Iris pseudomeda (Iridaceae), a new species of Iris section Oncocyclus from Iran

Iris pseudomeda is described and illustrated as a new species of Iris section Oncocyclus from Kurdistan province in northwestern Iran. It occurs among subalpine flora of Zagros mountain range, on stony calcareous hillsides and the brink of grassland fields. A complete morphological description, conservation status, botanical illustrations, notes on habitat and distribution range are presented for the new species. Furthermore, taxonomic relationships of I. pseudomeda with other members of this rhizomatous bearded section, particularly I. meda, are also discussed.

Mutations in Yellow

Mutations in yellow, a serial arrangement of yellow pigments on rice paper are reflections on botany, viruses and empire.The studies investigate the materiality of yellow, using turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, chili powder to make imprecise diagrams; reminiscent of, but neither calligraphy nor painting; gestures that trouble and muddy the taxonomies of yellowness and the historical entanglements between 18th century colonial studies of plant disease, imperial routes and racial capitalism.The invention of “yellow” as a racial description associated with “dirty, lurid, treacherous, suspect, diseased, weak, lazy, melancholy, unproductive” appeared in natural science publications, frequently representing maladies and infectious afflictions to biological and human (European Man) health and reproduction. The images evade scientific conventions of pictorial accuracy that typify botanical illustrations and instead present the colour yellow as medium in non linear, non-teleological “mutations”—present and willfully unproductive, like withdrawal from the descriptive apparatus mapping “yellow” to infection, foreignness and invasion.

Botanical Illustration in Britain in the Late 18th Century — Early 19th Century in the Context of the Formation of a Taxonomic Approach to Exploration

В статье исследуется «эра Бэнкса» (1778–1820) как особый период в истории британской науки, когда в центре интеллектуальной жизни империи оказалась ботаника, а ботаническая иллюстрация выступала как ведущий практический инструмент познания. Исследование контекстов и смыслов, возникающих вокруг ботанической иллюстрации, связано с рассмотрением практик научного наблюдения за природой, легитимированных и вместе с тем скованных определенными административными нормами, общекультурными стандартами и ценностными ориентирами своей эпохи. Наиболее влиятельной фигурой по отношению к вышеперечисленным факторам развития ботанической иллюстрации в Британии являлся ботаник Джозеф Бэнкс (1743–1820), президент Лондонского королевского общества с 1778 по 1820 год. Биография Дж. Бэнкса рассматривается нами в контексте его имперских амбиций и интеллектуального окружения. Результаты проведенного исследования позволяют углубить понимание властного дискурса подчинения человеком природы, зарождение которого связано с развитием таксономического подхода и совершенствованием способов визуализации ботанического знания. The article investigates the so called Banks era (1778–1820), a period of the history of British science when botany played a key role in the intellectual life of the British Empire and botanical illustrations were a practical tool in the exploration of the world. The investigation of meanings evoked by botanical illustrations is associated with the investigation of observations which are both legitimatized and limited by certain administrative norms, cultural standards, and values characteristic of an epoch. Joseph Banks (1743–1820), an English botanist and president of the Royal Society (1778–1820), was the most prominent figure to promote botanical illustrations in Britain. The article views the biography of Joseph Banks in the context of his imperial ambitions and his intellectual environment. The results of the research provide insight into the understanding of humanity’s domination of nature, whose origin is associated with the development of a taxonomic approach and the improvement of botanical art techniques.

Deconstructive approach in the presentation of botanical knowledge in educational materials for students

The article discusses the latest trends in the field of presentation of natural science information for students, which have developed in the postmodern era. It is shown that botanical illustrations presented in postmodern alphabets do not reflect the morphological features of plants. When depicting plants, the author uses the technique of deconstructing images presented in ancient botanical atlases. Fragments of botanical illustrations are placed against the background of everyday scenes of the 19th century, including those of a fantasy nature. The structural components of the botanical educational book, its content and ironic author's comments are considered. The description of plants is pseudo-academic: the texts are surreal, they combine fiction and truth, fantasy and the specifics of the action. It is concluded that the irony of the comments does not contribute to the formation of the foundations of the natural science worldview.

Flora of Acanthaceae of Iguaçu National Park, Paraná, Brazil

Species of Acanthaceae are predominantly associated with conserved forest environments such as Iguaçu National Park (PARNA Iguaçu), which is composed of Semideciduous Seasonal Forest and Araucaria forest. The aim of this work was to perform a floristic study of Acanthaceae of PARNA Iguaçu, with botanical illustrations, an identification key and descriptions of the species. Collections were carried out monthly from August 2015 to July 2016, in the areas of Céu Azul, Capanema and Foz do Iguaçu. The individuals collected were deposited in the UNOP herbarium and the specimens present in the herbaria EVB, HCF, MBM and UNOP, as well as in the virtual herbaria Reflora and SpeciesLink, were analyzed. A total of 13 native species were recorded from Atlantic Forest, distributed in seven genera. Justicia was the most representative, with five species. In all, 12 new records were made for PARNA Iguaçu, of which eight are new records for Semideciduous Seasonal Forest. Of the species found, three are threatened with extinction, one of which is considered vulnerable and two are categorized as endangered, which reinforces the role of PARNA Iguaçu in in-situ conservation in the state of Paraná.

ARTISTS SERVING BOTANISTS: CONFLICT AND SEARCH FOR MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING IN THE XVITH — XVIITH CENTURIES

The article explores the communication and mutual influence of botanists and artists who lived in Germany, Switzerland and Holland from the second half of the XVIth to the beginning of the XVIIth century. The choice of the areal and period of study is due to the active communication among scientists on the reform of scientific knowledge, in particular botany. The new demands of scientists, who expected artists to help them visualize the morphological features of plants, clashed with a painting tradition that changed slowly and gradually. Eventually, by the early the XVIIth century, an understanding was achieved. Botanical illustrations acquired its main artistic features: clarity of contour, minimum chiaroscuro and muted colour. At the same time, painters who worked in the genre of flower still life in Holland at the beginning of the XVIIth century were also significantly influenced by botanists. Several features appeared in the early Dutch still life: gathering of plants blooming in different months into one bouquet, collage method, composing a bouquet like a "table" of the Kunstkammer, uniform illumination, absence of space depth and crossing of objects, exotic, rare and expensive flowers, especially tulips.

A reappraisal of Neotropical Vanilla. With a note on taxonomic inflation and the importance of alpha taxonomy in biological studies

Despite the long-standing cultural importance and botanical interest in Vanilla, many taxa belonging to the genus remain poorly understood. Vanilla species generally have broad geographical and ecological distributions. Most species are found in multiple countries, while local endemics are rare. Many names proposed in the eighteen and nineteenth centuries remain cryptic and unused despite having priority over more recently proposed names. Relatively few Vanilla species have been well-documented, both locally and across their entire distribution range, while a significant portion of novelties have been proposed on the basis of very few specimens that are compared only with local floras. After a careful inspection of the type materials, living plants, botanical illustrations, photographs and hundreds of additional herbarium specimens of Vanilla we tentatively recognize 62 species for the Neotropics. The taxonomy of Vanilla columbiana, V. hartii, V. inodora, V. karenchristianae, V. marowynensis, V. mexicana, V. odorata, V. phaeantha, V. planifolia, and V. pompona is revised. An updated typification, description, photographs, illustrations, list of studied specimens, distribution map, extent of occurrence and discussion is provided for each of the ten species. Taxonomic proposals include 28 new synonyms, 14 lectotypifications, and one neotypification. We stress on the importance of alpha-taxonomy for biological studies, emphasizing on the detrimental effects of taxonomic inflation and incorrect species determination on the inference of speciation rates, the understanding of biogeographical patterns, the correct estimation of ecological niches, seed dispersal studies, phylogenetic and genomic studies, and the assessments of conservation priorities, among others. Finally, the recently proposed genus Miguelia is placed under the synonymy of Vanilla. Key Words: Conservation, distribution, Miguelia, typification, Vanilla columbiana, V. hartii, V. inodora, V. karen-christianae, V. marowynensis, V. mexicana, V. odorata, V. phaeantha, V. planifolia, V. pompona

Taxonomy of Sisyrinchium sect. Cephalanthum (Iridaceae: Iridoideae) in Southern Brazil

Here we present a first contribution to the taxonomic revision of Sisyrinchium (Iridaceae: Iridoideae) for Southern Brazil. Sisyrinchium sect. Cephalanthum is one of the six sections in which the Brazilian species of the genus are classified, and the second largest in number of taxa. This monograph presents the taxonomic treatment of 22 taxa characterized by a unique set of morphological and molecular features, assigned to the section by phylogenetic studies, as well as the unplaced S. elegantulum, which is included here due to morphological similarity. A new status and a new synonym are proposed, and nine lectotypes and one neotype are designated. An identification key is provided, and species are described, accompanied by botanical illustrations, pictures, and distribution maps. In addition, geographical distribution, habitat, phenology, notes, and examined specimens are presented. Species of the section are mainly distributed in the South American biogeographic dominions of Chacoan and Parana.

Taxonomy of the Genus Halophila Thouars (Hydocharitaceae): A Review

The seagrass genus Halophila Thouars has more than twenty described species and is predominately distributed over a wide geographic range along the tropical and the warm temperate coastlines in the Indo-West Pacific Oceans. A brief history of the Halophila taxonomic development is presented. Based on reproductive and vegetative morphology, the genus is divided into eight sections including three new sections: section Australes, section Stipulaceae and section Decipientes. A rewritten taxonomic description of the type species for the genus Halophila,H. madagascariensis Steudel ex Doty et B.C. Stone, is provided. The lectotype of H. engelmannii Asch. as well as neotypes of H. hawaiiana Doty et B.C. Stone and H. spinulosa (Br.) Asch. are designated. Furthermore, H. ovalis ssp. bullosa, ssp. ramamurthiana and ssp. linearis together with H. balforurii have been recognised as distinct species. Nomenclature, typification, morphological description and botanical illustrations are presented for each taxon. Recent molecular phylogenetic surveys on certain Halophila taxa are also discussed. Field surveys for the deep water Halophila in West Pacific regions are suggested. Morphological studies combined with molecular investigations for the Halophila on the east coast of Africa and the West Indian Ocean are urgently needed and highly recommended.

PUBLISHING NATURE IN THE AGE OF REVOLUTIONS: JOSEPH BANKS, GEORG FORSTER, AND THE PLANTS OF THE PACIFIC

The construction and distribution of books containing large copperplate images was of great importance to practitioners of natural history during the eighteenth century. This article examines the case of the botanist and president of the Royal Society Sir Joseph Banks (1743–1820), who attempted to publish a series of images based on the botanical illustrations produced by Georg Forster (1754–94) on Cook's second voyage of exploration (1772–5) during the 1790s. The analysis reveals how the French Revolution influenced approaches to constructing and distributing works of natural history in Britain, moving beyond commercial studies of book production to show how Banks's political agenda shaped the taxonomic content and distribution of this publication. Matters were complicated by Forster's association with radical politics and the revolutionary ideologies attached to materials collected in the Pacific by the 1790s. Banks's response to the Revolution influenced the distribution of this great work, showing how British loyalist agendas interacted with scientific practice and shaped the diffusion of natural knowledge in the revolutionary age.