Ficus subulata, a new record for Singapore

A new record for Singapore, Ficus subulata Blume, has been discovered growing in several small patches of secondary forest on Pulau Ubin. It is described here based on observations of the plant on Pulau Ubin along with notes on its habitat. A key to the Singapore species of Ficus subgenus Sycidium section Palaeomorphe, to which F. subulata belongs, is given. Male and female individuals of a Kradibia pollinating fig wasp species were found within a syconium of a plant specimen. They were collected and vouchered and are illustrated here.

Data Standards for the Phenology of Plant Specimens

Phenological data (i.e., data on growth and reproductive events of organisms) are increasingly being used to study the effects of climate change, and biodiversity specimens have arisen as important sources of phenological data. However, phenological data are not expressly treated by the Darwin Core standard (Wieczorek et al. 2012), and specimen-based phenological data have been codified and stored in various Darwin Core fields using different vocabularies, making phenological data difficult to access, aggregate, and therefore analyze at scale across data sources. The California Phenology Network, an herbarium digitization collaboration launched in 2018, has harvested phenological data from over 1.4 million angiosperm specimens from California herbaria (Yost et al. 2020). We developed interim standards by which to score and store these data, but further development is needed for adoption of ideal phenological data standards into the Darwin Core. To this end, we are forming a Plant Specimen Phenology Task Group to develop a phenology extension for the Darwin Core standard. We will create fields into which phenological data can be entered and recommend a standardized vocabulary for use in these fields using the Plant Phenology Ontology (Stucky et al. 2018, Brenskelle et al. 2019). We invite all interested parties to become part of this Task Group and thereby contribute to the accesibility and use of these valuable data. In this talk, we will describe the need for plant phenological data standards, current challenges to developing such standards, and outline the next steps of the Task Group toward providing this valuable resource to the data user community.

Areas of Endemism of Selected Seed Plants in Southcentral and Southwestern USA

Areas of endemism (AEs) are fundamental entities of analysis in biogeography and a key step for biogeographical regionalization. Even though many studies have contributed to the biogeographical knowledge of southern USA flora, no endemicity analysis (EA) has been conducted that would include a large number of native seed plant species from different families. A new analysis of plant spatial patterns is important as a first step for a future updated floristic regionalization of North America North of Mexico. It has become easier to accomplish owing to the increased availability of large-scale digitized distributional data and statistical methods of biogeographic analysis. Here we identify the AEs in SC/SW USA using digitized plant specimen data available from IDigBio. We built a database with 81,851-specimen point records of 400 selected mostly angiosperm species and applied the NDM/VNDM method of endemicity analysis. We then compare the established 26 AEs in the area of study with the floristic provinces in two comparatively recent regionalization systems of USA. To understand the spatial patterns, we also pay attention to the information on relationships of the endemic species found in phylogenetic literature.

From Decellurization to Imaging to 3-D Printing: low-cost plant-derived 3D-printed tissue scaffolds for tissue engineering

The most abundant carbohydrate in nature, cellulose, has incredible structural properties that can be leveraged as scaffolds for tissue engineering. With plants being an inexpensive and easily accessible source, it is more feasible to experiment with these techniques and progress in the field of regenerative tissue engineering. In this study, we set out to optimize a low-cost method to obtain cellulose scaffolds that could potentially mimic a blood vessels after recellularization with endothelial cells. We chose a readily available plant specimen, i.e. cauliflower stalk, which offers anatomical similarity to blood vessels, vascular architecture and interconnected porosity. We went on to capture the cellulose scaffold digitally and created a 3-D model using a computer-aided design (CAD) software which was then used for 3-D printing the scaffold in two different sizes. We believe the decellularize-image-print cycle allows for skipping decellularization processes of new scaffolds every time a scaffold is required and therefore cutting cost and time needed, enables instant dissemination between individual researchers and communities and allows scalable printing at any size and level of detail. We hope this will catalyze even faster innovation in the space of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

UMBILICUS TROPAEOLIFOLIUS BOISS (CRASSULACEAE) A NEW RECORD TO THE FLORA OF THE ARABIAN PENINSULA

The plant diversity Sowth West of the Arabian Peninsula is considered to be very high due to its location, variation of climates, and geographical features. Generally, the Arabian Peninsula characterized by a very rich flora and is still not explored well. During the field survey of rare plant species, the authors collected a specimen of new taxa from the remote and inaccessible habitats in Jabal Ibrahim of the Asir region, Saudi Arabia. The plant was not reported so far in the flora of the Arabian Peninsula. The present paper deals with the record of one new plant species (Umbilicus tropaeolifolius Boiss) to the flora of Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula. The plant has a very small population range and very limited occupancy. The plant specimen was collected and later on identified and described with the available flora reference and with contact of a botanist.

100 Years of Adhesives: Knowing What Sticks

Can you distinguish glue dating from 1890, from another developed in 1940? What happens to glue as it ages? Why does glue for plant specimens need to be “archival”? What is the best way to use this seemingly unstable substance? How was glue invented, for what uses, and with what ingredients? Is it possible that each year 40 lb (18.2 kg) of glue are used for every person in America? What do we use it for? What do I use it for! Julie McIntosh Shapiro, Curatorial assistant and plant specimen technician from the Harvard University Herbaria, will describe the qualities of adhesives, and how they are used to affix dried plant specimens to paper in order to keep them static, relevant, and preserved for at least a century. She will roll out the history of glues, show samples of adhesives used to glue plant to paper over time, and explain where botanists come into the picture. Knowledge in the composition of these ubiquitous adhesives will provide you with the tools to hold fast.