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Lithothamnion mirabile is currently considered a heterotypic synonym of L. muelleri. Three of the 14 specimens and additional fragments comprising the holotype of L. mirabile were selected for DNA sequencing as they best matched the protologue. The three 263-base pair rbcL sequences were distinct from each other, and were classified in the order Hapalidiales, but none were resolved in Lithothamnion. One sequenced specimen belongs in Roseolithon and was selected as the lectotype; thus we propose R. mirabile (Foslie) comb. nov. Another sequenced specimen groups with Phymatolithopsis and the third is well resolved in an undescribed genus of Hapalidiales sister to Boreolithothamnion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Dendrophorbium occurs in South America with one species known from the Caribbean. Despite recent advances in taxonomy and phylogeny, there is a still lack of molecular studies on the delimitation and identification of the genus. Dendrophorbium is known to occupy a wide range of ecosystems mostly restricted to subtropical montane forests and montane scrub vegetation of the central Andes. In this study, a review of the species occurring in Peru is presented, in addition to material examined at different herbaria. The new combination D. ligulatum which is separated from D. yalusay, and the new species, D. arachnoideum is described from the department of Huánuco in central Peru. The species are assessed using the standards of the IUCN and additional notes are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a collection housed at LWG (Herbarium of CSIR–National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India), collected by Singh et al. on 25 June 2017 from Nagaland state of India, Pouzolzia friisii A.Gupta & V.Wagh sp. nov. (Urticaceae) is described and illustrated. The species resembles Pouzolzia sanguinea var. fulgens, P. niveotomentossa and P. australis in its serrated leaf margins and the indumentum on the abaxial leaf surface however, P. friisii is quite distinct in its grayish or pale yellowish indumentum, 4‐merous sessile male flowers and densely pubescent fruiting perianths without wings and ribs. A detailed description, illustration, distribution map, and information on ecology, as well as phenology are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This synopsis of Monimiaceae in the Brazilian Amazon provides illustrations, an identification key, the diagnosis and comments on the taxonomy and conservation status of the species. Data were collected from both physical and virtual herbaria as well as from relevant literature in order to compile information on morphological characteristics, geographic distribution and conservation status. Six species of Mollinedia are found in the Brazilian Amazon, including our proposal to reinstate Mollinedia krukovii, and a new record of Mollinedia repanda for Brazil. Mollinedia ptariensis is considered a synonym of M. repanda in this study. Macropeplus was previously reported for this biome but is now being excluded because it resulted from an incorrect identification. Furthermore, we document new occurrences of five species across various states within the Amazon. With respect to the risk of extinction, four species are categorized as ‘least concern' and two species remain formally non‐assessed. An initial regional assessment is presented in this work for the species not yet evaluated. In our preliminary assessment, M. krukovii was considered as presenting insufficient data for a risk assessment and Mollinedia grazielae was assessed as endangered. Overall, this study underscores the Amazon forest as the second largest center of richness of Monimiaceae species in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to clarify the taxonomy of Loxanthocereus riomajensis, as well as to understand its actual and potential geographic distribution, and to present its conservation status. Specialized literature was reviewed, and field visits were conducted. The collected data, including herbarium samples, presence records, and additional information, were used to describe the species in detail, create a geographical distribution map, generate potential distribution models using the MaxEnt algorithm, and assess its conservation status using IUCN considerations. The results demonstrate that morphologically, L. riomajensis is an independent species endemic to the departament of Arequipa, found in the provinces of Condesuyos and Caylloma, spanning an altitudinal range from 1600 to 2100 m asl. The potential distribution covers an area of 1135.3 km², in the provinces of Condesuyos, Castilla, La Unión, Caravelí, Caylloma, and Arequipa. Regarding its conservation status, it is classified as endangered (EN). Finally, a lectotype is designated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of herbarium materials of the Ephedra dahurica Turcz. collected in the Torey Lakes region in different years has revealed the morphological variability of its pollen grains. An inverse relationship has been established between the development of the number of pseudosulci and plicae (ridge) of pollen grains and the values of temperature and humidity during the growing season. During wet seasons, the plant produces pollen grains with few pseudosulci. The number of pseudosulci increases during dry and cool growing seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lines separating native and invasive plant species can be thin due to close relatedness, obscured by cryptic invasions, or breached by hybridization. Past work suggests these phenomena are especially prevalent in aquatic systems. This could arise from strong filters imposed by aquatic environments magnifying the importance of 'preadaptation'—non‐native species succeeding where closely related native species occur due to shared traits. If so, there should be stronger signals of preadaptation in aquatic than terrestrial plant invasions, with implications for management.I tested for stronger influence of preadaptation in aquatic than terrestrial invasions by comparing relatedness of invasive and native species in aquatic versus terrestrial flora of the Midwestern USA using herbarium records and taxonomic and phylogenetic analyses. I predicted that aquatic species would constitute an evolutionarily distinct subset of plants; aquatic invaders would be more closely related, taxonomically and phylogenetically, to native aquatic plants than terrestrial invaders are to their native counterparts; and aquatic invaders from the Midwest's primary donor region (the Palearctic) would be more closely related to Midwestern species than are Palearctic aquatic plants that are not invasive in the Midwest.Findings supported the evolutionary legacy of adaptation to aquatic environments being reflected in thin lines separating invasive and native aquatic plants. Aquatic species constituted an evolutionarily distinct subset of plants, and invasive aquatic plants were more closely related to native aquatic plants (taxonomically and phylogenetically) than terrestrial invaders were to terrestrial native species.Additionally, aquatic plants of the Palearctic that are invasive in the Midwest were more closely related to Midwestern natives (phylogenetically, but not taxonomically) than were their non‐invasive counterparts, reinforcing the role of preadaptation.Synthesis and applications: Thin lines separating native from invasive aquatic plants pose challenges for response efforts. For resource managers, the prevalence of cryptic invasions requires dedicated, robust approaches to surveillance. For outreach, finer distinctions between native and invasive necessitate nuanced approaches to communication and education. And when control is needed, it should be implemented cautiously to minimize nontarget impacts to close native relatives, but thoroughly enough to prevent native relatives being displaced by competition and/or introgression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf area varies within and between species, and previous work has linked this variation to environment and evolutionary history. However, many previous studies fail to examine both these factors and often are data‐limited.To address this, our study developed a new workflow using machine learning to automate the extraction of leaf area from herbarium collections of Australian eucalypts (Eucalyptus, Angophora and Corymbia). This dataset included 136,599 measurements, expanding existing data on this taxon's leaf area by roughly 50‐fold. Our methods were validated using field standard metrics of accuracy, and comparisons to manual measurements both from the present study and existing datasets.With this dataset for the eucalypt clade, we observed positive relationships between leaf area and mean annual temperature and precipitation similar to those reported for the global flora. However, these relationships were not consistently observed within species, potentially due to gene flow suppressing local adaptation. When we examined these relationships at different phylogenetic levels, the slope of trait–climate associations within lineages converged towards the overall eucalypt slope at shallow phylogenetic scales (5–12 MY), suggesting that effects of gene flow relax just above the species level.The strengthening of trait–climate correlations at evolutionary scales just beyond the intraspecific level may represent a widespread phenomenon across various traits and taxa. Future studies can unveil these relationships with the larger sample sizes of new trait datasets generated through machine learning.Synthesis. Using machine learning, researchers are able to confirm current positive global relationships between leaf area and mean annual temperature and precipitation. Additionally, they were able to take this a step further and examine how it changes across time. Here they saw that at roughly 5–12 million years ago in the phylogenetic tree, the trait–climate slope begins to show significantly less variation. Overall, the study shows the potential of machine learning in ecology, with exciting new potential findings with its use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Plants synthesize natural products via lineage‐specific offshoots of their core metabolic pathways, including fatty acid synthesis. Recent studies have shed light on new fatty acid‐derived natural products and their biosynthetic pathways in disparate plant species. Inspired by this progress, we set out to develop tools for exploring the evolution of fatty‐acid derived products. We sampled multiple species from all major clades of euphyllophytes, including ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms (monocots and eudicots), and we show that the compositional profiles (though not necessarily the total amounts) of fatty‐acid derived surface waxes from preserved plant specimens are consistent with those obtained from freshly collected tissue in a semi‐quantitative and sometimes quantitative manner. We then sampled herbarium specimens representing 57 monocot species to assess the phylogenetic distribution and evolution, of two fatty acid‐derived natural products found in that clade: beta‐diketones and alkylresorcinols. These chemical data, combined with analyses of 26 monocot genomes, revealed a co‐occurrence (though not necessarily a causal relationship) between whole genome duplication and the evolution of diketone synthases from an ancestral alkylresorcinol synthase‐like polyketide synthase. Limitations of using herbarium specimen wax profiles as proxies for those of fresh tissue seem likely to include effects from loss of epicuticular wax crystals, effects from preservation techniques, and variation in wax chemical profiles due to genotype or environment. Nevertheless, this work reinforces the widespread utility of herbarium specimens for studying leaf surface waxes (and possibly other chemical classes) and reveals some of the evolutionary history of fatty acid‐derived natural products within monocots. Significance Statement: Plant chemicals are key components in our food and medicine, and advances in genomic technologies are accelerating plant chemical research. However, access to tissue from specific plant species can still be rate limiting, especially for species that are difficult to cultivate, endangered, or inaccessible. Here, we demonstrate that herbarium specimens provide a semiquantitative proxy for the cuticular wax composition of their fresh counterparts, thus reducing the need to collect fresh tissue for studies of wax chemicals and suggesting the same may also be true of other plant chemical classes. We also demonstrate the utility of combining herbarium‐based plant chemical profiling with genomic analyses to understand the evolution of plant natural products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We here evaluate the conflicting recent splitter and lumper strategies concerning the generic classification system of the Eriocaulaceae, and whether Paepalanthus s.str. and its proposed segregate genera are morphologically recognizable. To this end, we examine evidence from inflorescence branching patterns, seed coat, and phylogeny in detail, and contrast circumscriptions of genera with the available data. We also indicate possible consequences of the proposed system for herbarium curators, keepers and users of large databases, and generalist users of identification keys. We argue that the morphological circumscriptions of Paepalanthus s.str. and of most of the other 11 segregate genera lack coherence. The majority of characters used as potential synapomorphies or in diagnoses are not sufficient to support the genera because they conflict with or do not represent the morphology of all the included species. The information regarding inflorescence branching patterns and seed coat are interpreted ambiguously or represent preliminary results, and some characters are known for only a limited number of species. Inflorescences are difficult to interpret in herbarium specimens, and the seed coat mostly requires SEM analysis for proper visualization, thus hindering identification. On the other hand, Paepalanthus s.l. can be identified by a combination of floral characters, as can the remaining genera of the family. We therefore endorse the recognition of Paepalanthus s.l. as a single, nomenclaturally stable, and monophyletic entity. This is the best‐fitting solution to reflect both evolutionary and morphological aspects of this recently diversified lineage. Finally, we provide a new identification key for the 7 genera of the Eriocaulaceae, characterizing Paepalanthus s.l. by floral characters that can be observed in any flowering specimen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interest in and significance of herbarium collections for the study of plant biodiversity and evolution has significantly expanded in recent decades due to the introduction of new technologies for large‐scale, automated digitization and the availability of new techniques for DNA sequencing. These innovative methods gave rise to new initiatives with the goal of compiling a sizable molecular and phenological data set. In light of the various national projects that are currently underway and driving the study of herbarium specimens for the purpose of understanding biodiversity loss and habitat shifts as a result of climate change and habitat destruction due to human activity. Here, we showcased a number of cutting‐edge research, mini‐reviews, and technical comments that demonstrate the ever‐growing range of applications for herbarium specimens. It examines the variety of applications for which herbarium specimens are employed, the primary users' profiles of herbarium collections, patterns and systematics of biodiversity, and the evolution of lineages and traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, there have been some reports on new species of the genus Luisia in Vietnam. There is disagreement among studies on the number of species in this genus. Our study gathers available documents and samples from herbariums in order to tally and classify them. Research results have recorded 13 species of the Luisia genus in Vietnam. The study also describes one taxon as a new species. A taxonomic key for the identification of all species of the Luisia genus known in Vietnam is also established. The study will be a useful reference for classification as well as the identification and description of new species belonging to the genus Luisia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Janusia is a South American genus of flowering plants. Most of its 15 described species are centered in Brazil, where they are found in diverse habitats across the Caatinga and Cerrado biomes, and a few other species can be found in the Atlantic Forest region. This paper describes Janusia longibracteolata, a new species endemic to semideciduous forests in the state of Bahia, Brazil, at elevations of 900 to 1000 m. This study was based on fieldwork and a study of herbarium collections, which resulted in photos, dried preserved material, and information about the new species and its environment. The most notable morphological characters that distinguish the new species are its subulate floral bracts and bracteoles, which are the largest known in the genus. This new species is described, illustrated, and compared with the other species in Janusia. This novelty underscores the need to preserve Bahia's remaining semideciduous forests and to increase botanical exploration in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent field expeditions to the Andes and herbarium research resulted in the discovery of a new species of Drymonia (Gesneriaceae). Drymonia tomentosa J.L.Clark & Clavijo is described from the western Andean slopes of northern Ecuador and southern Colombia. The new species is differentiated from other congeners by the presence of a tomentose indumentum on the stems, stout shoots, broadly oblong leaves, and calyx lobes with broadly rounded apices. Based on IUCN guidelines, a preliminary conservation status is assigned as Least Concern (LC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Understanding how plants respond to increasing atmospheric CO2 is crucial for predicting future climate interactions. However, the long-term effects of rising CO2 on plant physiology, especially in tropical regions, are not well known. To investigate this, we studied how a CO2 increase of about 95 ppm from 1927 to 2015 affected five tropical tree species in Fiji. We analysed historical leaf samples to measure the following two key traits: how efficiently the trees use water (intrinsic water-use efficiency) and the maximum rate of conductance through leaf pores (maximum stomatal conductance). Our results showed that the responses to rising CO2 varied significantly by species. Generally, the number of stomata on the leaves was more important than their size in determining the trees' response to higher CO2 levels. While photosynthesis is a major factor in improving the water-use efficiency, changes in stomatal conductance primarily drive this trend across different species. Trees that showed greater increases in the water-use efficiency also displayed a greater reduction in stomatal conductance. Overall, our study shows the importance of considering differences in the maximum stomatal conductance when predicting how different tree species will react to increasing CO2 levels. Understanding plant physiological response to a rising atmospheric CO2 concentration (ca) is key in predicting Earth system plant–climate feedbacks; however, the effects of long-term rising ca on plant gas-exchange characteristics in the tropics are largely unknown. Studying this long-term trend using herbarium records is challenging due to specimen trait variation. We assessed the impact of a ca rise of ~95 ppm (1927–2015) on the intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) and maximum stomatal conductance (gsmax) of five tropical tree species in Fiji using the isotopic composition and stomatal traits of herbarium leaves. Empirical results were compared with simulated values using models that uniquely incorporated the variation in the empirical gsmax responses and species-specific parameterisation. The magnitude of the empirical iWUE and gsmax response was species-specific, ranging from strong to negligible. Stomatal density was more influential than the pore size in determining the gsmax response to ca. While our simulation results indicated that photosynthesis is the main factor contributing to the iWUE gain, stomata were driving the iWUE trend across the tree species. Generally, a stronger increase in the iWUE was accompanied by a stronger decline in stomatal response. This study demonstrates that the incorporation of variation in the gsmax in simulations is necessary for assessing an individual species' iWUE response to changing ca. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hieracium is one of the largest flowering plant genera that has recently experienced a rapid evolutionary radiation. Due to the massive morphological variation among species, frequent hybridization, and polyploidization events, combined with apomictic reproduction in polyploids, the concept of species in Hieracium is widely debated, and species identification is incredibly challenging. Taxonomic investigation can lead to changes in conservation status or, in some cases, to de-extinctions of species. Taxa with doubtful classification are particularly sensitive to this kind of problem. Hieracium tolstoii was a narrow Italian endemic species that is nowadays considered extinct. Described as a morphological intermediate form between two other species, no further investigations were conducted after its first description. To clarify H. tolstoii's origin and ensure the validity of its current conservation status, we conducted a taxonomic investigation on herbaria specimens of the early XX century. Specimens were studied using a morphometric analysis that compared H. tolstoii with other closely related taxa. Moreover, we performed phylogenetic investigations using three plastid intergenic spacers to evaluate the relationship between species. Plastid markers revealed the presence of indels and SNPs in H. tolstoii sequences that differ from sequences of the supposed parental species. Morphometry revealed differences among species that led us to confirm the validity of H. tolstoii as an independent apomictic species and, therefore, unfortunately, its extinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise of research. Little is known about the establishment success of grasses after their introduction into new areas. Using herbarium data, we investigated temporospatial patterns in the survival, establishment, and spread of grasses introduced to eastern North America through solid ballast deposition from the pre-twentieth-century shipping trade. Methodology. We identified 95 grass species introduced to New Jersey via ballast deposition and used 2729 digitized and georeferenced plant specimens from 63 herbaria to quantify their establishment and dispersion. Anselin Local Moran's I measure of local spatial autocorrelation revealed the earliest and most recent areas of invasion by ballast grasses irrespective of collection intensity. Species' native ranges were used to evaluate the differential establishment and dispersion of species from different biogeographic realms. Pivotal results. Of all the species (95), 51% did not survive after ballast deposition ended (waifs), 8% died out shortly thereafter (short-term), and 41% became established in New Jersey. Of the established species, 41% are widespread (established-widespread), and 59% are still primarily found near shipping ports and railroads (established–limited spread). These species are mostly native to the Palearctic (77%; 44% to the Mediterranean and 33% to northern Europe), followed by the Neotropics (11%), the Afrotropics (10%), and the southeastern United States (4%). The establishment proportion for species native to more than one biogeographic region (72%) was four times greater than that for species native to a single region (18%). Additionally, 95% of established species, including all established-widespread species, are native to the Eastern Hemisphere. Conclusions. We present the first analysis of the establishment proportion for a large set of grasses introduced through a single vector to a single area. We show the impact of biogeographic origin on the establishment proportion of introduced grasses and highlight the utility of herbarium collections for studying nonnative species' history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iris sibirica is a threatened plant species of the Central European flora, but its distribution and vegetation ecology in Slovakia have not been studied so far. Therefore, we aimed to compile a complex chorology of this species and to analyse phytosociological plots with the species occurrence. Our results suggest that Iris sibirica occurs almost in the whole Slovakia, with two distributional centres situated in the south-western region (Pannonian bioregion) and in the southern regions of central Slovakia (Carpathian bioregion), but a higher proportion of recent records was identified in the Carpathians. Vegetation classification using the TWINSPAN algorithm divided 80 vegetation plots into 5 clusters. They were interpreted syntaxonomically as follows: i) Calthion palustris alliance, ii) Deschampsion cespitosae alliance, iii) Molinion caeruleae alliance, iv) vegetation of the successional stages and transitional status between wet meadows (Calthion palustris and Molinion caeruleae) and fens (Scheuchzerio palustris-Caricetea fuscae), and v) vegetation with a transitional status between hygrophilous, fen vegetation of the alliances Molinion caeruleae, Caricion davallianae, Caricion fuscae and mesic habitats. Variation in the species composition of vegetation plots, analysed using detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and interpreted using Ellenberg indicator values for vascular plants, showed a shift along the first DCA axis from taxa typical for nutrient-rich and shaded but thermophilic sites to taxa of open and relatively cold habitats on nutrient-poor soils. The second DCA axis corresponded to the moisture gradient, which controlled the pattern of plant species richness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims - Following detailed phylogenetic and biogeographic studies of the tribe Psoraleeae, the genus Psoralea L. was shown to have been derived out of Otholobium C.H.Stirt. As Psoralea has nomenclatural priority, Otholobium has been subsumed into Psoralea, whereby two broad subgeneric groups are aligned with the previous descriptions of the separate genera, but some problems of placement of a few species remain unresolved. Work is ongoing to study and describe the nearly 20 undescribed species that will have to be considered before sectional groups can be established. In this paper we describe ten new species, including several putative taxa already recognized in regional floras, based on historic specimens and more recent field collections. Material and methods - Standard practices of herbarium and field taxonomy have been applied to study herbarium material available at B, BLFU, BM, BOL, BR, E, GRA, J, JRAU, K, KEI, L, LE, LINN, M, MO, NBG, NH, NU, NY, OXF, P, PRA, PRC, PRE, PRU, S, SAM, SCHG, SRGH, TCD, Z, ZT, and US. Additional material was provided from fieldwork by the authors and collaborators. Key results - Ten new species of Psoralea from southern Africa are described: Psoralea crista C.H.Stirt. & Muasya, P. fulva C.H.Stirt. & Muasya, P. luteovirens C.H.Stirt. & Muasya, P. nubicola C.H.Stirt. & Muasya, P. oreopola C.H.Stirt., P. pallescens C.H.Stirt. & Muasya, P. papillosa C.H.Stirt. & Muasya, P. prompta C.H.Stirt. & Muasya, P. schutteae C.H.Stirt. & Muasya, and P. vlokii C.H.Stirt. & Muasya. Conclusion - The newly described species, all restricted to South Africa, increases the number of Psoralea species to 129. These species arise from expanded fieldwork into previously under-collected areas, as well as from better refinement in species delimitations in the leafless 'aphylla' and pinnately-leaved species complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new Checklist of hornworts (Anthocerotophyta) and liverworts (Marchantiophyta) of Slovenia within current political boundaries comprises 181 species, additional 4 subspecies and 2 varieties. Additional 5 species are denoted by a question mark since reports are considered questionable. An alphabetically arranged tabular presentation of genera, species and lower taxa shows their presence in the phytogeographical units of Slovenia. The records from the periods before and after 1958 are marked with different symbols. Each species also has a new Red List status in Slovenia. The checklist includes the data from the literature and Herbarium LJU. Annotations to selected species give a critical evaluation of the literature and herbarium data. A list of taxa that should be excluded from the flora of Slovenia, the synonyms and the used literature with floristic data not cited in this article are also added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sisyrinchium, a large genus of the Iridaceae family, is divided into ten sections and defined by genetic, morphological and phylogenetic traits. The section Viperella, though monophyletic, encounters taxonomic hurdles, particularly within the Sisyrinchium palmifolium L. and Sisyrinchium vaginatum Spreng complexes, resulting in numerous misidentifications. The taxonomic confusion in the group may stem from various factors, emphasizing extensive morphological variations, leading to overlapping characteristics. We used morphometric approaches to better characterize the species belonging to two complexes, assess their variation and identify diagnostic traits for taxonomy enhancement. We assessed 16 quantitative traits for the S. palmifolium complex and 15 for the S. vaginatum complex, totaling 652 specimens recorded across 15 herbaria covering the entire species' distribution area. In the S. vaginatum complex, 66.5% of the variations were accounted for in the first two axes, while in the S. palmifolium complex, the first two axes explained 55.3%. Our findings revealed that both complexes exhibited many morphological variations, leading to a characteristic overlap. These characteristics may have arisen due to recent diversifications of the group and niche overlaps. Additionally, we identified some morphological characteristics that are useful for distinguishing species. Finally, we compiled a section gathering all useful characteristics for species delimitation within the group, aiming to facilitate non-experts in deciphering this species complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of herbarium investigation of the species belonging to the Sparganium erectum group are here presented. The study was based on the revision of specimens with ripe fruits preserved in the Herbarium Centrale Italicum (FI) of the Natural History Museum of the University of Florence and other local herbaria. The presence of Sparganium oocarpum, not yet recorded in Italy, has been confirmed by the evaluation and measurement of important diagnostic characters (shape of the fruit, length, and width of the fruit, length of the peduncle, length of the style) and by their statistical analysis. Finally, a new identification key for the four species belonging to S. erectum group, based on the Italian herbarium material studied, is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbaria phycological collections have approximately one million 700 thousand specimens preserved in European herbaria, a significantly lower number when compared to vascular plants, due to factors such as greater sampling difficulty and fewer specialists. Several studies report that coastal systems have undergone dramatic ecological changes in the last 150 years, with macroalgae being a particularly affected group. Thus, macroalgal herbaria are essential sources for the study and conservation of this biodiversity, as well as a pillar that responds to several ecological questions. Despite having a large coastline, Portugal's phycological collections are scarce, poorly developed, and practically inaccessible digitally. In 2021/2022, all the phycological specimens present at LISI were the focus of this exploratory project whose objective was to catalog them, taxonomically review the specimens and place them at the service of the scientific community through the incorporation of digitized vouchers into online databases. Three marine collections were constituted and studied, accounting for a total of 852 vouchers and more than 1800 specimens, being the Portuguese Marine Macroalgae Collection, the oldest digitized phycological collection available in Portugal. This project provides an opportunity for other educational institutions to embrace their long-neglected collections as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The art of drying plants has a long tradition. It was already known in the Middle Ages as a form of documenting flora. It began to develop more intensively in Europe in the 16th century. This method of documenting plant collections quickly gained recognition among scientists. Its role and importance has changed throughout historical periods. The current study presents a short history and resources of Polish and European herbaria against the background of world data. It primarily focuses on indicating their contemporary importance in research in plant taxonomy and geography, as well as on the current situation of herbaria and problems identified using the example of Polish herbaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Johann Emanuel Pohl (1782–1834) was a Bohemian‐born Austrian botanist who, together with Johann Baptist von Spix and Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, traveled to Brazil from 1817 to 1821. He described several new plant species from Brazil, including those in the genus Vellozia (Velloziaceae). The material analyzed by Pohl was deposited mainly at herbarium W; however, part of the collection was destroyed by war accidents, including most of the types of Vellozia. Vellozia is a Neotropical genus with its main distribution in the Brazilian vegetation named campos rupestres. Vellozia is among the most abundant and species‐rich vascular‐plant genera in the campos rupestres with 125 recognized species. Pohl described 14 new species of Vellozia. We designate lectotypes for the names V. gardneri (a synonym of V. glauca), V. graminea, V. phalocarpa, V. pusilla, and V. triquetra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ainsliaea is an Eastern Asian genus with approximately 50 species, and is characterized by two main habit types or leaf arrangements: rosulate with leaves aggregated at the stem base or pseudo‐verticillate with leaves clustered above the stem base. Most species of Ainsliaea have been classified into two sections, A. sect. Ainsliaea and sect. Aggregatae, respectively, based on their habit type. However, recent molecular phylogenetic studies have challenged existing infrageneric classifications for Ainsliaea, and the systematic value of habit needs to be re‐evaluated because the habits of some key species were described differently, leading to taxonomic controversies on infrageneric classifications and species delimitations. To address these issues, this study reconstructed a more comprehensive phylogeny of Ainsliaea with two more samples of the highly variable A. lancifolia and a new sampling of A. nana. Habit variations in Ainsliaea were observed both in the field and in herbarium collections, and habit evolution was reconsidered based on the updated phylogeny. The phylogenetic analysis highly supports that A. uniflora and A. lancifolia form the first‐ and the second‐earliest diverging lineages in Ainsliaea, respectively; A. nana, recently rediscovered by us after more than 60 years, constitutes a distinct lineage sister to a large clade with all leaves aggregated above the stem base; and A. pertyoides forms another large clade with the rosulate‐leaf species. The latter three species have distinct habits: A. lancifolia with leaves sparsely alternate along the stem but often reduced to a basal rosette in rheophytic environments, A. nana with leaves aggregated at and also above the same stem base, and A. pertyoides with rosulate leaves when young. Thus, two new sections, A. sect. Alternae sect. nov. and A. sect. Intermediae sect. nov., are proposed to accommodate A. lancifolia and A. nana, respectively, and A. pertyoides is reasonably kept in A. sect. Ainsliaea. The results of this study provide insights into the evolution of habits in Ainsliaea and suggest that the traditional classification based solely on habit may not accurately mirror the evolutionary history of the genus. The newly proposed A. sect. Alternae and sect. Intermediae reflect a more natural classification of Ainsliaea and provide a framework for future studies on the evolution and ecology of the genus. Combining evidence from phylogeny and morphology, a conspectus of the genus and taxonomic updates for A. lancifolia, A. nana and A. pertyoides are provided. Overall, this study highlights the importance of combining molecular and morphological data to accurately classify and understand the evolutionary history of plant groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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IntroductionMethodsKey results and conclusionsBryophyte herbarium material often contains inadvertently collected bryophilous fungi preserved with their host plant tissues, providing snapshots of the biotic aspects of bryophyte ecology in space and time. During an ongoing project to study bryophilous fungi on leafy liverworts in the genus Gymnomitrion, new records of the bryophilous ascomycete Bryobroma gymnomitrii (≡ Bryomyces gymnomitrii) were discovered in herbarium material from areas in which the fungus was previously unknown. While many host vouchers were screened, the fungus was observed in only five collections. Using B. gymnomitrii as a case study, some of the advantages and limitations associated with the utility of bryophyte collections for bryo-mycological analyses are considered.More than 400 herbarium specimens from across Europe and North America were screened for the presence of fungi by different researchers at the following four herbaria: ALA, BBSUK, NMW and OSC.Bryobroma gymnomitrii appears to be specific to Gymnomitrion concinnatum and G. corallioides, forming gregarious, black perithecioid fruitbodies on the lower parts of host shoots. The study expands the known distribution of the fungus from a stronghold in northern and northeastern Europe to include the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. One of the host bryophytes, G. corallioides, is threatened by deterioration of its high-altitude Arctic-montane habitats, especially along the southern parts of its range, including Britain and Ireland. Our work supports the concept that research utilising herbarium material may provide valuable, unexpected outcomes, with bryophytes as important sources of fungi that have been inadvertently collected in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From continued botanical exploration in Alabama, noteworthy collections representing seventeen taxa are included. Thirteen of these taxa are reported new to Alabama while the remaining four are significant for historical considerations. Each taxon cited below is vouchered into the University of West Alabama Herbarium (UWAL) with duplicates to be distributed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canavalia Adans. is a genus of legumes (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae: Phaseoleae: Diocleinae) that has, after this work, about 71 species. Previously about 60 species were recorded as valid; this genus has not been completely revised in recent years. The last complete revision dates from 1960 and was made by J.D. Sauer, however, from 1960 to the present, many collections have been accumulated from places especially rich in species such as Central and Western Mexico and northern Central America, resulting in an accumulation of poorly curated specimens that undoubtedly represent some interesting extensions in the distributions, as well as the addition of new species for science. Some of the original taxa were poorly known and still others had nomenclatural and taxonomic problems, having been synonymized by Sauer and reinstated in this work. Thus, we believe that we have solved the problems associated with the types of most of the species proposed by Martens and Galeotti for Mexico and Central America. Specimens from various collections carefully accumulated for more than 30 years in the National Herbarium of Mexico (MEXU) by Mario Sousa Sánchez were reviewed, as well as material that was detected by him as possible new species through his visits to other herbaria, mainly to the Missouri Botanical Garden (MO), the University of Texas, Austin (LL) and the New York Botanical Garden (NY); the specialized literature, old and recent, was consulted, especially that referring to the publication of new taxa within the genus. In all the herbarium material reviewed, we found at least 11 species new to science, five older names synonymized by Sauer that correspond to clearly distinguishable species, and that several species present in Central and Southern Mexico extend their range to the northern part of Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, and to a lesser extent El Salvador and Nicaragua). We provide keys to the four subgenera and keys for the species within each subgenus. Three of the four subgenera are present in the study area, with only the subgenus Maunaloa missing, which is endemic to Hawaii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present three new lectotypifications for Gymnogramma schomburgkiana (= Jamesonia hispidula), Trichomanes guianense (= T. ankersii), and Adiantum lucidum var. poeppigianum (≡ A. poeppigianum). A neotype for Adiantum petiolatum, a species widespread in the Neotropical region, is also selected. Additionally, type specimens of Adiantum granvilleanum and A. latipinnulum were recently discovered at P Herbarium, and of Adiantum rhomboideum var. strictum at BM. Corrections about the localities where types came from are also presented for Adiantum rhomboideum var. strictum (= A. serratodentatum and/or A. multisorum). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbarium specimens are increasingly being used as sources of information to understand the ecology and evolution of plants and their associated microbes. Most studies have used specimens as a source of genetic material using culture‐independent approaches. We demonstrate that herbarium specimens can also be used to culture nodule‐associated bacteria, opening the possibility of using specimens to understand plant–microbe interactions at new spatiotemporal scales. We used historic and contemporary nodules of a common legume, Medicago lupulina, to create a culture collection. We were able to recover historic bacteria in 15 genera from three specimens (collected in 1950, 2004, and 2015). This work is the first of its kind to isolate historic bacteria from herbarium specimens. Future work should include inoculating plants with historic strains to see if they produce nodules and if they affect plant phenotype and fitness. Although we were unable to recover any Ensifer, the main symbiont of Medicago lupulina, we recovered some other potential nodulating species, as well as many putative growth‐promoting bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pronephrium s.l. (Thelypteridaceae) has its highest species diversity in Malesia. The distributional range and conservation status for many species have not been evaluated. Members of Pronephrium have been repeatedly collected from different parts of Peninsular Malaysia, nevertheless, their distribution has never been updated since Holttum's account in 1955, and the conservation status of the species reported from Peninsular Malaysia has never been assessed. Considering this, we provide an up-to-date account of the distribution and evaluate the conservation status of all the species reported for Peninsular Malaysia. The evaluation was based on five years of field observation and reviewing all herbarium collections. The conservation status of all species in the current study was assessed at a sub-national level confined to Peninsular Malaysia. Assesments were conducted based on IUCN Conservation Criteria and Categories. Two species were categorised as threatened, one species assessed as Endangered, one as Vulnerable, two as Near Threatened and four as Least Concern. One variety is endemic in Peninsular Malaysia. Various threats to the extant populations are identified and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although checklists are essential tools for managing and conserving ultramafic ecosystems, no updated checklist currently exists for ultramafic ecosystems on the southern Iberian Peninsula. Thus, the objectives of our study were (1) to create an updated checklist of serpentinophytes on southern Iberian Peninsula, (2) to determine whether the distribution of serpentinophytes is associated with certain specific types of ultramafic rocks, and (3) to calculate the abundance and richness of serpentinophytes per outcrop to guide conservation efforts. Following a methodology involving field work and searches of bibliographies and herbaria we produced an updated checklist containing 28 serpentinophytes (i.e., 23 obligates, one preferential taxon, one sub‐serpentinophyte, and three regional serpentinophytes). The serpentinophytes showed different petrological affinity, where harzburgite–lherzolite and harzburgite–pyroxenite–dunite exhibited higher occupancy, possibly due to their mineralogical and chemical composition (e.g., containing heavy metals) and/or the larger surface area of those outcrops. We also observed that the occupancy of 21 species was higher in different petrographic entities, the reasons for which could be elucidated by future soil analyses. The highest richness of serpentinophytes was found in the main outcrop of Bermeja, followed by smaller outcrops of Alpujata, Aguas, and Guadalhorce Valley. Although the richness of Aguas resembled that of Alpujata, a notable difference emerged in some of its areas owing to bioclimatic and biogeographic isolation. Given the exclusive presence of serpentinophyte flora on the southern Iberian Peninsula, all southern Iberian outcrops should receive some form of conservation as protected natural spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ranunculus illyricus is a typical xerothermic plant. The main part of its northern distribution area lies in the territory of Slovakia. Based on an intensive field study and the revision of herbarium specimens in central European herbaria, we prepared an updated distribution map of Ranunculus illyricus in Slovakia. The species was recorded in Slovakia in 16 phytogeographical districts situated in the area of the Pannonian and nine in the area of the Carpathian flora, respectively. The species is continuously widespread in southern parts of the country; towards the east, the number of populations significantly decreases, but the populations are often numerous. Based on the distributional data, the inclusion of Ranunculus illyricus into the near threatened (NT) category in the current Red List of Flowering Plants in Slovakia is correct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search of herbarium data repositories available online revealed a notable collection of Carex scirpoidea (Cyperaceae) made by Joachim Heinrich Schuette in 1884 from Brown Co., Wisconsin, USA. This accession is the first and only known record of this now extirpated species from the state. While this locality represents a modest expansion of the known range of C. scirpoidea, errors in the aforementioned databases resulting from the complex nomenclatural history of this taxon confound our understanding of its distribution, particularly along its southern edge in the Midwest and Eastern North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ceracris kiangsu Tsai (C. kiangs) is a kind of forest pest, which can harm nearly 100 kinds of weeds and crops. In this study, based on 314 species distribution points of C. kiangsu which were obtained from Chinese herbaria, literatures and investigation, and data of three future climate scenarios presented by CMIP6, two niche models (Garp, Maxent) were used to predict the suitable area of C. kiangsu in China. The result shows that the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of C. kiangsu are precipitation of driest month (bio14) and min temperature of coldest month (bio6). No matter now and future, the potential distribution areas of C. kiangsu in China are mainly in the south of Qinling–Huaihe River. Under current scenarios, the areas of the total, highly, moderately and poorly suitable of C. kiangsu in China are 160.65 × 104 km2, 31.70 × 104 km2, 60.36 × 104 km2 and 68.59 × 104 km2 respectively. The southern Hubei, western Jiangxi and eastern Hunan are highly-suitable areas. Under SSP1-2.6 and SSP2-4.5 scenarios, both the total suitable area and the highly suitable show a decreasing tread in 2050s. Compared to the 2050s, the total suitable area will coninue to decease in 2090s under SSP1-2.6, while it will increase under SSP2-4.5. The highly suitable area will increase in both scenarios, and the increased percentage under SSP2-4.5 is greater than that under SSP1-2.6. Under SSP5-8.5 scenarios, the total suitable area will increase by 1.83% in the 2050s, and decrease by 1.17% in the 2090s. The highly suitable area in the 2050s and 2090s under this scenarios is larger than under current scenarios. No matter what the scenario, the southern part of Yunnan, the southeast of Sichuan and the southwest of Chongqing will become highly-suitable areas as the climate continues to warm and should be monitored more cosely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Specimens of Sphaerocarpos collected during 2022 from the central Iberian Peninsula did not match any previously known species of this genus. Examination of other herbarium material revealed three identical specimens from three different localities in Spain. These were also morphologically identical to Portuguese specimens previously identified as S. stipitatus, a southern hemisphere and Himalayan species that in fact is different from these Portuguese plants. Methods: The morphology of the newly collected specimens was compared with that of the known European species plus descriptions of South African plants of Sphaerocarpos stipitatus. A phylogenetic analysis based on the nuclear gene 26S and plastid psbA and rbcL regions was performed to investigate its relationships in the genus. Key results and conclusions: Based on morphological and molecular data, we describe the plant as a new species of bryophyte, Sphaerocarpos ibericus M.Infante, Luceño, Quirós-de-la-Peña, Míguez, J.Muñoz & Heras, hitherto an Iberian endemic. It is diagnosed by having cylindrical female involucres with a partially bistratose wall whose inner cells are finger-like and arranged in more-or-less definite ribs in the medial part of the involucre, and the distal part of its spores covered with complete areolae larger at the centre of the spores than on their sides, gradually becoming incomplete and with the remaining lamellae transforming into ridges towards the line where the individual spores of the tetrad are joined. According to published illustrations, Portuguese specimens identified as S. stipitatus pertain indeed to the new species, and therefore S. stipitatus auct. eur. non Lindenb. should be removed from the European liverwort flora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The digitization of herbarium collections is an important process that allows access to sometimes huge amounts of data that can be used in various natural sciences. In recent years, the collections of one of the thirty oldest herbariums in the world—the herbarium of the Jagiellonian University—have been digitized. This paper presents the resources of the economically very important Amaranthaceae family, which include 8801 herbarium sheets. They were analyzed in taxonomic, geographical, historical, and functional terms. Herbaria constitute a form of documentation, store and secure comparative material, as well as constitute an extra original gene bank. They are an invaluable database among others for the biological, ethnobotanical and agricultural sciences. The digitization of herbarium collections significantly facilitates access to archival materials; however, searching them is still time-consuming. Therefore, our work aims to analyze the herbarium collection of 8801 sheets for specimens representing the economically important family Amaranthaceae (Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae clade) deposited the oldest herbarium in Poland, the herbarium of the Jagiellonian University (KRA). These specimens have been collected from almost all the continents in dozens of countries for over 200 years. The analyses conducted, including the taxonomic coverage, geographical characteristics and origin, temporal coverage and utility importance of representative species, present the discussed resources in a more accessible way and may become a more attractive form for scientists potentially interested in more advanced research work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asterella africana is a thalloid liverwort species, which is very rare in Europe and up to now reported in Italy only from Sardinia and based on an old specimen collected by De Notaris and kept in the Herbarium of the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris (PC). In this article, we report the finding of this species in Sicily. Notes on taxonomy, ecology, distribution, and conservation status are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent evidence suggests that community science and herbarium datasets yield similar estimates of species' phenological sensitivities to temperature. Despite this, two recent studies by Alecrim et al. (2023) and Miller et al. (2022) found very different results when using different data sources (community science and herbarium specimens, respectively) to investigate whether warming threatens wildflowers with phenological mismatch in relation to shading by deciduous trees.Here, we investigated whether differences between the two studies' results could be reconciled by testing four hypotheses related to model design, species, spatiotemporal data extent and phenophase.Hybrid model structures brought results from the two datasets closer together but did not fully reconcile the differences between the studies. Neither the species nor the phenophase selected for analysis seemed to be responsible for differences in results. Cropping the datasets to match spatial and temporal extents appeared to reconcile most differences but only at the cost of much higher uncertainty associated with reduced sample size.Synthesis: Our analysis suggests that although species‐level estimates of phenological sensitivity may be similar between community science and herbarium datasets, inherent differences in the types and extent of data may lead to contradictory inference about complex biotic interactions. We conclude that, until community science data repositories expand to match the range of climate conditions present in herbarium collections or until herbarium collections match the spatial extent and temporal frequency of community science repositories, ecological studies should ideally be evaluated using both datasets to test the possibility of biased results from either. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytophthora infestans (Peronosporaceae, Oomycota) is the causal agent of late blight of potato (Solanum tuberosum) and a native to Central America. When introduced to Europe, it rapidly spread in 1845, triggering the Irish Potato Famine, which claimed millions of lives and led to an exodus of Europeans to North America. The spread of the species was recently traced using historical specimens from various herbaria. However, there are critical spatial and temporal gaps in the documentation of the early spread of the species. Within the framework of a digitalization and restoration project of the mid-nineteenth century fungus collections of the herbarium of the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe, several specimens of Phytophthora infestans from North-East Germany collected in 1853, 1855 and 1856 were discovered. In addition, we revised already deposited material and identified a specimen of Ph. infestans that was collected no later than 1852. These specimens are among the oldest from Central Europe and are now available to the scientific public. Further, we searched for thus far overlooked specimens, using online catalogues. We found specimens from 23 European countries, with the oldest material from western Europe and almost no data from eastern Europe, south-eastern Europe and southern Europe. Our results emphasize the need for archiving and digitizing natural history collections in order to document the historical spread of agricultural and forest pathogens and to better understand current-day epidemic spreads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new Checklist of mosses (Bryophyta) of Slovenia within current political boundaries comprises 669 species, 6 subspecies and 18 varieties. Additional 13 species are denoted by a question mark since reports are considered questionable. An alphabetically arranged tabular presentation of genera, species and lower taxa, also shows their presence in particular phytogeographical units of Slovenia. The records from the periods before and after 1959 are marked with different symbols. Each species has also new Red List status in Slovenia. The checklist includes the data from literature and the Herbarium LJU. Annotations to selected species give a critical evaluation of the literature and herbarium data. A list of taxa that should be excluded from the flora of Slovenia and the synonyms used in the floristic literature for Slovenia are also added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fungal, Lichen, and Myxomycete Collections of the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill Herbarium (NCU) contain 952 type specimens, representing 607 names, which, based on current taxonomy and nomenclature, amount to 596 unique taxa. This wealth of type specimens is a legacy of the taxonomic research on fungi conducted by William C. Coker, Alma Holland Beers, John N. Couch, and other UNC mycologists in the first half of the 20th century. This inventory is a compilation of these types plus specimens for invalidly published designations that were intended as types by the mycologists who worked on these specimens. Also included are original material specimens intended as types for taxa in invalid publications, which were not included in the publications by subsequent authors validating the taxa. Fungal groups particularly well represented in the types held at NCU are boletes, clavarioid fungi, gasteroid fungi, hydnoid fungi, and septobasidia. A lectotype is designated for Clavaria atroumbrina. Since 2014, more than 1000 collections including >100 types have been loaned by NCU to mycologists at institutions around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to gain insights into the diversity and use of the collections of the Lagos University Herbarium (LUH), Nigeria. A total of 1509 species representing 188 plant families in 57 plant orders were recorded. This comprises dicotyledons (1260); monocotyledons (217); ferns (29); moss (1); conifers (1); and macro algae (1). About 1007 species of the collection are indigenous while 502 are exotic species. Herbaceous life form is the most abundant, representing 38% of the species recorded. Also, 1380 (91.4%) of the species have a recorded use while 129 (8.6%) had no known use in literature. A total of 1994 uses were recorded and distributed across 8 use categories. Of these, 52.9% are single use, 24.1% are dual use, and 23.0% have multiple uses. Plants used for medicine had the highest frequency (52.6%), followed by materials (13.8%), food plants (10.8%), environmental uses (7.3%), social uses (5.7%), animal feed (5.0%), fuel (3.0%), and poison (1.8%). The Fabaceae family had the highest use record followed by Rubiaceae, Poaceae, Malvaceae, and Euphorbiaceae. The diversity of use of species recorded in this study provides information for biodiversity research, resource planning, and sustainable usage of species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2023 checklist for Pennsylvania bryophytes lists 547 taxa including 426 mosses, 118 liverworts, and 3 hornworts, but only 48 confirmed moss species and one liverwort species collected during the last 100 years from Perry County. As a result of fieldwork reported herein and review of herbarium data from 1923 to present, an additional 49 moss and 2 liverwort species are now included in the Perry County bryoflora. Significant bryophyte species reported from the county include the moss Bucklandiella venusta, which represents the first collection of this species in Pennsylvania during the past 100 years. Currently, 97 moss and 3 hepatic taxa are reported from Perry County, Pennsylvania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UB Herbarium, located in the Department of Botany at the University of Brasilia (Brasilia, Brazil), was established in 1963. It is the third-largest herbarium in Brazil, housing approximately 277,000 samples. This study presents a quantitative description of the bryophytes collection at the UB Herbarium, which is the second-largest bryophytes collection in Brazil. It contains 31,099 samples, including specimens from all continents and 79 countries, with a focus on specimens from Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, the United States, Chile, Indonesia, South Africa, Ireland, Argentina, and Sweden, as well as various islands and archipelagos. The collection has grown significantly since its creation in 1963, when it initially held 869 specimens; it now contains 31,099 specimens, which is a 59.3% increase. The herbarium holds 95 types of bryophytes. These results were gathered from consultations in the UB Herbarium online database and compiled into an Excel spreadsheet. These findings highlight the importance of our collection, making it a valuable resource for students and researchers interested in exploring and studying a diverse array of specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbaria are an important source of data and material useful in many fields, including plant conservation. Seeds preserved in herbarium specimens may have the potential to germinate, although few studies focused on this topic. Here, the first systematic assessment of six techniques, including priming techniques and melatonin application, aimed at improving the germination of seeds from herbarium specimens is presented. Seed germination of 26 species common in Europe, some of which congeneric to extinct species, collected in herbaria and in the wild (20,549 seeds in total, including 19,509 from 297 herbarium specimens from 8 different herbaria) was tested with the following treatments: exogenous melatonin addition to the germination medium, priming with melatonin, osmopriming, hydropriming for 24 and 48 hours, standard soil, heat sterilization and gibberellins addition. More than 85% of the fresh seeds and 1% of the seeds collected in herbaria germinated, including seeds older than 50 years. Data show that treatment with exogenous melatonin had a positive effect on the germination of fresh seeds, but a negative effect on the germination of herbarium‐derived seeds. Furthermore, osmopriming treatment had a slightly positive effect on the germination of herbarium‐derived seeds. Osmopriming and exogenous melatonin addition seem to be promising techniques that need further investigation and improvement and might be useful for the development of an optimal germination protocol for old and herbarium‐derived seeds. The germination of seeds from herbaria could be an important tool in plant conservation, with the aim of reversing the extinction trend of many species through de‐extinction, safeguarding biodiversity, and genetic variability. This study provides preliminary data for the development of germination protocols, especially for old seeds of species of conservation interest, to maximise the chance of recovering lost genetic diversity and leading to the first de‐extinction ever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lectotype is designated for the name of the iconic and well‐known macrolichen Ramalina menziesii Taylor from among a suite of largely overlooked syntypes deposited in the Thomas Taylor Herbarium at the Farlow Herbarium, Harvard University. Lectotypes are also selected for the synonyms of R. menziesii: Chlorodictyon foliosum, Ramalina reticulata (≡ Lichen reticulatus Noehd., nom. illeg.) and R. retiformis. The place of publication of L. reticulatus Noehd. is discussed in detail. The case highlights the surprising degree to which the application of names for taxa that have been extensively studied and are widely known outside a narrow specialist field, can remain unresolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]