New Faces

From Plant Press, Vol. 28, No. 1, January 2025.

Danielle Remor (center) with Carol Kelloff and Warren Wagner

Danielle Remor is a Brazilian Ph.D. student in Botany at the State University of Feira de Santana (UEFS) and was awarded the 2024 Harold E. Robinson and Vicki A. Funk Award. Remor has been working with the Asteraceae family since her Master's degree. Her Ph.D. thesis aims to use integrative taxonomy to produce a phylogeny through phylogenomic methods for the genera Caatinganthus, Mattfeldanthus, Stilpnopappus, Strophopappus, and Xiphochaeta, which compose the Stilpnopappus alliance (Asteraceae, Vernonieae). Furthermore, she seeks to provide an updated taxonomic review and investigate, through biogeography, how these genera colonized the dry regions of Brazil. The U.S. National Herbarium houses a large number of collections of this group, including important Venezuelan specimens and type materials. During her one-month visit to the National Herbarium in October, supervised by Warren Wagner with assistance from Carol Kelloff, Remor was able to analyze and review the morphology of all morphotypes belonging to her study group, including relevant type specimens. The opportunity to visit the herbarium allowed her to access materials she had not yet been able to describe, significantly contributing to and expanding the results of her taxonomic review and updating the taxonomic identity of various materials. She also acquired samples from 10 species for DNA extraction, which will contribute to an overview of the taxonomic and evolutionary relationships of the genera in the Stilpnopappus alliance, providing valuable insights for the Vernonieae tribe.

Rose Villanueva (left) with Jun Wen, Tina Wang, and Yali Li.

Rosa María Villanueva Espinoza, a Master’s student in Botany at the South China Botanical Garden, was awarded a 2024 José Cuatrecasas Award. She visited the National Herbarium from October 7 through November 5, under the supervision of Jun Wen to study, “Taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus Justicia (Acanthaceae: Justicieae: Justiciinae) in Peru.” During her visit, Villanueva determined the species rank of various unidentified and misidentified Justicia specimens, some of which represent new taxa. In addition, she examined Justicia collections from other countries to help document the occurrence of Justicia boliviensis in Peru, constituting a new record for the country. Type collections and additional specimens from closely related species, such as J. inficiens, J. pilosa, J. lancifolia, and J. obovata, were revised. The revision of the US collection further elucidated the morphological similarities between J. wallnoeferi and J. cuscoensis. She also photographed diagnostic features such as stamens, seeds, and fruits of Peruvian species to enhance her Master's project. Furthermore, leaf fragments from 31 Justicia species were collected for future phylogenetic studies within this genus. Some of these findings, including new species and nomenclatural novelties, have already been included in a submitted manuscript to Phytokeys. A second paper, currently in progress, integrates the additional data obtained from the US and her revisions undertaken from various other herbaria.

Comments

[Leonardo Kellet Coelho]

Congratulations Danielle, we are immensely proud of you as a researcher here in Brazil!
Love you!