species of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span> that we found I believe is <span style="font-style: italic;">C. laciniata</span>. However, it differs in several respects from Gillett's 1975 description of the species, warranting further investigation.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShD2BjvH7-I/AAAAAAAACrw/mqu3vcRNxiQ/s1600-h/C_sp_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShD2BjvH7-I/AAAAAAAACrw/mqu3vcRNxiQ/s320/C_sp_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337036065067233250" border="0" /></a><br />It is a large shrub with dense hairs along the stems and leaves. The calyces are greenish white and the flowers are small and white or pale yellow.<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~~<br /></div><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span>On a hellacious treck to the sumit of Mt. Kubonitu, we located an amazing little population of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra erectiloba</span>. This species, often found growing above 900 meters in cloud forest, is most likely part of a lineage that is different than all other Pacific species of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra. C. erectiloba</span> and related species found in Southeast Asia are characterized by nearly glabrous, stout leaves that superficially resemble oak or chestnut leaves.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShD3YNzZa-I/AAAAAAAACr4/D9e8gTPniTI/s1600-h/C_erectiloba_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShD3YNzZa-I/AAAAAAAACr4/D9e8gTPniTI/s320/C_erectiloba_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337037553828195298" border="0" /></a><br />The leaves are also pseudo-alternate; the opposite leaf of a pair is reduced to a scale-like bract, similar to what is seen in many species of <span style="font-style: italic;">Columnea</span>. If it had not been for the characteristic flowers, I don't know if I would have recognized it as a <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span>!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShD4tz9KtnI/AAAAAAAACsA/bBESf5tjeJU/s1600-h/C_erectiloba_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShD4tz9KtnI/AAAAAAAACsA/bBESf5tjeJU/s320/C_erectiloba_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337039024358602354" border="0" /></a><br />Note also the white, inflated calyx. Flowers in this species are born on hard, wood stems, among leaves as well as along leafless sections of stem (not shown).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~~<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We were also fortunate enough to find the only known species in the genus <span style="font-style: italic;">Coronanthera</span> from the Solomons, <span style="font-style: italic;">C. grandis</span>. This species is indeed grand as it's namesake suggests - individuals were several meters tall and were serious trees.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShD6OGVXKwI/AAAAAAAACsI/GUlBhW3szf8/s1600-h/C_grandis_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShD6OGVXKwI/AAAAAAAACsI/GUlBhW3szf8/s320/C_grandis_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337040678559361794" border="0" /></a><br />Note the long, pendulous inflorescences. The leaves and overall habit are quite similar to many species of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span> that I have observed in the field. These two genera in fact belong to different subfamilies.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShD7H4ze5LI/AAAAAAAACsQ/hdO2EAV74tc/s1600-h/C_grandis_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShD7H4ze5LI/AAAAAAAACsQ/hdO2EAV74tc/s320/C_grandis_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337041671360013490" border="0" /></a><br />The flowers are small, ~1 cm, and urn shaped. the flowers are also rather similar to some species of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span>, but there are four distinct stamens. Most species of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span> have only two.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShD8Hyr3pbI/AAAAAAAACsY/mL6SGUfunCk/s1600-h/C_grandis_4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 298px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/ShD8Hyr3pbI/AAAAAAAACsY/mL6SGUfunCk/s320/C_grandis_4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337042769229096370" border="0" /></a><br />The fruit of <span style="font-style: italic;">Coronanthera</span>, a hard capsule that dehisces along two or four openings, best differentiates this group from <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtandra</span>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~~<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I am now in the Western Province on the Island of Ghizo. I will be resuming collecting in a week or so in this area, so look for more posts in the coming weeks on the Gesneriads of the Solomon Islands. To read more about the stories behind these plant encounters, please visit my other blog, hosted by Sarasota Magazine (www.sarasotamagazine.com): Extreme Botany.<br /><br />JRC<br />Ghizo Island, Western Province, Solomon Islands<br /></div></div></div></div>John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-17071471440664411862009-05-07T17:02:00.003-04:002009-05-08T00:10:19.000-04:00My travel log at Sarasota MagazineHello from the Solomon Islands. I am in day five (or is it six?!) of this two month long adventure. The first gesneriad I've seen? An <span style="font-style: italic;">Episcia</span> hybrid growing in a pot near the hotel I am staying in!<br /><br />I will have more to say on this blog about the research and science as it develops. For now, I am posting travel updates on my other blog at Sarasota Magazine's webpage:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/">www.sarasotamagazine.com</a><br /><br />If interested, please click on the above link. You will find a pull down menu named "blogs." Mine is the one titled "Extreme Botany." Here you will find the more "human interest" side of my travels. What happened that day. What I ate. What made me sick. What I am sick of. Oh, yes, and what makes me happy to be here!<br /><br />Thanks for the interest. More soon...<br /><br />~JRC<br />Honiara, Solomon IslandsJohn R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-8408117971421777872009-04-28T10:13:00.002-04:002009-04-28T10:36:05.290-04:00Herald-Tribune Article on the Vidaver ExpeditionI was interviewed last week by Jack McClintock, a correspondent for the Sarasota Herald Tribune. Jack is a freelance journalist, specializing in science writing. His articles have been published in various places including Discover Magazine.<br /><br />You can read his article on the up-coming Vidaver Expedition at the Herald-Tribune's website:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090427/ARTICLE/904271055#">Selby Botanist to Brave Jungle to Find Flowers</a>John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-28100651394912524382009-04-22T10:15:00.005-04:002009-04-22T14:25:20.574-04:00Background Info on the Solomon Islands22 April 2009 (10 days until departure)<br /><br />The Solomon Islands, located at 9° 41.25'S 160° 13.00' E, are a group of oceanic islands that were formed about 25 million years ago. There are over 900 islands that make up the archepelagio, Guadalcanal being the largest. The Solomons are known as outer-arc islands - the islands were formed from the collision between two (or more) tectonic plates resulting in the upheaval of land. The region<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/Se8zd4LV9cI/AAAAAAAACq4/ln625BjquWc/s1600-h/SI_map.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/Se8zd4LV9cI/AAAAAAAACq4/ln625BjquWc/s320/SI_map.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327533472591771074" border="0" /></a> is known as the Andesite Line. Unlike continents and continental islands (chunks of land broken off from continents such as New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea), the Solomons are thought to be true oceanic islands that have always been separated by water from other neighboring landmasses.<br /><br />The fact that the Solomon have been separated throughout their history is of great importance in understanding how and why species evolve on islands. Plants, such as the gesneriads I study, had to have made it to the Solomons by some means of dispersal. The question is how did new species form because of or following this dispersal and how did this lead to the great diversity we see in the Solomons and other oceanic islands of the Pacific? One main goal of the Vidaver Expedition is to collect plant specimens to further study this phenomenon.<br /><br />----John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-81192307689176691912009-04-20T12:42:00.003-04:002009-04-21T19:20:40.764-04:00Announcing the Dr. Anne Vidaver Expedition to the Solomon Islands, 2 May – 26 June, 2009<p style="line-height: 150%;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="line-height: 150%;font-size:12;" >(Sarasota, FL – April 20, 2009): As part of on-going work at the Gesneriad Research Center, Dr. John R. Clark of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, will conduct an expedition to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific from May 2 – June 26, 2009. The expedition is generously funded by Dr. Anne Vidaver, an ardent supporter of research on the gesneriad plant family. </span></span></p> <p style="line-height: 150%;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="line-height: 150%;font-size:12;" >The Solomon Islands, located northeast of Australia and east of Papua New Guinea, is a biologically-rich part of the world representing some of the last large tracts of lowland and mountain island forest in the world. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the biodiversity of the Solomons is greatly threatened by deforestation for logging and subsistence agriculture.</span></span></p> <p style="line-height: 150%;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="line-height: 150%;font-size:12;" > </span></span></p> <p style="line-height: 150%;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="line-height: 150%;font-size:12;" >Dr. Clark, along with collaborators from the Ministry of Environment, Solomon Islands, and the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, will be conducting plant diversity studies in this poorly-known and increasingly threatened part of the world. Specimens and data collected during this expedition will be used for inventory, classification and conservation efforts. To learn more about the Vidaver Expedition and to follow Dr. Clark’s progress go to <a href="http://gesneriadresearchcenter.blogspot.com">http://gesneriadresearchcenter.blogspot.com</a>.<br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 150%;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="line-height: 150%;font-size:12;" >Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a respected center for research and education as well as a famous orchid showplace. The Gardens is located at 900 South Palm Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. It is open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the exception of Christmas day. For further information call (941) 366-5731 or visit <a href="http://www.selby.org/" target="_blank">www.selby.org</a>.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%;font-family:times new roman;" align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="line-height: 150%;font-size:12;" ># # #</span></span></p>John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-20478962017434672952009-03-24T12:52:00.001-04:002009-03-24T12:54:46.312-04:00Announcing: World Gesneriad Research Conference 2010<span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Gesneriad Research Center at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is pleased to announce<br /><br /><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">World Gesneriad Research Conference <span class="il">2010</span></span></b><br /><br /><span class="il">WGRC</span> <span class="il">2010</span> will be a three-day scientific meeting to be held in Sarasota, Florida in September or October <span class="il">2010</span> focused on research in Gesneriaceae. Experts and students are invited to make presentations about research on Gesneriaceae and to discuss, promote and plan for continued research-based advancements in this important plant family. Plant enthusiasts and horticulturalists will also be encouraged to attend the presentations and to<br />participate in discussion groups. Associated activities such as field trips will be a major part of <span class="il">WGRC</span> <span class="il">2010</span>; these activities will be open to all conference attendees.<br /><br />We are soliciting ideas and proposals for activities at <span class="il">WGRC</span> <span class="il">2010</span>. Possible topics of interest include systematics, biogeography and ancestral range history, taxonomy and monography, pollination biology and ecology, conservation, horticulture, etc.<br /><br />STEERING COMMITTEE<br /><br />John L. Clark, University of Alabama<br />John R. Clark, Gesneriad Research Center<br />Eric H. Roalson, Washington State University<br />Laurence E. Skog, Smithsonian Institution<br /><br />Bruce K. Holst, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens<br />Jeanne Katzenstein, The Gesneriad Society, Inc.<br />Melissa McDowell, Suncoast Chapter, The Gesneriad Society, Inc.<br />Peter Shalit, The Gesneriad Society, Inc.<br /><br />TO PARTICIPATE<br /><br />To participate and/or to receive additional information please send an email to the Committee Chair, John R. Clark, at <a href="mailto:gesneriadresearch@gmail.com" target="_blank">gesneriadresearch@gmail.com</a> by 15 April 2009 with the following information:<br /><br />Name, Institution, mailing and email address, current position.<br /><br />Research Interests.<br /><br />Symposia concept(s).<br /><br />How you wish to participate (poster, oral presentation, symposium chair, other).<br /><br />Which month you prefer the conference to be held (September or October <span class="il">2010</span>).<br /><br />Potential conflicts that should be considered (e.g., other meetings).<br /><br />NOTE: Please forward this mailing to other researchers and students that may be interested in participating. You may receive this message more than once.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br /><span class="il">WGRC</span> <span class="il">2010</span> Steering Committee</span></span>John R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8932850766266096081.post-49095209765018095112009-01-22T12:03:00.004-05:002009-01-22T15:38:49.787-05:00Selbyana - a source for gesneriad publications<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SXi016VS6LI/AAAAAAAACmY/uGIxLl5OY8A/s1600-h/Selbyana+25%282%29+cover+Gesneriaceae.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FmqxXLzerA/SXi016VS6LI/AAAAAAAACmY/uGIxLl5OY8A/s320/Selbyana+25%282%29+cover+Gesneriaceae.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294180200258660530" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Selbyana</span> is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. The journal has been published annually since 1975. Through its history, <span style="font-style: italic;">Selbyana</span> has included a wealth of papers on gesneriads including valuable contributions by Hans Wiehler and Larry Skog.<br /><br />The latest issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">Selbyana</span> (Volume 29(2), 2008) contains four papers on gesneriads featuring 5 new species descriptions. Among these are two articles that John L. and I have co-written on new species of <span style="font-style: italic;">Drymonia</span>. There is also a great new publication by John Boggan, Larry Skog and Eric Roalson on the genera <span style="font-style: italic;">Amalophyllon, Niphaea, </span>and<span style="font-style: italic;"> Phinaea</span>. Last but certainly not least is an editorial by Wesley Higgins (Director of Systematics at Selby Gardens and Editor, <span style="font-style: italic;">Selbyana</span>) on "The Two John Clarks" - a <span style="font-style: italic;">must</span> read, I <span style="font-style: italic;">must</span> say!<br /><br />Reprints are available for many published issues of <span style="font-style: italic;">Selbyana</span>, including the current one. These vary in price depending on the issue, but average around 20-30 dollars each. Orders can be placed from the Selby Botanical Gardens Press page on Selby's website:<br /><a href="http://www.selby.org/index.php?submenu=Research&src=gendocs&ref=sbg_press&category=Research&PHPSESSID=53c0aacd2d13a7eb8d3853746a033efa"><br />Selby Botanical Gardens Press</a><br /><br />Please note that the website is not currently up to date on pricing and availability. Please contact either me or Wes Higgins (whiggins@selby.org) for current information.<br /><br />Several recent issues that may be of interest to gesneriad folks are 24(1), dedicated to Hans Wiehler (including "In Memoriam: Hans Wiehler 1931-2003, by J.R. Clark), 24(2) that includes "An Annotated Checklist of Gesneriaceae Type Specimens in the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Herbarium (SEL)" by J.R. Clark, Holst and Skog, and issue 25(2) which is the "Special Issue: Gesneriaceae" featuring contributions by Skog, J.L. Clark, Chautems et al., and Roalson et al. This issue also contains the important biography on Hans Wiehler by Lee Desmon.<br /><br />Finally, I would like to encourage anyone interested in the scientific side of taxonomy and tropical botany to consider subscribing to <span style="font-style: italic;">Selbyana</span>. Annual subscriptions are $52 per year. <span style="font-style: italic;">Selbyana</span> has been a vehicle for publishing gesneriad research, as well as important papers on bromeliads, orchids and other tropical plant groups, for over 30 years. Subscriptions help us to continue this valuable tradition. In return, <span style="font-style: italic;">Selbyana</span> makes a great addition to any personal library focused on botany and plants. Consider having your local chapter subscribe and keeping the issues as part of your organization's library or archives.<br /><br />~ John R. ClarkJohn R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10793605422266700924noreply@blogger.com0