AN ELECTRONICFLORAOF SABA

Scott Mori, Ph.D.Nathaniel Lord Britton Curator of Botany

andCarol Gracie

The first step in acquiring knowledge is knowing the names of things

THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN

Coccoloba venosa

PURPOSE OF PRESENTATION Introduce reader to scientific names. Provide brief insight into modern plant

classification. Provide a history of the Plants and

Lichens of Saba project. Describe how to use these web pages. Promote an appreciation for the beauty,

complexity, and importance of Saban plants.

PLANTS AND THEIR PARTS ARE KNOWN BY SCIENTIFIC NAMES DERIVED, FOR THE MOST PART, FROM LATIN AND

GREEK. THUS, STUDYING PLANTS REQUIRES SOME DEGREE OF EXPERTISE IN THE LANGUAGE OF BOTANY

WHICH IS LIKE LEARNING ANY OTHER LANGUAGE -- SOMETHING THAT SHOULD NOT BE DIFFICULT FOR THE

MULTILINGUAL CITIZENS OF SABA.

SEE NEXT SLIDE FOR THE SCIENTIFIC NAME ANDCLASSIFICATION OF THE BLACK-EYED SUSAN,

THE NATIONAL FLOWER OF SABA

CLASSIFICATION OF THE BLACK-EYED SUSAN

Angiosperm PhylogenyGroup (APG)

speciesThunbergia alata Bojer ex Sims

FamilyAcanthaceae

OrderLamiales

informal groupeuasterids I

informal groupcore eudicots

informal groupeudicots

TODAY, CLASSIFICATION OF PLANTS IS BASED, TO ALARGE EXTENT, ON MOLECULAR DATA WITHTHE RESULTS DEPICTED IN EVOLUTIONARY

TREES CALLED CLADOGRAMS.

THIS INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT THEANGIOSPERM PHYLOGENY GROUP WEBSITE

AT http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/.

THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS THE POSITION OFTHE BLACK-EYED SUSAN IN THIS

CLASSIFICATION SCHEME.

BASED ONMOLECULAR DATA CLADOGRAM OF

HYPOTHESIZEDEVOLUTIONARYRELATIONSHIPSAS DEPICTED BY

THE APG SYSTEM

Black-eyed Susan

A multidisciplinary, multinational project. Goal one is to document the species of

plants and lichens on Saba with specimens and images.

Goal two is to make the data available via the internet in a specimen-based, illustrated checklist.

Goal three is to work toward producing an electronic flora of Saba.

Goal four is to promote ecotourism that does not have a negative impact on the island’s ecology.

PLANTS AND LICHENS OF SABA

THE

PARTNERS

AUGUST 2006 EXPEDITION(supported by Conservation International)

THE FIRST EXPEDITION

Specimens are collected to document the presence of plant and lichen species on Saba.

If an identification is questioned, the specimen can be consulted to confirm or correct the identification.

Specimens are called vouchers and are deposited in herbaria where they can be consulted.

Collections we gather on Saba are archived at The New York Botanical Garden.

All specimen data and images of the collections are on this web site.

COLLECTION OF SPECIMENS

Photos by C. Gracie

COLLECTING AND PRESSING PLANTS

SCOTT MORI AND JAMES JOHNSON

FIELD PRESSINGTHE COLLECTIONS

SPECIMENS ARESCIENTIFICALLY MOREUSEFUL IF THEY ARE

PRESSED IN THE FIELD

DRYING THE PLANTS

PLANTS AND LICHENS OF SABA WEB SITE LAUNCHEDON MARCH 2007 BY WILL JOHNSON

THE IMAGES ONTHE LEFT SIDEOF THE PAGE

ALLOW ACCESSTO INFORMATION

INFORMATIONABOUT

FLOWERINGPLANTS,

GYMNOSPERMS, FERNS,

MOSSES,MARINE ALGAE,

AND LICHENS

WHEN THE CURSORGOES OVER THE IMAGE,

THE NAME OF THE PLANTOR FUNGAL GROUP

IT REPRESENTS APPEARS

Flowering Plants

Click here for flowering plants

THERE ARETWO BANNERS

THE TOP IS FORNAVIGATING ON

THE PARENT SITE

AND THE SECOND FORNAVIGATING

THE FLOWERINGPLANTS SITE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS

FOUND UNDER“RESOURCES”ON EACH PAGE

THE SPECIMENS PAGE Access the page by clicking on “SPECIMENS.” This page allows you to search for information

about flowering plant specimens collected from Saba.

Note that the specimens page has a quick search box.

A link leads to an advanced search page.

You can search for:

scientific namescommon names

collectionsmany other things

For example, type inthe scientific name

Charianthus purpureusin the search box.

Charianthus purpureus

Threecollections

with thatname are

in the database.

Click on thephoto or

the species name to see the details.

The top half of the pageprovides the information

about the specimen and aGoogle map showing where

the collection was made.

The bottom half of the page shows all of the imagesassociated with this collection. This includes a scan of

the herbarium specimen made to document the presenceof the species in the locality where it was collected.

Click on the image to make it larger.

Comments can be sentabout the specimen by

clicking on “send comments.”

YOU CAN HELPUS CORRECTLY

IDENTIFY PLANTS.

E-MAIL COMMENTS FROM PAP0 VIVES HEYLIGER(Puerto Rican Botanist)

TWODIFFERENT

SPECIESWERE

DETERMINEDBY US AS

SIDA ACUTA

THANKSTO

PAPO VIVESTHIS HAS

NOW BEENCORRECTED!

Sida acuta

Sida glabra

red

Mt. Scenery

An advanced searchopens many morepossibilities, e.g.,

searching by flower color or specific

locality.

Here we ask whatspecies with red

flowers have beencollected on the

Mt. Scenery Trail?

Six specieshave been

collected on theMt. Scenery

Trail with red or partly red flowers.

THE CHECKLISTS PAGE Access the page by clicking on “CHECKLISTS.” This page provides a list of all families, genera,

and species known from Saba. Clicking on a name leads to all specimens

collected of that family, genus, or species. The information provided is the same as you

would get when you search for a name on the “SPECIMENS” page.

click here toget list of families

SCROLL DOWN TO FIND THE FAMILY OF INTEREST

THE SPECIES PAGES PAGE Access the page by clicking on “SPECIES

PAGES.” This page provides a list of families and for each

provides a description of the family and descriptions of the genera and species of the family that are known from Saba.

Clicking on a family name, a generic name, or a species name leads to a description of that taxon.

To date, only a few families have been provided with descriptions.

Family, generic, andspecies names willappear on this pageas descriptions arecompleted. Click onany name to see a

description.

For example,click on Myrtaceae.

THE MYRTACEAEFAMILY PAGE

APPEARSauthored by

M. L. KAWASAKI

THE COMMON NAMES PAGE

Access the page by clicking on “COMMON NAMES.”

This page allows searching for all specimens identified as having a common name.

In addition, there is a common name list to select from.

Search for acommon namein the search

box or browsethe list for a

common nameand then click

on those ofinterest.

THE KEYS PAGE Access the page by clicking on “KEYS.” This page provides a list of keys currently

available for the flowering plants of Saba. Clicking on a key name leads to a Lucid 3 key

of that group of plants. There is a draft family key available. As keys to the families are completed, links

will be provided to them on the keys page.

CLICK LINK TO KEY TO FLOWERING PLANT FAMILIES

KEY TO FLOWERING PLANT FAMILIES OF SABA

CHARACTER PANEL ALL FAMILIES PANEL

CHARACTERS CHOSEN PANEL FAMILIES ELIMINATED PANEL

THE PLANT WE WISH TO KEY OUT HAS THORNS, OPPOSITE LEAVES, STIPULES, AND EPIGYNOUS OVARIES

plant armature selected 16 families remain

92 families eliminatedone character used

PRESENCE OF THORNS SELECTED BECAUSE IT IS MOST OBVIOUS

NEXT, THE PRESENCE OF STIPULES IS SELECTED

seven families remain

NEXT, OPPOSITE LEAVES IS SELECTED

the unknown is a Rubiaceae

CLICK ON ICON NEXT TO RUBIACEAE FOR LIST OF SPECIES IN FAMILY

Because there is notyet a key to the species ofRubiaceae, the only way toget a species determinationof the unknown plant is to

examine the imagesattached to the collections

and compare them withthe unknown.

Looking at the names in the list suggests that Randiaaculeata (meaning prickly) is likely the unknown plant.

Images of Randia aculeatamatch the unknown.

note the spines

RESOURCES(links to the following resources are on most pages)

Glossary. Learn Saban Plants. Guidelines for contributors. Support our work.

LEARN SABAN PLANTS

Visit this pageto learn moreabout Sabanplants and

tropical botany.

GLOSSARY

Search for botanicalterms that you do

not understand. Astime permits many of

the terms willbe illustrated with

drawings or photos.

INSTRUCTIONSFOR PREPARING

FAMILYTREATMENTSARE FOUND

HERE.

Those interestedin contributingshould contact

S. A. Mori atsmori@nybg.org.

SUPPORT OUR WORK

Get somethingin return forsupportingour work.

WE HOPE THAT THIS PRESENTATIONWILL HELP YOU LEARN MORE ABOUTTHE FLOWERING PLANTS OF SABA.