News from the National Botanic Gardens | Irish Botany News | Research Projects | Kilmacurragh News
GeneNet – Characterising and developing a genetic conservation network of native tree species in Ireland
Colin Kelleher, Sam Belton and Erica Fox Forest Genetic Resources (FGR) are the basis on which the health of our forests depend as they are essential to adaptation. Genetic diversity enables tree populations to adapt to conditions and to optimise their performance. A...
The boxwood of Thailand and the cinnamon of Borneo
Wuu Kuang Soh The Boxwood family, Buxaceae, consists of six genera and about 100 species worldwide from the Northern to Southern Hemisphere. The group presence is small in Thailand with only two genera and five native species (Soh and Parnell 2018). However, in the...
Systematics of Syzygium Gaertn. in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam
Syzygium Gaertn. is the largest genus in Myrtaceae with about 1,200 species of mostly medium to large trees occurring in the tropics and subtropics from India to the Pacific Islands, and found in a diverse range of habitats from sea shore to montane forest. Perhaps...
Plants and the Pandemic – online talk with Dr Noeleen Smyth
This live talk took place on 10 February 2021, on Crowdcast. With thanks to Dr Noeleen Smyth. The alarming loss of forests and other wild habitats globally has caused worldwide concern but for many of us this may not have registered as an impact that has anything to...
Trait-based ecology
Trait‐based ecology uses phenotypic characteristics of plants to study responses to environmental change and to investigate ecological hypotheses. These phenotypes that are associated with plant functioning are called functional traits. One example of a widely known...
Herbarium-based research on plant physiological responses to climate change
Herbarium specimens can inform about long‐term effects on plants as a consequence of climate change. Since plants are sessile, they are particularly exposed to climate change and the period of their responses to this change are preserved in herbarium specimens. This...
Conservation of the Critically Endangered moss Ditrichum cornubicum (Cornish Path-moss) at Mountain Mine, Allihies, Co. Cork
Project background Ditrichum cornubicum Paton (Cornish Path-moss) is a small acrocarpous moss found growing on old copper-rich mine spoil within the EU Habitats Directive Annex I listed habitat Calaminarian Grassland of the Violetalia calaminariae. In Ireland, this...
A National Seed Bank in the National Botanic Gardens
Plants are fascinating. Even though they surround us and feed us, they often go unseen and unnoticed each day. They even hold the record for the largest and oldest organisms on earth - the largest being a clone of aspen trees and the oldest being a bristle cone pine...
Plant News from the 18th World Wildlife Conference
by Dr Noeleen Smyth, National Botanic Gardens of Ireland Elephants, Giraffes, Sharks, Frankincense, Rosewoods and Malawi Cedars… What do all these have in common? These were some of the plant and animal species discussed at the world wildlife conference also known...
Eucalyptus Gall Wasp – an additional threat to Eucalyptus in Ireland
In late June a plant sample came to the Foremen at the National Botanic Gardens for identification of a plant problem. On close examination small galls were identified on the leaves of Eucalyptus gunnii from a suburban garden in Dublin 6. The specimen was placed in a...
Levinge lost treasures – plant specimens which have survived fire and lay undocumented at Irelands National Herbarium
This blog focuses on the discovery of the wealth of Irish and Indian plant specimens collected by Henry (Harry) Corbyn Levinge (1828-1896) rediscovered in the Herbarium here at the National Botanic Gardens. Levinge grew up in Knock Drin Castle in County Westmeath. He...
John F Kennedy Arboretum – Mapping the Forest Research Plots
As part of the JFK arboretum approximately 260 research plots were setup to help demonstrate forestry practices and guide future forestry initiatives. Work is ongoing to map and catalogue these research plots and facilitate access to the data. A GIS is being developed...
DNA Barcoding
DNA barcoding has been used to test species status of living plant specimens and herbarium specimens. In a recent project in collaboration with Queen’s University, Belfast, we used DNA barcoding to help determine evidence of food fraud. Samples of ground herbs were...
Crop Wild Relatives – Phylogeographic Patterns and Genetic Diversity Estimates
Sea pea (Lathyrus japonicus Willd.) is a coastal plant with a wide circumpolar distribution range. Sea pea is a red-listed species in Ireland and is of high conservation priority. Only one extant population survives, but multiple ephemeral populations are recorded...
Phylogeography of Saxifraga nivalis
Project Background The Irish flora has approximately 16 plants that are considered arctic or alpine. We are currently studying a group of arctic-alpine Saxifrages with the aim to decipher their geographical origins. One of these species, Saxifraga nivalis, is...
Phylogeography of Arbutus unedo
Colin Kelleher (National Botanic Gardens) Project Background The Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) has a predominantly Mediterranean distribution. The Irish populations are disjunct from the major populations in the Mediterranean, Portugal and Spain. To date we...
ForGen – Forest Genetic Resources Research Programme
Project Background ForGen is a collaborative research programme involving University College Dublin, Coillte, Teagasc and the National Botanic Gardens. As part of the ForGen programme, we are currently undertaking a number of studies on the phylogeography and...
Hottentot fig control on Howth Head (Carpobrotus edulis)
Project Background Hottentot Fig (Carpobrotus edulis) is a popular garden plant from South Africa. It is also an aggressive invader of coastal habitats, which forms vast mats to the exclusion of all other plants. On the Gower peninsula of Wales and along the Cornish...
Conservation of Abutilon Pitcairnense
Pitcairn island Pitcairn Island is the infamous hideout of the Bounty mutineers; it is an extremely isolated island at the southeast of the main group of Polynesian Islands, and roughly situated half way between New Zealand and South America and just south of...
Conservation and Monitoring of Legally Protected Fern Allies in Ireland
Background information on club-mosses (Lycopodiaceae) Ireland is home to four species of clubmoss (Lycopodiaceae): Diphasistrum alpinum, Huperzia selago, Lycopodiella inundata and Lycopodium clavatum, all of which generally occur in lake-margins, wet lowland...
Biogeography of Irish Arctic-Alpine Caryophyllaceae
Project Background The Irish arctic-alpine flora consists of a rare and fragmented group of plants, some of which have disjunct populations distributed around Europe. According to conventional theory of plant immigration to Ireland, species colonized the island...
Investigating Variation in Temperature-Related Genes in Aspen
Project Background The National Botanic Gardens of Ireland is collaborating with the Phenology Research Group, Department of Botany, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland and the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Sweden on a phenology...
Population genetics and Conservation of Encephalartos equatorialis
Darach Lupton and his colleague Mr David Nkwanga of Nature Palace Botanic Gardens, Uganda are embarking a research project to assess the population genetics and the conservation requirements of Encephalartos equatorialis. The main research will run from 2010 to...
Improving the delivery of advice from conservation ecology to REPS
Project Background A methodology has been developed to identify areas of high plant diversity in Ireland. Being able to classify farmland as being of High Nature Value, in an objective manner, will allow the distribution of subsidies aimed at environmental protection...
Assessing the Conservation Status of Simethis planifolia (Kerry Lily) in Ireland
Project Background The Kerry Lily, Simethis planifolia is a beautiful, diminutive white flowered member of the lily family (Asphodelaceae), and is listed under the Flora Protection Order, 1999. In Ireland, it is only known from three locations, occurring in the...
A Field Guide to Pandanus in New Guinea, The Bismark Archipelago and the Solomon Islands
Project Background Pandanus is a big genus, with at least 600 species found from Africa to the Pacific. In New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, 74 species are known, and eight new taxa are included in this guide. At first sight, Pandanus often strike people as uniform...
Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Genus Nepenthes
Project Description In this study molecular data sets from the chloroplast (trnL – trnF) and nuclear genome (5S-NTS) were analysed to investigate phylogenetic relationships within the family. A third data set...
The Vascular Flora of Lambay
Lambay is an island of just over 240 hectares lying some four kilometres off the east coast of county Dublin, Ireland. Two previous publications have dealt with the vascular flora of Lambay: Hart’s survey of 1881 and 1882 (Hart, 1883); and Praeger’s 1905 and...
Floras of the Irish Isles
Project Description A literature survey of Irish island floras (Achill, Aran, Aranmore, Clare, Inishbofin, Inishturk, Mullet and Rathlin) revealed a correlation between the log of the island’s area to the log of...
A Revision of the Ant-Plant Genus Hydnophytum (Rubiaceae)
Dr Matthew Jebb Hydnophytum kajewskii (above), a species of ant-plant from Bougainville island, has the most elaborate tuber structure known, and must rank as one of the most elaborate and bizarre vegetative structures in the entire plant kingdom. The boat-shaped...
Eradication of Gunnera tinctoria on Clare Island, Co Mayo
Project Background Alien invasive plant species are currently of global concern, they are considered to be the second largest threat globally, after habitat destruction, to biodiversity. Gunnera tinctoria is native to Chile and Argentina and is currently an invasive...
Investigating Rare Willows in Ireland – Remnants of an Arctic Past
Project Background Arctic-alpines represent less than 2% of the Irish flora and have restricted distributions mainly in northern and western mountains. The arctic-alpine habitats in Ireland are under threat due...
DNA Barcodes – Maples
Project Background DNA barcoding is a technique whereby short stretches of DNA are used to determine species identity. It has potential applications in a wide array of disciplines such as ecology, food safety and forensic science. To produce the DNA barcode suitable...
Floating River Vegetation – A Review of the Habitat Description and its Distribution in Ireland
Project Background The habitat Floating River Vegetation, or “3260 Water courses of plain to montane levels with the Ranunculion fluitantis and Callitricho-Batrachion vegetation”, has been given little attention in...
Conservation and Monitoring of Killarney Fern (Trichomanes speciosum) in Ireland
Project Background Trichomanes speciosum (Killarney fern) is considered one of Ireland’s rare and threatened plant species. It is protected by both local (Flora Protection Order 1999) and European legislation...
Assessing the Suitability of Commercial Seed Mixes in the Restoration of Native, Species Rich Meadows in Ireland
Project Background In recent years, attempts to tackle loss in native meadow species diversity have been undertaken by both private and commercial organisations. In many cases, the development or re-creation of native meadows has been carried out by simply...
Kilmacurragh Arboretum Native Meadow Restoration Trials
Project Background This is a long term (>5 years) monitoring initiative set up in 2008 at the Kilmacurragh Arboretum to assess the optimal management regime for the restoration of natural meadows. The project will...
Conservation and Monitoring of Rare and Threatened Bryophyte Species in Ireland
Project Background Ireland has one of the richest bryofloras in Europe, with over 50% of the European bryophyte flora represented in Ireland, which comprises of 227 liverworts, 3 hornworts and 454 moss species. Some species occur in very specific habitats such as dune...
