The Plant Press

Rafaela Campostrini Forzza receives the 20th Cuatrecasas Medal [Video]

From Plant Press, Vol. 26, No. 3, July 2023.

The José Cuatrecasas Medal for Excellence in Tropical Botany is named in honor of Dr. José Cuatrecasas, a pioneering botanist and taxonomist, who spent nearly a half-century working at the National Museum of Natural History. Cuatrecasas had a distinguished career devoted to systematic botany and plant exploration in tropical South America, especially in the Andes, and this award serves to keep vibrant his accomplishments and memory. The Department of Botany and the U.S. National Herbarium present this award at the Smithsonian Botanical Symposium to a botanist and scholar of international stature who has contributed significantly to advancing the field of tropical botany. The award consists of a bronze medal bearing an image of José Cuatrecasas on the front with the recipient’s name and date of presentation on the back.

This year the 20^th José Cuatrecasas Medal for Excellence in Tropical Botany was presented to Rafaela Campostrini Forzza, an accomplished scientist, science administrator, and educator.

Rafaela Campostrini Forzza accepts the 20th José Cuatrecasas Medal for Excellence in Tropical Botany.

Welcome to the jungle: Symposium explores Neotropical plants [Video]

From Plant Press, Vol. 26, No. 3, July 2023.

By Gary A. Krupnick

The Smithsonian’s Department of Botany and the United States Botanic Garden (USBG) convened the 20^th Smithsonian Botanical Symposium, “New Horizons in the Study of Neotropical Floras,” at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2023. The hybrid event brought together five engaging speakers who presented their research to both in-person and virtual audiences from around the world. The invited speakers included scientists specializing in the natural history, geographic diversity, evolution, and conservation of plants in the Neotropics. The origins, evolution, and even species composition of the Neotropical flora are far from understood and are the subject of active research in the face of ongoing habitat loss and climate change.

The symposium’s speakers participate in a panel discussion: (from left) Alejandra Vasco, M. Alejandra Jaramillo, W. John Kress, Paola Pedraza-Peñalosa, and Gregory W. Stull. (photo by Ken Wurdack)

Eric Schuettpelz, NMNH Chair of Botany, welcomed the audience to the symposium by highlighting the mission of the Smithsonian as well as the immense collections housed in the museum and especially the U.S. National Herbarium. Susan Pell, USBG Executive Director, also provided opening remarks and gave an orientation to the USBG, including its history, a description of the living collections, current online and in-person programming, and their scientific and conservation partnerships.