Taylor, Nigel (resigned Sept 2011)
Job TitleCurator (Head - resigned Sept 2011), Horticulture
DepartmentHorticulture
SectionCurator
Science Teams:
Foreign Language(s): Portuguese, Spanish, German (basic)
Qualifications & Appointments
BSc (Hons) (Botany), Univ. Reading, 1977.
MIHort, 1996.
PhD, Open Univ., 2000.
Cactus & Succulent Specialist Group, IUCN-SSC (Secretary 1984–1988, Vice Chair 1989–1996, Chair 1997–98).
Trustee, Castle Howard Arboretum Trust (until 2011).
Editorial Board, Kew, Kew Bulletin (1996–2005) & Curtis’s Botanical Magazine (1995–2005).
Chair, Overseas Fieldwork Committee, RBG Kew (until 2011).
Executive Board, UK PlantNetwork (1999–2005).
Editorial Advisory Board, BBC gardening magazines (until 2011).
Director, Singapore Botanic Gardens (from 19 September 2011).
Role
Taxonomy and conservation of Cactaceae; botanical nomenclature; botany and history of cultivated plants; flora of Eastern Brazil; botanic gardens management.
Taxonomy of cultivated plants, especially those where living collections are essential for a proper understanding of characters and relationships. Principal focus over the last 35 years has been systematics of Cactaceae and their conservation (especially in connection with the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species and IUCN Red Listing), including some supervision of postgraduate students and refereeing of papers. Many other plant groups of importance for horticulture have also been included (>200 publications), especially other succulents and hardy woody plants, with a secondary emphasis placed on botanical nomenclature. At the Kew site, main responsibilities included management of c. 200 staff involved with the living collections in support of science, conservation, public education, horticultural training and amenity. Member of Kew Director’s team (until 2010) and Chair of Kew’s Overseas Fieldwork Committee (until 2011), with corporate oversight of expedition best practice in line with the Convention on Biological Diversity. Also, Kew contact for UNESCO World Heritage programme. Resigned post at RBG Kew upon appointment as Director, Singapore Botanic Gardens, 2011.
Projects
- Africulture Centre
(project completed 2010) - Authentication and Chemical Fingerprinting of Economically Important Species
- Cacti of Brazil
- Ex situ Conservation, Propagation and Re-introduction of Endemic, Endangered and Vulnerable Plant Species from the Arid Lands of Chile
- Monocot Checklist-Project Completed
- New Cactus Lexicon (Project completed - July 2006)
- Plant Diversity and Conservation in Bolivia
- Repatriation of Herbarium Data for Northeastern Brazil (Project completed 2009)
- Systematics course material for horticultural students
- Toucan Cipó
- Lista do Brasil
Selected Recent Publications
Taylor, N. & Zappi, D. (2004). Cacti of Eastern Brazil. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Machado, M. C., Zappi, D. C., Borba, E. L. & Taylor, N. (2005). Taxonomy and conservation of the Discocactus Pfeiff. (Cactaceae) species occurring in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Bradleya 23: 41 – 56.
Hunt, D., Taylor, N. & Charles, G. (2006). The New Cactus Lexicon. dh books. 2 vols (Text + Atlas).
Calderón, N., Zappi, D., Taylor, N. & Ceroni, A. (2007). Taxonomy and conservation of Haageocereus Backeb. (Cactaceae) in Peru. Bradleya 25: 45 – 124.
Aona, L. Y. S., Zappi, D. C. & Taylor, N. P. (2007). Cactaceae. In: M. G. L. Wanderley, et al. (eds), Flora Fanerogâmica do Estado de São Paulo. vol. 5: 163 – 193. Imprensa Oficial do Estado de São Paulo.
Taylor, N. (2008). Notes on Opuntia from the Río Grande basin, Bolivia. Cactaceae Syst. Init. 23: 23 – 28.
Zappi, D., Taylor, N. & Machado, M. (2010). Cactaceae. In: R.C. Forzza, J. F. A. Baumgratz, , C. E. M. Bicudo, D. A. L. Canhos, A. A. Carvalho Jr., A. Costa, D. P. Costa, M. Hopkins, P. M. Leitman, L. G. Lohmann, E. Nic Lughadha, L. C. Maia, G. Martinelli, M. Menezes, M. P. Morim, M. A. Nadruz Coelho, A. L. Peixoto, J. R. Pirani, J. Prado, L. P. Queiroz, S. Souza, V. C. Souza, J. R. Stehmann, L. S. Sylvestre, B. M. T. Walter & D. Zappi (eds) Catálogo de Plantas e Fungos do Brasil I: 822 – 832. Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro.
Perez, M. F., Teo, M. F., Zappi, D. C., Taylor, N. P. & Moraes, E. M. (2011). Isolation, characterization, and cross-species amplification of polymorphic microsatellite markers for Pilosocereus machrisii (Cactaceae). Amer. J. Bot. e204 – e206.
Menezes, M. O. T., Taylor, N. P., Machado, M. C., Coelho, P. J. A. & Correia, D. (2011). Diversity and distribution of Cactaceae in Ceará state, North-eastern Brazil. Bradleya 29: 13 – 42.
Zappi, D. & Taylor, N. (2011). A new species of Pilosocereus subgenus Gounellea, P. frewenii, from SE Brazil. Bradleya 29: 131 – 136.
Korotkova, N., Borsch, T., Quandt, D., Taylor, N. P., Müller, K. F. & Barthlott, W. (2011 - in press). What does it take to resolve relationships and to identify species with molecular markers? An example from the epiphytic Rhipsalideae (Cactaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 98(9): 00 – 00.
Selected Earlier Publications
Eggli, U. & Taylor, N. (eds) (1991). IOS Index of names of Cactaceae published 1950–1990. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Taylor, N. (1991). The genus Melocactus in Central and South America. British Cactus & Succulent Society & Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. [Reprinted from Bradleya 9: 1 – 80 (1991)].
Anderson, E. F., Arias Montes, S. & Taylor, N. P. (1994). Threatened Cacti of Mexico. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Barthlott, W. & Taylor, N. (1995). Notes towards a monograph of Rhipsalideae (Cactaceae). Bradleya 13: 43 – 79.
Taylor, N., Kiesling, R. & Kraus, R. (1997). South America. In: S. Oldfield (comp.) Cactus and Succulent Plants - Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Cactus and Succulent Specialist Group. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. pp. 111 – 127.
