#plant systematics

[botanyshitposts]

I swear the plant systematics tag on this blog contains some of my finest posts….that class was incredibly and notoriously hard (number of people who got As ever was like, 20, I finished with a B+) but also was probably one of the best classes I’ve ever taken and 1. i still use what I learned in that class to this day and 2. I wish I could take it for the first time all over again

[spatheandspadix]

I only exist as an internet phantom these days so I observed Botany 2022 by trying to "collect" as many plant families as possible in my bubble tea and other drink selection during the online conference.

Day 1: Fuku Tea blueberry black tea with lychee jellies and a blue butterfly pea lemonade. Families: Teaceae (tea family), Poaceae (grass family, sugar), Ericaceae (heath family, blueberry) Sapindaceae (soapberry family, lychee) Rutaceae (citrus family, lemon) Fabaceae (bean family, blue butterfly pea)

Day 2: Donkey Coffee vanilla chai latte. Families: Orchidaceae (orchid family, vanilla), Zingiberaceae (ginger family, ginger, cardamom), Apiaceae (carrot family, anise), Myrtaceae (myrtle family, clove), Lauraceae (bay family, cinnamon).

Tsaocha melon mojito with mango boba, pineapple passion green tea. Familes:  Oleaceae (olive family, jasmine), Passifloraceae (passionflower), Bromeliaceae (bromeliad family, pineapple) Anacardiaceae (sumac/poison ivy family, mango) Cucurbitaceae (squash family, melon), Lamiaceae (mint family, mint).

Day 3: Tsaocha purple potato milk tea and Blue Monkey violet macaron black tea. Dioscoraceae (yam family, purple yam), Euphorbiaceae (euphorbia family, boba), Malvaceae (mallow family, hibiscus), Rosaceae (rose family, almond, apple), Violaceae (violet family, blue violets)

Fuku Tea kiwi green tea w strawberry popping boba. New families: Actinidiaceae (kiwi family, kiwi)

Day 4: Fuku tea dragonfruit lemonade, taro milk tea w coconut jelly, chocolate orange pu-erh, Blue Monkey black currant black tea, a random throat comfort tea from my closet. Families: Asteraceae (aster family, cornflower), Grossulariaceae (gooseberry family, currants), Ulmaceae (elm family, slippery elm), Scrophulariaceae (figwort family, mullein) Piperaceae (pepper family, black pepper)

Some families I had on the planning spreadsheet but didn't get to for lack of time include Lythraceae (pomegranate), Rhamnaceae (jujube), Vitaceae (grape), Pedaliceae (sesame)

[chayenpepper]

Not from today, nevertheless pretty to look at.

[tiredbiostudent]

05.13.20 // new hobby alert 🌼🌷🌾

[lichenaday]

Phaeophyscia orbicularis 

Take a moment to breathe and remember that there is some good left in this world. Like P. orbicularis. She’s good. This foliose lichen forms rounded or irregularly shaped patches up to 5 cm in diameter made up of elongate, flat lobes. The lobes are palmately branched with blunt, rounded lobe tips. The upper surface varies between shades of gray, greenish, or brown, and the lower surface is black with simple, black rhizines. This lichen produces fine, powdery soredia in laminal and submarginal soralia. Apothecia are uncommon, and have a black disc surrounded in a thick margin. P. orbicularis grows on bark, rock, and concrete in North America and Europe, and is often used as an indicator of nitrogen enrichment.  

source | source | source | source | source

[apocalyptic-antics]

WHAT IS A PLANT?

This  question  can  be  answered  in  either  of  two  conceptual  ways.  One  way,  the  traditional  way,  is  to  define  groups  of  organisms such as plants by the characteristics they possess. Thus, historically, “plants” included those organisms that possess photosynthesis, cell walls, spores, and a more or less sedentary behavior. This traditional grouping of plants contained a variety of microscopic organisms, all of the “algae,” and the more familiar plants that live on land. A second way to answer the question “What is a plant?” is to evaluate the evolutionary history of life and to use that history to delimit the groups of life. We now know from repeated research studies that some of the photosynthetic organisms evolved independently of one another and are not closely related.Thus, the meaning or definition of the word plant can be ambiguous and can vary from person to person. Some still like to treat plants as a “polyphyletic”  assemblage (see later  discussion), defined by the common (but independently evolved) characteristic of photosynthesis. However, delimiting organismal groups based on evolutionary history has gained almost universal acceptance. This latter type of classification directly reflects the patterns of that evolutionary history and can be used to explicitly test evolutionary hypotheses (discussed later; see Chapter 2). An understanding of what plants are requires an explanation of the evolution of life in general.

Chapter One Plant Systematics Second Edition Michael G. Simpson

[pinoyscientists]

Meet Mark Arcebal Naive, botanist

1) What do you do?

I am a proud botanist, currently working on flowering plants, specifically on the families Zingiberaceae and Orchidaceae. I love exploring the forests and mountains, most especially discovering or finding species new to science. 

As a matter of fact, I have already discovered 23 new species of orchids (Orchidaceae), 3 new species of gingers (Zingiberaceae) and 1 new species of Aroids (Araceae). I am also about to finish my study on the Taxonomy and Molecular Phylogeny of Etlingera (Zingiberaceae) in Mindanao, Philippines.

Currently, I am in China participating in the Advanced Fieldcourse in Ecology and Conservation held in Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG), Chinese Academy of Sciences.

2) Where do you work?

I am a MS Biology student at Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte, Philippines. I am on my last semester so will hopefully be graduating soon.

3) Tell us about the photos!

[Left:] This is a photo taken during our fieldwork in one of the mountains of Bukidnon province. It shows typical me during fieldwork doing my floral dissections for better illustration of each species, resting from a hot and exhausting trekking, and always taking a selfie whenever beautiful flowers are spotted.

[Right:] I chose this photo because this is very memorable for me, as I was awarded as the 2nd best placer for poster presentation (for the Biology/Microbiology/Health Science category) during the DOST-ASTHRDP Graduate Research Conference year 8 last May 2-3, 2019. It was proof of hard work paying off!

4) Tell us about your academic career path so far.

Elementary: Dologon Central Elementary School, Bukidnon, Philippines (2007)

High School: Dologon National High School, Bukidnon, Philippines (2011)

BS in Biology: Central Mindanao University, Bukidnon, Philippines (2016)

MS in Biology (on-going): Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, Iligan City, Philippines

My research interests includes Botany, Plant Systematics, Plant Taxonomy, Molecular Phylogeny, Ecology and Conservation.

5) Anything else you’d like to share?

Every time we make our discoveries known to the general public and not only to the scientific community, it is for the intention of informing a bigger audience. It is to inform everybody and INVITE everyone to take part in conserving our very own species and their habitats. The current degradation of our forests is very alarming. Although the issue is actually complex, I believe it still boils down to people's awareness, love for the environment, and our desire to protect our one and only home. 

Recently, we got all these comments from people when our new species got published in local media. Some comments are funny but most are sad and pitiful. It is easy to ignore them but their comments reflect a greater need to EDUCATE more and more people and reach out to the grass roots and to educate the children and create awareness on the importance of our flora and fauna in the ecosystem. 

Plants aren't just plants and animals aren’t just animals. They have a life. They play important roles in the ecosystem. And just like a domino effect, the loss of one group of organism can trigger the extinction of other organisms including humans.

[awkwardbotany]

On the Genus Euphorbia

This is a guest post. Words and photos by Jeremiah Sandler.

Suspicion

I collect cacti and succulents. The more I collect plants, the more and more I become interested in taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships between them. Not just my own plants – all of them. Most recently, the genus Euphorbia has been on my mind. My favorite species are E. meloformis var. valida and E. horrida.

I’m mostly…

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