Monocots II: Commelinids

From L-R: Caryota sp. (Arecaceae), Cortaderia sp. (Poaceae) and Carex juvenilis (Cyperaceae). Photos: W. Baker (L), S. Renvoize (C) and D.A. Simpson (R).

From L-R: Caryota sp. (Arecaceae), Cortaderia sp. (Poaceae) and Carex juvenilis (Cyperaceae). Photos: W. Baker (L), S. Renvoize (C) and D.A. Simpson (R).

Introduction

Commelinids comprise 33 families in five orders (Arecales, Zingiberales, Commelinales, Poales and Dasypogonales) (Annex 1). The group includes many well-known families such as Arecaceae (palms), Bromeliaceae (bromeliads), Commelinaceae (commelinas), Cyperaceae (sedges), Eriocaulaceae (eriocauls), Juncaceae (rushes), Poaceae (grasses), Restionaceae (restios) and Zingiberaceae (gingers).

The Commelinid Team’s overall objective is to resolve the systematics of these important plant groups through high quality research in collaboration with a wider international network, thereby generating a greater understanding of its diversity, evolution and conservation needs. We have traditionally focused our activities on three main families in the Commelinids, namely Arecaceae, Poaceae and Cyperaceae. The Arecaceae include 187 genera and 2,400 species with geographic hotspots of diversity in SE Asia, Papuasia, W Pacific, Madagascar and the New World. Traditionally under-collected throughout their range and under-worked on account of their great bulk, many species and genera remain poorly known. The Poaceae comprise c. 10,800 species in 670 genera. They have a cosmopolitan distribution with important centres of diversity in Brazil, central North America, eastern and southern Africa and Australia. The sedges (Cyperaceae) comprise c. 5,500 species in 108 genera, making them the third largest monocot family. They are more or less cosmopolitan in distribution with hotspots of diversity in north-eastern South America, eastern and southern Africa, S and SE Asia and Australasia. 

The Team is based mainly in the Herbarium and Jodrell Laboratory with some work taking place in Seed Conservation and Horticulture and Public Education. The team’s research is multidisciplinary and is active in Collections (type databasing/imaging, living collections, DNA Bank and seeds); Baseline Plant Diversity Research (Floras and Monographs); Comparative Plant Biology (molecular phylogenetic studies, seed biology, anatomy, genomics, evolutionary development; Sustainable Utilisation (family checklists of economic importance) and Conservation and Environmental Monitoring (conservation genetics, conservation ratings).  

These pages highlight the work that we do in the three main families and also give a brief insight into our work on other Commelinids.

Background

Palms

Palms are ranked among the three most economically important plant families. In some parts of the tropics they supply nearly all the necessities for subsistence communities, providing food, material for housing, clothing, fuel and ornament. Some palms (e.g. oil palm, coconut, date) have become major crops, and there is potential for the development of further palm crops for agriculture and forestry. Like all other plant families in the humid tropics, palms are severely threatened by habitat destruction. They are further threatened, however, through targeted exploitation for specific products (e.g. palm hearts, rattan), thereby endangering both the survival of the palm species and indigenous cultures. Certain species of great economic importance continue to be heavily exploited in the wild and are becoming extremely rare.

Kew holds an unrivalled collection of palm resources. The palm herbarium houses 30,000 specimens, including a high percentage of types and historical material. It is the most extensive and representative collection of palms in any herbarium, and an invaluable resource for identification of new material. This material is augmented by 1,200 specimens in spirit, and extensive photographic and illustrative collections. In addition, the DNA Bank in the Jodrell Laboratory contains 672 palm extractions respresenting 141 genera and 400 species. Living palms are especially well represented at Kew by 536 accessions, comprising 110 genera and approximately 300 species, placing Kew among the ten most species rich public palm collections in the World.

Until the mid-1970s, little research on palms was conducted at Kew. Over the last 30 years, however, Kew’s palm group has taken a global lead in research on the diversity, evolution and comparative biology of palms. Co-ordinated from the Herbarium, palm research at Kew is inter-disciplinary and currently involves staff based in four departments (Herbarium, Jodrell Laboratory, Seed Conservation Department, Horticulture and Public Education). Primary strengths lie in floristic and monographic research, especially of Malesian, African and Madagascar palms, higher level systematics and evolution, palynology and micromorphology in general. Most significant is the benchmark monograph of the family, Genera Palmarum (Uhl & Dransfield 1987), a Kew/Cornell University collaboration, which has spawned extensive new research throughout the world. A decade of molecular phylogenetic research, in which Kew has played a leading role, and the wealth of comparative research since 1987 has prompted a dramatic revision of the classification of palms, which will form the basis of new edition of Genera Palmarum, co-authored by three Kew staff and three collaborators, to be published in 2007.

Conservation and sustainable use are also prominent in the Kew research programme, for example in systematic studies of seed storage characteristics, targeted species conservation projects, and research products for the rattan industry. The palm team collaborate extensively with partners overseas and maintain a high international profile, organising and contributing to conferences and workshops in Kew and abroad, supervising postgraduates in the UK and abroad, training overseas counterparts, and co-editing Palms, the journal of the International Palm Society.

Grasses

Economically grasses are the most important plant family, providing 90% of the world’s food as cereals and covering 30% of the land surface with natural grassland. Grasses serve not only the developed but also the developing world where many species are important as minor cereals and famine foods. In the tropics bamboos often provide most of the daily necessities for rural communities. Apart from their practical uses grasses have ever-increasing popularity in horticulture. Most recently, interest in grasses has expanded to include their use as raw materials for a wide range of commercial products and as a source of biomass for power.

Grass research at Kew dates back to 1854 and has been undertaken by high-profile researchers including G. Bentham, J.G. Hooker, O. Stapf,  N.L. Bor, C.E. Hubbard, W.D. Clayton and S. Renvoize. Our collections of grasses are unrivalled. The Herbarium houses c. 350,000 grass specimens of which an estimated 11,000 are types. In parallel are collections of illustrations, photographs, spirit and carpological material in the Herbarium and anatomy slides in the Jodrell Laboratory . In the DNA bank we have 248 collections representing 102 genera and 205 species. We also have 1,300 living collections, many of which are grown in areas of the Gardens dedicated to grasses and bamboos respectively. In the Millennium Seed Bank there are 2,783 seed collections. The size and scope of all these collections ensure that Kew is recognised as a world centre of excellence in grasses, attracting a large amount of material for specialist naming.

Our research focuses on floristics and monographic work, especially in tropical Africa China, Southeast Asia and tropical South America, with collaborative projects both within and beyond Kew. Molecular and anatomical studies are helping to resolve ambiguities and collaboratively develop a phylogeny for the family. Genera Graminum (Clayton & Renvoize 1986) is the benchmark Kew publication which has formed the basis of modern grass classification. This is now under revision to incorporate recent phylogenetic work. We have also pioneered the development of global species and nomenclatural databases in grasses.

Sedges

Sedges have economic importance going back into antiquity, highlighted by the role of papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) in early Egyptian society. Today their importance is wide-ranging, from the problems they present as weeds (Cyperus rotundus has been termed the world’s worst weed) to their considerable number of uses – providing materials for basketry, matting, construction (particularly thatch), perfumery, medicine and fuel, as well as food and animal fodder. The numbers of species of horticultural interest has increased, especially in recent years, coinciding with a general interest in ‘ornamental grasses’. Their importance has often been under-estimated, but there is no doubt that they play a significant role in many local economies, particularly in the tropics. Sedges are also important indicators of environmental damage, especially to aquatic habitats. They are particularly sensitive to the lowering of water tables and/or water pollution and there are observable declines in many species. Some genera are threatened by forest destruction and the prevalence of narrowly endemic taxa within these genera may mean that some of them are now extinct.

Research on Cyperaceae has been undertaken at Kew since the 1880s with a succession of botanists working on the family including C.B. Clarke, E. Nelmes and S.S. Hooper. As a result the collections are unrivalled in size and scope. There are c. 110,000 specimens in the Herbarium including all but one of the genera currently recognised and nearly all described species; over 6% of the specimens are types. These are complemented by numerous ancillary collections of spirit and carpological material, illustrations, photographs and anatomy slides, together with 142 living collections, representing a wide range of genera, located throughout the Gardens. The Millennium Seed Bank has 628 seed collections and we also have 400 DNA collections in the DNA bank representing 69 genera and 254 species. As one of only a handful of institutes that actively specialises in Cyperaceae systematics, Kew is recognised as a world leader, resulting in a continuing influx of material for specialist naming from all parts of the world as well as researchers wishing to study the collections.

Our research comprises floristic and monographic studies, undertaken as collaborative projects within Kew and elsewhere. We are taking a global lead in resolving the phylogeny of Cyperaceae: pioneering molecular and pollen studies undertaken at Kew have provided the basis for developing a phylogenetic assessment of the family. Nevertheless, many ambiguities still exist, both within the family (at tribal level and below) and in understanding sister-group relationships (particularly the nature of the relationship with Juncaceae).

Other families

Other Commelinid families are well represented in all our collections with, for example, over 800 bromeliads and nearly 300 gingers in the living collections. Research is undertaken by Kew staff and associates on a number of families including Bromeliaceae, Eriocaulaceae, Haemodoraceae, Juncaceae, Pontederiaceae, Zingiberacaeae and Xyridaceae. Such work includes surveys of critical characters, floristic and monographic accounts of selected taxa and molecular work.

SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS (2001 - 2005)

KEY ELEMENTS OF FUTURE PLANS (2006 onwards)

RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS (2001 - 2005)

Collections (2001-2005)

Palms

Recent accessions in the palm herbarium have centred around our research activities in South-East Asia, Indochina, New Guinea, Africa, and Madagascar, and in many cases result from strong collaborations overseas. In addition, we continue to receive a wide range of new material from other regions, augmenting the global emphasis of the collection. We have made additional effort to expand our holdings of material for DNA extraction and have invested in improving access and storage standards of existing DNA extractions. Major curatorial projects have included the initiation of a systematic review of all palm holdings in the Herbarium, as well as re-curating the Pandanaceae holdings, which are also managed by the palm team. Over 4,000 new records have been added to the palm database and 750 type specimens have been imaged. Public awareness of the historical significance of Kew’s palm herbarium was raised through research on specimens collected by Alfred Russel Wallace on his formative Amazonian expedition, resulting in considerable interest in the popular science press.

Funding from the UK Darwin Initiative for the Papuan Plant Diversity Project was secured in 2001. The project, managed by members of the palm team, resulted in the rehabilitation of the herbarium in Universitas Negeri Papua, Indonesia, as well as specialist and general training in herbarium management protocols. Additional capacity building efforts have been made through the production of palm collecting guides for Madagascar and New Guinea.

Grasses

In Poaceae we have focused our acquisitions on material required for research. In the Herbarium and the Living Collections, bamboos are a priority as part of the ongoing research on the phylogeny of tribe Bambuseae. The Flora of China project has provided an excellent opportunity to expand the Herbarium collections for China. We have also targeted species not represented in the Herbarium either by seeking original material or illustrations. Over 10,500 specimens have been databased of which over 6,000 are types. All type specimens from Africa, South and South-East Asia have now been databased and imaged.

In the Living Collections we have continued to increase taxonomic representation, especially of the tropical tribes of subfamilies Panicoideae and Chloridoideae. Better interpretation of the grass and bamboo gardens has been achieved through educational and interpretative labelling.

Sedges

We have continued to receive a large amount of material for naming and accession rates-Cyperaceae are the highest of any family in the Monocots. We have also continued to target our own collecting towards groups required for projects. We have also been attempting to increase representation from regions where our collections are less comprehensive, for example Indochina. Ongoing collaborations and specialist naming continue to attract material from around the world, especially from eastern and southern Africa, Australia, Thailand and Indochina. We also continue to increase collections of Cyperaceae in the Living Collections and the Millennium Seed Bank. Wherever possible, fieldwork includes collections of pressed specimens, material in silica gel and seed for Millennium Seed Bank storage. Nearly 2,000 specimens have been databased, of which over 1,100 are types. All the types from Africa and South-East Asia have now been databased and imaged.

Other families

We have continued to receive a wide range of material in the other commelinid families. Specialist naming has been continued within the families including verification of a significant amount of material in the Living Collections. Digitisation of type specimens in all the families has been undertaken either through routine curation, as part of the Electronic Cataloguing and Imaging of Monocot Type Specimens project or the African Plants Initiative.

Baseline Plant Diversity Research (2001-2005)

Palms

As part of the Monocot Checklist project, the World Checklist of Palms has been published in hard copy and online, providing an unrivalled reference source of information on accepted palm species, their distribution and nomenclature.

Substantial progress towards a regional monograph of the Palms of New Guinea has been made with eight papers published on rattans, Rhopaloblaste and Hydriastele and the production of 170 line drawings to illustrate the final product. Other taxonomic outputs have focused on other Old World palm groups and include a checklist of palms in Thailand, a synopsis of rattans in Lao PDR, and numerous new species in Indochina, Madagascar, Borneo, Sulawesi and Africa. Considerable investment has been made in the training of students from the UK and overseas in taxonomic research, resulting in seven postgraduate degrees and revisions of problematic genera such as Orania and Borassus.

Special emphasis has been given to improving access to palm information through the production of innovative identification aids. An Interactive Key to the Rattans of Borneo and a bi-lingual Field Guide to the Rattans of Lao PDR (and its companion interactive key available at www.kew.org/data/rattanslao/index.html) were both published in 2001. Similar guides to palms in Madagascar and New Guinea, and rattans in Africa are in press.

Grasses

The World Grass species databases (http://www.kew.org/data/grassbase/) are now searchable and downloadable on the internet, allowing users to obtain a description of nearly all known grass species with associated synonymy. This means that the essentials of a World Grass Flora are now available on the internet and we have received much positive feedback about this project.

Accounts of grasses have been completed for the Flora of Egypt, the BSBI Grasses of Britain and Ireland Handbook, Flora of Arabia and Flora of China, the latter amounting to c. 900 species. Flora of Thailand Grasses commenced in 2004 and is being coordinated at Kew with 19 authors writing up the c. 570 species that occur in Thailand.

To mark the retirement of Steve Renvoize, Head of Grasses from 1989-2004, a symposium entitled A Celebration of Grasses was held jointly with the Linnean Society of London over two days in September 2005. It attracted more than 60 delegates from 19 countries, representing a wide range of expertise in grass systematics. The 18 papers presented at the symposium are being published in a special part of Kew Bulletin.

Sedges

A species level checklist of sedges has been completed as part of the World Checklist of Monocotyledons project. Good progress has been made with the Flora of Tropical East Africa Cyperaceae in collaboration with African and Norwegian colleagues. Accounts have also been completed for the Flora of the Guianas (tribe Hypolytreae), Flora of Egypt and the BSBI Sedges of Britain and Ireland Handbook. Editorial work has also commenced for Flora of China Cyperaceae.

A short course in Cyperaceae identification and taxonomy was held in Khon Kaen University, Thailand in 2004, with another planned for 2006.

Other families

Flora of Tropical East Africa Restionaceae was completed during the period. We have also completed co-authoring Flora of China Sparganiacae and Typhaceae and Flora of Thailand Typhaceae.

Comparative Plant Biology (2001-2005)

Palms

Molecular phylogenetic research on palms, especially at higher taxonomic levels, has been a high priority at Kew over the past five years. Projects on the family as a whole, subfamilies Calamoideae and Arecoideae, tribes Areceae and Borasseae, subtribe Arecinae and genera such as Chamaedorea, Heterospathe and Rhopaloblaste have been completed, many in collaboration with partners overseas, resulting in six papers currently in press, one of which includes the description of a new genus, Dransfieldia. In addition, rbcL sequences have been produced for all genera, which form part of ongoing efforts to build a complete generic phylogeny for the family using supertree and supermatrix methods.

One of the most significant outputs of Kew’s phylogeny collaborations research has been the publication of a new phylogenetic classification of palms that will form the backbone for the new edition of the family monograph, Genera Palmarum. In addition to the new classification, descriptions of all palm genera have now been completed and the manuscript of Genera Palmarum Edition 2 is now being assembled.

Large scale patterns of diversity in palms have been examined in a study of the mid-domain effect and elevational gradients in New Guinea palm genera and species, published in the macroecology journal Ecography. Further macroecological interests are being pursued in collaboration with counterparts overseas. Considerable progress towards a synthesis of palm biogeographic history has been made through molecular dating of large phylogenies; two papers have been presented at conferences on this subject.

Two benchmark papers on pollen morphology across the palm family have been published alongside two new studies of floral anatomy in the genera Dypsis, Sommieria and Pelagodoxa. Phylogenetic evidence has been incorporated to explore the evolution of character patterns in these groups and the evolution of monocot flowers and monocot pollen in general.

Research on palaeobotany of palms has resulted in two papers in press, the first focusing on a synthesis of the published fossil record for palms, the second exploring new palm fossil records from Africa, in collaboration with partners in the USA, that have altered perceptions of changes in palm diversity throughout the Tertiary. Two papers are currently in press.

As part of a broader survey of seed storage and germination characteristics, more than 200 species of palm seed have been examined across a broad range of genera and ecologies within the Semina Palmarum project. In addition to seed behaviour data, morphological and anatomical information has also been captured. Three papers have been published.

A Leverhulme-funded project on sympatric speciation in palms on the remote oceanic island of Lord Howe, involving long-term fieldwork on the island and extensive DNA data collection, has resulted in new insights into palm evolution that have been accepted for publication in the journal Nature. Using compelling evidence from phylogenetics, reproductive ecology and population genetics, we demonstrated that the two species of the endemic genus Howea speciated sympatrically, most likely as a result of recent geological influences, providing a unique case study in flowering plant evolution.

The Kew palm team have taken a lead in creating a forum for sharing information on palm comparative biology and other topics. In 2001, the inaugural meeting of the European Network of Palm Scientists (EUNOPS) was held at the University of Aarhus, a joint initiative with Kew. The network has met every year since then at different European locations, including a meeting at Kew in 2003. In 2005, the 5th EUNOPS meeting was subsumed within the World Palm Conference, held at Kew and the Linnean Society, organised by the Kew palm team to coincide with the retirement of John Dransfield. 100 participants from 22 different countries attended, the largest gathering of palm experts ever held, and 22 talks and 40 posters were presented; the proceedings are currently in press in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. Funds were raised to facilitate the attendance of students and participants from developing countries.

Grasses

As part of our broader work on Monocot floral evolution a study of the evolution of reproductive structures in Poaceae was published in 2005.

Phylogenetic studies of Miscanthus were completed during the period resulting in seven papers. Genomic relationships among diploid and hexaploid species of Andropogon have also been explored with one paper published.

Work on Genera Graminum Edition 2 commenced and is being led by Kew.  This is a collaborative work and will utilize molecular and morphological phylogenetic data as a basis for developing the overall classification of the genera.

As part of our work towards Genera Graminum a two-year project entitled A Preliminary Phylogenetic Analysis of Danthoniopsis and Related Genera commenced in 2005. This work will also contribute improved descriptions and nomenclature to the World Grass species databases.

Pioneering work on building supertrees undertaken in collaboration with Trinity College Dublin using Poaceae as a model was published in 2002.

A revised edition of Anatomy of Monocotyledons, Pocaeae continues to make progress. As part of this we contributed the chapter on Anatomy to the Flora of Australia Poaceae account.

Sedges

At Kew we have taken a leading role in molecular phylogenetics research on sedges, having prepared the first DNA phylogeny of the family in 1998. We have sequenced nearly all genera of Cyperaceae for rbcL and a 2-gene phylogeny of the family, utilizing rbcL and trnL-F was completed in 2005 for publication in 2006 or 2007. This work is a leading contribution to the longer term goal of a Genera of Cyperaceae based on molecular and morphological data.

Work has also been progressing on molecular phylogenies in tribes Cypereae, Rhynchosporeae and Sclerieae as well as in the genus Bulbostylis. A benchmark paper on subfamily Mapanioideae published in American Journal of Botany in 2003 utilised pollen morphological data combined with a molecular phylogeny based on trnL-F and rps16 sequences. It revealed a new pollen type in Cyperaceae and firmly established that there are just two subfamilies, Mapanioideae and Cyperoideae rather than the four previously recognised.

The discovery of a completely new genus (Khaosokia) on limestone cliffs in southern Thailand by Kew staff in 2002 is leading to the reassessment of relationships within the Cariceae/Dulichieae/Scirpeae clade. Current work suggests this plant is sister to the rest of the clade. The genus was published in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society in 2005.

The Sedge Phylogeny Group continues to flourish, pushing forward research on Cyperaceae phylogeny and systematics. Several presentations were made at the Sedges 2002 Conference in Delaware USA. We took in lead role in organising Cyperaceae symposium at Monocots III, Los Angeles in 2003 and the Sedges have Edges symposium at the  International Botanical Congress, Vienna in 2005. We are currently editing papers from the latter for publication in Botanical Review in 2006 or 2007.

Other families

As part of the Morphological Innovations in Poales project a review of the evolutionary history of Poales was published in 2005.

Work on other families has focused on anatomy, structure and development of various organs, focused particularly on the Bromeliaceae. Papers have been published examining the floral anatomy, structure and development of the ovule, microsporogenesis and anther development of this family.

Work has also been published on the systematic significance of silica bodies and tapetal raphides in Haemodoraceae and comparative floral anatomy of Pontederiaceae.

Sustainable Utilisation of Plant Resources (2001-2005)

Palms

Our interests in sustainable use have focused largely on the provision of information on the taxonomy and sustainable management of wild rattan resources. Several of the taxonomic products described above (e.g. Interactive Key to Borneo Rattans, Field Guide to the Rattans of Lao PDR) aim to provide accessible information for a wide range of users, including those responsible for managing the exploitation of non-timber forestry products.

A new edition of Plant Resources of SE Asia – Rattans has been published on CD. In addition, four papers on rattan resource management have been published. Advice on rattans continues to be provided to agencies and industry as required. Sustainable utilisation was included as a theme within the World Palm Conference.

Coconut (Cocos nucifera) and Betelnut (Areca catechu) were selected as two of the 25 Asian species for the Plant Cultures website (www.plantcultures.co.uk). This website provides information about the cultural and economic importance of these plants in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Grasses

A database of the forage grasses of northeast Brazil in conjunction with Plantas do Nordeste programme was completed in 2001.

Taxa of economic importance have continued to be targeted for the Millennium Seed Bank.

In a collaborative project funded by the World Cancer Fund with researchers at Leicester University we isolated and identified compounds with anti-cancer activity in rice. This included tricin, a compound that occurs in rice bran and can also be isolated from grass cuttings. The results were published in a journal of impact factor >2 and a patent filed on the anti-cancer activity of tricin.

Rice and sugar cane were selected as two of the 25 Asian species for the Plant Cultures website (www.plantcultures.co.uk).

Sedges

Sedges of Economic, Ethnobotanical and Horticultural Importance – a checklist was published in 2001. This is a benchmark publication, having served to demonstrate the wide utility and importance of Cyperaceae, particularly at a local level in tropical countries. We continue updating the database of economically important taxa as and when new data are acquired. We also provide advice on the identification of economically important taxa, especially of taxa in cultivation.

Taxa of potential economic importance continue to be targeted for the Millennium Seed Bank.

Other families

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) was selected as one of the 25 Asian species for the Plant Cultures website (www.plantcultures.co.uk).

Taxa of potential economic importance continue to be targeted for the Millennium Seed Bank.

Conservation and Environmental Monitoring (2001-2005)

Palms

Through the Threatened Plants Appeal, three endangered Madagascar palm species have become the focus of conservation work, involving exploration of remaining wild populations and conservation genetic approaches. Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLP) and microsatellite data collection is now complete. As part of the project, a MSc student from Madagascar has completed a detailed study of the demography of Beccariophoenix madagascariensis and is now embarking on a PhD project on palm conservation. A second student from Madagascar has completed a PhD on the seed biology and conservation of Ravenea rivularis. Both students have been supervised by Kew staff. Related research in Mauritius on the Conservation of Hyophorbe has led to the publication of new micropropagation protocols that will help protect the endangered H. lagenicaulis, and potentially save H. amaricaulis, now represented by a single specimen, from extinction.

Information derived from the Semina Palmarum project is being targeted at improving seed storage protocols for palms and will improve the potential for conservation of palms through seed banking.

A survey of the conservation value of botanic garden palm collections has been published in Biological Conservation. In addition, IUCN conservation assessments have been published for 22 species, some based on GIS methodologies. Over 4,000 specimens of palms from New Guinea and Madagascar have been databased and georeferenced as part of initiatives to generate GIS-based IUCN conservation assessments for the 400+ species of palm that occur in those regions. Two Kew staff have been invited to participate in the relaunched IUCN Palm Specialist Group.

Grasses

Conservation information is included in all our taxon accounts while taxa of conservation importance continue to be collected for the Millennium Seed Bank.  

Sedges

Conservation information is included in all our taxon accounts and we continue to provide advice on sedges of conservation importance. We also target taxa of conservation importance in collections for the Millennium Seed Bank.

Work on the conservation genetics of Carex depauperata and on hybridisation between Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani and S. triqueter was published in 2003.

We are developing mapping to show past and present distributions of Thai sedges. This work aims to monitor changes in distributions which may be linked to environmental degradation and determine conservation priorities for the family and threatened habitats in which Cyperaceae occur.

FUTURE PLANS (2006 onwards)

 

Projects

Electronic Cataloguing and Imaging of Monocot Type Specimens

Field Guide to the Palms of Madagascar

Flora of China

Genera Graminum Edition 2

Genera of Cyperaceae

Genera Palmarum Edition 2

Generic Delimitation in Cyperaceae Tribe Cypereae

Grass Evolution, Anti-Herbivory and Past Climate

Grasses and Sedges of Britain and Ireland

Grasses of Thailand

Haemodoraceae - phylogenetics, biology and conservation

In Vitro Conservation of Bottle Palm (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis (L. Bailey) H.E. Moore)

Molecular Phylogenetics of Palms

Molecular Population Genetics of Four Closely Related Alcantarea Species (Bromeliaceae) Adapted to ‘Inselbergs’ in the Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil

Morphological Innovations in Poales

Palms of New Guinea

Preliminary Phylogenetic Analysis of Danthoniopsis and Related Genera (Arundinelleae s.l., Panicoideae, Poaceae)

Sympatric Speciation in Palms: Howea on Lord Howe Island

Systematics and Phylogenetics of Cyperaceae Subfamily Mapanioideae

Thai Cyperaceae: Distribution and Conservation

World Grass Species Databases (GrassBase)

People

Directorate

Stephen Hopper, Rhian Smith

Herbarium

Bill Baker, Tom Cope, Derek Clayton (HRF), John Dransfield (HRF), Soejatmi Dransfield (HRF), Rafaël Govaerts, Kehan Harman, Kim Hoenselaar, Michael Lock (HRF), A. Muthama Muasya (HRA), Sylvia Phillips (HRF), Steve Renvoize (HRF), David Simpson, Melinda Trudgen, Martin Xanthos

HPE

Mike Marsh, Martin Staniforth

ISD

Mark Jackson

Jodrell Laboratory

Mark Chase, Carol Furness, Mike Fay, Madeline Harley (HRA), Christian Lexer, Ilia Leitch, Mark Nesbitt, Paula Rudall, Monique Simmonds

Seed Conservation Department

Hugh Pritchard

Partners

Argentina

Bariloche University

Cordoba University

Australia

Brisbane Botanic Gardens

James Cook University, Queensland

Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney

University of New England

Belgium

Catholic University of Leuven

University of Ghent

Bolivia

La Paz University

Brazil

Empresa BRAsileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA), Piaui

UNESP

University of Itajaí

University of Pernambuco

University of São Paulo

China

Botanical Institute, Academica Sinica

Denmark

Aarhus University

Copenhagen Agricultural University

Copenhagen University

Finland

Finnish Museum of Natural History, Helsinki

Germany

Leipzig University

Indonesia

Herbarium Bogoriense

Universitas Cenderawasih

Ireland

University of Dublin, Trinity College

Japan

Mie University

Nihon University, Fujisawa, Japan

Kenya

National Museums of Kenya

Malaysia

Forest Research Institute Malaysia

Norway

Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB)

Papua New Guinea

PNG Forest Research Institute

South Africa

University of Cape Town

Switzerland

University of Zurich

Thailand

Chulalongorn University

Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation

Kasetsart University

Khon Kaen University

Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden

Songhkla University

The Netherlands

University of Leiden

UK

Advisory and Developmental Service (ADAS)

Natural History Museum

University of Lancaster

University of Leicester

University of Reading

USA

Cornell University

Delware State University

Fairchild Tropical Garden

Iowa State University

Missouri Botanical Garden

National Tropical Botanic Garden

New York Botanical Garden

Oklahoma University

San Diego University

Smithsonian Institution

University of Michigan

University of Mississippi

Publications

Asmussen, C.B. & Chase*, M.W. (2001). Coding and noncoding plastid DNA in palm systematics. American Journal of Botany 88 (6): 1103-1117.

Bachman*, S., Baker*, W.J., Brummitt*, N., Dransfield*, J. & Moat*, J. (2004). Elevational gradients, area and tropical island diversity: an example from the palms of New Guinea. Ecography 27 (3): 299-310.

Baker*, W. (2004). Palm research in 2003. Palms 48: 148-151.

Baker*, W. & Dransfield*, J. (2004). Calamus suaveolens - a new rattan from Sulawesi. Kew Bulletin 59 (1): 69-71.

Baker*, W. & Loo, A.H.B. (2004). A synopsis of the genus Hydriastele (Arecaceae). Kew Bulletin 59 (1): 61-68.

Baker*, W.J. (2001). The palms of New Guinea project. Palms and Cycads no. 71: 3-7.

Baker*, W.J. (2001). The palms of New Guinea project. New Guinea Tropical Ecology and Biodiversity Digest 11: 6-7.

Baker*, W.J. (2002). The palms of New Guinea project. Flora Malesiana Bulletin 13 (1): 35-37.

Baker*, W.J. (2002). Two unusual Calamus species from New Guinea. Kew Bulletin 57 (3): 719-724.

Baker*, W.J. (2005). Palm research in 2004. Palms 49: 152-155.

Baker*, W.J. & Dransfield*, J. (2002). Calamus longipinna (Arecaceae: Calamoideae) and its relatives in New Guinea. Kew Bulletin 57 (4): 853-866.

Baker*, W.J. & Dransfield*, J. (2002). Calamus maturbongsii, an unusual new rattan species from New Guinea. Kew Bulletin 57 (3): 725-728.

Baker*, W.J., Bayton, R.P., Dransfield*, J. & Maturbongs, R.A. (2003). A revision of the Calamus aruensis (Arecaceae) complex in New Guinea and the Pacific. Kew Bulletin 58 (2): 351-370.

Banka, R. & Baker*, W. (2004). A monograph of the genus Rhopaloblaste (Arecaceae). Kew Bulletin 59 (1): 47-60.

Bayton*, R.P. (2005). Borassus L. and the Borassoid palms: systematics and evolution. PhD Thesis. Reading, UK: University of Reading. 241 pp.

Beentje*, H.J. (2005). Flora of Tropical East Africa. Restionaceae. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 4 pp.

Beentje*, H.J. & Ghazanfar*, S.A. (eds) (2005). Flora of Tropical East Africa. Restionaceae. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 4 pp.

Bouaziz, M., Simmonds*, M.S.J., Grayer*, R.J., Kite*, G.C. & Damak, M. (2001). Flavonoids from Hyparrhenia hirta Stapf. (Poaceae) growing in Tunisia. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 29 (8): 849-851.

Bouaziz, M., Veitch*, N.C., Grayer*, R.J., Simmonds*, M.S.J. & Damak, M. (2002). Flavonolignans from Hyparrhenia hirta. Phytochemistry 60 (5): 515-520.

Britt*, A. & Dransfield*, J. (2005). Dypsis delicatula. Palms 49 (1): 40-44.

Brysting, A.K., Fay*, M.F., Leitch*, I.J. & Aiken, S.G. (2004). One or more species in the arctic grass genus Dupontia? - a contribution to the Panarctic Flora project. Taxon 53 (2): 365-382.

Chase*, M.W. (2004). Monocot relationships: an overview. American Journal of Botany 91 (10): 1645-1655.

Chase*, M.W. & Fay*, M.F. (2002). Poales. In The McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. New York: McGraw-Hill. 9th edn. Vol. 14: 89.

Chen, X. & Phillips*, S.M. (2005). Notes on grasses (Poaceae) for the Flora of China, III: A new name in Festuca. Novon 15 (1): 69.

Clayton*, W.D., Harman*, K.T. & Williamson*, H. (2002 onwards). World Grass Species (GrassBase): descriptions, identification and Information retrieval. [Online Database] Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Available at http://www.kew.org/data/grasses-db.html

Clayton*, W.D., Harman*, K.T. & Williamson*, H. (2002 onwards). World Grass Species (GrassBase): synonymy. [Online Database] Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Available at http://www.kew.org/data/grasses-syn.html

Clement, E.J. & Cope*, T.A. (2002). Agrostis lachnantha in Britain (and beyond). BSBI News 91: 48-49.

Cope*, T. (2002). Andropogoneae. In Pope, G.V. & Martins, E.S. (eds) Flora Zambesiaca, volume 10, part 4. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 1-190.

Cope*, T. & Nesbitt*, M. (2002). Plant portraits: 435. Lygeum spartum. Gramineae. Curtis's Botanical Magazine 19 (1): 35-39.

Cope*, T.A. & Ryves, T.B. (2003). A new species of Styppeiochloa De Winter (Poaceae) from Angola. Kew Bulletin 58 (3): 739-741.

Dowe, J.L. & Smith*, L.T. (2002). A brief history of the coconut palm in Australia. Palms 46 (3): 134-138.

Dransfield*, J. (2001). Calamus griseus (Arecaceae), a new species of rattan from Peninsular Thailand, Malaysia and Sumatra. Thai Forest Bulletin, Botany no. 28: 157-159.

Dransfield*, J. (2001). Two new species of Daemonorops (Arecaceae) from Vietnam. Kew Bulletin 56 (3): 661-667.

Dransfield*, J. (2002). General introduction to rattan: biological background to exploitation and the history of rattan research. In Dransfield, J., Tesoro, F.O. & Manokaran, N. (eds) Rattan: current research issues and prospects for conservation and sustainable development. Rome: FAO. Non-wood forest products, 14. 23-34.

Dransfield*, J. (2002). Beccariophoenix madagascariensis flowers in cultivation. Palms 46 (3): 130-131.

Dransfield*, J. (2003). Ny Fomba Fiotazana Santiona Tsara Amin'ny "Palmier" Malagasy. (Guide to collecting palm specimens.) Ravintsara 1 (2): 20-21, 23.

Dransfield*, J. (2003). Dypsis turkii. Palms 47 (1): 26-30.

Dransfield*, J. (2004). Nannorrhops in Oman. Palms 48 (1): 30-32.

Dransfield*, J. & Baker*, W.J. (2003). An account of the Papuasian species of Calamus (Arecaceae) with paired fruit. Kew Bulletin 58 (2): 371-387.

Dransfield*, J. & Beentje*, H.J. (2003). Arecaceae, palms. In Goodman, S.M. & Benstead, J.P. (eds) The natural history of Madagascar. Chicago: Chicago University Press. 448-457.

Dransfield*, J. & Evans, T. (2002). Caryota sympetala. Palms 46 (4): 190-192.

Dransfield*, J. & Marcus, J. (2002). Dypsis 'stumpy'. Palms 46 (1): 47-51.

Dransfield*, J. & Patel, M. (2005). Rattans of Borneo. An interactive key on CD rom. [CD-ROM] Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Available at

Dransfield*, J., Barfod, A.S. & Pondsattayapipat, R. (2004). A preliminary checklist to Thai palms. Thai Forest Bulletin, Botany 32: 32-72.

Dransfield*, J., Tesoro, F.O. & Manokaran, N. (eds) (2002). Rattan: current research issues and prospects for conservation and sustainable development. Rome: FAO. Non wood forest products, 14. 272 pp.

Dransfield*, S. (2002). Sirochloa, a new bamboo genus from Madagascar (Poaceae-Bambusoideae). Kew Bulletin 57 (4): 963-970.

Dransfield*, S. (2003). A new species and a new combination of Cyrtochloa (Poaceae-Bambusoideae) from the Philippines. Kew Bulletin 58 (4): 981-985.

Dransfield*, S. (2003). Poaceae, Bambuseae, bamboos. In Goodman, S.M. & Benstead, J.P. (eds) The natural history of Madagascar. Chicago: Chicago University Press. 467-471.

Dransfield*, S. (2004). Notes on Dendrocalamus longifimbriatus (Poaceae-Bambusoideae) from Myanmar. Thai Forest Bulletin, Botany no. 32: 73-75.

Evans*, T.D. (2001). Taxonomic and ecological aspects of the sustainable management of wild rattan populations in Lao PDR. PhD Thesis. Oxford: Linacre College, University of Oxford. 177 pp.

Evans, T., Sengdala, K., Viengkham, O.V., Thammavong, B. & Dransfield*, J. (2001). Calamus pauciflorus T. Evans et al. non Ridl. renamed Calamus oligostachys T.Evans et al. Kew Bulletin 56 (1): 242.

Evans, T.D., Sengdala, K., Thammavong, B., Viengkham, O.V. & Dransfield*, J. (2002). A synopsis of the rattans (Arecaceae: Calamoideae) of Laos and neighbouring parts of Indochina. Kew Bulletin 57 (1): 1-84.

Fay*, M.F. & Cowan*, R.S. (2001). Further genetic studies of the club-rushes Schoenoplectus triqueter, S. lacustris, S. tabernaemontani and their hybrids. [Report to the Environment Agency.] Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 14 pp.

Fay*, M.F., Cowan*, R.S. & Simpson*, D.A. (2003). Hybridisation between Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani and S. triqueter (Cyperaceae) in the British Isles. Watsonia 24 (3): 433-442.

Fay*, M.F., O'Rourke*, A. & Rich, T.C.G. (2003). A preliminary investigation of genetic variation in Western European Carex depauperata Curtis ex With. (Cyperaceae), starved wood-sedge. Watsonia 24: 507-511.

Furness*, C.A. & Rudall*, P.J. (2001). Pollen and anther characters in monocot systematics. Grana 40 (1-2): 17-25.

Furness*, C.A. & Rudall*, P.J. (2003). Apertures with lids: distribution and significance of operculate pollen in monocots. International Journal of Plant Sciences 164 (6): 835-854.

Goetghebeur, P., Strong, M.T., Kearns, D.M., Thomas, W.W., Tucker, G.C., Kral, R., Camelbeke, K., Simpson*, D.A., Reznicek, A.A. & González-Elizondo, M.S. (2001). Cyperaceae. In Hollowell, T., Berry, P., Funk, V. & Kelloff, C. (eds) Preliminary checklist of the plants of the Guiana Shield. Washington: Smithsonian Institution. 67-75.

Govaerts*, R. (2003 [2005]). The monocot checklist project: a global effort. Symbolae Botanicae Upsaliensis 33 (3): 175-177.

Govaerts*, R. (2004). The monocot checklist project. Taxon 53 (1): 144-146.

Govaerts*, R. & Dransfield*, J. (2005). World checklist of palms. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 223 pp.

Harley*, M.M. (2004). Triaperturate pollen in the monocotyledons: configurations and conjectures. Plant Systematics and Evolution 247 (1-2): 75-122.

Harley*, M.M. & Baker*, W.J. (2001). Pollen aperture morphology in Arecaceae: application within phylogenetic analyses, and a summary of the fossil record of palm-like pollen. Grana 40 (1-2): 45-77.

Harley*, M.M. & Dransfield*, J. (2003). Triporate pollen in the Arecaceae. Grana 42: 3-19.

Harries, H.C. & Baker*, W.J. (2005). The Gulf Stream coconut: flotsam or jetsam or natural dissemination? Palms and Cycads 49: 195-198.

Hastings*, L.H. (2003). A revision of Rhapis, the lady palms. Palms 47 (1): 62-78.

Henderson, S., Gomes, I., Gomes, S. & Baker*, W.J. (2003). Phoenix in the Cape Verde Islands. Palms 47 (5-14):

Hepper*, F.N. (2004). Date palms and opobalsam in the Madaba mosaic map. Palestine Exploration Quarterly 136 (1): 35-44.

Hodkinson, T.R. & Renvoize*, S. (2001). Nomenclature of Miscanthus x giganteus (Poaceae). Kew Bulletin 56 (3): 759-760.

Hodkinson, T.R., Chase*, M.W. & Renvoize*, S.A. (2001). Genetic resources of Miscanthus. Aspects of Applied Biology 65: 239-248.

Hodkinson, T.R., Chase*, M.W. & Renvoize*, S.A. (2002). Characterization of a genetic resource collection for Miscanthus (Saccharinae, Andropogoneae, Poaceae) using AFLP and ISSR PCR. Annals of Botany 89 (5): 627-636.

Hodkinson, T.R., Chase*, M.W., Lledó*, M.D., Salamin, N. & Renvoize*, S.A. (2002). Phylogenetics of Miscanthus, Saccharum and related genera (Saccharinae, Andropogoneae, Poaceae) based on DNA sequences from ITS nuclear ribosomal DNA and plastid trnL intron and trnL-F intergenic spacers. Journal of Plant Research 115: 381-392.

Hodkinson, T.R., Chase*, M.W., Takahashi, C., Leitch*, I.J., Bennett*, M.D. & Renvoize*, S.A. (2002). The use of DNA sequencing (ITS and trnL-F), AFLP, and fluorescent in situ hybridization to study allopolyploid Miscanthus (Poaceae). American Journal of Botany 89 (2): 279-286.

Kukkonen, I. & Simpson*, D.A. (2005). Isolepis. In Boulos, L. (ed.) Flora of Egypt. Volume 4. Cairo: Al Hadara. 359-360.

Kukkonen, I. & Simpson*, D.A. (2005). Schoenus. In Boulos, L. (ed.) Flora of Egypt. Volume 4. Cairo: Al Hadara. 402-404.

Kukkonen, I. & Simpson*, D.A. (2005). Bolboschoenus. In Boulos, L. (ed.) Flora of Egypt. Volume 4. Cairo: Al Hadara. 350-352.

Kukkonen, I. & Simpson*, D.A. (2005). Fimbristylis. In Boulos, L. (ed.) Flora of Egypt. Volume 4. Cairo: Al Hadara. 367-368.

Kukkonen, I. & Simpson*, D.A. (2005). Cladium. In Boulos, L. (ed.) Flora of Egypt. Volume 4. Cairo: Al Hadara. 404.

Kukkonen, I. & Simpson*, D.A. (2005). Carex. In Boulos, L. (ed.) Flora of Egypt. Volume 4. Cairo: Al Hadara. 404-409.

Kukkonen, I. & Simpson*, D.A. (2005). Eleocharis. In Boulos, L. (ed.) Flora of Egypt. Volume 4. Cairo: Al Hadara. 361-366.

Kukkonen, I. & Simpson*, D.A. (2005). Scirpoides. In Boulos, L. (ed.) Flora of Egypt. Volume 4. Cairo: Al Hadara. 357-359.

Kukkonen, I. & Simpson*, D.A. (2005). Schoenoplectus. In Boulos, L. (ed.) Flora of Egypt. Volume 4. Cairo: Al Hadara. 352-356.

Kukkonen, I. & Simpson*, D.A. (2005). Fuirena. In Boulos, L. (ed.) Flora of Egypt. Volume 4. Cairo: Al Hadara. 369-371.

Linder, H.P. & Rudall*, P.J. (2005). Evolutionary history of Poales. Annual Review of Ecology Evolution and Systematics 36: 107-124.

Lledó*, M.D., Renvoize*, S.A. & Chase*, M.W. (2001). Miscanthus sinensis and Miscanthus sacchariflorus: a confusing pair of species. Aspects of Applied Biology 65: 249-254.

Lock*, J.M. (2001 [2002]). Xyris in Africa: a progress report. In Robbrecht, E., Degreef, J. & Friis, I. (eds) Plant systematics and phytogeography for the understanding of African biodiversity. Proceedings of the XVI AETFAT Congress held at the National Botanic Garden Belgium, Aug. 28 - Sept. 2, 2000. Meise: National Botanic Garden (Belgium). Systematics and Geography of Plants, 71(2) special issue. 443-445.

Lock*, M. (2002). New species of Xyris (Xyridaceae) from Tanzania. Kew Bulletin 57 (2): 445-450.

Longhi-Wagner, H. & Renvoize*, S.A. (2004). The genus Ctenium (Poaceae-Cynodonteae) in Bolivia. Kew Bulletin 59 (2): 305-309.

Longhi-Wagner, H.M. & Cope*, T.A. (2003). Clenium longiglume (Poaceae), a new species from Africa. Kew Bulletin 58 (1): 229-231.

Maunder*, M., Lyte*, B., Dransfield*, J. & Baker*, W. (2001). The conservation value of botanic garden palm collections. Biological Conservation 98: 259-271.

Mori, N., Ishii, T., Ishido, T., Hirosawa, S., Watatani, H., Kawahara, T., Nesbitt*, M., Belay, G., Takumi, S., Ogihara, Y. & Nakamura, C. (2003). Origin of domesticated emmer and common wheat inferred from chloroplast DNA fingerprinting. In 10th International Wheat Genetics Symposium. Rome: Istituto Sperimentale Cerealicoltura. Vol. 5: 25-28.

Muasya, A.M. & Simpson*, D.A. (2002). A monograph of the genus Isolepis R. Br. (Cyperaceae). Kew Bulletin 57 (2): 257-362.

Muasya, A.M. & Simpson*, D.A. (2004). Cyperus kituiensis (Cyperaceae), a new species from Kenya. Kew Bulletin 59 (2): 247-249.

Muasya, A.M. & Simpson*, D.A. (2005). Validation of Isolepis sect. Proliferae (Cyperaceae). Kew Bulletin 60 (1): 159.

Muasya, A.M., Simpson*, D.A. & Chase*, M.W. (2001 [2002]). Generic relationships and character evolution in Cyperus s.l. (Cyperaceae). In Robbrecht, E., Degreef, J. & Friis, I. (eds) Plant systematics and phytogeography for the understanding of African biodiversity. Proceedings of the XVI AETFAT Congress, held at the National Botanic Garden, Belgium, Aug. 28 - Sept 2, 2000. Meise: National Botanic Garden (Belgium). Systematics and Geography of Plants, 71(2) special issue. 539-544.

Muasya, A.M., Simpson*, D.A. & Chase*, M.W. (2002). Phylogenetic relationships in Cyperus L. s.l. (Cyperaceae) inferred from plastid DNA sequence data. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 138 (2): 145-153.

Muasya, A.M., Simpson*, D.A., Chase*, M.W. & Culham, A. (2001). A phylogenetic analysis of Isolepis and allied genera (Cyperaceae) inferred using plastid rbcL and trnL-F DNA sequence data. Systematic Botany 26 (2): 342-353.

Nesbitt*, M. (2001). Wheat evolution: integrating archaeological and biological evidence. In Caligari, P.D.S. & Brandham, P.E. (eds) Wheat taxonomy: the legacy of John Percival. London: Linnean Society. Linnean Special Issue 3. 37-59.

Nesbitt*, M. (2002). When and where did domesticated cereals first occur in southwest Asia? In Cappers, R. & Bottema, S. (eds) The dawn of farming in the Near East. Berlin: ex Oriente. 113-132.

Norrmann, G., Hanson*, L., Renvoize*, S.A. & Leitch*, I.J. (2004). Genomic relationships among diploid and hexaploid species of Andropogon (Poaceae). Genome 47 (6): 1220-1224.

Norup*, M.V. (2005). Alsmithia subsumed in Heterospathe (Arecaceae, Arecoideae). Novon 15 (3): 455-457.

Pearson*, J. & Prendergast*, H.D.V. (2001). Daemonorops, Dracaena and other dragon's blood. Economic Botany 55 (4): 474-477.

Phillips*, S.M. & Chen, S.L. (2002). The genus Tripogon (Poaceae) in China. Kew Bulletin 57 (4): 911-924.

Phillips*, S.M. & Chen, S.L. (2003). Notes on grasses (Poaceae) for the Flora of China: II. Paniceae. Novon 13 (4): 467-470.

Phillips*, S.M. & Chen, W.L. (2003). Notes on grasses (Poaceae) for the Flora of China: 1. Deyeuxia. Novon 13 (3): 318-321.

Phillips*, S.M. & Hua, P. (2005). Notes on grasses (Poaceae) for the Flora of China, V. New species in Cymbopogon. Novon 15 (3): 471-473.

Phillips*, S.M. & Shoultang, C. (2005). Notes on grasses (Poaceae) for the Flora of China, IV. Novon 15 (3): 464-470.

Phillips*, S.M. & Wu, Z.L. (2005). Notes on grasses (Poaceae) for the Flora of China, VI. New combinations in Stipeae and Anthoxanthum. Novon 15 (3): 474-476.

Phillips*, S.M., Namaganda, M. & Lye, K.A. (2003). 115 Ugandan grasses. Makerere Herbarium handbook no. 1 Kampala: Department of Botany, Makerere University. 308 pp.

Prada*, D., Romagosa, I., Ullrich, S.E. & Molina-Cano, J.L. (2005). A centromeric region on chromosome 6(6H) affects dormancy in an induced mutant in barley. Journal of Experimental Botany 56 (409): 47-54.

Prata, A.P., Lopez, A.G. & Simpson*, D.A. (2002). Bulbostylis edwalliana (Cyperaceae) validly published. Kew Bulletin 57 (1): 234.

Prata, A.P., Lopez, G. & Simpson*, D.A. (2001). New combinations in Bulbostylis (Cyperaceae) from South America. Kew Bulletin 56 (4): 1007-1009.

Prendergast*, H.D.V. (2002). Papyrus, paper and paper making: a view of Kew's Economic Botany collections. Curtis's Botanical Magazine 19 (2): 126-144.

Prendergast*, H.D.V. (2002). Useful marine monocots - more collections than data? Economic Botany 56: 110-112.

Prychid*, C.J., Furness*, C.A. & Rudall*, P.J. (2003). Systematic significance of cell inclusions in Haemodoraceae and allied families: silica bodies and tapetal raphides. Annals of Botany 92: 571-580.

Prychid*, C.J., Rudall*, P.J. & Gregory*, M. (2003 [2004]). Systematics and biology of silica bodies in monocotyledons. Botanical Review 69 (4): 377-440.

Punekar, S.A. & Lakshminarasimhan*, P. (2004). Eriocaulon peninsulare (Eriocaulaceae) - a new species from India. Nordic Journal of Botany 23 (2): 173-175.

Punekar, S.A., Lakshminarasimhan*, P. & Rao, M.K.V. (2002 [2003]). Eriocaulon balakrishnanii (Eriocaulaceae), a new species from Western Ghats of India. Nordic Journal of Botany 22 (5): 609-611.

Punekar, S.A., Malpure, N.V. & Lakshminarasimhan*, P. (2004). Three new species of Eriocaulon (Eriocaulaceae) from peninsular India. Sida, Contributions to Botany 21 (2): 625-635.

Renvoize*, S.A. (2002). Grass anatomy. In Mallett, K. & Orchard, A.E. (eds) Flora of Australia: vol. 43. Poaceae part 1 Introduction and atlas. Melbourne: ABRS/CSIRO Publishing. 71-132.

Renvoize*, S.A. (2003). The genus Miscanthus. The Plantsman (n.s.) 2 (4): 207-211.

Rostant, L. & Prendergast*, H.D.V. (2001). Conservation of a Phoenix raincape from The Philippines. Economic Botany 55: 341-343.

Rudall*, P.J., Abranson*, K., Dransfield*, J. & Baker*, W. (2003). Floral anatomy in Dypsis (Arecaceae-Areceae): a case of complex synorganisation and stamen reduction. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 143 (2): 115-133.

Rudall*, P.J., Stuppy*, W., Cunniff*, J., Kellogg, E.A. & Briggs, B.G. (2005). Evolution of reproductive structures in grasses (Poaceae) inferred by sister-group comparison with their putative closest living relatives, Ecdeiocoleaceae. American Journal of Botany 92 (9): 1432-1443.

Sajo, M.G., Furness*, C.A., Prychid*, C.J. & Rudall*, P.J. (2005). Microsporogenesis and anther development in Bromeliaceae. Grana 44: 65-74.

Sajo, M.G., Prychid*, C.J. & Rudall*, P.J. (2004). Structure and development of the ovule in Bromeliaceae. Kew Bulletin 59: 261-267.

Sajo, M.G., Rudall*, P.J. & Prychid*, C.J. (2004). Floral anatomy of Bromeliaceae, with particular reference to the evolution of epigyny and septal nectaries in commelinid monocots. Plant Systematics and Evolution 247: 215-231.

Salamin*, N. (2002). Large trees, supertrees and the grass phylogeny. PhD Thesis. Dublin: Trinity College. 206 pp.

Salamin, N., Chase*, M.W., Hodkinson, T.R. & Savolainen*, V. (2003). Assessing internal support with large phylogenetic DNA matrices. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 27: 528-539.

Salamin, N., Hodkinson, T.R. & Savolainen*, V. (2002). Building supertrees: an empirical assessment using the grass family (Poaceae). Systematic Biology 51 (1): 136-150.

Sarasan*, V., Ramsay*, M.M. & Roberts*, A.V. (2005). Rescue of endangered palms by in vitro methods: the case of 'bottle palm'. In Jain, S.M. & Gupta, P.K. (eds) Protocol for somatic embryogenesis in woody plants. Netherlands: Springer. 267-274.

Sarasan*, V., Ramsay*, M.M. & Roberts, A.V. (2002). In vitro germination and induction of direct somatic embryogenesis in 'bottle palm' (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis (L. Bailey) H.E.Moore), a critically endangered Mauritian palm. Plant Cell Reports 20: 1107-1111.

Saw, L.G., Dransfield*, J. & Keith-Lucas, D.M. (2003). Morphological diversity of the genus Licuala (Palmae). Telopea 10: 187-206.

Simpson*, D.A. (2004). A.F.G. Kerr - pioneering botanist in Thailand. The Brief: Magazine of the British Chamber of Commerce, Thailand 6 (4): 14-15.

Simpson*, D.A. & Inglis, C.A. (2001). Cyperaceae of economic, ethnobotanical and horticultural importance: a checklist. Kew Bulletin 56 (2): 257-360.

Simpson*, D.A. & Muasya, A.M. (2004). Three new species of Cyperus (Cyperaceae) from Eastern and Southern Africa. Kew Bulletin 59 (4): 593-598.

Simpson*, D.A., Furness*, C.A., Hodkinson, T.R., Muasya, A.M. & Chase*, M.W. (2003). Phylogenetic relationships in Cyperaceae subfamily Mapanioideae inferred from pollen and plastid DNA sequence data. American Journal of Botany 90 (7): 1071-1086.

Simpson*, D.A., Lye, K.A. & Cheek*, M. (2004). Hypolytrum pseudomapanioides (Cyperaceae): a new species from Cameroon. Kew Bulletin 59 (4): 613-615.

Simpson*, D.A., Muasya*, A.M., Chayamarit, K., Parnell, J.A.N., Suddee, S., Wilde, B.D.E., Jones, M.B., Bruhl, J.J. & Pooma, R. (2005). Khaosokia caricoides, a new genus and species of Cyperaceae from Thailand. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 149 (3): 357-364.

Simpson*, D.A., Muasya, A.M. & Cafferty, S. (2001). Typification of Scirpus fluitans L. and Scirpus setaceus. Kew Bulletin 56 (4): 1011-1012.

Sosef, M.S.M. & Simpson*, D.A. (2005). Hypolytrum unispicatum (Cyperaceae), a new species from Cameroon. Blumea 50 (3): 523-525.

Springate*, D. (2004). Adventures on palm island. Kew 46: 12-16.

Stapleton*, C. (2001). New combination arising from the publication of a new name for Himalayacalamus intermedius Bol. Bamboo 22 (2): 6-7.

Stapleton*, C.M.A. (2003). (056) Proposal to limit the scope of Recommendation 60C.2 Taxon 52 (3): 635.

Stapleton*, C.M.A. & Renvoize*, S.A. (2001). (1487) Proposal to conserve the name Bambusa viridistriata Siebold ex Andre (Poaceae, Bambusoideae). Taxon 50 (3): 911-913.

Stapleton*, C.M.A. & Xia, N.H. (2004). Qiongzhuea and Dendrocalamopsis (Poaceae-Bambusoideae): publication by descriptio generico-specifico and typification. Taxon 53 (2): 526-528.

Stapleton*, C.M.A., De-Zhu, L. & He, X.N. (2005). New combinations for Chinese bamboos (Poaceae, Bambuseae). Novon 15 (4): 599-601.

Stapleton*, C.M.A., Ni Chonghaile, G. & Hodkinson, T.R. (2004). Sarocalamus, a new sino-himalayan bamboo genus (Poaceae : Bambusoideae). Novon 14 (3): 345-349.

Starr, J.R., Harris, S.A. & Simpson*, D.A. (2003). Potential of the 5' and 3' ends of the intergenic spacer (IGS) of rDNA in the Cyperaceae: new sequences for lower-level phylogenies in sedges with an example from Uncinia Pers. International Journal of Plant Sciences 164: 213-227.

Starr, J.R., Harris, S.A. & Simpson*, D.A. (2004). Phylogeny of the unispicate taxa in Cyperaceae tribe Cariceae: 1. Generic relationships and evolutionary scenarios. Systematic Botany 29 (3): 528-544.

Stauffer, F.W., Baker*, W.J., Dransfield*, J. & Endress, P.K. (2004). Comparative floral structure and systematics of Pelagodoxa and Sommieria (Arecaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 146: 27-39.

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Annex material

Annex 1: List of families in Commelinid Monocots (Word document)