SUMMER 2025 VOLUME 71 NUMBER 2

PLANT SCIENCE  

BULLETIN

A PUBLICATION OF THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

Join Us in Celebrating  

20 years of  

PlantingScience!

See the BSA Award  

Winners!...p.  67

 An interview with new 

AJB Editor-in-Chief, 

Sean Graham....p. 63

Insights and Tips from Participants 

of IBC...p. 88

                                    Spring 2025 Volume 71 Number 2

FROM the EDITOR

Greetings, botanists!  

Summer is fast underway, and we are gearing up for Botany 2025.  

In this issue, we include information about the conference, as well as a list of this year’s award win-

ners and our newly elected leaders. I want to highlight the article prepared by BSA’s International 

Affairs Committee about the experiences of the participants of the International Botanical Congress 

that took place last year in Spain. 

I want to acknowledge that it has not been an easy time for scientists, researchers, and students over-

all. The past six months have brought a wave of uncertainty, with many notices of grant cancellations 

and terminations leaving many unsure about the future of the scientific enterprise in the US. BSA has 

lost the funding for the long-standing PLANTS program, which has provided mentorship and train-

ing opportunities to more than 150 undergraduate students. According to the New York Times, there 

has been an overall reduction of 51% in grants awarded by NSF in 2025, with the BIO directorate 

having a 52% reduction. Additionally, NSF is likely going through a restructuring that would change 

how funding is disbursed throughout. Harsh immigration policies and political retribution are impact-

ing the country’s ability to welcome international students and scholars, with a yet-to-be-seen effect 

on the growth and formation of the next generation of scientists. I want to reaffirm that the PSB is a 

voice for our community. If you have been impacted by cuts, immigration policies or other effects of 

the current political situation, please write a commentary or article to us to let your voice be heard. 

Likewise, if you have found a seed of joy in these dark times, we would be happy to hear from you 

too. 

To end with a positive note, we will soon meet again at Botany 2025. More than 1000 botanists from 

different parts of the world will come together to celebrate our shared scientific curiosity. Let’s take 

this opportunity to be open, learn from each other, and strengthen our ties and community.  

I hope to see you soon! 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

https://2025.botanyconference.org

SOCIETY NEWS

Help Support the PLANTS Grant Fund .....................................................................................................61

Introducing the New 

AJB

 Editor-in-Chief, Sean Graham ................................................................63

Botanical Society of America’s Award Winners (Part 1) ..................................................................67

The New BSA Podcast Celebrates Its First Season! ..........................................................................83

Navigating the International Botanical Congress (IBC):  

Insights and Tips from Participants of the XX IBC in Madrid, Spain ..........................................87

SPECIAL FEATURES

Preparing for the IBC: Expectations and Strategies ...........................................................................88

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Botany360 Updates ...............................................................................................................................................92

BSA Spotlight Series ............................................................................................................................................93

BSA Sponsorship Opportunities ....................................................................................................................93

BSA Legacy Society .............................................................................................................................................94

SCIENCE EDUCATION

Celebrating 20 Years of PlantingScience! ................................................................................................96

Early Career Scientists - Consider joining the PlantingScience  

Master Plant Science Team (MPST) ........................................................................................................101

ROOT&SHOOT Student-Organized Seminar Series “Cultivating a Culture of  

Inclusive Excellence in Plant Sciences” Ongoing .............................................................................101

ROOT&SHOOT is Seeking Beta-Testers for Community-Developed See Me  

Mentoring Online Training - Apply by August 1, 2025 ...................................................................102

STUDENT SECTION

Getting to Know your New Student Representative ........................................................................104

Botany 2025 ...........................................................................................................................................................106

Careers in Botany Luncheon.........................................................................................................................106

Early Career  ...........................................................................................................................................................107

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

In Memoriam George Schatz (1953–2024) .........................................................................................108

BOOK REVIEWS .......................................................................................................................................111

Your Path  

to Leadership

Do you aspire to lead in 

public gardens?

Are you passionate about 

using your career to make  

a positive global impact?

The Fellows Program develops tomorrow’s leaders, preparing 
them to successfully navigate pressing challenges, develop 
thoughtful strategies, and lead organizations that are 
equitable and sustainable.

During the fully funded, leadership accelerator, Fellows  
engage in project-based learning that allows them to hone  
their professional skills while delving into issues relevant  
to the public gardens industry today.

Applications for the 2026–2027  
Fellows cohort close July 31, 2025. 

Apply now at longwoodgardens.org/fellows-program.

PSB 71 (2) 2025

61

SOCIETY NEWS

On May 9, the Botanical Society of America 

received notice from the National Science 

Foundation (NSF) that they were immediately 

terminating the grant funding that supports 

our Botany and Beyond: PLANTS III Program 

(https://botany.org/home/awards/travel-

awards-for-students/plants-grants/plants.

html). The PLANTS (Preparing Leaders and 

Nurturing Tomorrow’s Scientists) program 

supports 20 undergraduate students with a 

mentored conference experience each year. 

For 15 years, this program has supported 

195 students from across the nation with a 

significant percentage going on to graduate 

school and botanical careers in industry, 

agencies, nonprofits as well as teaching in 

community colleges and high schools. This is 

a very sad and unprecedented action taken by 

the NSF driven by the current administration’s 

priorities. Thousands of scientific grants have 

been canceled in the last few months and the 

BSA Board was aware and discussed that these 

terminations could potentially affect us.

Help Support the  

PLANTS Grant Fund

The good news is that BSA leadership greatly 

values the PLANTS program, which has 

a strong legacy of success after 15 years of 

implementation.  Despite the lack of outside 

funding, the BSA will use some of its financial 

reserves to ensure the 2025 cohort of scholars 

and mentors can continue with plans for 

a mentored Botany conference experience 

in Palm Springs this year. We made a 

commitment to this cohort and we intend to 

honor it.

The program remains intact for Botany 2025, 

and we are communicating this news with our 

undergraduate scholar cohort, the mentors 

for the program and our partners at American 

Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT) and 

Society of Herbarium Curators (SHC). We 

know what a meaningful experience the 

PLANTS program brings to our community, 

and we thank all who have served as mentors, 

principal investigators, and supporters over 

the years.

PSB 71 (2) 2025

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We originally shared this unprecedented 

change in funding to you in mid-May 

and have already received over $17,300 in 

donations from our community, as well as 

several pledges for more. Thank you if you 

have already given to this program! Annually 

the program will cost over $75,000 to run in 

the same capacity as it has been done before, 

where scholars are fully funded to attend the 

conference and peer mentors receive partial 

scholarships for their time and dedication.  If 

you would like to help support the PLANTS 

program for 2025 and help us plan for its 

continued success for next year and beyond, 

we encourage you to make a donation to the 

BSA PLANTS Grant Fund (https://crm.botany.

org/makeadonation). While we are seeking 

private foundation grants, we are turning to 

our community to fill the gap. Donations of 

any size will be greatly appreciated! A handful 

of BSA members make annual gifts to BSA 

from their qualified retirement accounts to 

help defer their tax liability. Those annual 

gifts are much appreciated and have mutual 

benefits. If you are interested in making a 

planned gift, endowment, or donation of 

stock, please contact Heather Cacanindin 

directly at hcacanindin@botany.org.  If you 

know of a company or organization that 

might be interested in discussing sponsorship 

of the PLANTS program, we would also love 

to hear from you about those ideas. Thanks to 

our community for all the wonderful support 

over the years!

PSB 71 (2) 2025

63

Dr. Sean Graham began serving as the 

new editor-in-chief of the AJB in January 

2025. He is a Professor in the Department of 

Botany at the University of British Columbia, 

Vancouver, Canada, who has wide-ranging 

research interests in plant systematics and 

evolution, and in particular characterizing 

plant biodiversity from phylogenetic and 

phylogenomic perspectives. His interests have 

ranged from addressing challenging higher-

order relationships—both across and within the 

major lineages of land plants—to more focused 

systematic studies of closely related taxa. Sean 

has studied the molecular  evolution of plant 

genes and genomes, and the evolution of plant 

sexual systems. He has strong ongoing research 

interests in monocots and mycoheterotrophic 

plants. We wanted to give Sean a chance to 

describe his thoughts on his new role!

Introducing the New 

AJB

Editor-in-Chief, Sean Graham

What inspired you to pursue the Editor-in-

Chief position for AJB? 

I’ve been a fan of the journal since I was 

a postdoc in Dick Olmstead’s lab at the 

University of Washington. (He was the one 

who really introduced me to the journal.) AJB 

is highly respected by the botanical community 

worldwide. It is also a Society-run journal, 

a huge plus for me. In addition, I am quite 

nosy and like to see what goes on behind the 

scenes to better understand how things work. 

I am generally interested in the processes of 

writing and editing, from small to large scales. 

So, chalk some of this up to curiosity and an 

opportunity for personal growth! 

I have deep respect for what previous Editors-

in-Chief did for the journal—Pam Diggle 

being the most recent example—and I aspire 

to help continue this long tradition. I’ve been 

an associate editor (AE) at the journal for 

years, and so I know well that the journal has 

a lovely and incredibly hard-working staff. It 

has been such a delight to work with them, 

which made it so much easier to think about 

taking on the role as an Editor-in-Chief! 

Finally, we live in interesting times: The field 

of scholarly publishing is changing very 

rapidly. I want to help the journal and the 

Society navigate potentially choppy waters, 

and to contribute to the continuing success of 

the journal. 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

64

What excites you at the moment about 

working on AJB?

Learning a complex and sometimes difficult 

new role, and helping the journal to prosper! 

What do you see as the main strengths of 

AJB, and where are areas that could be 

strengthened? 

A major strength is that, as a Society-run 

journal, our main focus (along with our sister 

BSA journal, Applications in Plant Sciences 

[APPS]) is simply on publishing good work. 

Profit is not the primary motivation, although 

of course we need to be fiscally responsible.

 Funds generated from the journal are returned 

to the Society to support our community. 

Thus, a strength is that the journal serves 

the Society’s members, our authors, and our 

readers—and not primarily the publisher 

shareholders. 

And although Impact Factor is a serious 

consideration for all journals, our overarching 

goal is to be a broadly focused and welcoming 

journal, for diverse kinds of excellent botanical 

science from around the world.

We also continue to explore ways to work with 

our sister journals: APPS and the Plant Science 

Bulletin (PSB). We’ve been grappling with in-

creasing the number of review articles at AJB, 

and how best to do that, because these are an 

impactful form of scientific communication. 

Along the same lines, the “On the Nature of 

Things” (OTNOT) articles introduced by my 

predecessor, Pam Diggle, have been a great 

addition. I think we should experiment more 

with new types of articles, and I have some 

ideas I’d like to explore! 

Funds generated from the 

journal are returned to 

the Society to support our 

community. Thus, a strength 

is that the journal serves 

the Society’s members, our 

authors, and our readers—and 

not primarily the publisher 

shareholders.

As far as scholarly publishing overall: What 

do you see as the current challenges and 

advantages for Society publishers that our 

community should be aware of? 

There are many big challenges. A major one 

is the rapidly dwindling money we get from 

library subscriptions and licenses. We are 

still figuring out how to prosper financially 

as a Society-run journal in partnership 

with a major publishing company. So, we 

are navigating an increasingly Open Access 

environment that is upending the traditional 

scholarly publishing model (which may not 

all be negative!). 

For many years, there has been a worldwide 

push for Open Access, which allows anyone 

to have access to content—which is good, of 

course. However, publishing is not inexpensive 

and this poses exceptional challenges for 

Society-run journals, especially in fields like 

ours that often have relatively little money 

to do research, much less funds to support 

article publication charges (APCs). Publishers 

negotiate publishing deals with consortia and 

institutions (see https://authorservices.wiley.

com/author-resources/Journal-Authors/

open-access/affiliation-policies-payments/

institutional-funder-payments.html), but 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

65

even these are not available to all of our 

authors. 

However, my biggest concern is a societal 

one—the effect of generative AI on writing, 

reading, teaching, learning, and thinking. 

I am deeply concerned that genAI will have 

a net negative effect on all of these, and 

ultimately on scientific discovery. Of course, 

machine learning and similar approaches 

have enormous potential for speeding up 

and expanding botanical research and data 

exploration. But humans should be at the 

“centre” [sic; I am Canadian] of how journals 

work, and who they are ultimately for!

What suggestions do you have for people 

who might be thinking about submitting an 

article to AJB? 

Please consider submitting your best work to 

AJB!  We have a fantastic team of staff, associ-

ate editors. and reviewers who will help you 

to produce the best paper possible. Your work 

will get noticed.

How can BSA members support AJB as a 

strong and influential journal in our field? 

See my previous responses! Also: I would 

ask that the BSA membership please avoid 

the alarming subset of for-profit journals out 

there that have predatory practices, leading 

to significant shortcuts with reviewing and 

editing. We need to maintain integrity of 

the publishing process, and keep it fair and 

equitable for all.

What is your ultimate vision for the AJB? 

Keep on doing what AJB does well, while 

experimenting and innovating with new 

approaches and content to ensure its long-

term success. I also want to encourage early-

career researchers  to serve as reviewers and 

associate editors, and to keep sending your 

articles to AJB. You, too, could be the AJB 

Editor-in-Chief in the future! 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

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PSB 71 (2) 2025

67

Botanical Society of America’s 

Award Winners (Part 1)

DISTINGUISHED FELLOW OF THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

The “Distinguished Fellow of the Botanical Society of America” is the highest honor our Society bestows. Each year, the 

award committee solicits nominations, evaluates candidates, and selects those to receive an award. Awardees are cho-

sen based on their outstanding contributions to the mission of our scientific Society. The committee identifies recipients 

who have demonstrated excellence in basic research, education, public policy, or who have provided exceptional service 

to the professional botanical community, or who may have made contributions to a combination of these categories. 

Dr. Tia-Lynn Ashman, University of Pittsburgh 

Dr. Mudassir Asrar, University of Balochistan 

Dr. Suzanne Koptur, Florida International University  

Dr. Tia-Lynn Ashman, Professor at the University 

of Pittsburgh, has been named a 2025 Distinguished 

Fellow of the Botanical Society of America in 

recognition of her transformative contributions 

to plant science, mentoring, and global scientific 

collaboration. With over 220 publications and more 

than 21,000 citations, Dr. Ashman has advanced our 

understanding of the evolutionary ecology of plant 

reproduction—particularly through her work on 

sex chromosome evolution in strawberries, pollen 

limitation, and polyploidy. Her colleagues describe 

her as “a visionary, pushing the boundaries of scientific 

inquiry while maintaining exceptional rigor,” and 

praise her as “a leader in the field of plant evolutionary 

ecology.” Her work has not only opened new avenues 

in botanical research but also reinvigorated interest in long-standing ecological and genetic questions.

Equally impactful is Dr. Ashman’s dedication to mentoring and community-building. Her 

former students and postdoctoral researchers now thrive in academia, government, and science 

communication roles, often citing her high standards and unwavering support as pivotal to their 

success. “She’s tough, she’ll push you, but you’ll accomplish so much. You will become a great 

scientist,” one mentee recalled. Dr. Ashman has also led major international collaborations and 

working groups on pollen limitation, emergent sex chromosomes, pollination in biodiversity 

hotspots and many other topics that synthesize critical knowledge across diverse disciplines, 

creating tools and frameworks that will guide plant biologists for decades. In the words of 

another nominator, “She not only advances our field but also cultivates the next generation of 

scientists, ensuring that her impact extends far beyond her own work.”

PSB 71 (2) 2025

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As a Meritorious Professor at the University of 

Balochistan and a global representative of Pakistan 

in the botanical sciences,  Dr. Mudasir Asrar  has 

made lasting contributions in plant biotechnology, 

medicinal plant research, and science policy. A widely 

respected scholar and mentor, she has published 

over 160 research papers, authored 15 books, and 

presented work in more than 200 national and 

international conferences. Her impactful leadership 

includes chairing the Pakistan Council for Science 

and Technology and contributing to national STI 

policy development. One nominator praised her 

“unparalleled commitment to advancing plant 

sciences in Pakistan and globally,” citing her as a 

“trailblazer for women in science.”

Dr. Asrar’s influence extends well beyond academia. She has led the establishment of pioneering 

scientific infrastructure in Pakistan, including botanical gardens and tissue culture laboratories. 

As a dedicated mentor, she has supervised hundreds of students across all levels of higher 

education. Her work in digitizing the flora of Balochistan in collaboration with international 

partners has opened new frontiers for biodiversity research. As another nominator reflected, 

“Dr. Asrar’s legacy is defined not only by scientific achievement but also by her unyielding 

efforts to uplift communities through education and innovation.”

Dr. Suzanne Koptur  has been named a 2025 

Distinguished Fellow of the Botanical Society of 

America in recognition of her four-decade-long 

career marked by excellence in botanical research, 

education, and conservation. A Professor Emerita 

at Florida International University, Dr. Koptur is 

internationally recognized for her pioneering work 

on plant-insect interactions, particularly the role of 

extrafloral nectaries in ant-plant mutualisms. Her 

influential publication on these interactions has 

become a foundational resource in the field, with over 

500 citations.

Beyond academia, Suzanne’s leadership in 

conservation initiatives, such as co-founding the Native Plant Network has had lasting 

impact on the preservation of Florida’s endangered Pine Rockland ecosystem. “Her love for 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

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plants and for their protection has been a gift to the public and scientific community alike,” 

wrote one nominator. Known for her inspiring mentorship—particularly of women and those 

underrepresented in science—Dr. Koptur has guided over 30 graduate students, cultivated 

public engagement through education and outreach, and remains a great favorite among 

students, staff, and faculty. One nominator stated, “Suzanne has excelled at everything she 

does, be it academics, research in lab or field, presentation, teaching, professional or public 

service. Her background is diverse and impressive. Be we student or colleague, Suzanne knows 

how to cultivate the best in us. She is an engaging persona, upbeat, with exacting standards 

for herself and others, yet she is compassionate, patient, genuinely kind, and fun. She has 

trained hundreds of students during her tenure at FIU and elsewhere.” In addition, Dr. Koptur 

has contributed active leadership to the Florida Native Plant Society, Native Plant Day, the 

Endangered Plant Advisory Committee of the State of Florida, the Rare Plant Task Force, and 

through her membership in many other local conservation organizations. We cannot imagine 

a more deserving awardee than Suzanne.

IMPACT AWARD

The Botanical Society of America Impact Award recognizes a BSA member or group of members who have signifi-

cantly contributed to advancing diversity, accessibility, equity, and/or inclusion in botanical scholarship, research and 

education.

Dr. Tanisha M. Williams 

University of Georgia

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Naomi Volain  is an innovative nationally 

recognized high-school science teacher and 

science communicator. Since 2008, she has 

engaged her students in PlantingScience activities, 

earning multiple Star Project Awards. She also 

advised revisions of the program, impacting 

hundreds of teachers and thousands of students 

nationwide. Ms. Volain served on the advisory 

board for the NSF-funded grant “Digging 

Deeper Together,” focused on teacher–scientist 

professional development. She created and taught 

the first Botany course at her school, revitalizing 

the greenhouse (still named in her honor). She 

is a valued mentor to new teachers, and one 

nominator described her as “the most dedicated 

teacher, especially in botany.” Ms. Volain has also 

developed online botanical resources, including 

the “Plants Go Global” website. As one nominator 

stated, “She truly is a rockstar educator and science 

communicator.”

Naomi Volain 

Cartoonist – PlantsGoGlobal.com 

Jenn Yost 

Cal Poly State University,  

San Luis Obispo

CHARLES EDWIN BESSEY TEACHING AWARD

(BSA in association with the Teaching Section and Education Committee)

Dr. Jenn Yost, Associate Professor and Director 

of the Herbarium at California Polytechnic 

State University, is a dedicated educator and 

impactful California botanist. She has expanded 

the herbarium by training students and 

community members in collection techniques, 

leading digitization efforts across California, 

and incorporating cutting-edge digital analyses. 

Many student research projects and classes utilize 

the extensive collection. Dr. Yost also engages 

with local communities through the Urban 

Forest Ecosystem Institute, gives many public 

lectures, and leads local tree-planting initiatives. 

Her well-organized field botany courses have 

trained hundreds of students, earning praise 

from nominators for her energy and ability to 

simplify complex concepts. As nominators note, 

she “saturates every sentence with enthusiasm” 

and “being a student with Jenn is like being a kid 

again—every moment is filled with discovery and 

delight.”  

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DONALD R. KAPLAN MEMORIAL LECTURE 

This award was created to promote research in plant comparative morphology, the Kaplan family has established an 

endowed fund, administered through the Botanical Society of America, to support the Ph.D. research of graduate 

students in this area.

THE GRADY L. AND BARBARA D. WEBSTER  

STRUCTURAL BOTANY PUBLICATION AWARD

This award was established in 2006 by Dr. Barbara D. Webster, Grady’s wife, and Dr. Susan V. Webster, his 

daughter, to honor the life and work of Dr. Grady L. Webster. After Barbara’s passing in 2018, the award 

was renamed to recognize her contributions to this field of study. The American Society of Plant Taxono-

mists and the Botanical Society of America are pleased to join together in honoring both Grady and Bar-

bara Webster. In odd years, the BSA gives out this award and in even years, the award is provided by the ASPT. 

Jacob S. Suissa, Andrews A. Agbleke, William E. Friedman  

A bump in the node: The hydraulic implications of rhizomatous growth 

American Journal of Botany, January 2023 110(1): e16105

BSA PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL TRAVEL AWARD RECIPIENTS

(These include the BSA Professional Members Travel Awards, the Developing Nations Travel Awards, and the Hard-

ship Travel Awards) 

Ellie Becklund, University of Connecticut and Ohio University

Timothy James Biewer-Heisler, Indiana University

Dr. Pamela Diggle 

University of Connecticut 

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Betsy Justus Briju, G.S.Gawande College

Marco Chiminazzo, São Paulo State University (UNESP)

Israel L. Cunha-Neto, New York University

Hilary Rose Dawson, Australian National University

Jenna Ekwealor, San Francisco State University

Jessamine Finch, Atlanta Botanical Garden

Vikas Garhwal, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata

Ash Hamilton, University of Chicago / The Morton Arboretum

Wen-Hsi Kuo, Missouri Botanical Garden

Isabela Lima Borges, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Oranys Marin, University of Utah

Mason McNair, Michigan State University

Damilola Odumade, University of Kansas

Rebecca H. Penny, Aquinas College

Diana Karen Pérez Lara, EAFIT University

Malka Sava, Quaid-i-Azam University

Nathália Susin Streher, University of Pittsburgh

Mariana Vazquez, Connecticut College

Yannick Woudstra, Stockholm University

Eric Yee, University of Pittsburgh

Wenbin Zhou, UNC Chapel Hill

Samuel Noel Postlethwait AwardTeaching Section

The Samuel Noel Postlethwait Award is given for outstanding service to the BSA Teaching Section.

Kyra Krakos, Maryville University

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BSA Public Policy Award

The Public Policy Award was established in 2012 to support the development of of tomorrow’s leaders and get a better 

understanding of this critical area.

Rina Talaba, Chicago Botanic Gardens and Northwestern University

Katherine Wolcott, University of M

iami

AWARDS FOR STUDENTS

AJ Harris Graduate Student Research Award

This award is named in honor of the late Dr. AJ Harris whose research spanned traditional specimen-based science, 

paleobotany, phylogenomics, biogeography, and computational biology. This award is given in conjunction with the 

Graduate Student Research Awards and is given to a graduate student whose research is representative of one of the 

areas above.

Nora Heaphy, University of Vermont

For the Proposal: Adaptive introgression and demographic structure in a keystone northern forest tree

Donald R. Kaplan Dissertation Award in Comparative Morphology

This award was created to promote research in plant comparative morphology, the Kaplan family has established an 

endowed fund, administered through the Botanical Society of America, to support the Ph.D. research of graduate 

students in this area.

Oluwatobi Oso, Yale University 

For the Proposal: Comparative Morphology of Leaf Development: Bud Packing and Cellular Mecha-

nisms Driving Evolution Across Latitudinal Gradients.

Honorable Mention:

Christopher Joaquín Muñoz, The University of Texas at El Paso 

For the Proposal: Trait Evolution in Hebecarpa (Polygalaceae).

AWARDS FOR EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS 

Botanical Advocacy and Service Grant

This award organized by the Environmental and Public Policy Committees of BSA and ASPT aims to support local 

efforts that contribute to shaping public policy on issues relevant to plant sciences. 

Kimberly Brown 

For the proposal: Creating Accessible and Educational Native Plant Gardens

PSB 71 (2) 2025

74

Graduate Student Dissertation Award in Phylogenetic  

Comparative Plant Biology

This award supports the Ph.D. research of graduate students in the area of comparative plant biology, broadly speak-

ing, from genome to whole organism. To learn more about this award click here.

Sara Sofia Pedraza Narvaez, University of California–Los Angeles

For the Proposal: Comparative phylogeography and thermal performance of four clades of montane 

tree species: an integrative approach to study diversification of tropical plants

The BSA Graduate Student Research Award  

including the J. S. Karling Award

The BSA Graduate Student Research Awards support graduate student research and are made on the basis of research 

proposals and letters of recommendations. Within the award group is the Karling Graduate Student Research Award. 

This award was instituted by the Society in 1997 with funds derived through a generous gift from the estate of the 

eminent mycologist, John Sidney Karling (1897-1994), and supports and promotes graduate student research in the 

botanical sciences.

The J. S. Karling Graduate Student Research Award

Anthony Garcia, University of Washington

For the Proposal: Developmental genetics of carpel innovations mediating pollination 

The BSA Graduate Student Research Awards

Katherin Arango-Gómez, Louisiana State University 

For the Proposal: Exploring Montane Forests to Unveil Patterns of Range Sizes in the Neotropical 

genus Cavendishia (Ericaceae)—A phylogenetic approach

Shawn Arreguin, University of Illinois at Chicago 

For the Proposal: Urbanization and its impact on reproductive strategies: A case study of cleistogamy 

in Lamium amplexicaule

Louisa Bartkovich, University of Toronto 

For the Proposal: Decoupling the effects of warming and canopy cover on reproductive phenology in 

the spring ephemeral Erythronium americanum

Rachel L. Benway, Syracuse University 

For the Proposal: Fungal Community Shifts Across the Temperate-Boreal Ecotone

Lena Berry, University of Wisconsin-Madison 

For the Proposal: Physiological Function of Transfusion Tracheids in the Cupressaceae

Charles Boissavy, Claremont Graduate University (California Botanic Garden) 

For the Proposal: Phylogenetics, Taxonomy, Trait Evolution, and Biogeography of the Latifolia Clade 

in Eriogonum

PSB 71 (2) 2025

75

Rachel O. Cohen, Columbia University 

For the Proposal: An investigation of haustoria-associated genes in the facultative hemi-parasite Pe-

dicularis groenlandica

María Cuervo-Gómez, University of Florida 

For the Proposal: Influence of autopolyploidization on the phenotype and vulnerability to drought and 

heat in Arabidopsis thaliana

Cael Dant, Northwestern University 

For the Proposal: Understanding the impact of prey type and the pitcher microbiome on physiological 

success of the carnivorous plant Sarracenia purpurea

Mahima Dixit, Claremont Graduate University 

For the Proposal: Phylogeny, Phytochemistry, and Taxonomy of Eriogonum subg. Ganysma with a 

Focus on the E. deflexum Complex (Polygonaceae)

Sanika Goray, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal 

For the Proposal: A multifaceted approach to explore the taxonomic identity of an endemic, polymor-

phic Balsam from the Western Ghats, India

Anupreksha Jain, University of Wisconsin – Madison 

For the Proposal: Plant-pollinator interactions after drought: integrating plant physiology, floral re-

wards, and pollinator behavior

Jeffrey Keeling, University of Texas at El Paso 

For the Proposal: Eriophorum vaginatum phytobiome in central, northern Alaska

Kyla Knauf, Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden 

For the Proposal: From Flowers to Seeds: Understanding the Effects of Climate Change on Rocky 

Mountain Wildflower Phenology and Reproduction

Kiona A. Leeman, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse 

For the Proposal: Aphyllon assembly: elucidating the phylogenetics of a genus of non-photosynthetic 

angiosperms using the Angiosperms353 probe kit

Benjamin Lloyd, University of Washington 

For the Proposal: A Deep Learning Approach to the Phylogenetic Placement of Fossil Grass Silica 

Short Cell Phytoliths

Victoria Martinez Mercado, Northwestern University 

For the Proposal: Multi-omic Approach for Pollen Banking in Asimina triloba: A Model for Conser-

vation

Charli Minsavage-Davis, Georgetown University 

For the Proposal: Testing for adaptation in the clonal salt marsh grass Spartina patens with a novel 

coalescent model and DNA-sequence polymorphisms

Whitney A. Murchison-Kastner, Tulane University 

For the Proposal: Investigating parallel evolution in two Mimulus species using comparative quantita-

tive trait loci mapping

PSB 71 (2) 2025

76

Nicole Phelan, University of Vermont 

For the Proposal: Resolving Hybrid Origins in a Wild Sunflower (Helianthus) Species Complex

Riya Rampalli, Columbia University 

For the Proposal: Consequences of sexual dimorphism on the evolution of amaranths: insights from 

hybrid recombination maps and genetic incompatibilities

Yanã Rizzieri, Cornell University 

For the Proposal: Investigating genome evolution in the water ferns (Salviniales) and its relationship 

to heterospory

Rhuthuparna S B., Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, India 

For the Proposal: Outcrossing to selfing: Understanding the functional and evolutionary implications 

of herkogamy in an enantiostylous genus

Yogesh Sharma, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana, India 

For the Proposal: Floristic Studies of The Diversity of Grasses (Agrostology) in Haryana, India: A 

Comprehensive Survey and Digital Documentation

Sarah Ellen Strickland, University of Florida 

For the Proposal: How do they handle the heat? A Comparison of allopolyploid Tragopogon miscellus 

and its diploid parents under heat and drought stress

Daniel Wehner, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry 

For the Proposal: An Uphill Battle: Seed dispersal and mycorrhizal constraints on the climate-driven 

upslope migration of trees species in the northeastern U.S.

The BSA Undergraduate Student Research Awards

The BSA Undergraduate Student Research Awards support undergraduate student research and are made on the basis 

of research proposals and letters of recommendation.

Andrew Conlon, Emory University 

For the Proposal: Determining Selective Cytotoxic and Antibiotic Properties of Teucrium flavum L. 

for Public Safety and Medical Advancement. Co-authors: Dr. Cassandra Quave, Dr. Tharanga Samara-

koon, Nadia Aziz, Marco Caputo

Lena Kadau, University of South Carolina 

For the Proposal: Seed Mucilage Trait Evolution Across Populations and Species of Linum.

Will Pearce, University of Utah 

For the Proposal: Intraspecific Variation and Species Boundaries of the Desert Gooseberries (Ri-

bes series Microphylla). Co-author: Dr. Rodolfo Probst

Alex Risdal, Loyola University Chicago 

For the Proposal: Habitat Evaluation and Species Distribution Modeling for Michigan’s Bladderworts 

(Utricularia spp.). Co-authors: Dr. Brian Ohsowski, Dr. Mike Grillo, Shane Lishawa

PSB 71 (2) 2025

77

Nicole Stark, The University of Alabama in Huntsville 

For the Proposal: Uncovering the Origin and Genomic Mechanism of Dioecy in the Family Fabaceae.

Brooke C. Tillotson, SUNY Cortland 

For the Proposal: Investigating the correlation between homeolog bias and differences in phenotype 

and pigment composition in Nicotiana quadrivalvis and N. clevelandii allopolyploids.

The Botany and Beyond: PLANTS Grants Recipients

The PLANTS (Preparing Leaders and Nurturing Tomorrow’s Scientists: Increasing the diversity of plant scientists) 

program recognizes outstanding undergraduates from diverse backgrounds and provides travel grant.

Ormary Alvarez, Lehman College, Advisor: Cecilia Zumajo

Mickie Barraza, New Mexico State University, Advisor: Sara Fuentes -Soriano

Abbigale Baum, Utah Valley University, Advisor: Michael C. Rotter

Kathryn Bourlier, Old Dominion University, Advisor: Erik Yando

Leo Case, Oregon State University, Advisor: Gail Langellotto

Gianna Claude, Old Dominion University, Advisor: Nicholas Flanders

James Davis, Oklahoma State University, Advisor: Cody Howard

Muriel Draper, Old Dominion University, Advisor: Erik Yando

Marissa Falla, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Advisor: Mare Nazaire

Nova Hodgson, Oregon State University, Advisor: Gar Rothwell

Abigail Kohn, University of Michigan, Advisor: Selena Smith

Jada Martinez, University of North Texas, Advisor: Elinor Lichtenberg

Marissa Mc Lean, SUNY Cortland, Advisor: Elizabeth McCarthy

Victor Melendez Maldonado, Christopher Newport University, Advisor: Janet Steven

Maylin On, Cal Poly Humboldt, Advisor: Alana Chin

Tyler Radtke, University of Florida, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Advisor: Pam Soltis, Doug Soltis

Andrew Ruegsegger, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Advisor: Maribeth Latvis

Charlotte Saltsman, Murray State University, Advisor: Ingrid Jordon-Thaden

Icyss Sargeant, Louisiana State University, Advisor: Laura Lagomarsino

Alysha Schjelderup, University of California Santa Cruz, Advisor: Jarmilla Pitterman

Dailyn Wold, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, Advisor: Nora Mitchell

PSB 71 (2) 2025

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The BSA Young Botanist Awards

The purpose of these awards is to offer individual recognition to outstanding graduating seniors in the plant sciences 

and to encourage their participation in the Botanical Society of America.

Certificate of Special Achievement

Sabilah Alibhai, Connecticut College, Advisor: Rachel Spicer

Sofía Elizabeth Báez, Old Dominion University, Advisor: Lisa Wallace

Edie L. Banovic, Connecticut College, Advisor: Rachel Spicer

Tori Barrow, Colorado College, Advisor: Rachel Jabaily

Rebecca Beneroff, Bucknell University, Advisor: Chris Martine

Ana Bermudez, Connecticut College, Advisor: Rachel Spicer

Kendall Cross, St. Cloud State University, Advisor: Angela McDonnell

Olivia Demetrakopoulos, University of Guelph, Advisor: Edeline Gagnon

Madison N. Dimarco, University of South Carolina, Advisor: Eric LoPresti

Andy Dorsel, Bucknell University, Advisor: Chris Martine

Sebastian Fernandez, University of Florida, Advisor: Makenzie Mabry

Addison Gensch, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Advisor: Alexandra Crum

Alise Catherine Griffiths, University of Guelph, Advisor: Christina Caruso

Kaitlin Henry, Bucknell University, Advisor: Chris Martine

Lena P. Kadau, University of South Carolina, Advisor: Eric LoPresti

Aspen Mazzatta, University of Tennessee, Advisor: Jessica Budke

Caelen McCabe, University of Guelph, Advisor: Christina Caruso

Anna Mele, Portland State University, Advisor: Mitch Cruzan

Elisabeth Moore, Barnard College, Advisor: Hilary Callahan

Abigail Motter, Bucknell University, Advisor: Chris Martine

PJ Newhart, Bucknell University, Advisor: Chris Martine

Diandra Polt, Brown University, Advisor: Rebecca Kartzinel

Tyler Radtke, University of Florida, Advisor: Makenzie Mabry

PSB 71 (2) 2025

79

Charlotte Saltsman, Murray State University, Advisor: Ingrid Jordon-Thaden

Yash Kumar Singhal, University of Toronto, Advisor: John Stinchcombe

Isabel Smalley, University of Minnesota Duluth, Advisor: Amanda Grusz

Torrance Wagner, Connecticut College, Advisor: Rachel Spicer

The BSA Student and PostDoc Travel Awards

Winners were selected by lottery

Dan J. Coles

Amadeu dos Santos-Neto

Vandana Gurung

Kiona A. Leeman

Whitney Murchison-Kastner

AWARDS FOR STUDENTS - GIVEN BY THE  

SECTIONS

Southeastern Section Student Presentation Awards

The following winners were selected from the Association of Southeastern Biologists meeting that took place at the end 
of March 2025.

Southeastern Section Paper Presentation Award

Daniel Stanton, UF IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center

Southeastern Section Poster Presentation Award

Annabelle Mayes, Georgia Southern University

Bryological and Lichenological  

Section Student Travel Award

Jeremy W. Howland, City University of New York, Advisor: James Lendemer 

For the Presentation: Karinomyces (Pilocarpaceae), a new genus for the Appalachian endemic 

Schadonia saulskelleyana supported by molecular and phenotypic data

Kasey K. Pham

Mia Stevens

Marisa Blake Szubryt

Yannick Woudstra

Matthew Yamamoto

PSB 71 (2) 2025

80

Zoe Ryan, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Advisor: Ken Cameron 

For the Presentation: Open-source software integration: A tutorial on species distribution mapping 

and ecological niche modeling

Developmental and Structural Section  

Student Travel Awards

Sarita Munoz-Gomez, Auburn University; Advisor: Daniel S. Jones 

For the Presentation: Dioecy and sex determination across the development of the dioecious genus 

Baccharis (Asteraceae)

Austin Nguyen, University of Kansas; Advisor: Kelly Matsunaga 

For the Presentation: Duplication and subfunctionalization of AGAMOUS genes in the cypress family 

(Cupressaceae)

Ecological Section Student Travel Awards

A

rezoo Fani, University of Kansas; Advisor: John Kelly 

For the Presentation: Transgenerational Plasticity Enhances Offspring Fitness in Competitive Environ-

ments Through Epigenetic Mechanisms

Jill M. Love, Tulane University; Advisor: Kathleen Ferris 

For the Presentation: Investigating the adaptive significance of leaf shape plasticity in a California 

endemic plant, Mimulus laciniatus

Alex Risdal, Loyola University Chicago; Advisor: Brian Ohsowski 

For the Presentation: Modeling a Murderer: Determining the Ecological Requirements of Michigan’s 

Bladderworts

Economic Botany Section Student Travel Awards

Tabassum Tamima, St. Cloud State University 

For the Presentation: Management of Chilli Leaf Curl Virus (ChLCV) of Chilli using selected 

Agrobotanicals, Raw cow milk, Bioagent and Insecticide under field condition

Genetics Section Student Travel Awards

S

eongyeon Kang, University of Arizona, Advisor: Michael S. Barker 

For the Presentation: Inferring ancient tetraploidy and hexaploidy using a machine learning ap-

proach. Co-authors: Michael McKibben and Michael S. Barker

PSB 71 (2) 2025

81

Pteridological Section & American Fern Society  

Student Travel Awards

M

ax Botz, University of Minnesota Duluth, Advisor: Amanda Grusz 

For the Presentation: Does abiotic environment shape patterns of polyploidy and reproductive mode 

in ferns?

Dusty Prater, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Advisor: Jacob S. Suissa 

For the Presentation: Putting ferns on the map: global patterns of wide-ranging fern species

Systematics Section Student Travel Awards

Mahima Dixit, Claremont Graduate University/California Botanic Garden 

Jared B. Meek, Columbia University

Vernon I. Cheadle Student Travel Awards

(BSA in association with the Developmental and Structural Section) 
This award was named in honor of the memory and work of Dr. Vernon I. Cheadle.

Andrea D. Appleton, Harvard University, Advisor: Elena Kramer 

For the Presentation: Morphological and developmental novelties within the intricate androecium of 

Loasaceae

Jaxon Reiter, University of Lethbridge, Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Schultz 

For the Presentations: “Alles ist Blatt ” —The role of auxin in gynoecium development: insights from 

leaf patterning genes and ovule defects in Arabidopsis thaliana PIN localization pathway mutants 

lead to reduced seed set

Niall S. Whalen, Florida State University, Advisor: Gregory Erickson 

For the Presentation: Phytolith morphological diversity across the gymnosperm phylogeny—implica-

tions for phytolith evolution and their paleobotanical applications

PSB 71 (2) 2025

82

Newly Elected BSA Officers!

CHRISTOPHER MARTINE 

BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY 

President Elect

ALLISON MILLER 

ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY 

DANFORTH PLANT SCIENCE 

CENTER 

Treasurer

THERESA CULLEY 

UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI 

Director at Large for Publications

SARA PEDRAZA NARVAEZ 

UNIVERSITY OF 

CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES

Student Representative

PSB 71 (2) 2025

83

Dr. Andrea E. Berardi: 

“Paradigm Shifts in Flower Color”

Dr. Berardi from James Madison University 

discusses the evolution of flower color and why 

plants change their colors. The role of plant-

pollinator interactions and environmental 

relationships is also raised. This topic ties into 

the upcoming “Paradigm Shifts in Flower Color” 

special issue of the American Journal of Botany. 

Berardi is an Assistant Professor at James Madison 

University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She is a plant 

evolutionary biologist whose research focuses on 

evolutionary, genetic, and ecological processes 

underlying speciation, specifically focusing 

on how floral traits play a role in reproductive 

isolation and adaptation to the environment. Her 

favorite traits to study are floral color and plant 

secondary/specialized metabolites. 

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2446995/

episodes/16526788

Dr. Shiran Ben Zeev

The New BSA Podcast  

Celebrates Its First Season 

The Botanical Society of America is thrilled to 

announce a new podcast series with interviews 

from a variety of botanical science researchers: 

“A Botanical Podcast!” The podcast will focus 

on research and topics found in the BSA’s 

publications—American Journal of Botany, 

Applications in Plant Sciences, and Plant Science 

Bulletin—along with other unique topics. 

BSA 

member Dr. Shiran Ben Zeev serves as this season's 

host/producer of the “A Botanical Podcast,” which 

will feature discussions with botanists explaining 

their research and their passion for plants (and 

allied organisms). Download episodes from the 

main streaming platforms (Apple, Spotify, etc.) 

or from our hub at https://www.buzzsprout.

com/2446995. 

Here are the four episodes of 

season 1:

PSB 71 (2) 2025

84

Jordan Dowell:  

“Plants Communicating Through 

Chemistry”

In this episode, Shiran and Jordan Dowell 

nerd out on a discussion of how plants choose 

to defend themselves against predators and/

or manipulate other organisms to help them 

live their best lives, and how plants use 

chemistry to communicate—and what we can 

learn from that. They talk about the special 

challenges of surviving and thriving in harsh 

environments and touch on the evolution of 

chemical diversity and the effects of chemical 

diversity on organismal interactions across 

spatial and temporal scales.  Dr. Dowell is 

an assistant professor at Louisiana State 

University and an Associate Editor of the 

BSA's  Applications in Plant Sciences. He 

studies the evolutionary ecology of plant-plant 

chemical communication and the impacts of 

multifunctional traits on biotic interactions 

from single-cells to landscapes using various 

techniques, from metabolomic and genomic 

approaches to remote sensing and field-based 

studies.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2446995/epi-

sodes/16564616

Erica Lawrence-Paul:  

“Let's Look at Vegetative Phase Change”

Is it better/more advantageous to be a juvenile 

or an adult? As with humans, in plants, 

"it’s complicated"! In this episode, Erica 

Lawrence-Paul discusses vegetative phase 

change in plants, i.e., the transition between 

juvenile and adult phases of vegetative 

growth. This transition can be visually 

subtle and easy to overlook in many species; 

however, morphological and physiological 

differences between juvenile and adult phases 

can lead to meaningful differences in plant 

and tissue function. Dr. Lawrence-Paul is an 

NSF postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Jesse Lasky’s 

lab in the Department of Biology at the 

Pennsylvania State University. She earned her 

doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania, 

studying the ecophysiological significance 

of the plant developmental transition, 

vegetative phase change, with a particular 

focus on photosynthetic and leaf carbon 

economic traits. Her current work focuses 

on understanding how natural variation in 

the timing of vegetative phase change and 

phase-specific differences in stress tolerance 

contribute to plant abiotic stress response and 

local adaptation.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2446995/epi-

sodes/16870080

PSB 71 (2) 2025

85

Jessica Savage:  

“Timing! Shifting Climate Conditions and 

Plant Flowering”

In this episode, Shiran and Dr. Jessica Savage 

have a wide-ranging conversation about how 

flowering plants respond to shifting seasonal 

changes in temperatures, especially when 

those changes are unpredictable—early 

warming periods (false springs), followed by 

light or hard freezes. What is the difference 

between plants that flower and those that 

wait? What is the impact of freezing on plants 

in flower? Dr. Savage draws on research by 

her and people in her lab who are working to 

help us better understand the physiological 

basis of plant phenology and seasonality. 

Dr. Savsage is a whole plant physiologist 

with expertise in vascular physiology, floral 

physiology, phenology, and physiological 

ecology in seasonally cold climates. She has 

a strong disposition toward research tied to 

the phloem. She is an Associate Professor 

at a primary undergraduate institution and 

has a passion for mentoring undergraduate 

and graduate students (especially master’s 

students). She developed and runs a 

community-engaged research program 

focused on tree phenology in coastal forests 

around Lake Superior and is the Chair of the 

Physiological and Ecophysiological Section 

of BSA. Before starting as a faculty member, 

she was a Putnam Research Fellow at the 

Arnold Arboretum and a postdoctoral fellow 

at Harvard University. She received her PhD 

from the University of Minnesota in Plant 

Biological Sciences. 
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2446995/epi-

sodes/16870555

SO MANY PLANT PEOPLE. SO MANY PLANT STORIES.

PSB 71 (2) 2025

86

OAK ORIGINS

From Acorns to Species and the Tree of Life

Andrew L. Hipp

Illustrated by Rachel D. Davis  

With a Foreword by Béatrice Chassé

“Hipp comes closer than any other author that I’m aware of to making sense of 

this bafflingly complex story.”—Quarterly Journal of Forestry 

Cloth $35.00

FLOWER DAY

A Story of 24 Hours and 24 Floral Lives

Sandra Knapp

Illustrated by Katie Scott

“Knapp masterfully intertwines the botany, plant biology, history, evolution, and 

ecology of twenty‑four species.”—Allison Miller, Donald Danforth Plant Science 

Center and Saint Louis University

EARTH DAY
Cloth $18.00

SAVING ORCHIDS

Stories of Species Survival in a Changing World

Philip Seaton and Lawrence W. Zettler

“Seaton and Zettler outline the many mistakes made over the last few centuries 

that landed us in rather dire straits as well as some of the modern solutions that 

could be employed by diverse stakeholders.”—Tom Mirenda, coauthor of The 

Book of Orchids 

Cloth $35.00

FUNGA OBSCURA

Photo Journeys Among Fungi

Alison Pouliot

“Ecologist and environmental photographer Alison Pouliot has a focus on fungi 

and her pictures take us across continents and hemispheres.”—Canberra Times 

Cloth $28.00

INTERNATIONAL CODE OF NOMENCLATURE FOR ALGAE, FUNGI, 

AND PLANTS (MADRID CODE)

Editorial Committee of the Madrid Code

Contributions by Nicholas J. Turland, et al.

The latest, updated edition of the essential, authoritative reference for botanical, 

mycological, and phycological names.

REGNUM VEGETABILE
Paper $45.00

PLANT COLLECTORS IN ANGOLA

Botany, Exploration, and History in South‑Tropical Africa

Estrela Figueiredo and Gideon F. Smith

“This book fills a serious void in the current knowledge of the botanical history  

of Africa and will serve as the reference for botanical exploration in Angola.” 

—Gerry Moore, botanist

REGNUM VEGETABILE
Paper $45.00

Botany from Chicago

The University of Chicago Press www.press.uchicago.edu

PSB 71 (2) 2025

87

SPECIAL FEATURES

Navigating the International  

Botanical Congress (IBC):  

Insights and Tips from Participants 

of the XX IBC in Madrid, Spain

By  Shengchen Shan

1

,

Veronica Di Stilio

2

,

Shelley 

A. James

3

, Julie F. Barcelona

4

,

Oluwatobi A. Oso

5

, 

Funmilola M. Ojo

6

, Allyssa Richards

7

,

and Elton 

John de Lirio

8

1

 Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, 

Gainesville, FL, United States.

2

 Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, 

WA, United States.

3

 Western Australian Herbarium, Department of Biodiver-

sity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, Australia.

4

 School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, 

Christchurch, New Zealand.

5

 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale 

University, New Haven, CT, United States.

6

 Department of Biological Sciences, Olusegun Agagu Uni-

versity of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Nigeria.

7

 Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of 

California, Riverside, CA, United States.

8

 Instituto Nacional da Mata Atlântica, Santa Teresa, Brazil.

Author for correspondence:  
Elton John de Lirio: lirioeltonj@gmail.com

This article, prepared by the International 

Affairs Committee of the Botanical Society 

of America, shares personal impressions and 

valuable insights from attendees of the XX 

International Botanical Congress (IBC) in 

Madrid, Spain, which took place in July 2024. 

The IBC is a pivotal event in the botanical 

community, drawing researchers, educators, 

and enthusiasts from around the globe. 

Held every six years, the IBC provides an 

environment for discussing the latest advances 

in plant science and updating the International 

Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and 

plants—the rules governing the naming of 

these organisms (Turland, 2025). The XX 

IBC was a large scientific meeting, with 3011 

attendees from 95 different countries, 267 

symposia, and more than 3000 talks and 

posters (Gostel et al., 2024)—a daunting event 

for even a seasoned scientific professional. 

By summarizing experiences of the meeting 

from undergraduate and graduate students 

to senior scientists attending the IBC, we 

aim to provide guidance for botanists at all 

career stages for future international scientific 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

88

events. The participants were invited to answer 

questionnaires before and after the IBC. Key 

themes include preparation, networking, and 

navigating the conference’s diverse offerings.

PREPARING FOR THE IBC:  

EXPECTATIONS AND  

STRATEGIES

Attendees expressed great excitement about 

the opportunity to meet global experts and 

engage with the latest research in plant 

science. The Congress also offered a unique 

chance to network with professionals from 

diverse fields and regions and meet old 

friends. For example, Natalia Ruiz-Vargas, a 

graduate student at the University of Illinois 

at Chicago, hoped to connect with botanists 

from other countries at IBC, noting, “I have 

mostly interacted with researchers from the 

U.S. and Latin America.” In addition, some 

participants expressed interest in meeting 

colleagues with specific research interests. 

David Hoyos, a PhD student at the National 

University of Córdoba, Argentina, shared, 

“The most exciting part for me was meeting 

the most influential botanists in the study of 

the family Solanaceae.” Similarly, Raúl Pozner, 

an Independent Investigator with CONICET 

at the Instituto de Botánica Darwinion in 

Argentina, said he looked forward to “meeting 

colleagues that I know by their research 

articles.”

Preparation is key to maximizing the IBC 

experience. Participants highlighted the 

importance of developing talks and posters 

well in advance, ensuring all travel documents 

were in order, and managing personal 

arrangements, such as childcare. Creating a 

flexible schedule at the Congress that allowed 

for both planned sessions and spontaneous 

activities, such as opportunistic conversations 

and social interactions, was also crucial. “I’ll 

prepare my talks, make sure my documents for 

international traveling are accepted in Spain, 

and make sure my daughter is fine with us 

leaving her with her grandparents for a week,” 

said Thais Vasconcelos, an Assistant Professor 

at the University of Michigan. Carolyn 

Ferguson, curator of the K-State Herbarium at 

Kansas State University, also emphasized, “I’ll 

catch up with other parts of my work as best 

as possible so that I can leave that behind and 

focus on the Congress.”

NAVIGATING THE CONFERENCE: 

SELECTING SESSIONS  

AND NETWORKING

For large meetings such as the IBC, schedules 

can be overwhelming, with numerous 

concurrent sessions. Attendees recommended 

focusing on a mix of familiar topics as well as 

areas outside one’s expertise. Flexibility and 

openness to unexpected discoveries can lead 

to enriching experiences and new insights.

The attendees noted the difficulty of choosing 

between simultaneous sessions and managing 

the physical demands of the event, such as 

navigating large crowds and adapting to the 

local climate. Effective time management 

and prioritization of sessions are essential 

for overcoming these challenges. Attendees 

also recommended allowing time for rest and 

reflection to maintain focus and engagement 

throughout the Congress. Many participants 

ventured into sessions outside their primary 

fields of interest, discovering new techniques 

and concepts applicable to their research. 

This willingness to explore unfamiliar areas 

broadened their scientific thinking and 

sparked creativity.

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“I will try to decide beforehand the sessions 

I am more interested in. It is a difficult task, 

because many times there are at least two 

concurrent sessions that I would like to 

attend,” said Verónica Di Stilio, Professor 

at the University of Washington. Carolyn 

Ferguson mentioned that “using the IBC APP 

and setting up a schedule” can help navigate 

the busy program. In addition, participants 

expressed their desire to support friends and 

colleagues at IBC, leaving room for those 

friends who asked you to show up at their 

talks.

For some participants, learning new research 

methods was a major factor in deciding which 

sessions to go to, as well as attending talks 

that spark excitement and inspiration. Natalia 

Ruiz-Vargas planned to join sessions that 

“will be covering methods that I can apply to 

my research.” Verónica Di Stilio also noted 

that amongst her goals for attending IBC 

were “learning new approaches and becoming 

inspired,” while Raúl Pozner mentioned that 

he planned to attend talks that “spark his 

curiosity.”

Networking is also a vital component of any 

meeting. Informal interactions with fellow 

attendees at the IBC often led to potential 

collaborations and new research ideas. These 

conversations underscore the importance 

of networking and highlight the unexpected 

benefits of engaging with a diverse group of 

botanists. Attendees suggested prioritizing 

interactions with both peers and senior 

scientists while remaining open to 

spontaneous meetings. Techniques such as 

preparing questions for specific individuals 

and leveraging informal gatherings can 

enhance networking outcomes.

“I will prioritize certain colleagues I definitely 

need to talk to, to start a new collaboration or 

foster an ongoing one, and I will also allow 

room for spontaneous encounters. At these 

meetings, everyone is open to meeting new 

people, so I think being open and not afraid of 

introducing oneself to other attendees works 

well and can lead to pleasant and productive 

unplanned outcomes,” said Sophie Dauerman, 

an undergraduate student at Yale University.

Lastly, networking can be challenging for 

those attending any meeting for the first time. 

Jay Edneil Olivar, a Filipino postdoctoral 

researcher at Leipzig University in Germany, 

reflected on the experience, saying, “To 

experience it for the first time… I will just try 

to be myself.”

MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES

Attendees shared stories of memorable talks 

that significantly influenced their perspectives. 

These presentations often featured innovative 

research methods and engaging delivery 

styles, inspiring participants to consider new 

approaches in their work. The IBC’s setting 

also offered a rich cultural and professional 

diversity. Attendees valued the opportunity 

to learn from colleagues with different 

backgrounds and approaches, enhancing their 

understanding of global botanical issues.

“One of the most memorable presentations 

was Douglas Soltis’ talk about the history of 

APG (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group), and 

the way to the upcoming APG V. It represents 

a huge collaboration effort that impacts the 

area of plant taxonomy and systematics,” said 

Gustavo Shimizu, a postdoctoral researcher at 

the University of Campinas, Brazil.

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For David Hoyos, the most exciting and 

memorable talk was by Dr. Hanna Tuomisto on 

“species-soil relationships and their evolution 

in Amazonian ferns.” He shared, “I liked that 

presentation so much because it integrated 

climate data with evolutionary history in an 

interesting and important ecosystem like the 

Amazon.”

Sophie Dauerman really liked “one 

presentation on the impact of rock climbing on 

cliff plant communities—something I haven’t 

thought or heard about before.” And for Jay 

Edneil Olivar, the most exciting presentation 

was about “using Taylor Swift’s music videos 

to teach about botany.”

Participation in such a large-scale event 

fostered personal growth, with attendees 

gaining confidence in their communication 

skills and expanding their professional 

networks. The experience also highlighted 

the importance of adaptability and openness 

in scientific endeavors. David Hoyos, whose 

research focuses on the Solanaceae family, 

appreciated the opportunity to speak with 

Sandra Knapp. “I am sure that it will positively 

impact my future work because collaborations 

with her will be possible,” he added. David also 

saw IBC as a valuable opportunity to “practice 

and improve his skill in English.” Natalia Ruiz-

Vargas said that she was able to meet her future 

postdoctoral principal investigator at IBC.

LESSONS LEARNED AND  

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Following IBC, many participants—despite 

thorough preparation—shared that the most 

challenging part of their experience was 

choosing between overlapping presentations. 

For example, Sophie Dauerman mentioned 

the hardest part was “deciding which talks to 

go to!” In addition, several attendees reflected 

on how the IBC differed from conferences in 

their home countries. David Hoyos noted, 

“The Madrid IBC has been the biggest 

academic event in which I have participated.” 

Similarly, Natalia Ruiz-Vargas said, “IBC was 

so much more diverse. It was great to meet 

people from so many different places and learn 

about their issues, successes, and approaches 

to problem solving.” Besides the conference 

itself, our interviewees appreciated their time 

in Spain. For example, Thais Vasconcelos 

said, “The cultural experiences in Spain were 

enjoyable—food, language, and architecture.”

The insights shared by IBC attendees 

emphasize the importance of preparation, 

flexibility, and networking in maximizing the 

Congress experience. Future participants are 

encouraged to embrace both the opportunities 

and challenges international conferences 

present.

The connections and knowledge gained at the 

IBC have the potential to significantly impact 

attendees’ future careers and contribute 

to advancements in the field of botany. As 

participants reflect on their experiences, they 

are inspired to continue exploring new ideas 

and collaborations.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank all interviewees (Sophie Dauerman, 

Verónica Di Stilio, Carolyn Ferguson, David 

Hoyos, Jay Edneil Olivar, Raúl Pozner, Natalia Ruiz-

Vargas, Gustavo Shimizu, and Thais Vasconcelos) 

for their valuable contributions and insights. Some 

quotes from interviewees were edited for grammar 

and clarity, without altering the intended meaning. 

The authors also thank Amy McPherson, Heather 

Cacanindin, and Susanne Renner for helpful 

discussion.  

PSB 71 (2) 2025

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REFERENCES

Gostel, M. R., R. Deanna, and G. H. Shimizu. 

2024. Report from the XX International Bo-

tanical Congress, Madrid, Spain, 21–27 July 

2024. Taxon 73: 1332–1335.

Turland, N. J. 2025. From the Shenzhen Code 

to the Madrid Code: New rules and recom-

mendations for naming algae, fungi, and 

plants.  American Journal of Botany 112: 

e70026.

California Botanical Society

Leading Western American Botany

 Madroño - Research Grants - Student Symposia

Madroño is a leading source of research articles on the ecology, systematics, 

floristics, restoration, and conservation biology of Western American flora, 

including those of Mexico, Central and South America. 

Society membership includes free online access to Madroño, discounted 

publication fees per volume year, and much more!

CalBotSoc.org

PSB 71 (2) 2025

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By 

Amelia Neely

BSA Membership & 

Communications  

Manager

E-mail: ANeely@</i>

botany.org

 MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Botany360 Updates

Botany360 is a series of programming that 

connects our botanical community during the 

360 days outside of Botany conferences. The 

Botany360 event calendar is a tool to highlight 

those events. The goal of this program is to 

connect the botanical science community 

throughout the year with professional 

development, discussion sessions, and 

networking and social opportunities. To 

see the calendar, visit www.botany.org/

calendar.  If you want to coordinate a 

Botany360 event, email aneely@botany.org.  

Botany360 Events that have 

happened in 2025

• Prepping for PLANTS: An Informa-

tional Webinar about the PLANTS 

Travel Awards for Underrepresent-

ed Undergrads

  (January  24,  2025)     

h t t p s : / / y o u t u . b e / w I -

F6Kbu0XM?si=cIee1JPoeO2jEJJs

• BSA Listening and Discussion Ses-

sion (March 5, 2025)

• Botany on a Budget (May 8, 2025)
• Careers in Botany: Beyond Aca-

demia (June 6, 2025)

• Make the most out of Botany 2025: 

A student conference guide  (June 

30, 2025)

• And more to come!

Don’t forget that there are more than 20 

recordings available for free to access anytime 

at 

https://botany.org/home/resources/

botany360.html

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BSA SPOTLIGHT SERIES

The BSA Spotlight Series highlights early-career and professional scientists in the BSA 

community and shares both scientific goals and achievements, as well as personal interests of 

the botanical scientists, so you can get to know your BSA community better.

Here are the latest Spotlights:

• Jeffrey James Keeling, Graduate Student, University of Texas at El Paso  

https://botany.org/home/careers-jobs/careers-in-botany/bsa-spotlight-series/jeffrey-

james-keeling.html

• Aaron Lee, Graduate Student, University of Minnesota 

https://botany.org/home/careers-jobs/careers-in-botany/bsa-spotlight-series/aaron-lee.html

• Joyce G. Onyendeum, Faculty, New York University 

https://botany.org/home/careers-jobs/careers-in-botany/bsa-spotlight-series/joyce-g-

onyenedum.html 

Would you like to nominate yourself or another BSA member to be in the Spotlight 

Series? Fill out this form: https://forms.gle/vivajCaCaqQrDL648.

BSA SPONSORSHIP  

OPPORTUNITIES

Do you know a business or organization that 

would benefit from being in front of over 3000 

botanical scientists from over 70 countries, 

and over 48,500 followers on social media? The 

BSA Business Office has many opportunities 

for sponsorship including:

• Sponsored Membership Matters news-

letter articles and footer ads

• BSA website banner ads
• Hosting Botany360 events
• Botany360 event logo advertisement 

during event, a slide before/after event, 

or time to discuss product at begin-

ning or end of event

• Sponsored social media ads
• Advertisement space in the Plant Sci-

ence Bulletin

Because we value our community, the above 

opportunities are limited with the hope of 

being informative without being intrusive. 

Sponsorships will allow BSA to fulfill our 

strategic plan goal of being financially 

responsible during this time of economic 

shifts.

To find out more about sponsorship 

opportunities, email bsa-manager@botany.org.

PSB 71 (2) 2025

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BSA LEGACY SOCIETY

Thank you to all of our Legacy Society 

members for supporting BSA by including 

the Society in your planned giving. We look 

forward to hosting you at this year’s Legacy 

Society Reception at Botany 2025 in Palm 

Springs, CA. If you are interested in joining 

the Legacy Society, you are welcome to come 

to the event, scheduled for the evening of July 

31, and sign up in person. You can also join 

the Legacy Society at any time during the year 

by filling out the form at https://crm.botany.

org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=46&reset=1. 

The intent of the  BSA’s Legacy Society  is 

to ensure a vibrant scientific Society for 

tomorrow’s botanists, and to assist all members 

in providing wisely planned giving options. 

All that is asked is that you remember the 

Botanical Society of America as a component 

in your legacy gifts. It’s that simple—no 

minimum amount, just a simple promise to 

remember the Society. We hope this allows all 

BSA members to play a meaningful part in the 

Society's future. To learn more about the BSA 

Legacy Society, and how to join, please visit: 

https://botany.org/home/membership/the-

bsa-legacy-society.html.

PSB 71 (2) 2025

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PSB 71 (2) 2025

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  SCIENCE EDUCATION

By Dr. Catrina Adams,  

Education Director

Jennifer Hartley, 

Education Programs 

Supervisor

Celebrating 20 Years of  

PlantingScience!

This year marks a special milestone for 

PlantingScience, a BSA-led educational 

outreach program that has been inspiring 

students and supporting science educators 

for two decades. Since its launch in 2005, 

PlantingScience has connected middle school, 

high school, and undergraduate college 

students with plant scientists in an innovative 

online mentoring program. Through hands-

on investigations and online conversations 

with professional scientists, students 

experience the process of science firsthand 

while deepening their understanding of and 

appreciation for the amazing world of plants.

PlantingScience was designed to bring plant 

scientists into middle- and high-school 

classrooms so all students have a chance to 

meet and work with scientists

In 2011, PlantingScience won the SPORE 

award from the journal Science. The essay 

“Building Botanical Literacy” (Hemingway 

et al., 2011; DOI: 10.1126/science.1196979) 

from that year describes the early history of 

the program, which was inspired by a 2003 

call to action by Bruce Alberts, then president 

of the National Academy of Sciences, who 

challenged the BSA to enhance K-12 science 

classroom experiences. The platform, which 

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was originally developed and supported 

in-house by BSA IT Director Rob Brandt, 

Education Director Claire Hemingway, and 

Executive Director Bill Dahl, was redeveloped 

on the HUBzero platform in 2017 (https://

www.rcac.purdue.edu/news/932) to enable 

larger cohorts, put more tools in the hands 

of teachers, and enhance the community. 

Subsequent HUBzero customized updates 

have improved tools available to participants 

and streamlined administration and data-

curation capabilities (https://www.sdsc.edu/

news/2024/PR20240221_PlantingScience.

html). Many of the new features and tools 

developed for use in PlantingScience have 

been used by other HUBzero-supported 

science community hub sites as well.

“I look forward to PS project time every 

year - it is something that the kids 

remember and take pride in. Thank 

you for all that you do! My students 

loved working with their mentors and 

hopefully we’ve inspired some future 

plant scientists!” - PlantingScience 

teacher

PlantingScience has built a strong 

community of teachers and scientist mentors 

who have shared their passion for plants and 

science with tens of thousands of students

Since its start in 2005, the program 

has supported over 900 student teams, 

approximately 36,000 students, and almost 

500 teachers. Classrooms in all 50 U.S. 

states and 9 countries have participated in 

PlantingScience. Over 1000 plant scientists 

from 50+ countries have volunteered with 

the program over the years. The current site’s 

mentor gallery includes over 700 scientist 

profiles showcasing the diversity of who plant 

scientists are and what they do.

In each session, star projects are nominated 

by mentors, teachers, mentor liaisons, and 

staff. The best are selected to be shared in the 

project’s Star Project gallery where they can 

serve as exemplars and inspire future student 

teams:  https://plantingscience.org/projects/br

owse?filterby=archived&featured=1&limit=50

PlantingScience has benefited from 

generous support from multiple sources

The program has been primarily supported 

by an $8.35M investment over three National 

Science Foundation grants from the Division 

of Research on Learning’s DRK-12 program 

(DRL 0733280, 2007–2013; DRL 1502892, 

2015–2021; DRL 2010556, 2020–2026). 

This support allowed development and 

maintenance of the online platform, staff 

support, research on the effectiveness of 

the program and student-teacher-scientist 

partnerships more generally, and professional 

learning opportunities for teachers and early 

career scientists.

Generous support from program partners, 

donors, and sponsors have enabled us to 

send basic materials to teachers to make the 

program free to classrooms, and provided 

prizes to Star Project winners and enabled 

teacher recruitment (https://plantingscience.

org/getinvolved/partners). Partnering 

scientific societies have provided recruitment 

and dissemination support, and the American 

Phytopathological Society (APS), American 

Society of Agronomy (ASA), American 

Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB),  Canadian 

Botanical Association (CBA/ABC), Crop 

Science Society of America (CSSA), Ecological 

Society of America (ESA), and Soil Science 

Society of America (SSSA) have joined BSA in 

supporting the program’s early career scientist 

liaisons through our Master Plant Science 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

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Program. New module development has also 

been supported by the American Society of 

Agronomy (“Agronomy Feeds the World”) 

and  American Phytopathological Society 

(“Plants Get Sick, Too!”).

“Thanks for the chance to be a liaison 

again, I’m learning a ton from this 

experience, from both mentors and 

their methodology, from students and 

how they view plants and formulate 

experiments and the planting science 

team ability to coordinate something so 

big each semester and follow through to 

the end.” - PlantingScience MPST early-

career liaison

Many, many BSA members and leaders have 

supported the success of the program by 

developing, leading, and participating in 

PlantingScience professional learning with 

teachers, developing and refining inquiry-based 

curricular modules on big ideas in plant science, 

writing support materials, suggesting and 

testing website improvements, helping teachers 

to manage mentors, recruiting new mentors, 

providing financial support, and mentoring 

students directly.

Research studies show that the program is  

effective at improving key student outcomes

A number of research studies have been 

conducted over the years to understand how 

the PlantingScience student-teacher-scientist 

partnership program works and to better 

measure and understand the outcomes of 

the program. Research has shown that the 

PlantingScience program can positively affect 

students’ engagement in inquiry, motivation, and 

attitudes toward science (Scogin, 2014; Scogin 

and Stuessy, 2015; Scogin, 2016). A discourse 

analysis of student-mentor conversations 

found that online scientist mentors often 

model for students how scientists integrate 

science content and practices in their work 

(Adams and Hemingway, 2014). A text-based 

analysis of student responses to an open-ended 

question found that PlantingScience students 

most value working with plants, scientist 

mentors, and having control over their research 

question (Hemingway et al., 2015). Key insights 

from previous research highlight the need 

for professional learning for PlantingScience 

teachers and mentor liaisons. LeBlanc et al. 

(2017) found that experienced PlantingScience 

teachers skillfully talk their students through 

the inquiry cycle, introducing and emphasizing 

different science proficiencies at each phase of 

inquiry. Orchestrating such student experiences 

requires practice and support. We’ve also learned 

that differences in the amount, content, and 

timing of mentoring causes differences in the 

student experience in PlantingScience (Adams 

and Hemingway, 2014; Scogin, 2014; Scogin 

and Stuessy, 2015; Scogin, 2016; Peterson, 2012; 

Desy et al., 2018).

“[Working] with this team was an 

incredibly rewarding experience. Not 

only were they bright, kind, and polite, 

it was extremely rewarding to see the 

advice that I was giving them be put to 

use almost immediately. I loved to see 

that they readily absorbed and utilized 

what they learned and that their project 

turned out to have great results in the 

end to top it all off.” - PlantingScience 

mentor

In 2015, BSA was awarded a research grant, 

“PlantingScience Digging Deeper (DIG),” 

to conduct a large-scale efficacy study of the 

program’s Power of Sunlight (photosynthesis 

and respiration module). Grant partners at 

BSCS Science Learning helped to develop and 

deliver collaborative professional learning 

summer workshops where teachers and 

early-career scientists could work together to 

prepare for implementing PlantingScience in 

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the teachers’ classrooms in fall. Approximately 

65 teachers and 3000 students from across 

the U.S. took part in the randomized control 

study. 

“The more we worked on the 

projects the more interesting it got. I 

continued to wonder more and more 

about plants and had a new question 

everyday. My mentor constantly asked 

questions and ideas on how to improve 

the project. Which kept me more 

interested throughout the experiment.”  

- PlantingScience student

Schools in the study were very similar to the 

overall U.S. population with respect to student 

composition. Partners at the University 

of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) 

conducted the research analysis and found 

that students in the PlantingScience treatment 

group showed greater gains in content 

knowledge and attitudes about scientists than 

students in the comparison group (Taylor et 

al., 2022; Westbrook et al., 2023). The research 

team produced several videos explaining this 

study, including quotes from participating 

teachers and scientists: https://stemforall2017.

videohall.com/presentations/922.html; 

https://stemforall2018.videohall.com/

presentations/1086.html.

In 2020, BSA received a new research grant, 

“PlantingScience F2 (F2),” to replicate and 

extend the results of DIG with a three-arm 

randomized controlled study to compare the 

efficacy of online vs. in-person professional 

learning for teachers and early-career 

scientists for participation in PlantingScience 

with students. In addition to studying the 

impacts of the program on content knowledge 

and attitudes about scientists, we added an 

instrument to better understand the program’s 

impact on students’ interest in studying 

plants. We are in the final years of this grant 

and have just finished data collection and are 

moving on to analysis, led by the program’s 

UCCS partners. We intend to have several 

presentations to share preliminary findings 

and to get feedback from the PlantingScience 

community in the next year. Very early results 

on the impacts of the program on students’ 

interest in studying plants and how students’ 

ideas about who scientists are and what they 

do changed as a result of the mentoring they 

recieved will be shared at this year’s Botany 

conference:  Monday, July 28, 10:45AM 

Education and Outreach Paper Session 

“New Research Supporting the Efficacy of 

the 

PlantingScience.org

 Online Mentoring 

Program”

As we celebrate the past 20 years of 

PlantingScience, we’re reminded that the 

success of this program depends on the support 

of the incredible community of scientists who 

make up the BSA and its partners. Thank 

you to everyone who has shared their time, 

knowledge, financial support, and passion 

for plants to support our students! If you’ve 

never been a mentor, consider joining us and 

spreading the word to colleagues and friends 

in the plant sciences. Together, we can cultivate 

a deeper appreciation for plants in classrooms 

across the US and around the world. Learn 

more at 

www.plantingscience.org.

“[Our mentor] made me have more 

interest in plants and science because she 

tells us bout flowers that we didn’t know 

existed and that shows there is alot more 

to learn in science.” - PlantingScience 
student

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REFERENCES

Adams, C. T., and C. A. Hemingway. 2014. 

What does online mentorship of secondary 

science students look like? BioScience 64: 

1042–1051. 
Desy, E. A., C. T. Adams, T. Mourad, and S. 

Peterson. 2018. Effect of an online, inquiry- & 

mentor-based laboratory on science attitudes 

of students in a concurrent enrollment biology 

course: The PlantingScience experience. The 

American Biology Teacher 80: 578–583. 
Hemingway, C., W. Dahl, C. Haufler, and C. 

Stuessy. 2011. Building botanical literacy. 

Science 331: 1535–1536. 
Hemingway, C., C. Adams, and M. Stuhlsatz. 

2015. Digital collaborative learning: Identify-

ing what students value. F1000Research 4: 

74.
LeBlanc, J. K., B. Cavlazoglu, S. C. Scogin, 

and C. L. Stuessy. 2017. The art of teacher 

talk: Examining intersections of the strands of 

scientific  proficiencies  and  inquiry. Interna-

tional Journal of Education in Mathematics, 

Science and Technology 5: 171–186. 
Peterson, C. A. 2012. Mentored engagement 

of secondary science students, plant scien-

tists, and teachers in an inquiry-based online 

learning environment (Doctoral dissertation). 

Available from ProQuest Dissertations and 

Theses (Dissertation No. 3532223).
Scogin, S. C. 2014. Motivating learners in 

secondary science classrooms: Analysis of a 

computer-supported, inquiry-based learning 

environment using self-determination theory 

(Doctoral Dissertation, Texas A&M Universi-

ty). Available at:

 https://oaktrust.library.tamu.

edu/handle/1969.1/153419

Scogin,  S.  C.,  and  C.  L.  Stuessy.  2015.  En-

couraging greater student inquiry engagement 

in science through motivational support by 

online scientist-mentors. Science Education 

99: 312–349. 

Scogin, S. C. 2016. Identifying the factors 

leading to success: How an innovative science 

curriculum cultivates student motivation. 

Journal of Science Education and Technology 

25: 375–393. 
Taylor,  J.,  C.  T.  Adams,  A.  Westbrook,  J. 

Creasap-Gee, J. K. Spybrook, S. M. Kowal-

ski, A. L. Gardner, and M. Bloom. 2022. The 

effect of participation in a student-scientist 

partnership-based online plant science men-

toring community on high school students’ 

science achievement and attitudes about sci-

entists. Journal of Research in Science Teach-

ing 59: 423-457.  
Westbrook, A.,  C. Adams,  and  J. A.  Taylor. 

2023. Digging Deeper into Student-Teacher-

Scientist Partnerships for Improving Student 

Achievement and Attitudes about Scientists. 

American Biology Teacher 85: 378-389. 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

101

EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS  

CONSIDER JOINING THE  

PLANTINGSCIENCE MASTER 

PLANT SCIENCE TEAM (MPST)

The Master Plant Science Team (MPST) is a 

unique opportunity for early-career scientists 

to make a lasting impact on 6th- to 12th-grade 

science education! As part of the MPST, you’ll 

provide essential support to teachers as they 

bring PlantingScience into their classrooms. 

MPST members share their expertise, facilitate 

communication between teachers and their 

students’ mentors, and moderate online 

student-scientist conversations to ensure 

students get the most out of the experience! 

It’s a rewarding way to grow your science 

communication and leadership skills, connect 

with a national network of educators and 

scientists, and champion the next generation 

of plant thinkers. Learn more (and apply) 

at https://plantingscience.org/getinvolved/

joinmpst.

ROOT&SHOOT  

STUDENT-ORGANIZED SEMINAR 

SERIES “CULTIVATING A  

CULTURE OF INCLUSIVE  

EXCELLENCE IN PLANT  

SCIENCES” ONGOING

The ROOT&SHOOT National Science 

Foundation Research Coordination 

Network, a collaboration of six plant science 

organizations including the BSA, has 

sponsored a student-organized, free online 

seminar series titled “Cultivating a Culture 

of Inclusive Excellence in Plant Sciences.” 

The series has included four talks so far in 

2025. The first, “Perspectives from Black 

Professionals in the Plant Sciences,” held 

on February 25, featured guest speakers 

Dr. Margaret Young (Elizabeth City State 

University) Dr. Stephon Fitzpatrick (Together 

We Grow & National MANRRS President), 

and Dr. Jason B. Thomas (The Pennycress 

Company) (available at: https://rootandshoot.

org/root-shoot-webinar-perspectives-from-

black-professionals-in-the-plant-sciences/). 

The second seminar, titled “Radicle Science: 

A Teach-In for Plant Scientists Organizing for 

Political Impact” was held on March 25 with 

speaker Dr. Kevin Bird, who led a discussion 

on plant scientists’ involvement in politics 

throughout history, and how attendees can 

play a role in today’s political landscape 

(available at: https://rootandshoot.org/a-

teach-in-for-plant-scientists-organizing-for-

political-impact/). The third seminar, held 

May 13, featured BSA Education Committee 

member Dr. Molly Edwards from Science IRL 

Productions, who presented on “Planting the 

Seeds of Change: Communicating Science with 

Purpose.” Tips on making short, impactful 

videos that stand up for science were shared at 

the webinar (available at: https://rootandshoot.

org/make-a-video-that-roots-for-science-

with-molly-edwards/), and participants were 

encouraged to share their videos starting June 

23 using the hashtag #RootingForScience. 

The fourth seminar, held July 3, featured Dr. 

Guadalupe Maldonado Andrade (Cal Poly 

Pomona) speaking on “What Grows in the 

Margins: Plants, People, and the Politics of 

Care.” The talk wove together Dr. Andrade’s 

work as an ethnobotanist and abortion 

doula to explore the intimate and political 

relationships between plants and reproductive 

care, and examined what it means to center 

care in scientific inquiry and academic 

practice (available at: https://rootandshoot.

org/webinar-plants-people-and-the-politics-

of-care/).

PSB 71 (2) 2025

102

For more information on upcoming seminars 

in this series, check the rootandshoot.org 

website or sign up for the mailing list here: 

https://forms.gle/dJdxuZQjRDBF1Qn26

ROOT&SHOOT IS SEEKING  

BETA-TESTERS FOR COMMUNITY-

DEVELOPED SEE ME MENTOR-

ING ONLINE TRAINING - APPLY 

BY AUGUST 1, 2025

The ROOT&SHOOT Research Coordination 

Network (RCN) is developing a free, online 

mentoring training designed to help plant 

scientists become more effective mentors by 

addressing the role social identity plays in 

mentoring relationships. See Me Mentoring 

Training (Social Identity Matters in 

Mentoring), is a collaborative effort created by 

a diverse group of plant scientists from various 

career stages, in partnership with mentoring 

experts from CIMER (cimerproject.org). The 

goal of developing this independent online 

program is so that all plant biologists can 

engage with the training without charge.

Before the official launch, the program 

is seeking a small group of volunteers to 

participate in a beta test and provide feedback. 

The pilot includes pre-training independent 

work followed by six weekly 90-minute online 

small-group facilitated sessions. Beta-testers 

will be asked to complete short post-session 

surveys and participate in a final group 

evaluation. The training will span seven weeks, 

from September to early November, and will 

cover essential topics such as color-evasive 

practices in academia, engaging in impactful 

mentor-mentee conversations, shifting from 

a deficit-based to an asset-based mindset, 

intersectionality, and developing greater 

cultural awareness.

Volunteers who participate in the beta test 

may receive a small honorarium, though this 

is not guaranteed due to ongoing funding 

uncertainties. The team is particularly 

interested in recruiting individuals who 

recognize the value of this work and are 

willing to take part regardless of financial 

compensation. To express your interest in 

volunteering as a beta-tester, please complete 

the sign-up form by August 1, 2025: https://

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc-uNc

SgYplGmFo8hzSLX7btPDdqm2gPLokSBIz68

IIKyFvLg/viewform?usp=header

PSB 71 (2) 2025

103

PSB 71 (2) 2025

104

STUDENT SECTION

By Josh Felton and  

Benjamin Aderemi Ajayi 

BSA Student Representatives

We are excited to welcome our incoming BSA 

Student Rep, Sara Pedraza. Sara’s term will 

begin the day after the Botany conference and 

will last for two years from 2025 to 2027. Get to 

know her in the interview below. 

Sara Pedraza 

Ph.D. Candidate at University of California, 

Los Angeles

When did you join BSA and what motivated 

you to do so? Will you encourage other 

students to become members and participate 

in the Society as well?

I joined BSA two years ago after learning 

about the Society during a lab meeting. As an 

international student, I was eager to connect 

with scientific communities in the U.S. that 

could support my academic development and 

help me build connections within the field. 

One of the main reasons I was drawn to BSA 

is that it’s one of the few scientific societies 

that still offers funding opportunities for 

international students. I highly encourage 

students to join BSA and take advantage of the 

many benefits it offers!

What motivated you to run for the position 

of Student Representative to the Board of 

Directors and what do you plan to do as the 

student representative of BSA?

From the very beginning of my scientific 

career, I recognized the value of having a 

supportive community. During my Ph.D., 

researchers and mentors in both Colombia 

and the U.S. have been crucial in helping me 

advance my project and grow as a scientist. I 

believe botany has a unique ability to bring 

people together (everyone loves flowers and 

plants!), and I am committed to fostering 

that sense of community within BSA. Botany 

has profoundly shaped my life, allowing me 

to explore nature and the world through 

Getting to Know your  

New Student Representative

PSB 71 (2) 2025

105

research. This journey has been made possible 

by the generosity of academic institutions 

and research organizations that support 

passionate scientists like me, as well as through 

meaningful collaborations. As a member of 

the BSA Board, I am committed to promoting 

curiosity, integrity, collaboration, and fairness 

among BSA members. I am confident that 

by prioritizing these values, we can cultivate 

a more inclusive and diverse scientific 

community—ultimately strengthening both 

our Society and the field of botany.

What have you gained from being a 

student member of BSA and why would 

you encourage other students to become 

members and participate in the Society? 

The main contribution has been gaining 

access to a wide variety of resources that have 

helped me advance in my career. For example, 

American Journal of Botany is an essential 

source of information for botany students. 

Being part of this community has also fostered 

a sense of belonging within the scientific 

community in the U.S., something that can be 

difficult to develop as an international student. 

Also, I was recently awarded a BSA grant, 

which has significantly supported my research 

and, in turn, my professional development.

What’s your research about and how did you 

discover your research interest?

I am broadly interested in the evolution and 

performance of tropical plants. My research 

explores how variation in plant thermal 

capacities across elevations and mountain 

ranges influences diversification. I was born in 

the tropics (Bogota, Colombia), a region with 

extraordinary plant diversity. Since childhood, 

I have been fascinated by life, biodiversity, 

and how nature works. At the same time, 

I’ve always aspired to contribute not only 

high-quality scientific knowledge but also 

information that benefits the communities I 

belong to. Growing up in the mountains, my 

identity as a Latin American woman in science 

deeply motivates my passion for studying the 

thermal physiology and genetics of tropical 

plants in the Colombian Andes. I believe that 

being personally connected to my research 

(both scientifically and culturally) profoundly 

shapes my approach to science and my role as 

a researcher.

What sorts of hobbies do you have?

I love cooking, especially “arepas” and other 

kinds of Colombian food. I also enjoy art and 

dancing. Spending time with friends over a 

good cup of coffee (I’m Colombian!) is one of 

my favorite things. I really enjoy hiking and 

being outdoors—I love nature, from the beach 

to the mountains, and I’m always excited to 

explore new places around the world. I also 

enjoy watching soccer, especially when my 

team is playing!

PSB 71 (2) 2025

106

BOTANY 2025

We are excited to see many of you in person at 

Botany 2025 in Palm Springs! As of June 30, 

2025, there are 508 students registered! Please 

do not be a stranger at the conference—come 

up and say hi if you see us! 

Eli (student rep 2023-2025) passing his wisdom 

with some cheeky wit to Ben last year in Grand 

Rapids.  

CAREERS IN  

BOTANY LUNCHEON

At the Careers in Botany Luncheon, we will 

have 10 panelists who will represent the 

spectrum of career stages and jobs, with 

panelists working in academia, government, 

non-governmental organizations, herbaria, 

and botanical stations. New this year, we will 

add in a section at the end of the luncheon to 

allow for a larger group share out to make sure 

insights and advice are heard regardless of if 

the student was at that table. This will allow 

us to make it so that students will be able to 

connect with the variety of careers (senior and 

junior faculty at R1 and PUI, industry and 

botanic gardens). Ninety-five students will be 

gain insights from our panelists: 

Adam Healey 

Research Scientist - Genome Sequencing 

Center 

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology

Israel Borokini 

Assistant Professor 

Montana State University, Bozeman

Jessica Guo 

Assistant Professor 

Harvey Mudd College

Ashley Kass 

Education Researcher and Project Manager 

Education Research and Outreach Lab 

Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Sterling Herron 

Research Assistant V 

Archbold Station

Dr. Tia-Lynn Ashman 

Distinguished Professor of Biological 

Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh 

PA

Dr. Jeremie Fant 

Director of Conservation 

Chicago Botanic Garden

Dr. Elizabeth Mccarthy 

Assistant Professor 

SUNY Cortland

Dr. Matthew Austin 

Assistant Curator of Biodiversity Data 

Missouri Botanical Garden

Dr. Susan Pell 

Executive Director 

United States Botanic Garden 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

107

EARLY CAREER 

At Botany 2025, the Early Career Professional 

Development Committee is hosting a listening 

session to support students and early career 

professionals on Wednesday July 30 from 2 

to 3 pm. During the session, we will provide 

a dedicated space for early career botanists 

to share their concerns, questions, and ideas 

about the state of academia and the botanical 

sciences. 

Our goal for the session is to serve as both 

a listening forum and an opportunity to 

foster community among early career 

attendees. Insights gathered will guide future 

programming and support efforts led by the 

committee.

Learn more about the committee here: https://

cms.botany.org/home/governance/early-

career-committee.html

Students, please do not hesitate to 

reach out to us by email or BlueSky @</p>

botanyballer.bsky.social & @ajayibenmi.

bsky.social or via email feltonjosh@icloud.

com & aderemibenjamin@gmail.com 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

108

ANNOUNCEMENTS

IN MEMORIAM

 GEORGE SCHATZ  

(1953–2024)

George Edward Schatz of Ringoes, New 

Jersey, and St. Louis, Missouri, passed away 

in November 2024. George was an explorer, 

scientist, conservationist, lover of trees, and 

advocate for tropical biodiversity.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1953, 

he was the son of Edward Ralph Schatz and 

Virginia Wright Schatz and the younger 

brother of Eleanor Louise Magyar (Schatz). 

George was a graduate of Phillips Academy 

in Andover, Massachusetts, studied plant 

sciences at Cornell University, and received 

a PhD in Botany from the University of 

Wisconsin in 1987.

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yn G

oo

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in

At the University of Wisconsin, he studied the 

systematics and ecology of Central American 

Annonaceae (the custard apple family). The 

year he received his degree, George joined the 

staff of the Missouri Botanical Garden, where 

he spent his entire career. He was hired to help 

build the Garden’s program in Madagascar. He 

resided there for several years and then divided 

his time between Madagascar and St. Louis, 

conducting field and herbarium work, and 

helping to train Malagasy botanists and build 

the program into one of the most impactful 

research and conservation efforts in the world. 

George focused his fieldwork on the 

island’s humid forests and quickly became a 

leading authority on the flora of the island, 

publishing his seminal Generic Tree Flora of 

Madagascar  in 2001, a guide to the nearly 

500 genera of trees occurring there, which 

quickly became a key reference work. He 

made nearly 3200 meticulously prepared 

collections of Malagasy plants, including 

specimens of many new species, more than 

30 of which have been named in his honor. 

As a taxonomist, George named more than 

300 species belonging to 39 genera in 20 

families, including 216 species new to science. 

Throughout his career, George continued to 

work on Annonaceae, recently completing 

a treatment for Flora Mesoamericana, 

which will be published shortly. 

Starting in the late 1990s, in collaboration 

with his colleague Pete Lowry, George 

initiated a series of taxonomic revisions 

of Madagascar’s endemic families, and in 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

109

2009 they undertook a collaborative effort 

to untangle Malagasy ebonies (Diospyros), 

the island’s largest woody genus, with close 

to 300 species—more than two-thirds new. 

As the Madagascar program grew to include 

a major conservation component, George 

championed the effort to assess the extinction 

risk of species using the IUCN Red List 

criteria, and he served for many years on the 

IUCN SSC Plant Conservation Committee, 

organizing and leading training workshops 

throughout the world for hundreds of 

botanists.

George is survived by his wife, Cathryn 

Goodwin; his daughter, Rachel Schatz (Alec 

Hillyer); his three stepchildren, Joshua 

(Melissa) Gaghen, Elijah (Abby) Gaghen, 

Emily (Adam) Elsey; six grandchildren, Grace 

and Lily Gaghen, Ellasyn and Will Gaghen, 

Abram and Alice Elsey; and his niece, Rebecca 

Magyar.

—Compiled by Amy McPherson

PSB 71 (2) 2025

110

150 Year Legacy

IJPS has been publishing high-quality, original, 

peer reviewed research in all areas of the plant 

sciences since 1875.

Consistently High Standards

IJPS editors are leaders in the fi eld and guarantee 

integrity by handling each paper from beginning 

to end, writing their own decisions and adding 

their imprimatur to each article.

No Page Charges

Th ere are no submission fees or page charges. 

Each manuscript is entirely free, no matter 

the size.

No Color Charges

Color fi gures that make substantive contributions 

to the article are printed at no cost to authors.

Lowest Open Access Fees

IJPS has one of the most aff ordable options 

for Open Access: as low as $400 for authors at 

subscribing institutions.

Fast-Track Submission Option

Manuscripts that have been rejected from other 

journals can be eligible for expedited publication 

when prior reviews and decision letters are 

included in the submission. 

No Charge for Cover Images

All articles in each issue are eligible to be featured 

on the cover at no cost to the author(s). 

Free Subscriptions

Two authors from each article are granted 

complimentary 1-year subscriptions to IJPS.

Not-for-Profi t Publisher

IJPS is owned by the University of Chicago Press, 

which places publishing before profi t.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL 

OF PLANT SCIENCES

Since 1875, the International Journal of Plant Sciences

(IJPS) has presented high-quality, original, peer-

reviewed research from laboratories around the world 

and in all areas of the plant sciences. Topics covered 

include genetics and genomics, developmental and cell 

biology, biochemistry and physiology, morphology 

and anatomy, systematics, evolution, paleobotany, 

plant-microbe interactions, and ecology. IJPS welcomes 

research articles that describe novel results and new 

perspectives on topics of interest to the international 

community of plant scientists. Th e journal also features 

reviews and special issues in growing areas of the fi eld.

WHY PUBLISH IN IJPS?

A GENUINE COMMITMENT TO SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING.

JOURNALS.UCHICAGO.EDU/IJPS

PSB 71 (2) 2025

111

BOOK REVIEWS

Do Plants Know Math? Un-

winding the Story of Plant 

Spirals, from Leonardo da 

Vinci to Now

Stéphane Douady, Jacques 

Dumais, Christophe Golé, and 

Nancy Pick

2024. ISBN: 9780691158655 

US$27.95 (Hardcover); 338 pp. 

Princeton University Press, Princeton and Ox-

ford.

This

gem

of a

little book

links history to 

math, physics and botanical

knowledge in delightful and inciteful wonderment!

Count the syllables and look for the 

pattern in the poem above. This Fibonacci 

sequence is modelled on Sanskrit poetry 

contemporaneous (ca. 300 BCE) with 

Theophrastus’ observation that leaves are 

arranged in regular sequence along a stem. 

A similar poem introduces the main themes 

of most of the book’s 21 chapters. The powers 

of observation and documentation are 

stressed throughout the book with interesting 

narratives about the key players, exquisite 

copies of illustrations and stunning original 

images. The authors emphasize that science 

is often “messy”, not a linear accumulation 

of knowledge, and that scientists are human, 

they frequently squabble, and often re-

discover what had been discovered long ago. 

“The quest to understand why the Fibonacci 

numbers appear in plants is an eminently 

satisfying one, located at the intersection of 

math, physics, and biology”—the respective 

disciplines of the first three authors.
The introduction provides clear, illustrated 

definitions of 10 key terms used in phyllotactic 

analysis that would be a perfect hand-out 

for students. It ends with several engaging 

“Try Your Hand” activities: how to use your 

smartphone to draw parastichies on a photo 

Do Plants Know Math? Unwinding the Story of Plant Spirals, 

     from Leonardo da Vinci to Now

Edible Alliums: Botany, Production and Uses

Evolution Evolving: The Developmental Origins of Adaptation and Biodiversity

From Seed to Seed: A Pictorial Story Showing How a Bean Plant Grows

History and Future of Plants, Planet and People: Towards a New Ecologically Sustainable  

     Age in People’s Relationships with Plants

Legumes of Arizona: An Illustrated Flora and Reference

Living with the Trees of Life: A Practical Guide to Rebooting the Planet Through  

     Tropical Agriculture and Putting Farmers First (ed 2) 

Malayan Orchid Review 2024 Annual, Volume 58 

Oak Origins: From Acorns to Species and the Tree of Life

Saving Orchids: Stories of Species Survival in a Changing World

A Splendour of Succulents & Cacti

Tropical Arctic: Lost Plants, Future Climates, and the Discovery of Ancient Greenland .1 

When the Earth Was Green

PSB 71 (2) 2025

112

of a dahlia or pinecone; how to pin spirals on 

a pineapple; and how to unroll a 3D pinecone 

onto a sheet of dough or clay to produce a 

2D pattern to trace and count parastichies. 

Similar activities reinforce the salient concepts 

of most chapters.
The book is divided into four content sections 

each focusing on a key step in understanding 

phyllotactic patterns. The first is simply “Who 

noticed  first?”  Natural  patterns  in  plant  life 

are documented in many ancient civilizations, 

but it was Leonardo de Pisa (Fibonacci) who 

introduced the power of Arabic numerals 

and  the  Fibonacci  sequence  to  Europe  in 

1202. Two hundred fifty years later, another 

Leonardo—da 

Vinci—made 

detailed 

sketches and observations on patterns of leaf 

and branch insertion, including a 2/5 spiral, 

distichous, and decussate patterns. In another 

150  years  Keppler  at  least  popularized  the 

concept that the Fibonacci ratios converge on 

the “golden mean”, 1.618….
Part Two focuses on the traditional history of 

phyllotaxis theory, including the works of Karl 

Schimper, who coined the terms “phyllotaxis” 

and “divergence angle,” and Alexander Braun, 

who coined “parastichy” and what we now 

call “orthostichies.” Although best friends 

and colleagues when they developed their 

ideas, they became estranged when Shimper, 

who seldom published any of this work, felt 

he did not receive enough credit from Braun 

when the latter published his monumental 

study of pinecone scales. Concurrently in 

France, Auguste and Louis Bravais confirmed 

and extended the Germans’ phyllotactic 

descriptions with a mathematical proof of the 

value  of  the  golden  angle,  (3-

✓

5)/2 in units 

of turns around the stem, and the observation 

that even orthostichies slowly spiral around 

the stem. 

Part Three introduces microscopic studies 

of the apical meristem, beginning with 

the observations of Wilhelm Hofmeister. I 

was pleasantly surprised with the authors’ 

contention that “Hofmeister’s rule,” the 

stacking principle that primordia are initiated 

in the first available space on the apical 

meristem, is the first of three criteria explaining 

the physics of phyllotaxy. In fact, Hofmeister 

dismissed all the earlier work on spirals as 

not only inappropriate, but in error! I am not 

alone in my previous lack of appreciation for 

Hofmeister’s role in understanding the basis 

of phyllotaxy. Of the 44 authors providing 34 

contributions to the monumental Symmetry 

in Plants (Jean and Barabé, 1998), only five 

include Hofmeister in their references (and 

Douady is author or co-author of two of 

these).
Part Four focuses on the contribution of 

computers and modeling. Not only could 

Hofmeister’s rule be confirmed for where 

a primordium could form to establish and 

maintain a pattern, but it also allowed 

development to be considered to confirm 

Snow and Snow’s model that a primordium 

will be produced when there is enough 

space. The timing depends on the rate of 

expansion of the apical meristem and the rate 

of primordium initiation. The one missing 

parameter was the history of growth. For 

nearly as long as patterns have been observed, 

botanists recognized that the pattern along the 

axis can change, but almost always from one 

set of Fibonacci numbers to the next, up or 

down in the sequence. Douady was involved 

in demonstrating how these parameters work 

together in the plant, but it remained for Golé 

to recognize “zigzag” fronts of the youngest 

primordia on the apical meristem and realize 

this determines the transition and direction of 

phyllotactic changes along the stem. 

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The fifth part integrates biology into the 

mathematical and physical explanations for 

phyllotaxy. The concept of inhibitory fields at 

the apical meristem was proposed by Schoute 

in the early 1900s. After World War II, Alan 

Turing programed a computer to produce a 

regular pattern, beginning with randomized 

activator and inhibitor sequences. If auxin is 

the activator, and it is depleted by diffusion (or 

active transport), phyllotactic patterns of leaf 

primoridia form on an apical meristem. 
So, the bottom line is, do plants know math? 

The authors answer “they don’t have to.” The 

Fibonacci patterns arise from morphogenesis, 

created by local biochemical, biomechanical, 

and dynamical mechanisms following 

simple geometric rules. At this point you can 

celebrate your newfound understanding with 

a celebratory “Spiral Dinner” using the recipes 

provided in the final chapter.
The book has a comprehensive index and 

extensive endnotes to each chapter. A useful 

appendix provides additional historical 

notes for several chapters, and more detailed 

examples and explanations to supplement the 

more mathematical chapters. It is beautifully 

illustrated, clearly organized, and accessibly 

written. I am recommending it to my local 

public library; the catchy title will attract plant 

lovers and perhaps inspire them to think more 

about science. Elementary teachers will find 

it to be a resource for plant-related activities 

involving math, science, and art. School 

libraries should also have a copy—both 

secondary and post-secondary. It could even 

provide the foundation for graduate seminars 

in math, physics, biology, and history of 

science. It is arguably the most welcome 

addition to my personal library in the past 

decade. 

REFERENCES

Jean, R. V., and D. Barabé. 1998. Symmetry 

in Plants. World Scientific Co. Pte. Ltd. Sin-

gapore. 
–Marshall D. Sundberg. Kansas University Af-

filiate and Roe R. Cross Distinguished Professor 

of Biology – Emeritus, Emporia State Univer-

sity.

Edible Alliums: Botany, 

Production and Uses

Haim D. Rabinowitch and Brian 

Thomas (Editors)

2022. ISBN: 978-1789249972

US$161.20 (Hardcover); 328 pp.

CABI Publishing, Oxfordshire, U.K.

We have been eating, 

growing, harvesting, and using the Allium 

species as medicine for over a millennium. 

From the onion to shallot bulb, to garlic cloves, 

to leeks and green (bunching) onions, the 

Alliums are integral to local diets worldwide. 

They are quite hardy and are cultivated and 

harvested in a range of climatic conditions 

all over the world. As members of the 

Amaryllidaceae family, Alliums belong to the 

order Asparagales. Appearing during the early 

Eocene period, about 52 million years ago, 

the species originated on the subcontinent of 

India. They spread all through North America 

and Eurasia about 10 to 20 million years ago, 

during the middle Miocene period (p. 20). 
According to Kew Science of the Royal 

Botanical Gardens, the Allium genus comprises 

2140 species, 70 of which are cultivated as 

spices, vegetables, or ornamentals species, 

with garlic, onions, leeks, shallots, green 

onions, and chives being of great economic 

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importance (p. 20). We can eat every part of 

the Allium species. From the scapes that sit 

atop maturing garlic plants, to the lateral leaves 

of leeks, to the onion bulb, this species can be 

used to make stock, to season soups and stir 

fries, and to adorn salads. Contributing author 

Nikolai Friesen notes that while many species 

do taste mighty fine, there are some that are 

unpalatable and less consumable. Alliums of 

the subgenus Nectaroscordum, for instance, 

taste and smell like burnt rubber (p. 6).
Edible Alliums: Botany, Production and Uses 

offers readers a thorough scientific and 

horticultural review of the minor and major 

Allium crops. Students in plant science, 

agriculturalists, molecular biologists, 

agronomists, and garlic-loving gardeners will 

find that Edible Alliums provides indispensable, 

well-researched information about the Allium 

species and their biodiversity, taxonomy, 

agronomy and production, crop protection, 

trait genetics, and nutritional and health 

benefits. Various figures clearly outline useful 

information about the differences between 

bolter, semi-bolter, and non-bolter garlics (p. 

93), the similarities between the architecture 

of an onion and shallot bulb (p. 69), and 

enzyme steps that are required to synthesize 

fructans from sucrose in the onion (p. 60). 

Tables show comparisons of long- and short-

day varieties with respect to tissue-selective 

genes (p. 59), provide details about the main 

bacterial diseases affecting the bulb onion (p. 

229), and outline the health benefits of allium 

extract, replete with brief descriptions of its 

application and function (p. 273). 
For those scientists interested in omics 

research, the chapter “Metabolomics of the 

Allium” reviews the published literature in 

this area, noting the methods that scientists 

have used to isolate, extract, and characterize 

many of the secondary small molecules of the 

species (p. 270). Metabolomics is the study 

of the chemical process of metabolites found 

inside cells, tissues, and organisms—a process 

that contributes to the plant physiology of the 

species and is also responsible for traits such 

as color, pungency, and flavor. For instance, 

omics research tells us that the shallot bulb 

is richer in fats, containing 16% to 33% more 

soluble solids (such as the carbohydrates 

fructans, fructose, glucose, and sucrose) 

compared to the 7% to 15% found in bulb 

onions (p. 76). It also tells us that the the alliin 

present in the bulb is catalyzed by the enzyme 

alliinase to produce allicin, and this creates the 

aroma we smell after crushing a garlic clove.
Metabolomics can also improve crop 

production with useful information about 

plant physiology for cultivating Allium varieties 

that are more crop resistant to diseases, such 

as botrytis leaf blight, downy mildew, and 

white rot. As the climate continues to change, 

metabolomics can also improve the species’ 

ability to withstand drought conditions. In 

that regard, the metabolite fructan helps 

garlic, for example, to withstand drought 

stress. Fructan is stored as a carbohydrate and 

facilitates water retention by acting as a sort 

of spacer to stabilize the cell membrane and 

maintain osmotic balance. More importantly, 

given the many medicinal uses of the species, 

continued research into the metabolomics 

of  Alliums could lead to new developments 

in cancer medicine, nutritional diseases, and 

pharmaceutical uses (p. 270). 
Readers might be surprised to learn that, 

despite its ubiquity in the world and in our 

kitchens, much more research needs to be 

conducted in terms of cataloging Allium 

biodiversity. While the World Database on 

Protected Areas has been established to 

“identify, rescue, preserve, manage, and study 

Plant (PGR) and Animal (AGR) Genetic 

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Resources” (p. 21), contributing authors 

Andrés Bermudez et al. note that there are 

still countries that cannot afford the costs of 

doing this important work. In order to foster 

the collection and cataloguing of Allium 

biodiversity, Bermudez and colleagues believe 

that “new expeditions must be made to search 

for wild and cultivated varieties” (p. 29). It 

is hoped that such endeavors will discover 

cultivated and wild varieties that may better 

tolerate pests and diseases and may also be 

better adapted to climate change (p. 29). 
Like CABI’s other series titles, The Avocado 

and  The Coconut,  Edible Alliums is a useful 

reference resource. For those with a love for 

all things Allium, particularly those who are 

interested in genomic resources of the species, 

their genetic traits and biodiversity, and their 

metabolomics, this book is worth having on 

the shelf. 
–Rachel Burgess, Independent Scholar, Roches-

ter, NY 14606; rachel.burgess.ph.d@gmail.com

Evolution Evolving: The 

Developmental Origins of 

Adaptation and  

Biodiversity

Kevin N. Lala, Tobias Uller, 

Nathalie Feiner, Marcus W. Feld-

man, and Scott F. Gilbert

2024. ISBN: 978-0-691-26241-3

US$45.00 (Hardcover); 426 pp. 

Princeton University Press, Princeton and Oxford.

The title implies two things: (1) the 

evolutionary process continues to evolve 

over time, and (2) a new way of explaining 

this evolution, focused on development, 

has emerged. To many, “nothing in biology 

makes sense anymore” because virtually 

all the tenets of the “Modern Synthesis” 

are being challenged and expanded by the 

many, integrated developmental mechanisms 

documented in this book. The book is divided 

into four parts.
The first four chapters, Part 1, address the 

question of why development is an important 

consideration for understanding evolution. 

The authors begin by summarizing the major 

tenets of Natural Selection codified in the 

Modern Synthesis (variation, differential 

fitness, selection, and heredity) and explaining 

why the study of development and the 

importance of phenotype, growing in parallel 

with evolution, were ignored as contributing 

factors for much of the 20

th

 century. During 

this comparison they provide several examples 

that challenged adaptationist thinking and are 

the focus of later chapters.
The two chapters of Part 2 explain the biology 

of how development works. It begins with the 

discussion of a life cycle with the zygote not 

being the starting point of the individual, but a 

point on a long continuum down generations. 

The authors argue that the genome is a “score 

to be interpreted” rather than a “code to be 

deciphered” (p. 28). 
The focus is on gene regulation, not just 

through enhancing or silencing transcription 

factors, but through Gene regulatory networks 

(GRNs), which combine genetic regulation 

with non-genetic and environmental factors. 

Regulation is a circuit-like network where 

nodes can be transcription factors, epigenetic 

elements, small RNAs, and other effector 

molecules. GRNs are organized into complex 

modules where phenotypes depend on where 

and when mutations, epigenetic factors, and 

physical or chemical forces occur. Each GRN 

can have multiple functions in different tissues 

to control the location, timing, and amount 

of gene expression. Development is both 

active and reactive, and there can be multiple 

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pathways to a given phenotype. Finally, 

development biases phenotypic variation.
Part 3 is the heart of the book with five chapters, 

each devoted to arguing for a foundational 

concept underpinning the developmental 

basis of the evolutionary process. The first is 

developmental bias. Darwin first recognized 

“domestication suites” of characters 

commonly found in domesticated species. The 

authors explain these suites as one example 

of developmental bias. This is different 

from an evolutionary geneticist’s concept of 

developmental constraint because it is often 

positive, causing certain phenotypes to more 

likely be generated—similar to bias in codons 

for a particular amino acid. Gould’s thought 

experiment to “replay the tape [of evolution] a 

million times…” (Gould, 1989, p. 289) would, 

because of developmental bias, likely result 

in multiple near-identical patterns. Similarly, 

co-option of existing GRNs is highly likely 

and would explain why parallel evolution is 

so common. Importantly, none of this would 

require changes in gene frequencies, the 

traditional marker of evolution. 
Phenotypic plasticity, they argue, is another 

bias that can be adaptive or not. Novel 

environmentally induced variants can become 

fixed or stabilized, and this would happen not 

in a single individual, but simultaneously in 

multiple individuals in a population. Not only 

would this allow cryptic genes to accumulate 

but it would accommodate further adaptation 

to more and different new environments 

resulting in adaptive radiation. Plasticity 

can also lead to niche construction, such as 

allelopathy, learning, and behavior. 
In addition to its effects on variation, the 

authors argue that development also impacts 

selection. Selection is usually considered 

a consequence, e.g., an organism with an 

appropriate suite of adaptations is more likely 

to survive a challenging environment. But the 

challenging environment can also positively 

select variants that create a physiological 

solution or suitably modify their niche 

through a kind of trial-and-error process.
Up to this point in the book, epigenetic 

control of development has been a main 

focus, but Chapter 10 introduces some 

additional extragenetic inheritance, such 

as paternal effects, inherited microbiomes, 

and particularly in animals, learning and 

culture. The final part discusses some of the 

implications of the developmental perspective. 

Of particular interest to many readers will 

be the penultimate chapter, which focuses 

specifically on human evolution. 
The book makes a strong case that 

developmental plasticity generates novel 

structures and processes, with endless 

flexibility to integrate with environmental 

changes. Temperature, pressure, chemicals, 

material properties all bias formation of 

developmental pathways and once a pathway 

exists, it can be coopted and reused as required. 

Not only does evolvability evolve, but because 

of the various developmental biases, it is more 

predictable than expected.
The authors weave into the text a salient 

history of evolutionary biology and have 

done a good job of explaining many recent 

technological advancements and theories in 

terms that any scientifically literate person can 

understand. They have made clear contrasts 

of their expansion of the Modern Synthesis 

of Evolutionary Biology with the traditional 

views, and use many examples, including 

some plants (although I would have preferred 

more botanical examples), to illustrate their 

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explanations. There are extensive endnotes 

to each chapter and a comprehensive list of 

references. The index is very useful. It would 

be a great book to spend a semester picking 

apart in a graduate seminar, especially if co-led 

by a population geneticist and developmental 

biologist (having two professors thoughtfully 

arguing alternative explanations in the same 

class is mind-opening for most students). 

Evolution Evolving definitely belongs in college 

libraries and on the bookshelf of any biologist 

interested in evolution. 

REFERENCES

Gould, S. J. 1989. Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale 

and the Nature of History. W. W. Norton and Company, 

New York.

–Marshall D. Sundberg. Kansas University 

Affiliate and Roe R. Cross Distinguished Pro-

fessor of Biology – Emeritus, Emporia State 

University.

From Seed to Seed: A  

Pictorial Story Showing How 

a Bean Plant Grows

Ellen T. Paparozzi, Elizabeth Con-

ley, M.S., and Christian G. Elowsky

2024.

Department of Agronomy and 

Horticulture at the University of 

Nebraska 

Online resource available at https://passel2.unl.edu/. 

Seed germination is a crucial biological 

process that initiates a plant’s life cycle, 

transitioning the seed from dormancy into 

thriving seedlings and eventually to a fully 

grown plant. In the book From Seed to Seed: 

A Pictorial Story Showing How a Bean Plant 

Grows, Paparozzi et al. provide an in-depth 

examination of this process, presenting a 

detailed timeline of the development of 

the red kidney bean from imbibition to the 

production of seeds, completing the plant 

life cycle. The comprehensive narrative is 

enriched with precise botanical descriptions 

and detailed illustrations, making the book 

an exceptional resource for understanding the 

complexities of seed germination.
There are numerous resources available on 

seed germination; however, many of them are 

limited in terms of access, quality pictures, 

and precise botanical descriptions. In the 

book From Seed to Seed the authors skillfully 

address the multifaceted stages of germination 

by dividing the book into three parts. Part 1 

covers germination and vegetative growth, 

incorporating a growth-time table (Part 1, p. 3) 

that charts the development of the red kidney 

bean from day 0 to 75. This chronological 

framework provides an invaluable reference for 

students and educators, supporting classroom 

activities. Part 2 dives into the flowering stage, 

elucidating the progression from vegetative 

to reproductive phases with clarity and 

precision. Similarly, Part 3 highlights the 

practical applications of the subject, offering 

straightforward protocols for optimal growth 

conditions and classroom demonstrations, 

making it highly adaptable for teaching at both 

school and college levels. The initial overview 

presented in the book provides a concise yet 

informative description of the bean plant's 

morphology, offering readers an opportunity 

to refresh their understanding of its distinctive 

leaf structure. The inclusion of a detailed time 

chart not only serves as an excellent visual 

aid, but also establishes a practical framework 

for organizing various classroom activities 

focused on seed germination.  
Illustrations in the book are particularly 

noteworthy. Each stage of development is 

accompanied by high-resolution photographs 

and micrographs, including scanning electron 

micrographs (e.g., Fig. 59, p. 26), which 

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118

accurately illustrate anatomical structures 

such as vascular tissues within the stem. 

Additionally, light microscopy images of 

stained cross-sections (e.g., Fig. 70, p. 37) 

further enrich the content, facilitating the 

identification of key tissue types. Additionally, 

the labeling of figures, supported by 

self-explanatory legends, enhances the 

comprehensibility of the material for both 

novice and advanced readers. Furthermore, 

the text provides botanical insights into the 

unique morphology of the red kidney bean, 

a model species widely used in studies of seed 

germination. The authors introduce readers 

to critical concepts, including the structural 

changes occurring during the entire process. 

These aspects are seamlessly integrated with 

practical examples, bridging the gap between 

theoretical knowledge and real-world 

applications in agriculture, horticulture, and 

ecology. 
Overall,  From Seed to Seed is a well-crafted 

resource that combines botanical precision 

with understandable language and visually 

appealing content. It holds significant value 

for introductory botany courses, advanced 

research in plant sciences, and outreach to 

citizen scientists. By providing a thorough yet 

approachable exploration of seed germination, 

this book serves as a vital tool for both 

education and research, including botanists, 

horticulturists, and citizen scientists. 
–Sasmita Mishra, Department of Biological 

Sciences, Kean University, Union, NJ, USA; 

samishra@kean.edu

History and Future of 

Plants, Planet and People: 

Towards a New Ecologically 

Sustainable Age in People’s 

Relationships with Plants

Alan Hamilton and Pei Shengji

2024. ISBN: 9781789248920 

US$155.00 (hard cover);  

417 pp. 

CABI, Boston, MA

Both authors are trained in traditional 

botany—Hamilton at Cambridge in the early 

1960s, and Shengji at the Kunming Institute 

of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences 

in the mid-1950s. Both worked extensively 

in the tropics, with Hamilton primarily in 

Africa, but also Mexico, Pakistan, Nepal, and 

Malaysia, and with Shengji in south China. 

Both specialized in ethnobotany, particularly 

on traditional knowledge and uses of 

medicinal plants, and both integrated support 

from local governments and international 

NGOs to accomplish their work.  A common 

thread between them was participation and 

leadership in the People and Plants Initiative 

(PPI), a partnership program of the World 

Wildlife Fund, UNESCO, and The Royal 

Botanic Gardens, KEW that operated from 

1992 to 2005. Much of the focus of their 

book relates to the objectives of PPI and their 

personal experiences working in that and 

similar programs.
The first half of the book provides a broad 

introduction to human history, the history of 

agriculture, and the development of culture 

through the eyes of the British (representing 

Western Europeans and the global north), the 

Chinese (representing the East), and primarily 

Africa (representing colonial empires and the 

global south).  It begins with two chapters 

describing the challenge of sustainable 

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development in a world “thoroughly infused 

with human influences…the human has 

become, in effect, the first globally invasive 

species” (p. 4). They tie human-induced 

climate change and the loss of biodiversity to 

the development and commercialization of 

western scientific agriculture, to the detriment 

of the global south.  
Having presented the current existential 

relationship between plants and people, the 

authors provide background into how we got 

here.  This includes a brief anthropological 

summary of the origin and dispersal of the 

human species, the origins of agriculture 

and major changes in cultural, political, 

and socio-economic systems that occurred 

simultaneously around centers of agriculture 

where food crops and large mammals were 

domesticated to fuel rapid human population 

growth.  For instance, in China, 10,000–11,000 

of the nearly 40,000 native vascular plants 

have been used by humans for some purpose, 

including 1647 for human food.  Of course, 

most of these are for local consumption 

because only a few dozen species world-

wide are commercially important crop plants 

that arose in 13 regions similar to Vavilov’s 

8 Centers of Agricultural Origin (Vavilov, 

1951).  Nevertheless, only about 1/10 of the 

Chinese flora is useful for food or fodder.  

By far, the greatest use of plants is medicinal 

(9629 species, about ¼).  Similar figures will be 

found for most of the countries documented in 

this book, and the conservation of traditional 

local plant knowledge is a major focus of the 

authors’ work.
The authors describe how the intensification 

of agriculture led to social stratification and 

the rise of urban civilizations, which in turn 

led to east/west trade such as that following 

the Roman roads around the Mediterranean 

and the Silk Roads between the Chinese and 

Roman empires.  To accommodate heavy 

or bulky commodities, maritime networks 

developed throughout the Indian and 

Southwestern Pacific Oceans as well as across 

the Mediterranean. Competition between 

trading cities (Genoa and Venice) and 

competing empires (Byzantine and Ottoman) 

stimulated the expansion of extractive 

European powers into the Americas and Asia.  
These expanding networks brought into 

contact peoples with greatly differing cultures 

and world views—the focus of Chapter 4. 

Primitive societies have a holistic worldview; 

inward looking to the body and soul and 

outward-looking to the local society, the 

natural world, and gods and spirits.  The 

development of philosophy and religion lie 

at the base of both the Chinese and Western 

worldviews.  Confucius and Buddhism, dating 

to about 500 BCE, underpin the Chinese 

view of harmony, the Way, and the dynasty.  

Education, through self-study, learning-by-

doing, and pupil-to-master mentoring are 

commendable.  The highest good comes 

when individuals in a family, families in a 

community, and communities in the nation all 

stand in the right relationship to one another.  

Hard work, duty, benevolence, and belief in 

universal brotherhood are the foundations of 

culture.  Thus, the Chinese worldview looks to 

the past to know how things should be done.  
In the West, classical philosophers, 

contemporaries of Confucius, promoted some 

of these same ideas, but belief in an orderly 

universe led to the idea that the workings of the 

natural world could be understood through 

observation and reasoning.  Tied with the 

rise of the Abrahamic religions (particularly 

Christianity), which promoted constant 

forward progress toward salvation, Western 

expansion encouraged a forward-looking 

worldview emphasizing constant progress. 

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A further driver, post 1500, was Europe’s 

political division into smaller competing 

kingdoms, each seeking to dominate resource 

extraction and trade.  This framework is 

then used through the next four chapters to 

describe how the relationships between plants 

and people have changed around the world 

during the past 500 years. 
Chapter 9 introduces the authors’ principles 

and practice of ecosystem-based plant 

conservation. It defines and provides examples 

of ecosystem services, with particular 

reference to plants.  The importance of place 

and the linkage between biological and 

cultural diversity illustrate the usefulness of 

applied ethnobotany.  Finally, they provide a 

framework for how to successfully design and 

implement applied ethnobotany projects in 

the global south.
The last half of the book consists of a series 

of case studies led by either of the authors.  

Some, such as the PPI, were long-term, 

multinational projects with international 

funding. Others were more narrowly focused 

on particular ecosystems in a single country, 

such as Mt. Kinabalu in Malaysia or the Bwindi 

Impenetrable Forest in Uganda.  A common 

theme is the active participation of local 

farmers in all stages of project development 

and in education programs to expand 

influence into surrounding communities.  
Overall, the book is readable and engaging and 

it was easy to follow the path of history that 

leads to the present.  I was impressed with the 

breadth of the authors’ knowledge and their 

ability to integrate different ways of knowing 

to provide a context upon which to build 

ecological sustainability.  The first chapters 

were obviously written as a team effort, but 

the authors used their individual voices in the 

case study chapters.  I enjoyed being able to 

“hear” each of the authors individually.  Each 

chapter begins with an abstract, and the text 

is logically subdivided into major sections 

making it easy to follow.  Many chapters are 

illustrated with useful maps and attractive 

color images.  In many chapters detailed 

information is summarized in useful tables.  

At the end there is a detailed list of references, 

an index to species, and a general index.  This 

book would be good supplemental reading in 

a conservation or ethnobotany course, or the 

focus of a reading seminar.    

REFERENCES

Vavilov, N. I. 1951.  The Origin, Variation, Immunity 

and Breeding of Cultivated Plants.  Chronica Botanica 

13: 1-364. 

–Marshall D. Sundberg.  Kansas University 

Affiliate and Roe R. Cross Distinguished Pro-

fessor of Biology – Emeritus, Emporia State 

University.

Legumes of Arizona: An 

Illustrated Flora and Refer-

ence

Michelle M. McMahon, Matthew 

B. Johnson, Kirsten N. Lake, Mar-

tin F. Wojciechowski, and Mark W. 

Bierner (Editors)

2024. ISBN: 13-978-1889878-77-5

US$39.95 (flex bound); 540 pp.

University of Arizona

When one thinks of Arizona and botany, 

cacti usually come to mind. Legumes, 

however, should also rank highly, because 

these drought-resistant plants comprise a 

large number of the total plant species found 

in the state. With its high legume and cactus 

diversity, Arizona really is a unique place for 

botanists to explore.
While there are many excellent cactus field 

guides for the Southwest, until recently a 

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serious need still existed for an updated 

monograph on Arizona’s native and 

naturalized legumes. With many years in 

the making, this need is now met with the 

publication of Legumes of Arizona, edited by 

five legume experts from the University of 

Arizona, Arizona State University, and the 

Boyce Thompson Southwestern Arboretum. 

Contributing to the book are 44 authors, 28 

illustrators, 4 photographers, and countless 

others working behind the scenes. The editors 

are commended for their author and illustrator 

selections that have led to a collaborative, 

coherent, and comprehensive look at legumes.
Legumes of Arizona was written in 

collaboration with researchers at the Boyce 

Thompson Southwestern Arboretum in 

Superior, Arizona. The arboretum is the site 

of the Desert Legume Program (DELEP), 

founded over 30 years ago and managed by 

the University of Arizona Herbarium, School 

of Plant Sciences. The DELEP is well suited 

for Arizona because this area of the southwest 

supports a tremendous number of legumes, 

both native and naturalized. Legumes are 

adept at surviving in dry and drought-prone 

areas, and they are the most common flora 

in the Sonoran Desert (this desert includes 

Phoenix and Tucson).
A legume is a plant with seeds enclosed in a 

bean pod (think the common pea plant). New 

residents to Arizona will notice an abundance 

of legumes, especially in the spring as brightly 

colored flowers and differently shaped pea 

pods appear on trees and bushes. Much is 

known about the physiology of legumes since 

their roots are associated with nitrogen-fixing 

bacteria. This leads to high concentrations 

of nitrogen compounds like nitrates in the 

legumes’ tissues. Seeds are especially rich 

in protein since protein molecules require 

nitrogen for structure formation. This makes 

legumes an important agricultural crop, 

well-studied at the University of Arizona 

and around the world.
The text font of Legumes of Arizona is small 

in order to accommodate 540 pages of 

legume taxonomy, a glossary, reference list, 

an easy-to-use index, maps (some in color), 

and an abundance of large line drawings 

showing leaves, fruits, flowers, and more. 

The first several chapters focus on legumes 

and the geographic and biotic factors that 

have led to the success of these plants in 

the state. This also includes a short but rich 

history of mid- to late-1800s botany surveys 

and explorations in the area—a time when 

“American science” was growing across 

the nation. The reference list at the end of 

the book is helpful to science historians 

investigating early floristic publications 

on Arizona’s flora. After the 30-plus page 

introduction, the main objective of the 

book is presented: the means of identifying 

legumes in Arizona.
Descriptions of the legume species are 

arranged alphabetically by genus, and a 

dichotomous key is provided (the glossary 

is useful here for non-professionals). The 

descriptions for each legume includes 

notable localities of the species on a small 

Arizona distribution map. The scientific 

name is followed by the person(s) who 

originally identified and published the 

name of the legume. Blooming periods, as 

well as fruits, leaflets, flowers, seeds, and 

other plant characteristics are given in 

proper taxonomic terms. Unique traits that 

aid in the survival of legumes in the most 

arid of environments are most interesting.
The design of the book reflects upon an 

understanding of how readers might use 

the book. Legumes of Arizona is flex-bound; 

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it opens flat and stays flat. Small distribution 

maps accompany each legume species. The 

maps are divided into counties, and anyone 

not familiar with the Arizona’s counties can 

easily refer back to the inside cover where 

a large county map is printed. Unlike the 

introductory pages, the actual “field guide” 

part of the book is printed on glossless paper 

that holds up well to the penciling in of notes. 

At long last, Legumes of Arizona will serve 

as the guide for legumes in Arizona and in 

neighboring states. 
–Karen Wellner, PhD, Arizona State Univer-

sity, Center for Biology and Society; Karen.

Wellner@asu.edu

Living with the Trees of 

Life: A Practical Guide 

to Rebooting the Planet 

Through Tropical Agricul-

ture and Putting Farmers 

First (ed 2) 

Roger R. B. Leakey

2024. ISBN: 978-1800624986 

US$40.00 (paper); 250 pp. 

CABI, Boston, MA

The theme of this book is that “agriculture 

needs to shift from environmental culprit to 

environmental, social, and economic savior” 

while intensifying production to serve an 

ever-growing human population. The means 

to do this is not to expand the Western practice 

of the green revolution into the tropics, but 

rather to apply the principles of agroforestry, 

championed by the author for more than 40 

years, to small landowners throughout the 

tropics.  
One of the chief obstacles to acceptance is 

the Western scientific/agricultural myth that 

indigenous crops are “famine food” suitable 

only when mass-produced field crops are not 

available. Furthermore, indigenous peoples do 

not have the training and expertise required 

for intensive food production. Throughout 

the book the author confronts these myths 

with experimental evidence to the contrary. In 

fact, today Africa and Asia have more colleges 

and universities offering degree programs 

in Agroforestry than all of the developed 

countries combined, and Latin America has 

more than the U.S. 
Leakey concedes that implementation of the 

green revolution “works” for monocultures 

of starchy crops in affluent countries that 

can afford the required chemical and water 

inputs.  However, these techniques are not 

effective in tropical countries and furthermore 

cannot provide well-rounded nutrition. His 

background in botany and forestry led him to 

redefine Agroforestry beyond simple timber 

production and fruit and nut plantations. 

Rather, he defines it as “a dynamic, ecologically 

based natural resources management system 

that, through the integration of trees in farms 

and in the landscape, diversifies and sustains 

production for increased social, economic 

and environmental benefits for land uses at all 

levels.” 
The first step is to discover “Cinderella trees,” 

indigenous trees recognized by local peoples 

for their fruits, seeds, oils, medicinal products, 

timber and/or ability to improve the soil as a 

“fertilizer tree.”  More than 25 tree species, 

ignored by science, have been targeted for 

potential domestication.  These were chosen 

by the indigenous people who also identified 

desirable traits for each. In a comparison of 

the nutritional values of the top two trees 

for West Africa—Dacryodes edulis fruit and 

Irvingia ganonensis seeds—with maize, rice, 

and cassava, levels of carbohydrate from the 

trees were one-half to one-third that obtained 

from the grains or tubers, but available fats/

oils, protein, and fiber were an order of 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

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magnitude (or more) greater from the trees.  

Crop diversification, through Agroforestry, 

not only improves nutritional quality but also 

ecological diversity and soil fertility—two of 

several resulting ecosystem services.  The key 

to the process is that the local farmers control 

the process, not only in choosing the initial 

trees, but selecting from offspring.
Contrary to the genetic approach to scientific 

breeding that dominates industrialized 

agriculture, Agroforestry depends on 

vegetative reproduction.  Trees present a 

special problem for breeders because of their 

prolonged juvenile period—sometimes taking 

a decade or more before the first flowers 

are produced.  Meticulous experiments on 

rooting stem cuttings have led to a five-step 

protocol that proved successful for all of the 

species of concern, is inexpensive, and can be 

performed by the local farmers.  The latter, 

again, is key.  Non-mist propagating chambers 

are essentially overgrown terraria.  Rooting 

hormone (auxin) is applied to the proximal 

end of a single-leaf softwood cutting.  Cutting 

location on the donor plant is a significant 

factor in determining reproductive maturity of 

the cutting.  In one experiment, using a single 

donor tree, not only the years to eventual 

fruiting of the cutting (2–15 years), but also the 

eventual height reached by the cutting when it 

begins to flower can be predicted.  Thus, there 

is potential variation within a single plant 

as well as between different stock plants.  A 

final factor is the stock plant environment, 

especially light quality and shading effects.  

The farmer can now choose, improve, and 

propagate desirable stock for his farm or to 

share with neighbors. 
In several case studies from different countries 

around the world, farmers have reached 

self-sufficient levels of production for their 

family within 2 to 3 years.  At this point they 

can focus on marketable fruit production or 

becoming a commercial nursery for other 

farmers.  In either case the income begins 

to increase the farmer’s social and economic 

capital. In agriculture, domestication and 

commercialization tend to go hand in hand.  

This is particularly true for processing and 

marketing fruits that typically have short 

shelf lives.  As with most topics in the book, 

the author notes both associated positive and 

negative aspects—in this case, a two-page 

table listing the social, marketing, and natural 

resource qualities that determine the positive 

and negative impacts of commercializing 

indigenous fruits and nuts. 
The last few chapters identify some of the 

“ups and downs” affecting the adoption of 

Agroforestry around the world.  The good 

news focuses on new tree crops brought 

into production and recognition of the 

multifunctional nature of agriculture. For 

instance, the recognition that deforestation 

and land degradation have major impacts 

on crop yield, hunger, malnutrition, social 

deprivation, and poverty.  A major negative 

is that the grass-roots approach espoused by 

Leakey, which has not only been successful in 

identifying and introducing new crops, but 

in improving the lives of small farmers and 

the economy of local villages and countries, 

is being displaced by research stations and 

scientists in multinational corporations.  Only 

slowly is indigenous knowledge becoming 

recognized by science (Levis et al., 2024).  

The “convenient truths” summarized by the 

author in the final chapter are that we have 

the knowledge and experience for improving 

agriculture “in ways that can help to mitigate 

the consequences of our profligate lifestyle. A 

lack of the political will to use this knowledge, 

however, remains a dominant ‘inconvenient 

truth’ hindering the salvation of our planet.”

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This book is for everyone who realizes there 

is a conflict among food security, human 

well-being, and environmental sustainability 

and is looking for resolution. Leakey uses 

his professional career as a tropical botanist/

forester to scaffold this readable account of 

the potential for Agroforestry to provide that 

resolution.  Each of the 15 chapters begins 

with an abstract and concludes with endnotes 

and a substantial list of further readings.  It 

is accessible to any intelligent reader with an 

interest in environmental sustainability and 

would be an excellent focus for stimulating 

seminar discussions at any level.

REFERENCES

Levis,  C.,  J.  S.  Rezende,  J.  P.  L.  Barreto,  S.  S.  Bar-

reto, F. Baniwa, C. Sateré-Mawé, F. Zuker, et al. 2024.  

Indigenizing  conservation  science  for  a  sustainable 

Amazon: Dialogues between Western and Indigenous 

systems are critical. Science 386: 1229–1232.

—Marshall D. Sundberg.  Kansas Univer-

sity Affiliate and Roe R. Cross Distinguished 

Professor of Biology – Emeritus, Emporia State 

University.

Malayan Orchid Review 2024 Annual, 

Volume 58

K. Gopalan (Editor)

2024. ISSN: 0219-7677

$14.80 (shipping free); 88 pp.

Orchid Society of South East Asia, Robinson Road,  

P. O. Box 2363, Singapore 90363

The  Malayan Orchid Review (MOR) was 

founded in 1931 by the Malayan Orchid 

Society (established 1928 in Singapore). 

Volume I (1931–1933) has three annual 

issues. The second volume spans 1934 to 

1938. Volume III started in 1940 and ended 

in 1941 because of the Japanese occupation. 

Publication resumed in 1949 with volume IV. 

After irregular publication during the 1950s 

and 1960s, MOR became an excellent regular 

annual orchid publication starting in the late 

1970s to early 1980s. In the late 1950s to early 

1960s, it introduced color, probably before all 

or most other orchid publications.
The current issue contains articles present 

in most orchid publications: Awards, New 

Hybrids, and orchid show accounts illustrated 

with too small photographs and barely 

recognizable images of people. 
Sad as they are, two obituaries on pages 39–

41 put on record individuals who served the 

Southeast Asia orchid community well. 
Four articles, containing helpful information 

regarding orchid cultivation in the area served 

by MOR, will benefit new and experienced 

growers. These articles by different authors on 

several orchids provide varied and interesting 

perspectives.
Two articles by different authors deal with 

breeding. One provides more general 

information about orchid breeding, for 

which Singapore is famous, having produced 

nearly 3500 hybrids (1.74% of the almost 

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194,500 world total; a very large proportion 

considering the small size and population 

of Singapore), starting with Papilionanthe 

Miss Joaquim (natural hybrid, 1893) and 

Spathoglottis Primrose (first human made 

hybrid, 1932). The second article concentrates 

on Dendrobium breeding in Indonesia. Both 

are well written, interesting, and informative. 
There are three taxonomic articles, with two 

by the same author. One describes a new 

Malaysian Tainia species.  Philippines Vanda 

species are covered in the second. Dendrobium 

macrostachyum is the subject of the third. All 

three articles should interest growers and 

breeders.
A personal travel account to Penang would not 

be missed if excluded. It invoked memories of 

my visit to Penang long ago. Photographs 2 

and 3 and some pictures on p. 55 are not of 

much use.
The checklist of orchids in Penang Hill 

Biosphere Reserve (pp. 56-65) is excellent 

orchid biogeography within the constraints of 

a relatively short article. I hope that a longer, 

more detailed paper will find its way into a 

peer-reviewed journal. 
That the Japanese occupation of Singapore 

during World War II was as harsh and cruel 

as the military could make it is well known 

(Corner, E. J. H., 1946, 1981; Holttum, 1953, 

1977; Arditti, 1990; Corner, J. K., 2013). Less 

well known are the “principled Japanese men 

of science”  described by E. J. H. Corner—for 

example, botanist, orchid scientist, professor, 

and general Kwan Koriba (Holttum, 1953, 

1977; Arditti, 1990); Marquis Yoshichika 

Tokugawa; and Hidezo Tanakadate. Their 

stories must be told. The article (pp. 66–70) 

about the legendary R. E. Holtum (Holttum, 

1953, 1977; Stearn, 1991) takes a stab at it and 

does it very well, but a more detailed treatise 

is needed to fully credit these honorable and 

humane wartime Japanese scientists whose 

actions bring to mind Dickens in Tale of Two 

Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the 

worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it 

was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of 

belief, it was the epoch of incredulity.…” They 

behaved exemplarily and wisely during an age 

of foolishness and an epoch of cruelty and 

incredulity. 
I have two criticisms of this article. First, 

it uses a weird system for citations in the 

text and references listing. It is confusing, is 

hard to follow, and does not provide enough 

information. Second, by citing what tries to 

pass itself as a legitimate book as reference 

22, it lends credulity to a yarn made of 

manufactured history, whole cloth, contrived 

factoids, and incorrect information (all 

debunked by all major orchid scientists) 

about an orchid, spun by authors who are 

neither orchid scientists nor part of the “age 

of wisdom,” but participants in “the age of 

foolishness” (Arditti and Hew, 2007).
Being an annual publication MOR is like a 

book that contains a collection of articles. It 

is excellently designed, beautifully produced, 

and almost well edited. Almost, because it 

does not use a uniform citation and reference 

format. I like it and recommend it.
Full disclosure: During 1969–2011 I visited 

Singapore frequently to engage in orchid 

research, and write a book and papers at the 

National University (with  P. N. Avadhani, C. 

S. Hew and the late A. N. Rao) and the Botanic 

Gardens (with T. W. Yam). Additionally, the 

Orchid Society of Southeast Asia elected me as 

a Fellow many years ago.

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REFERENCES

Arditti,  J.  1990.  Kwan  Koriba,  botanist  and  soldier. 

Gardens’ Bulletin  (Singapore  Botanic  Gardens)  42: 

1-17.
Arditti, J., and C. S. Hew. 2007. The origin of Vanda 

Miss Joaquim. In: K. M. Cameron, T. Kull and J. Ar-

ditti (eds.), Orchid biology, reviews and perspectives, 

vol. IX (pp. 261–309). The New York Botanical Gar-

den Press.
Corner, E. J. H. 1946. Japanese men of science in Ma-

laya during the Japanese occupation. Nature 158: 63.
Corner, E. J. H. 1981. The Marquis–A tale of Syonan-

to. Heinemann Asia, Singapore.
Corner,  J.  K.  2013.  My father in his suitcase. Land-

mark Books, Singapore.
Holttum. J. K. 1953. Orchids of Malaya. Government 

Printing Office, Singapore,
Holttum, R. E. 1977. A personal view of orchids. In: J. 

Arditti (ed.) Orchid biology. Reviews and perspectives, 

vol.  I  (pp.  15–24).  Cornell  University  Press,  Ithaca, 

New York.
Stearn, W. T. 1991. Richard Eric Holttum (1895-1990) 

botanist and religious thinker. The Linnean 7: 12-18

–Joseph Arditti, Professor Emeritus, Depart-

ment and Developmental and Cell Biology 

University of California, Irvine.

Oak Origins: From Acorns 

to Species and the Tree of 

Life

Andrew L. Hipp

2024. ISBN-13: 978-

0226823577

Hardcover, US$35.00. 288 pp.

The University of Chicago 

Press, Chicago, IL, USA 

From cradle to grave and beyond, the 

mighty oak tree provides many ecological 

and economic benefits. Small oak seedlings 

often provide browse for wildlife. Expansive 

canopies of mature oaks provide shade for 

critters and humans alike on a hot summer 

day. Wood from oak trees is strong, durable, 

liquid-tight, and has unique flavor profiles 

that all can be leveraged for barrel making to 

produce wine and whiskey. While we often 

think about the explicit values of oaks, we 

rarely stop to think about where our beloved 

trees came from. In a time when everyone is 

finding out ancestry for themselves and their 

pets, we should also consider the history of 

the flora that have, at least in part, driven the 

success and survival of humans and other 

animals for eons. Oak Origins: From Acorns 

to Species and the Tree of Life is a book by Dr. 

Andrew Hipp, the herbarium director and a 

senior scientist at The Morton Arboretum. 

The book is organized into nine chapters, 

including an introduction and epilogue. It 

includes a thoughtful foreword by Béatrice 

Chassé, an appendix of oak names, notes 

with citations for further reading about topics 

mentioned in each chapter, and a long list of 

all the literature cited within the book. 
Hipp begins by defining “What is an oak?” 

via many different classifications, ranging 

from the basic identifying characteristics 

of the genus Quercus to more complex 

interpretations of that question that focus on 

the evolutionary history of the genus and the 

intrinsic value that oaks provide for other life 

forms. This introductory chapter also provides 

some context regarding nomenclature, his use 

of the term “Tree of Life,” geological time, and 

climate. After the introductory chapter, more 

context is given in the chapter titled “Flowers 

and Acorns.” This chapter paints a picture of 

oaks throughout space and time, and focuses 

on how different sections of oaks flower, are 

pollinated, and produce acorns. Hipp stresses 

how oaks rely on scatter-hoarding squirrels, 

jays, humans, and even now extinct species, 

like passenger pigeons, to disperse and 

colonize new areas. 

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Discussions of species range overlap and 

interspecific pollination segue into the second 

and third chapters, which focus on variation 

and hybridization in oaks, respectively. 

Oaks are highly variable in their traits 

due to phenotypic and ecotypic plasticity, 

hybridization, or some other factors that drive 

variation in plant morphology. The second 

chapter discusses some of these causes of 

variation, starting with sun and shade leaves 

and working up to heritable traits that can 

be tested in common garden experiments. 

Charles Darwin’s observations and theory of 

descent with modification through variation 

and natural selection are cited to provide some 

context for future discussions of evolutionary 

ecology within the book. Hybrids are more 

heavily discussed in the third chapter, which 

also focuses on differentiating species within 

Quercus, the most diverse genus in North 

America. Like many other places in the 

book, Hipp shares stories of trees in his life to 

provide perspective for the scientific material 

he is conveying. In this chapter, he mentions 

the characteristics of the swamp white oak in 

his yard compared to the bur oak and white 

oak down the road from his house. All three 

are species that are considered “good species” 

due to their distinct characteristics, though 

they do have the ability to hybridize. This 

third chapter unpacks different definitions 

of species, making it more relatable to non-

botanists by citing examples of speciation in 

animals, namely humans. Ultimately, Hipp 

concludes that the oak Tree of Life is “riddled 

with interconnections,” which he elaborates 

on in subsequent chapters. 
The origins of the family Fagaceae and genus 

Quercus are explored in the fourth and 

fifth chapters. Hipp paints a picture of the 

Cretaceous and the advent of Fagaceae and 

other angiosperms that were supporting new 

life that gymnosperms could not support. 

Though the content may be a bit dense for 

non-botanists, Hipp does a good job of 

explaining terms as he weaves through the 

phylogenetic tree of clades and history of 

scientific research based on the fossil record 

and oak phylogenetics. The genus Quercus 

did not arise overnight, but rather over a long 

period of time in response to natural selection 

and changes in climate. Chapter six delves 

into the oak genome, relating it to the creation 

of “Pharaoh’s Dance,” a musical track that was 

composed from a bunch of spliced recording 

fragments. Hipp elaborates on the linkage 

maps and oak genomics research that have 

been created, primarily since the mid- to late-

1900s. In the chapter on oak communities, 

Hipp reminisces about his travels to study oaks 

worldwide and recalls research from other 

oak enthusiasts to describe the cooccurrence 

of oaks within ecosystems. He describes how 

“oaks are champions of convergence” and 

how two very different and distantly related 

oak species can have similar traits that have 

evolved independently over time, which 

cause them to prefer similar habitats. Though 

these distinct species share some traits, they 

typically do not share the same pests and 

pathogens, which reduces spread of health 

problems within an ecosystem. The same 

concept largely applies to beneficial insects 

and fungi, which contributes to the overall 

diversity within an ecosystem. 
The last chapter, Epilogue, discusses oak 

adaptation and extinction. Though there are 

many oak species that have been negatively 

impacted in the Anthropocene, a bright 

light is the numerous conservation-oriented 

organizations that are working to conserve 

and preserve oak genetics around the 

world, with Hipp’s research at The Morton 

Arboretum contributing to this initiative. I 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

128

Saving Orchids: Stories 

of Species Survival in a 

Changing World

Philip Seaton and Lawrence W. 

Zettler

2025. ISBN-13: 978-0226839417 

(cloth); ISBN-13: 978-0226839424 

(e-book)

$35US; 320 pp.

The University of Chicago Press

Orchids became imperiled when European 

collectors were sent to faraway places to collect 

plants for wealthy growers who paid high 

prices for them. No one seemed to care about 

the pillaging and environmental destruction 

caused by the collectors. Population growth, 

poaching, and orchid habitat destruction 

threaten extinction of some orchids at present 

(Hansen, 2000;  https://www.cnyos.org/E%20

Hansen-letter.pdf ). This book deals with how 

to save orchids fromextinction.
Dendrophylax lindenii, the ghost orchid—

the poster child in the United States for this 

impeding tragedy—is used to open the book 

and set its tone. Its story is told well and 

interestingly by the authors and guest writers.  

A photograph on p. 20 of a sphinx moth 

pollinating its flowers brings to mind Darwin 

and Angraecum.

would be remiss to not include a note about 

the marvelous illustrations by Rachel Davis 

in the book, which bring the pages to life. 

Overall, this book is a fairly short, yet super 

informative, read for anyone interested in 

learning more about our beloved oak trees.   
–A.N. Schulz, Department of Forestry, Missis-

sippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi, 

USA

Most orchid books start by describing orchids. 

These chapters may be necessary but can get 

boring and tedious. Both are avoided in this 

book because, instead of the usual narrative, 

the authors present the subject in several 

separate articles within Chapter 2. This makes 

for easier, interesting, and even fun reading.  
A chapter inexplicably, and in my view 

inappropriately, named “The Way We Were” 

tells the story of collectors (and major 

horticultural establishments of the time 

who sent them to collect), the collecting, the 

damage caused by the “extraction of  hundreds 

of thousands of plants from the wild,” their 

importation (mostly) into England, and their 

fate there. The chapter is neither too long nor 

too detailed to overwhelm and bore the reader 

and not too short to be insufficient. It is just 

right in content, interestingly illustrated, well 

written, informative, and a good read. 
Several collectors (real or maybe not) wrote 

about their adventures (some actual and 

others perhaps not). It would have been good 

to refer more extensively to some of their 

stories. As it is, only one book by a collector 

is listed (Millican, 1891).  I have that book 

and three others (Burdett, 1930; MacDonald, 

1939; Löndorff, 1956) and highly recommend 

reading them even if only as adventure yarns. 

There are additional stories by collectors in 

the orchid literature.
Lessons in biogeography (Chapters 4–6) and 

taxonomy/nomenclature (Chapter 7) are 

interestingly  presented  and necessary in a 

book like this because they tell where orchids 

are found, which orchids are in danger of 

poaching or extinction, and, sadly, what name 

to use in a lament for an extinct species.
Conserving and saving orchids are daunting 

and not always undertaken when they should 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

129

be. I know, having observed several instances. 

One was of orchid plants left to die on trees 

felled to make land available for sugar cane 

cultivation on one of the Fiji Islands. Another 

was many years ago in Rangoon, Myanmar, 

where I saw a center where orchids removed 

from cut forest trees were taken, kept alive, 

made available for sale, and perhaps saved. 

More recently, I was present when orchid 

plants were placed on trees in Singapore as 

part of a restoration/repopulation program. 

Heavy equipment was involved, as was danger 

because snakes and biting insects and spiders 

lived in the trees. Fortunately, no one was 

harmed.
Information regarding successful restoration 

programs is important because it indicates 

that it can be done. Details are necessary since 

they show how to do it. That is why I think 

that Chapters 11 and 15 are important. They 

tell about several programs. 
The Singapore program conceived and carried 

out by my former post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Tim 

Wing Yam and his associates, is spectacularly 

successful. Of 155 presumed extinct species, 

62 were reintroduced and more than 40,000 

plants were placed in more than 40 different 

locations (nature areas, roadside trees, and 

parks). 
Most of the plants survived. Many of them 

flowered, were by natural vectors, and 

produced fruits and seeds. The seed became 

scattered, some germinated (Er et al., 2024; 

Yam, 2008, 2018, 2021; Yam and Arditti, 2018; 

Yam et al., 2007, 2010a, 2010b, 2011, 2016, 

2020, 2021; Yam and Weatherhead. 1988), and 

seedlings are growing well. This means that 

the natural life cycles of these species were 

restored and their population became self 

sustaining. The plants became part of the local 

ecology because ambush predators hid in 

them and preyed on their food sources (Yam 

et al., 2022). 
There are two more than casual problems with 

this book: 

• One is the use of small and smaller 

fonts throughout the book. This is es-

pecially bothersome in captions and 

the index. Decisions about fonts are 

made by publishers, not the authors. 

• The second problem is insufficient ref-

erences. The total number for the en-

tire book (p. 204, “Further reading”) 

is 24, 7 by the authors, and one which 

may well be either romantic  fascina-

tion by its author with a ruffian or fic-

tion, but certainly not science. A book 

like this one should have been thor-

oughly referenced, preferably with all 

available references  to allow for: (a) 

further study by readers, and (b) easy 

access to methods. The book is still 

good without enough references, but is 

less useful and seems not as scientific. 

To make up for the lack of enough ref-

erences, I added more citations than 

usual to this review.

• A third problem is personal because: 

(a) I spent extended periods of time in 

Singapore, (b) I observed how the pro-

gram is carried out, (c) I visited a large 

number of the locations where orchids 

were restored (including Grammato-

phyllum  plants on trees on the small 

offshore island Pulau Ubin), (d) I saw 

many of the species in full bloom in 

their new but ancient homes, and (e) 

Dr. Yam is my former post-doctoral 

fellow. The problem is real because the 

Singapore restoration/repopulation 

program is very successful. It should 

have been presented with references 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

130

in more detail with a thorough discus-

sion of the methods it used and the 

problems it faced and overcame for 

those who may wish to use this proven 

procedure in other locales. To correct 

for part of the problem, I added details 

and references to this review.

Because of their beauty and complexity, 

orchids enrich their natural habitats. They 

play important roles in the ecology of the 

areas where they exist. One example are the 

predators that hide in orchids (see above). 

Orchids also serve as food or beverage in 

some cultures, such as salep. Several orchids 

are national flowers in a number of countries, 

as Guarianthe skinneri is in Costa Rica. Many 

orchids are used as medicinal herbs. There 

are additional uses (Chapter 9). Altogether 

there are many reasons to conserve and save 

orchids (Chapter 8). This book is important 

because it: 

• discusses why many orchids are in 

danger (Chapter 10)

• elaborates on the reasons for conserv-

ing and saving them

• tells how to save and conserve
• provides examples of how it is being 

done (Chapter 11)

• points to the way forward (Chapters 

12–15, 17–19) 

• does all of it well. 

Despite the few problems I mentioned, this is 

a good book.

REFERENCES

Burdett, F. D. 1930. The odyssey of an orchid hunter. 

Herbert Jenkins Ltd., London.

Hansen, E. 2000. Orchid fever: A horticultural tale of 

love, lust and lunacy. Methuen Publishing, London.
Löndorff, E. 1956. The forest of fear. Souvenir Press, 

London.
MacDonald, N. 1939. The orchid hunters. A jungle ad-

venture. Farrar & Rinehart, New York.
Millican, A. 1891. Travels and adventures of an orchid 

hunter. Cassell & Company, Ltd., London.
Yam T. W. 2008. Conservation and re-introduction of 

the tiger orchid and other native orchids of Singapore. 

In: P. S. Soorae (ed.), Global re-introduction perspec-

tives. re-introduction case-studies from around the 

globe (pp. 261–265). IUCN/SSC Re-introduction Spe-

cialist Group, Abu Dhabi, UAE.  
Yam, T. W. 2018. Conservation, propagation and re-

introduction of two-colored Cymbidium orchid in 

Singapore.  In:  P.  S.  Soorae  (ed.),  Global reintroduc-

tion perspectives: 2018. Case studies from around the 

globe (pp. 238–242). Gland, Switzerland: IUCN/SSC 

Reintroduction Specialist Group and Abu Dhabi, UAE: 

Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi.
Yam, T. W. 2021. Arundina graminifolia and Spatho-

glottis plicata, two common orchids in Tengah. Gar-

denwise 56: 7–10.
Yam T. W., P. Ang and F. Tay. 2016. Rediscovery and 

reintroduction of Robiquetia spathulata in Singapore. 

Gardenwise 46: 22–24.
Yam, T. W., P. Ang and F. Tay. 2020. Successful Rein-

troduction of native orchids to Zhenghua Nature Park. 

Malayan Orchid Review 54: 78-83.
Yam, T. W., P. Ang, and F. Tay. 2021. Conservation and 

re-introduction of red horntail orchid, a nationally ex-

tinct orchid species in Singapore. In: P. S. Soorae (ed.), 

Global reintroduction perspectives: 2020. Case stud-

ies from around the globe (pp. 350–353). IUCN/SSC 

Reintroduction Specialist Group.
Yam, T. W., and J. Arditti. 2018. Orchid Micropropa-

gation: An Overview of Approaches and Methodolo-

gies. Pp. 151-178. In: Y. I. Lee, and E. C. Yeung (eds.), 

Orchid propagation: from laboratories to greenhouses 

– methods and protocols. Springer Protocols Hand-

books.           
Yam, T. W., J. Arditti and N. Anghelescu, 2022. Preda-

tors in orchids. Orchids 91: 820-933.   

 Yam, T. W., T. Aung, P. K. F. Leong and S. Chan. 2007. 

Galeola nudifolia - an extinct orchid. Gardenwise 29: 

8-9

PSB 71 (2) 2025

131

Yam, T. W., P. K. F. Leong, P.T. Chew, D. Liew and 

W. K. H. Ng. 2010a. Bulbophyllum pulchellum: Redis-

covering and conserving a ‘lost’ orchid of Singapore. 

Malayan Orchid Review 44:109-112
Yam, T. W., P. K. L Leong, D. Liew, P.T. Chew and W. 

K. H. Ng. 2010b. The re-discovery & conservation of 

Bulbophyllum singaporeanum. Gardenwise, 35: 14–17.
Yam, T. W., P. K. F. Leong, D. Liew, P.T. Chew, S. Teo 

and W.  K.  H.  Ng.  2011.  Presumed  nationally  extinct 

orchid unveiled by a storm: Bromheadia alticola. Gar-

denwise. 37: 14-16.
Yam T. W. and M.A. Weatherhead. 1988. Germination 

and seedling development of some Hong Kong orchids. 

I. Lindleyana 3: 156-160.

–Joseph Arditti, Professor of Biology Emeritus, 

Department of Developmental and Cell Biol-

ogy, University of California, Irvine. 

A Splendour of Succulents 

& Cacti 

Caroline Ball

2023. ISBN-13: 9781851245970 

US$25 (Hardcover); 144 pp.

Bodleian Library, University of 

Oxford

Cacti and succulents 

have long fascinated both 

professional and amateur botanists. They 

combine survival in extreme environments, 

ecological importance, and exhibition of 

tremendous diversity. One trip to the Sonoran 

Desert in Arizona to see the Saguaro cacti was 

enough to convince me of their intriguing 

beauty.
This book is a handsomely illustrated work 

that combines botanical history with cultural 

exploration, focusing particularly on the 

historical illustrations from the 18th-century 

German botanist Johann Wilhelm Weinmann. 

The book traces how cacti and succulents have 

fascinated humans throughout history. 

The author discusses their practical and 

medicinal uses in as well as some current 

scientific research. An example of the latter 

is research on CAM (Crassulacean Acid 

Metabolism), an adaptation that allows cacti 

to survive in extremely dry environments 

by time-shifting when they collect carbon 

dioxide during photosynthesis.
The last chapter offers recommendations on 

where to see cacti and succulents. In North 

American, the author offers Saguaro National 

Park and the Sonoran Desert Museum in 

Arizona and the Huntington Desert Garden 

in California. Of course, the great botanical 

gardens, such as Kew Royal Gardens in 

England, have fabulous collections of these 

plants. One minor critique: the book lacks an 

index, which would have been helpful.
This book will appeal to multiple audiences: 

garden enthusiasts, botanical historians, 

and other amateur botanists. The author’s 

approach combines scientific understanding 

with aesthetic appreciation of these interesting 

plants.
–John Z. Kiss, Florida Institute of Technology, 

Melbourne, FL 

Tropical Arctic: Lost Plants, 

Future Climates, and 

the Discovery of Ancient 

Greenland

Jennifer McElwain, Marlene Hill 

Donnelly, and Ian Glasspool

2021. ISBN 978-0226534435

US$30 (Cloth); 152 pp. 

University of Chicago Press

This book intertwines paleobotany and art to 

reconstruct and depict the Mesozoic forests 

of Greenland. These forests were affected 

by dramatic climate change that drove the 

global mass extinction event at the close of 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

132

the Triassic. Reconstructing their collapse 

and recovery informs, and is informed by, 

our understanding of modern forests and 

the consequences of current climate change. 

Throughout the book, the authors incorporate 

discussion of scientific methodology and 

artistic techniques that encourage the reader 

to see scientific phenomena in a new way. This 

book will be a compelling read for anyone who 

has an interest in paleobiology, forest ecology, 

the Mesozoic, botanical art, or climate change. 
This book begins with the story of the authors’ 

scientific expedition to Greenland in 2002. 

The descriptions and images of the arctic 

landscape and modern vegetation emphasize 

the remoteness of the area, as does the 

discussion of some of the challenges faced 

by the team, including injury and expense. 

The authors describe the geologic age, the 

type of fossil preservation, and the nature 

of the environments represented in their 

collection beds and discuss their approach 

to fossil sampling. They also describe their 

methods for reconstructing both individual 

plants and the ancient ecosystem. Overall, 

this chapter provided an excellent overview 

of paleobotanical fieldwork, and it feels like a 

behind-the-scenes look at facets of this work 

that are not always described in print. 
In the next three chapters, the authors 

describe their reconstructions of the forests 

of Greenland, beginning in the Triassic 

and continuing into the Jurassic. Uniquely, 

this is addressed through a discussion of 

how plant species, traits, and ecological 

phenomena, which are understood through 

scientific methods, can be depicted through 

art. For example, in the chapter discussing 

Triassic forests, the authors discuss complex 

concepts such as “longevity,” “fertility,” and 

“complexity” as they apply to the forests of 

ancient Greenland, including how they can 

be defined in a scientific sense and accurately 

conveyed through art. The text is accompanied 

by images of sketches, paintings, and models 

created as part of this project. Many of the 

illustrations are close-up images of pertinent 

sections of a larger work depicting a dense 

Triassic forest filled with woody trees and 

ferns. The full reconstruction is revealed as a 

stunning double-page spread at the end of the 

chapter. This strategy is repeated in the next 

two chapters, as well. 
In Chapter Three, the authors describe the 

transition between the Triassic and Jurassic, 

which was marked by global mass extinction. 

This chapter focuses on the impact of global 

forces on the ecosystems represented by the 

sampled fossil beds, including a fern spike that 

is revealed by both leaf and spore data. Again, 

biological phenomena are discussed through 

the lens of how these might be depicted in 

art. For example, the authors discuss how 

exposure to sulfur dioxide affects modern 

plants and how this can be illustrated in their 

depictions of the plants recovered from their 

field site.  
Finally, the authors describe the recovery of 

forests in the Jurassic, discussing how Jurassic 

forests differed in abiotic characteristics 

and species composition. This chapter also 

includes sections that address fundamental 

concepts such as the carbon cycle and geologic 

dating. Ultimately, the authors explicitly 

address how information gleaned from the 

study of the Triassic to Jurassic boundary 

informs our understanding of current climate 

change and the potential response of extant 

plants. They provide an excellent and timely 

argument for the importance of ecological 

and botanical research and how knowledge 

of the past informs our understanding of the 

future.

PSB 71 (2) 2025

133

At the end of the book, the authors include an 

appendix they call “A Fossil Plant Gallery” with 

14 brief descriptions of relevant fossil taxa, such 

as Czekanowskia, Equisetites, and Lepidopteris. 

These discussions of identifying traits, history 

of discovery, and the taxonomy of these fossils 

are accompanied by representative images. As 

I was reading the book, I often wished that the 

authors had included a photo of the fossil to 

accompany the text instead of, or in addition 

to, this appendix, but the comprehensiveness 

of the appendix is very useful and is a highlight 

of the book. If I was reading the book again, I 

might begin with this appendix. There is also 

a comprehensive list of references for further 

reading and an index.  
This book packs a lot of information into a 

concise and visually attractive package. The 

chapters are divided into sub-sections with 

titles such as “fertility,” “color and light,” and 

“resilience” that pique the reader’s interest 

and make it easy to read in sections if time or 

attention span is limited. The chapters include 

enough background information about 

basic scientific concepts to be accessible to a 

general, educated audience. The discussion 

of botanical art and illustrations should draw 

in anyone with an interest in art or science 

communication. Further, the discussion of the 

forest reconstructions and descriptions of fossil 

plants are detailed and thought-provoking. 

This book would serve as an excellent addition 

to reading lists for university classes covering 

relevant topics, and I will likely assign it my 

Plant Evolution course. It is also a beautiful 

book full of intricate and complex illustrations 

that would add to any home or office library. 
–Mackenzie Taylor, Creighton University 

When the Earth was 

Green: Plants, Animals, 

and Evolution’s Greatest 

Romance

Riley Black

2025. ISBN: 978-1250288998

US$29 (Paperback); 304 pp. 
St. Martin’s Press

Plant–animal interactions 

are incredibly important, with the plant 

partner often being severely underappreciated 

by non-botanists. In “When the Earth was 

Green: Plants, Animals, and Evolution’s 

Greatest Romance”, Riley Black attempts 

to highlight these interactions for a broad 

audience from the perspective of the plant. 

Black is a paleontologist and author, likely 

most well-known for her book “The Last Days 

of the Dinosaurs” and popular press articles. 

In this book, they highlight unique plant–

animal interactions throughout the geological 

time record by painting pictures of 15 unique 

instances, from 1.2 billion years ago until the 

end of the last ice age. 
Black sets the stage of each chapter with a 

title, time, and location, while her evocative 

prose describes the scene in detail. The 

focus of each chapter is on either a major 

evolutionary innovation (e.g., sexual 

reproduction) or iconic extinct species from 

that time period, including some scientific 

names and descriptions, as well as slightly 

anthropomorphized anecdotes from the 

perspective of individuals of these species. 

Each chapter also includes illustrations of the 

major characters by Kory Bing. I can see why 

some would find this writing style and overall 

approach appealing, but I personally found it 

a bit distracting, and it was sometimes difficult 

to discern fact from fiction. 

PSB 71 (2) 2025

134

Although plants are highlighted more than 

many popular science books, I still found 

this work to be a bit animal-centric. Some of 

the chapter themes are a bit nebulous or lack 

aspects of basic botany that might benefit 

readers. For example, Chapter 6 (“In Bloom”) 

briefly discusses flowers, then focuses more 

on seed dispersal, and overall it misses the 

opportunity to explain what flowers and fruits 

actually are in the botanical sense. Chapter 

8 (“Rainforests and Revival”) mentions 

pollination but again does not provide 

explanations for those who are not familiar 

with pollination, while Chapter 11 (“Partners 

in Pollination”) discusses bats as pollinators, 

but more in terms of floral attraction 

and rewards. There were also some small 

inaccuracies that might bother a botanical 

expert, such as referring to “Ginkgo fruits.” 

Each chapter has a corresponding appendix 

at the end of the book that dives more into 

the scientific background and some of the 

author’s reasoning for choosing each topic, as 

well as a references section at the very end that 

includes citations for each chapter. 
I found the Introduction and Conclusion 

sections more compelling, as the author 

discusses some of their own experiences as 

a paleontologist and queer individual and 

extending perspectives on plant resiliency and 

diversity to the human condition. I think that 

this book could be a good fit for those desiring 

science fit in with vivid depictions of imagery, 

but it may not be meant for those with more 

substantial backgrounds in botany or looking 

to learn about plant evolution in detail.
–Nora Mitchell, Department of Biology, Uni-

versity of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, Eau Claire, 

Wisconsin, USA

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mission  is to: promote botany, the 

field of basic science dealing with 

the study & inquiry into the form, 

function, development, diversity, 

reproduction, evolution, & uses of 

plants  &  their  interactions  within 

the biosphere.

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LI-COR and Multiphase Flash are registered trademarks of LI-COR, Inc. 

in the United States and other countries. 

You share your research stories in scientific journals, and the LI-6800 is designed to safeguard 
the collection and quality of publishable data. Automated adjustments of experimental 
parameters combined with stable control of non-experimental parameters empower you to test 
hypotheses with high confidence.

The LI-6800 features novel advancements not found in any other photosynthesis system:

•  Aquatic measurements—CO₂ gas exchange from algae and other aquatic samples.

•  Multiphase Flash™ Fluorometer—flash intensity of up to 16,000 µmol m

-2

 s

-1

.

•  Dynamic Assimilation™ Technique—faster CO₂ response curves.

The LI-6800 is the global standard for photosynthetic gas exchange and chlorophyll a 
fluorescence measurements.