The Plant Press

Staff Activities

From Plant Press, Vol. 22, No. 3, July 2019.

Marcos Caraballo gave two workshops on plant taxonomy and molecular biology on May 24 and May 31 to two groups of high school students from the Youth and Diversity Program of the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE). On June 3, Caraballo was a judge at the 2019 EnvironMentors National Science Fair for high school students from underrepresented groups, an activity sponsored by NCSE. On June 25, he helped train the Q?Crew High School Volunteers on the scientific value of herbarium collections for research during a “Collections Zone Deep Dive” workshop in the Q?rius Education Center at NMNH.

On April 16-17, Gary Krupnick presented a poster, “The immense value of museum collections in conservation research,” at Smithsonian’s first ConCom 2019 event hosted by Smithsonian’s Conservation Commons. The event was designed to recognize Smithsonian’s superheroes in science and conservation with team-building opportunities, share knowledge, increase storytelling skills, and enhance collaborations.

A number of Department of Botany research fellows and associates presented talks during the Botany Seminar Series at the National Museum of Natural History. On May 2, Kathryn Picard presented “Creatures from the black lagoon: Next-generation approaches to understanding the diversity and evolution of marine fungi.” On May 9, Rob Soreng presented “Plant collecting in Far East Russia.” On June 13, Joel Nitta presented “Ferns on islands: Community assembly, comparative ecology, and biogeography of Polynesian pteridophytes.” Other seminar speakers over the past three months included Jennifer Ackerfield from Colorado State University on April 18 who spoke about “A prickly puzzle: Phylogeny and evolution of the Carduus-Cirsium group (Cardueae: Compositae)” and Charles Delwiche from the University of Maryland College Park on June 6 who spoke about “Assembling the embryophyte form: the evolution of streptophytes.”

Illustration of Curcuma arracanensis by Alice Tangerini

Alice Tangerini had her artwork, Curcuma arracanensis, displayed in the Queensland Museum in conjunction with the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI) 2019 Conference in Brisbane, Australia, July 1-7, 2019. The juried exhibit was strictly digital this year due to the logistical constraints of shipping framed artwork. During the exhibit reception the artworks were projected on several screens simultaneously in the lobby of the museum and then individually in the theater auditorium. The artwork can be viewed online in the GNSI website, http://2019gnsi-conf.org/exhibits.

Winner of youth art contest visits Smithsonian

From Plant Press, Vol. 22, No. 3, July 2019.

Alice Tangerini participated as one of the seven judges for the 2019 Saving Endangered Species Youth Art Contest, an event sponsored by The Endangered Species Coalition (ESC) and open to K-12 grade students. The student’s artwork depicted threatened or endangered animal and plant species found in the United States. Artwork was sent digitally to all of the judges, which included artists, photographers and conservationists. The contest is an integral part of the annual Endangered Species Day, held this year on May 17, 2019. 

Oregon 1st-grader, Sam Hess, winner of the Grand Prize of the 2019 Saving Endangered Species Youth Art Contest, receives a private drawing lesson by Alice Tangerini. (photo by I. Hess)

The contest winner was first-grader Sam Hess of Portland, Oregon. Sam’s collaged drawing of the Texas Blind Salamander won the grand prize which included a private drawing lesson given by Tangerini. In order to give the lesson, Tangerini procured specimens of the preserved salamander, courtesy of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology’s Herpetology Division through Keven de Quieroz and Addison Wynn.

Tangerini photographed the specimens and researched images online as resource material for Sam. The liquid collection of a dozen salamanders in a jar proved fascinating for Sam and his mother, who accompanied him. Sam had a great time drawing from the resources and using Tangerini’s microscope and camera lucida. Sam was honored at an award ceremony later that evening at the Rayburn Building.

More information about the winners of the 2019 Saving Endangered Species Youth Art Contest is available at http://www.endangered.org/winners-of-2019-saving-endangered-species-youth-art-contest-announced/.

Staff Activities

From Plant Press, Vol. 22, No. 2, April 2019.

Emmanuel Kyei-Baffour and Maggy Benson (Education & Outreach) interview lichenologist Manuela Dal Forno during a broadcast of “Exploring the Amazing World of Lichens” on Smithsonian Science How. (photo by Jennifer Renteria, NMNH)

On 28 March, Manuela Dal Forno participated in two video broadcasts of “Exploring the Amazing World of Lichens” on Smithsonian Science How, a free, interactive, live video webcast that takes questions from students while introducing them to science concepts and practices through the lens of Smithsonian research and experts. In the video, archived at <https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/distance-learning/exploring-amazing-world-lichens-manuela-dal-forno>, Dal Forno takes students on an exploration of the world of lichens, helping them to realize that lichens are living all around us—from forests to city streets. She explains what lichens are and how the lichen symbiosis works. Classes across the country had the opportunity to see Manuela’s student interns in action extracting DNA from lichens in one of the Smithsonian’s labs. Throughout the live broadcast, Dal Forno took questions from students via text chat. In addition to the archived video, companion worksheets and answers with the theme, “Exploring Lichens,” are available.

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Gary Krupnick engages with teens in a conversation about the importance of pollination and food security. (photo by Christian Lilakos, NMNH)

On 16 March, more than 130 local teens participated in the third annual Teen Earth Optimism event in Q?rius, the science education center at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. A collaboration with the Smithsonian Conservation Commons, the event focused on the ethics, nutrition, culture, and innovation of food. Experts from multiple Smithsonian units, teen leaders, and local non-profits participated. Teens engaged with scientists at several conservation stations that ranged in topics from composting and the history of food to bird-friendly coffee and the sustainable management of fisheries. Gary Krupnick spoke with teens about the role of pollination in food security and the steps individuals can take to support the health of pollinator populations. With a couple minor exceptions, all of the waste from the program was recycled or composted, resulting in a near-zero waste event!

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Visitors participate in drawing orchids at the Open Studio Botanical Art Event at the National Museum of American Art. (photo by Alice Tangerini)

On 15 March, Alice Tangerini participated in the Open Studio Botanical Art Event as part of the Orchid Show in the Kogod Courtyard at the National Museum of American Art (NMAA). Tangerini provided her drawings of orchid flowers, in pen and ink and then digitally colored, which previously were signage for the NMNH Orchid Show in 2007. Organizers made hundreds of copies of the drawings as handouts and provided art materials for the visitors. Over 200 visitors came to the Open Studio event between 1:00 and 5:00 pm, often filling all 16 tables arranged in the Courtyard. Smithsonian Gardens had staff on hand to provide information on the orchids. Tangerini and Jill Galloway, NMAA’s local art instructor, provided advice and instruction on drawing or coloring the orchids in pencil and watercolor.

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National Museum of Natural History participants honor International Women’s Day. (photo by Lucia RM Martino and James Di Loreto, Smithsonian Institution)

On 8 March, scientists, research associates, students, and contractors from the Department of Botany joined other women from the National Museum of Natural History to participate in a group photo honoring International Women’s Day. The photo gives tribute to all the past, present, and future generations of women in STEM.

Art by Alice Tangerini: Dryopteris macropholis Lorence & W.L.Wagner

From Plant Press, Vol. 22, No. 1, January 2019.

Asexuality, in the form of apomixis, may help ferns colonize islands more readily, but little is known about the incidence of asexuality across the group. Dryopteris macropholis is an endangered fern endemic to the Marquesas Islands. Recent analysis of spores from the type specimen revealed that it is an apomict (see article, "Asexuality as a detour, not a dead end"). Alice Tangerini began this illustration in Kauai at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens in September 2005. She was on a two-week assignment illustrating Marquesas Island ferns for Warren Wagner. Tangerini penciled the drawings at NTBG using collections from Wood 10489. She later inked them in 2009 for the publication.

Described 28 Years Post-Collection, New Grass Species Makes a Strong Case for Conservation

From Plant Press, Vol. 21, No. 3, July 2018.

-Adapted from Pensoft Publishers

Originally collected 28 years ago in Ecuador, new species Poa laegaardiana has been just described, only to find out its prospects for surviving in its type location seem bleak nowadays. The study was published in the open access journal PhytoKeys.

When roaming in the Cordillera de los Andes of Ecuador, near the village of Facundo Vela, little did Smithsonian scientist and author, Paul Peterson, know that a small grass specimen will not only turn out to be an intriguing new species, but will also make a big statement on the importance of conservation.

Almost three decades after its original collection the new species P. laegaardiana has finally emerged from its herbarium collection, but the story took an unexpected twist.

It took the authors a single Google Earth search to find out that what used to be the natural habitat of the newly found densely tufted bunchgrass, is now occupied predominantly by small farms.

Google Earth image comparison between the area of collection in 2011 and today. With the area having been plowed, chances of the grass still existing there are small, however it may still be found along the margins of the fields. (Photo credit: Left @2018DigitalGlobe; Right @2018Google @2018CNES/Airbus)

Heavy agricultural use of the terrain poses a good possibility for P. laegaardiana to have already been extirpated from this location. With the species currently known only from this area, chances are that this newly described species might in fact turn out to be already extinct.

“Further studies are needed to search the area and browse collections for specimens from different locations,” explains Peterson. “But, in fact, it may well be that with our study we are documenting a possible extinction of a species happening in the space of just 30 years. The story of P. laegaardiana serves to show how human-induced habitat loss can indeed be a major threat to the survival of life on Earth.”

The new species was named after renowned Danish botanist Simon Laegaard, who has made extensive collections in South America, Greenland, Ecuador, and Bolivia (accompanied by the authors) contributing to the documentation of the flora to make informed conservation and management plans.

Celebrating the Summer Solstice with Pollinators

From Plant Press, Vol. 21, No. 3, July 2018.

The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) celebrated National Pollinator Week 2018 in June in an effort to raise awareness of the decline of important pollinator populations. On June 23, the Smithsonian Institution hosted Solstice Saturday, a Smithsonian-wide celebration kicking off the summer season. Nearly every Smithsonian museum in the Washington area, the Smithsonian National Zoo, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland, and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian Heye Center in New York City, extended their hours until midnight, some with special themed and joint programming. NMNH had over 1,000 visitors to its bilingual Pollinator Family Night programs. Over three hours, visitors engaged in a wide variety of activities in Q?rius and Qjr, as well as visiting the Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Zoo.

Barbara Stauffer (Office of Education and Outreach) introduces Kimberly Winter and Gary Krupnick for a question and answer session after a screening of “Pollinators Under Pressure” at a June 2018 Pollinator Family Night event at the National Museum of Natural History. (photo by Laura Cox, Tree Media)

During the Pollinator Family Night event, the film “Pollinators Under Pressure” was featured in the Q?rius Auditorium. The film is about the plight of pollinators around the world and the actions we can all take to ensure their survival and that of humans and ecosystems everywhere. Gary Krupnick (NMNH Department of Botany) and Kimberly Winter (U.S. Forest Service) participated in a questions and answer session with the audience after each of the three showings. The Tree Media film, narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, is available on the website http://www.pollinatorsunderpressure.org and on YouTube (see video below).

Art by Alice Tangerini: Hymenoxys ambigens (S.F. Blake) Bierner var. neomexicana W.L. Wagner

From Plant Press, Vol. 21, No. 2, April 2018.

Reported from southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, Hymenoxys ambigens is comprised of three local varieties. Variety neomexicana is known from the rocky slopes of the Animas and Peloncillo Mountains of New Mexico, and is ranked as imperiled (T2, NatureServe status). In the cover story in this issue of The Plant Press, Robert Edwards finds that soil pH is a strong environmental variable that is uniquely correlated with diversity in the tribe Heliantheae. Tangerini illustrated this variety for Warren Wagner in his treatment of the species in Brittonia (51: 79-86; 1999).

Art by Alice Tangerini: Dryopteris macropholis Lorence & W.L. Wagner

From Plant Press, Vol. 21, No. 1, January 2018.

Fern diversity is high on the Marquesas Islands in the southern Pacific. On a recent trip to two islands, Ua Pou and Hiva Oa, researchers from the Smithsonian Institution, National Tropical Botanical Garden, and French Polynesia encountered 82 of the 99 indigenous pteridophyte species (see cover article). Among them was Dryopteris macropholis, an endangered species restricted to the mountains of Ua Pou and Hiva Oa, as well as Nuku Hiva, Ua Huka, and Tahuata (also in the Marquesas). Alice Tangerini illustrated this species from the type specimen and field photographs for a 2011 publication (PhytoKeys 4: 5-51) in which 11 new fern species were described from the Marquesas Islands. This plate was illustrated primarily in pen and ink, but additional stippling was added and parts were rearranged in Adobe Photoshop. The frond and stipe (too large to fit in with the details) appeared on a separate plate.

Hidden Inca Treasure: Remarkable New Tree Discovered in the Andes

From Plant Press, Vol. 21, No. 1, January 2018.

-Adapted from Wake Forest News

Hidden in plain sight – that’s how researchers describe their discovery of a new genus of large forest tree commonly found, yet previously scientifically unknown, in the tropical Andes.

Botanist Kenneth Wurdack from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and Wake Forest University graduate student William Farfan-Rios detailed their findings in a study just released in the journal PhytoKeys.

Habit, with paired branching and staminate inflorescences, of Incadendron. (photo courtesy of Jason Houston)

Named Incadendron esseri (literally “Esser’s tree of the Inca”), the tree is a new genus and species commonly found along an ancient Inca path in Peru, the Trocha Unión. Its association with the land of the Inca empire inspired its scientific name.

So how could a canopy tree stretching up to 100 feet tall and spanning nearly two feet in diameter go undetected until now?

New Exhibit has Focus on Seeds

From Plant Press, Vol. 21, No. 1, January 2018.

By Gary Krupnick

In November 2017, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. opened a new Garden Lounge—a public space to rest and recharge among live plants. This light-filled area displays a variety of plants and interpretative text focused on plant dispersal through seeds and spores. A special section of the lounge for young visitors features seating made from tree stumps and kid-friendly text and graphics. The Garden Lounge is a collaboration between the Office of Exhibits, the Department of Botany, and Smithsonian Gardens.

The Garden Lounge at the National Museum of Natural History serves as a welcoming interior garden rest and recharge area for visitors featuring live plants and a relaxing atmosphere with botany content as a frame.

All our lives are intricately connected to plants. The Garden Lounge invites visitors to explore these connections and learn why and how plants “move” or disperse to survive and thrive. The evolution of seed-bearing plants is highlighted, and the parts of a seed are defined. Seed dispersal by wind, water, force, and animal (including humans) is described.

As visitors walk into the hallway on the second floor of the museum, they can see into a light-filled, airy space featuring two large cycads in planters in front of windows, and a central large dragon tree with multiple staghorn ferns growing on its branches. Orchids, bromeliads, ferns, and mosses are displayed in planters below the windows.

A text panel depicts the U.S. National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration as a case study that illustrates the positive aspects of dispersing native seeds to restore and rehabilitate lands damaged by hurricanes, fires, and floods. Mounted on the text display panel are eight vials of native seeds showcasing a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors.

The exhibit was made possible by the work of the exhibit core team: Gary Krupnick, Eric Schuettpelz, and Kenneth Wurdack from the Department of Botany, Samantha Barry from the Office of Education and Outreach, and Lauren Kibbe, Mike Lawrence, Laura Donnelly-Smith, and Ally Silberkleit from the Office of Exhibits. Alex Thompson and Melanie Pyle of Smithsonian Gardens selected and will nurture the plants. Additional expertise was provided by Junko Chinen, Stoy Popovich, Jonathan Zastrow, Sherod Mangum, David Hsu, Natalie Rey, Kevin Moyers, and Elizabeth Musteen.