Contributions to the biodiversity of Vietnam – Results of VIETBIO inventory work and field training in Cuc Phuong National Park

VIETBIO [Innovative approaches to biodiversity discovery and characterisation in Vietnam] is a bilateral German-Vietnamese research and capacity building project focusing on the development and transfer of new methods and technology towards an integrated biodiversity discovery and monitoring system for Vietnam. Dedicated field training and testing of innovative methodologies were undertaken in Cuc Phuong National Park as part and with support of the project, which led to the new biodiversity data and records made available in this article collection. VIETBIO is a collaboration between the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science (MfN), the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum, Freie Universität Berlin (BGBM) and the Vietnam National Museum of Nature (VNMN), the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR), the Southern Institute of Ecology (SIE), as well as the Institute of Tropical Biology (ITB); all Vietnamese institutions belong to the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST). The article collection "VIETBIO" (https://doi.org/10.3897/bdj.coll.63) reports original results of recent biodiversity recording and survey work undertaken in Cuc Phuong National Park, northern Vietnam, under the framework of the VIETBIO project. The collection consist of this “main” cover paper – characterising the study area, the general project approaches and activities, while also giving an extensive overview on previous studies from this area – followed by individual papers for higher taxa as studied during the project. The main purpose is to make primary biodiversity records openly available, including several new and interesting findings for this biodiversity-rich conservation area. All individual data papers with their respective primary records are expected to provide useful baselines for further taxonomic, phylogenetic, ecological and conservation-related studies on the respective taxa and, thus, will be maintained as separate datasets, including separate GUIDs also for further updating.

Botanic Garden Profile Gullele Botanic Garden, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia): Current status, Challenges and Opportunities

Gullele Botanic Garden (GBG) was founded through a joint venture between Addis Ababa University and Addis Ababa City Government. Since its establishment in 2010, it has developed its infrastructure and carried out a range of activities related to plant conservation, research, environmental education and ecotourism in line with its vision and mission. Key activities described in this paper are the five different uses of GBG land; the installation of a weather station; and the construction of a mini-greenhouse for plant acclimatisation, the multipurpose Agora II (an eco-friendly building with a green roof), a thematic garden and a nursery. The lists of endemic plants (65), large mammals (11) and endemic bird species recorded are presented in Appendices I, II and III respectively. The main activities and works carried out by GBG are not yet widely known to local and international communities. Through describing the garden’s current status, challenges and opportunities, this paper aims to increase awareness among the scientific community and more widely of GBG’s activities and intentions for protecting Ethiopia’s flora.

Germination biology of the exotic ice cream bean (Inga edulis Mart.) seed from Bedugul, Bali

Inga edulis is an exotic edible Fabaceae species locally known as buah es krim in Bedugul, Bali. The plant species is a favourite fruit for consumption and trading due to the sweet sarcostesta. Wild I. edulis are abundantly grown in Bedugul. The current study aim is to describes I. edulis germination biology. This study will provide data for I. edulis future research both in its domestication and invasion prevention. I. edulis seeds are collected two times from wild plants growing within Bali Botanic Garden. A total of twenty-one I. edulis seeds are germinated in a clear closed plastic container with agar media at Bali Botanic Garden Seed Bank Laboratory. The germination process was observed daily until the seventh day after sowing (DAS) while number of seedlings was calculated in the last observation day. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis was conducted to describe I. edulis seed germination biology. This study result shows that I. edulis seeds produce high germination percentage rapidly. I. edulis seeds exhibited hypogeal germination and phanerocotylar hypogeal with reserve storage seedling functional type. Polyembryony was also present with a single seed can produce up to four seedlings.

FIRST ASCERTAINABLE RECORD OF LUDWIGIA PEPLOIDES FROM ROMANIA

Ludwigia peploides (Kunth) P.H.Raven - Floating primrose-willow - is native to wetlands of North, Central, and South America, and widely distributed across Africa, Australia, and Asia, and in Europe, where it is listed by EU Regulation no. 2016/1141 as an Invasive Alien Species (IAS) of Union concern. A photograph of the species from Romania taken in the Sai River Valley (Teleorman County) was published on the Facebook online platform in 2018. This first record, however, lacked further details on the observed specimen or any accompanying herbarium material that would ascertain its correct taxonomic assignation. By carrying out our own field surveys between October and November 2020 we hereby confirm the presence of the species Ludwigia peploides as a new addition to the Romanian alien flora. We identified many specimens occurring along the Sai River Valley, between Olteanca and Turnu Magurele localities. We further present preliminary data regarding the distribution, affected habitats, and population extent of Ludwigia peploides in the investigated area. Although several hypotheses can be proposed on the origin of this species in Romania, our current data cannot strongly support any of them. Plant specimens were deposited in the Herbarium collection of the D. Brandza Botanic Garden of the University of Bucharest (BUC).

Wellington Botanic Garden

<p>The purpose of this Heritage Inventory is to identify, research and assess heritage features in the Wellington Botanic Garden and surrounding area. The resulting heritage inventory will be made available to the Wellington City Council to help with the future management of the heritage features within the Botanic Garden. The inventory could also be used by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a background for a possible proposal to register the Botanic Garden, or the buildings, features or spaces within it, as an historic area or historic place/s.</p>

Wellington Botanic Garden

<p>The purpose of this Heritage Inventory is to identify, research and assess heritage features in the Wellington Botanic Garden and surrounding area. The resulting heritage inventory will be made available to the Wellington City Council to help with the future management of the heritage features within the Botanic Garden. The inventory could also be used by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a background for a possible proposal to register the Botanic Garden, or the buildings, features or spaces within it, as an historic area or historic place/s.</p>

The First Korean Garden in Russia

The history of the first «Korean Garden» design, development and establishment within the Irkutsk State University Botanic Garden in the harsh climatic conditions of Baikalian Siberia is described. The peculiarities of the selection of plants and landscape arrangements represent this garden as a unique ethnobotanical object – the cultural and natural heritage of Korea, an ecological and humanitarian resource for science, education and international cooperation.