The Plant Press

Art by Alice Tangerini: Causonis japonica (Thunb.) Raf.

From Plant Press, Vol. 26, No. 2, April 2023.

Causonis japonica (Vitaceae) is the type species of the genus Causonis Raf., which was recently resurrected as a segregate of the genus Cayratia Juss. based on phylogenetic and morphological evidence. The species is widely distributed in eastern Asia (Japan, Korea, and China) and southeast Asia (the Philippines and Vietnam). Alice Tangerini’s illustration used three collections as resource material: the habit was reconstructed from a collection by Mac Alford, former intern in Botany, (Mississippi, 2002), the flower was reconstructed from a Fumihiro Konta collection (Tokyo, 1997), and the bud and floral disk were from Jun Wen’s pickled material (Yunnan, 2014). Wen also supplied digital images of the habit and inflorescence which aided in making a more natural appearance. The illustration had to be reduced to a 3-inch format for Flora of North America; thus, all figures were sized to fit an 8 x 12 inch plate and the reproduction, happily, kept all of the linework.

By the numbers​: Collections edition

From Plant Press, Vol. 26, No. 2, April 2023.

The National Collections Program has released its 2022 collection assessment report. Notable numbers and figures for the United States National Herbarium include:

5,003,019

​The total number of specimens housed by the herbarium

 

108,113.63

The number of cubic feet of collection space

 

8,039

The number of new specimens acquired and added to the collections in 2022

 

3,015

The number of specimens sent out on loan for study in 2022

Just three pressed specimens of the 5+ million specimens housed by the United States National Herbarium. The water-lily genus Nymphaea, comprising about 60 species and among the most successful early lineages of flowering plants, is native to all continents except Antarctica. Cultivated varieties of this genus are grown worldwide for their ornamental flowers. Water-lilies are especially diverse in the tropics of South America where these three specimens were collected. (photo by Gary Krupnick)

Tangerini and Yankowski each recognized for 50 years of career service

From Plant Press, Vol. 26, No. 2, April 2023.

On February 15, 2023, the National Museum of Natural History held a staff recognition ceremony where the museum honored museum staff for their career service and presented peer recognition awards. Career service awards were given to Alice Tangerini and Stanley Yankowski for their 50 years of service, MaryAnn Apicelli for her 30 years of service, and Ingrid Lin and Meghann Toner for their 10 years of service.

At the ceremony, Laurence Dorr gave remarks about Tangerini before Sant Director Kirk Johnson awarded her with her 50-year pin. Dorr shared Tangerini’s story about how she got started at the museum and her accomplishments to date. In part:

In 1972, after graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University, Alice was hired as a full-time Smithsonian employee. She is the first and to date only botanical illustrator employed by the Institution in its long history. Since her debut with Lyman Smith, she has illustrated over 1200 species of plants for numerous curators and research associates, and her illustrations have appeared in countless scientific periodicals, floras, textbooks, and other book publications. Unlike other disciplines in the museum where color is critical, botanical illustrations are typically B&W line art, which Alice has mastered. She has worked with pen and ink, graphite, and—recently—digital color to produce illustrations. Her attention to detail is unparalleled and sometimes she discovers characters that the scientist utilizing her talents failed to see. Thus, the eponymous bromeliad or pineapple relative Navia aliciae came to be named in her honor after she observed characters overlooked by the authors of the species who were consequently obliged to revise their manuscript. […]

For many of us who work in botany Alice’s artistic talents have made our scientific publications more attractive (and impressive). For all of us who work in botany, this super friendly, knowledgeable, great baker, who takes on all sorts of projects, even though she’s overloaded with work, has made the herbarium a more pleasant and congenial place to work. We hope to see her smile here for years to come.

Alice Tangerini receives her 50-year pin from Sant Director Kirk Johnson. (photo by Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution)

Similarly, Eric Schuettpelz gave remarks about Yankowski before Johnson awarded him with his 50-year pin. In part:

In 1972, Stanley Yankowski graduated from the State University of New York at Oswego, with a degree in Biology. He had taken a graduate course in plant anatomy and corresponded with Richard Eyde, a curator in Botany, who invited him to visit the National Museum of Natural History to explore opportunities. Later that year, Stan moved to Washington, having accepted a position in the Plant Anatomy Lab, where he would be able to use his newly acquired laboratory skills. Over the next 50 years, Stan worked closely with several curators in botany. But arguably his biggest impact was through his work with interns and fellows. Stan was a master in the anatomy lab and a patient teacher. He was especially skilled at sectioning and staining challenging samples—skills he passed on to generations of students. […]

For decades, Stan was also responsible for the management of our vast wood collection, corresponding with researchers and preparing sections for study. His talents in imaging wood diversity are currently on display in the Objects of Wonder exhibit [in the museum].

The Smithsonian Department of Botany offers congratulations and expressions of gratitude to Tangerini, Yankowski, and all other staff members for their years of service.

Stanley Yankowski receives his 50-year pin from Sant Director Kirk Johnson. (photo by Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution)