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Genera Palmarum Edition 2

Genera Palmarum Edition 2 will become the standard reference text for information on palm systematics and diversity. © Bill Baker

The first edition of Genera Palmarum by Natalie Uhl (Cornell University) and John Dransfield (RBG Kew) was published in 1987. Based upon the informal classification of Harold E. Moore, Jr., this critically acclaimed family monograph described and illustrated all palm genera accepted at that time within a systematic framework, and incorporated a wealth of comparative data on morphology, anatomy, biogeography and other topics. Genera Palmarum has become the standard reference work on the Arecaceae, winning the Engler Medal for the authors and inspiring considerable volumes of new palm research. However, almost 20 years later, the account is increasingly out of date. Large amounts of data have been generated since 1987, much of which has radically altered interpretations of the family and its systematics. The molecular phylogenetic era in particular has led to the testing of Uhl & Dransfield’s classification and has highlighted a need for significant changes in generic delimitation and higher level classification.

For the new edition, Dransfield and Uhl are joined by four new authors who bring special expertise in morphology, molecular phylogenetics and palynology. They aim to complete a manuscript by mid-2006 that will be published in 2007. The new edition will not be a simple revision of the 1987 edition. All introductory material and commentaries are being rewritten, all genus accounts are being fully revised to account for new data, and many new images will be integrated throughout the book. Most important, however, is the new phylogenetic classification that will form the systematic backbone of the book. Details of this classification will be published in two scientific papers in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society and in Kew Bulletin. This new structure promises to be robust, enduring and a precise predictive framework for future comparative studies of the palms.

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