Major Floras

I have over 30 years’ experience in floristics, plant systematics, botanical nomenclature and biodiversity informatics. My work is centred on the Sino-Himalayan region, especially Nepal, where I collaborate with international and in-country partners and local communities to generate high quality data and knowledge products to support plant conservation and the sustainable use of plant resources.

I am Head of Tropical Diversity and a tropical biologist and ecologist working in savannas and grasslands across the tropics. My research focusses on the 1) the biogeography and ecology of grassy biomes; 2) plant community assembly and species coexistence related to fire, grazing and drought; 3) ecology and biogeography of C3 and C4 grasses; 4) global change and anthropogenic impacts on grassy biomes with a focus on biodiversity; 5) typology and definition of biomes and ecosystems. I am very interested in how biogeographic variation in plant functional traits can aggregate to impact the dynamics of biomes and particularly interested in understanding these patterns in an evolutionary context. History plays both a major and under-appreciated role in determining the contemporary distribution of biomes and therefore their dynamics in a changing world.

I have been working on the Flora of Nepal for more than 10 years. My expertise is in plant taxonomy and systematics. I am interested in using our scientific knowledge of plants to work with local communities to improve livelihoods, conserve biodiversity, and sustainably utilise natural resources.

Hannah Atkins is a researcher in the Tropical Diversity section interested in the taxonomy, evolution and biogeography of the SE Asian herbaceous flora.  She is currently working on Cyrtandra, the largest genus in the Gesneriaceae comprising over 800 species of rainforest herbs and shrubs.

Since 2009 I have worked closely with the science

I am the Postgraduate Co-ordinator for the MSc in Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants and a tropical botanist specialising in the Neotropical flora, in particular I am interested in the savanna and dry forests of Central and South America.

Dr Mark Hughes, Taxonomy Research Leader (Southeast Asia)

I have a background in botany - gaining an MSc and

My expertise is in plant taxonomy and systematics, with a background in plant ecology. Since 2004 my primary focus has been the Flora of Nepal, for which I write accounts, as well as coordinating and editing the contributions of other authors. Previously I have worked in Latin America, South East Asia and the Caribbean, collecting plants and carrying out floristic and monographic studies.

My research has aimed to address one of the fundamental questions of tropical biology – how and when did the huge species numbers in the tropics arise? It is grounded in fundamental, descriptive taxonomic, inventory and phylogenetic research, which provides the foundation to address evolutionary and biogeographic questions of relevance to conservation in a changing world.

For more details visit http://toby-pennington.squarespace.com/ (opens in a new window)

Axel is a Research Associate in the Tropical Diversity Section and his work includes taxonomy, evolution, distribution patterns at all scales, ecology, and ethnobotany, especially of the family Zingiberaceae (gingers) of which he is the leading expert on the genus Etlingera. His research output includes contributions to regional floras based on a molecular phylogenetic framework and facilitates the conservation assessment of all ginger species using standard IUCN procedures.

Home page: http://dalbergpoulsen.com/ (Opens in new window)

I am a permanent biodiversity researcher in the

Peter Wilkie is a senior researcher in the Tropical

I am a botanist and mycologist, with an evolutionary perspective on diversity in lichens. Because I believe that people and the planet will all benefit from a better understanding of one another, I am also passionate about enthusing people at all levels about lichens.