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Darwin Initiative Project 17-022 Conservation of the Lowland Savannas of Belize Herbarium Recuration Interim Report March 2011
Darwin Initiative Project 17-022
Conservation of the Lowland Savannas of Belize
Herbarium Recuration Interim Report
March 2011
2
1. Introduction................................................................................................................3
1.1. Background .........................................................................................................3
1.2. Curation work as part of Darwin Initiative Project 17-022 ................................3
2. Herbarium recuration activities in project year 2 ......................................................3
2.1. Status before recuration ......................................................................................3
2.2. Summary of herbarium recuration activities in May 2010 .................................4
2.3. Summary of recommendations after first session of re-curation in May 2010...4
2.4. Summary of herbarium recuration activities in October – December 2010 .......5
3. Materials and Methods...............................................................................................6
4. Results........................................................................................................................6
5. Next Steps ................................................................................................................16
5.1. Anticipated work in project year 3....................................................................16
5.2. Potential Issues..................................................................................................16
5.2.1. Classification..............................................................................................16
5.2.2. Specimen folders........................................................................................16
5.2.3. Specimen data capture, management and digitisation ...............................16
6. Bibliography ............................................................................................................18
Zoë Goodwin (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh)
German Lopez (Environmental Research Institute, University of Belize)
Hector Mai (Forest Department)
Elspeth Haston (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh)
David Harris (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh)
Neil Stuart (PI, Darwin Savanna Conservation Project)
The work for this report was sponsored by the Darwin Initiative, Project 17-022
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1. Introduction
1.1. Background
The national herbarium of Belize is located at the Forest Department (FD), Belmopan.
The herbarium contains approximately 10,000 specimens (Thiers, accessed September
2010). The limited national capacity for taxonomy in Belize was identified in 2005 as
a major constraint restricting Belize from meeting its target under the CBD (vi/9:
Global Strategy for Plant Conservation). Part of the difficulty is that the national
herbarium is under-resourced with the result that since 1997 the specimens deposited
have not been fully curated or entered into a database. Until this backlog is processed,
it is difficult to assess which species are presently under-collected.
1.2. Curation work as part of Darwin Initiative Project 17-022
The main purpose of the Darwin Initiative Project 17-022, ‘Conservation of the
Lowland Savannas of Belize’ is to ‘increase available data and enhance the capacity
of local institutions to undertake taxonomic research and mapping, required to
identify priority areas for conservation within lowland savannas of Belize’. A key
output of this project is to create an enhanced capacity within the country to conduct
botanical surveys, to collect and name plants and to curate specimens within Belize.
Ensuring that the existing collections are correctly named and properly curated is the
first step in establishing this capacity, since without a well-maintained herbarium
botanists cannot access the specimens or use them as a resource to aid further
identification.
For these reasons the recuration of the existing savanna specimens in the national
herbarium at the Forest Department, Belmopan is one of the key in-country activities
being carried out during the second year of the project. The recuration work is a
specialised task and for this reason it is initially being undertaken by the UK Darwin
Botanist, Zoë Goodwin who can call upon curation staff from RBGE with expert
knowledge. The Belize Darwin Botanist German Lopez is working alongside Zoë
Goodwin throughout the process, improving his identification skills and learning
curation techniques that should enable him to continue this task more independently
in year 3.
2. Herbarium recuration activities in project year 2
2.1. Status before recuration
The herbarium of the Forest Department Belmopan (Index Herbariorum code BRH)
contained eleven cabinets of specimens (Appendix 1); these were estimated to contain
approximately 10,000 specimens (Thiers, accessed September 2010). However this is
probably an underestimate of the total number of specimens potentially to be kept at
BRH as there are more than 33,000 Belizean specimen records in the Missouri
Botanical Gardens online herbarium catalogue (Tropicos.org, 01 Sep 2010) and there
are probably several thousand specimens yet to be repatriated to BRH that have been
collected over the years by foreign institutions.
Prior to re-curation families were organised alphabetically at BRH and family
delimitation did not appear to follow a single classification, such as APG III.
Specimens were laid away by label name, without reference to a particular
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classification or revision; this appeared to result in families being laid away in
multiple locations as explained below.
As in most herbaria, a two-tiered folder system has been used at BRH, with one to
many thin paper folders being contained within a thicker cardboard folder. In many
herbaria the inner folders are used to hold specimens of the same species and thus
these are often called species folders; the outer folder are used to hold one to many
species folders of the same genus and thus are called the genus folder. However, at
BRH the inner folders contain specimens of many different species and the outer
folders often contain multiple genera. Both covers are usually unlabelled with no
family, genus or species name present. In addition, both species and genera are often
out of order making the process of laying away or locating specimens very time-
consuming.
Generic and specific names appeared not to have been updated to an appropriate
revision, and specimens were laid away by label name without checking. Thus the
herbarium contained many synonymous and invalid names.
In 2008 approximately 3,000 repatriated plant specimens were mounted by University
of Belize undergraduate students led by Rolando Caballero (University of Belize) at
BRH, following a course in herbarium specimen mounting by Daniel Atha of New
York Botanic Garden (NY). These specimens occupied three full size cabinets and
had been sorted roughly by family, yet were still to be incorporated into the existing
collection.
2.2. Summary of herbarium recuration activities in May 2010
A total of five and half days were spent in the herbarium by Zoë Goodwin and Geman
Lopez during the periods May 10-14 and June 2-4. Approximately 800 specimens in
two families were re-curated. The small family Polygalaceae (3 genera) and two
subfamilies in the Fabaceae, Mimosoideae and Caesalpinoideae, were completely re-
curated, the recuration of the Fabaceae subfamily Faboideae was started.
2.3. Summary of recommendations after first session of re-curation in May 2010
Following the results of recuration work that has been carried out on a single cabinet
of 800 specimens by Zoë Goodwin and German Lopez, the project made these
Classification Systems in Herbaria
Family delimitation and nomenclature can differ between taxonomic systems
accepted by herbaria worldwide. For example North American herbaria have
traditionally favoured Englerian system, British collections have favoured
Bentham & Hooker, now the LAPG III system (Haston et al., 2009) is
increasingly being adopted by herbaria worldwide. Thus specimens of the
same species may potentially have different family names depending on the
institution from they are repatriated. For example the genus Ternstroemia
may be included one of three families; Ternstroemiaceae, Theaceae or
Pentaphylacaceae. Thus Ternstroemia specimens received by BRH from
different non-Belizean herbaria are potentially being laid away under any of
these three different families.
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recommendations as to how further recuration work, supported in the first instance by
the Darwin Initiative, should proceed:
• Families to remain ordered alphabetically, however a specific classification
for family and genera needs to be adopted;
• APG III is suggested as the system for angiosperms, using Haston et al
(2009) and Mabberly (2008) as primary references for family and genera
names;
• It is suggested that fern families should follow Smith et al. (2006);
• Species and infraspecific level specimen determinations and species names
should continue to follow Balick et al. (2000) primarily;
• The savanna plant database being created as part of this Darwin project can be
used to generate a comprehensive index of accepted names and synonyms for
all families and genera for use in the herbarium.
• The purchase of additional outer and inner specimen covers is urgently
recommended for the near future.
• It is recommended that the practise of placing a single genus within an
individual outer cover and that of placing a single species within each inner
cover should continue during further recuration. However this is reliant on the
purchase of a sufficient number of further specimen covers.
For a full summary of recommendations made see Goodwin et al. (2010).
2.4. Summary of herbarium recuration activities in October – December 2010
A total of thirty eight days or half days were spent in the herbarium by Zoë Goodwin
and Geman Lopez during the period October 8th
to December 10th
. Approximately
3,800 specimens in all families (112) from Acanthaceae to Melastomataceae were re-
curated. This equated to the recuration of six full-size cabinets of specimens. 24
other families were partially re-curated as their specimens were encountered within
the cabinets. In addition 1200 recently mounted specimens were also recurated and
incorporated into the cabinets.
The seven cabinets re-curated (including the cabinet re-curated in FS2) were
expanded to fill just over 13 cabinets (Appendix 1 and 2) to reduce over crowding of
specimens, to allow the incorporation of the additional mounted specimens and to
allow spare room within cabinets for future additions to the collection.
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3. Materials and Methods
Genus and species folders were re-curated by updating names on folder covers in
pencil; genera were placed into separate genus covers, species were placed into
separate species covers.
Determinations on all specimens were checked
against species names and specimens cited in
Balick et al. (2000) as a primary source and against
specimen information from TROPICOS
(Tropicos.org, 01 Sep 2010) as a secondary source.
As a result some of the determinations were
updated by inserting a standardised citation slip
(Figure 1) designed for this purpose.
Taxonomic judgements were generally not made
except where the authors had full confidence;
however synonymy was updated to the latest
accepted name, following Balick et al. (2000) or
other literature where appropriate (for example
Pennington, 1997). If there was doubt over
whether a species name should be accepted or not,
the name was kept (it was assigned a species
folder, not sunk into another species).
Specimens re-curated at BRH were all logged in
the project’s plant specimen database. Specimens
encoutered that were duplicates of botanical
records already present in the database, only the
creation of the duplicate record at BRH with a
filing name was needed. Partial data capture was performed for specimens not
previously in the database; collector name, collection number, filing name and
gazetteer location was recorded. Full data capture was performed for novel specimens
only if the specimen was a type.
4. Results
Approximately 4670 specimens were re-curated in approximately 45 days of
recuration. This equated to the recuration of seven full-size cabinet of specimens.
112 families from Acanthaceae to Melastomataceae in addition to Polygalaceae were
fully re-curated, and the 24 other families were partially re-curated as their specimens
were encountered within the cabinets (Table 1). In addition 1200 recently mounted
specimens were also recurated and incorporated into the cabinets. A total of 720
citation and 405 determination slips were used (Table 2). The seven cabinets were
expanded to fill 13 cabinets plus 3 shelves.
A total of 5294 herbarium specimens have been recorded in the project database from
the BRH herbarium during the recuration to date, some herbarium specimens are
represented at BRH by more than one duplicate (herbarium sheet) so a larger number
of total duplicates (5877) were recorded from BRH. Of these herbarium specimens
2266 specimens (42.8%) were new specimens to the database.
Figure 1 Specimen (above) with
determination updated using a
standardised citation slip (below).
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To cover the shortage of specimen folders in the herbarium the project funded the
purchase of 1,900 archive quality inner specimen folders (species covers); 400 in
September 2010 and 1,500 in March 2011.
Table 1. Families re-curated during project year 2 and numbers of duplicates processed per
family (A-Z by family).
Count Family Count Family
132 Acanthaceae 93 Chrysobalanaceae
3 Achariaceae 7 Cleomaceae
9 Actinidiaceae 11 Clethraceae
1 Agavaceae 77 Clusiaceae
14 Aizoaceae 8 Cochlospermaceae
6 Alismataceae 123 Combretaceae
2 Altingiaceae 40 Commelinaceae
40 Amaranthaceae 15 Connaraceae
14 Amaryllidaceae 103 Convolvulaceae
73 Anacardiaceae 25 Costaceae
97 Annonaceae 7 Crassulaceae
11 Apiaceae 28 Cucurbitaceae
205 Apocynaceae 1 Cupressaceae
24 Aquifoliaceae 6 Cyatheaceae
98 Araceae 2 Cyclanthaceae
36 Araliaceae 7 Cymodoceaceae
1 Araucariaceae 234 Cyperaceae
193 Arecaceae 12 Cyrillaceae
21 Aristolochiaceae 10 Dennstaedtiaceae
12 Asparagaceae 12 Dichapetalaceae
5 Asphodelaceae 48 Dilleniaceae
11 Aspleniaceae 19 Dioscoreaceae
467 Asteraceae 5 Droseraceae
2 Balanophoraceae 11 Dryopteridaceae
2 Balsaminaceae 7 Ebenaceae
1 Basellaceae 13 Elaeocarpaceae
12 Bataceae 8 Ericaceae
15 Begoniaceae 8 Eriocaulaceae
124 Bignoniaceae 26 Erythroxylaceae
14 Bixaceae 269 Euphorbiaceae
6 Blechnaceae 5 Fabaceae
132 Boraginaceae 203 Fabaceae - Caesalpinioideae
4 Brassicaceae 414 Fabaceae - Faboideae
73 Bromeliaceae 226 Fabaceae - Mimosoideae
6 Burmanniaceae 34 Fagaceae
65 Burseraceae 33 Gentianaceae
2 Buxaceae 12 Gesneriaceae
13 Cactaceae 5 Gleicheniaceae
9 Campanulaceae 7 Haemodoraceae
6 Cannaceae 1 Haloragidaceae
15 Capparaceae 37 Heliconiaceae
22 Caricaceae 7 Hydroleaceae
9 Casuarinaceae 15 Hymenophyllaceae
52 Celastraceae 16 Hypericaceae
2 Chloranthaceae 2 Hypoxidaceae
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Count Family Count Family
3 Icacinaceae 1 Philydraceae
10 Iridaceae 36 Phyllanthaceae
26 Lacistemataceae 7 Plantaginaceae
62 Lamiaceae 30 Polygalaceae
147 Lauraceae 1 Potamogetonaceae
3 Lecythidaceae 60 Pteridaceae
25 Lentibulariaceae 1 Rhamnaceae
3 Lindsaeaceae 1 Rubiaceae
36 Loganiaceae 1 Saccolomataceae
7 Lomariopsidaceae 83 Salicaceae
40 Loranthaceae 12 Santalaceae
8 Lycopodiaceae 1 Sapindaceae
37 Lythraceae 3 Schlegeliaceae
1 Magnoliaceae 4 Scrophulariaceae
127 Malpighiaceae 1 Smilacaceae
260 Malvaceae 1 Sphenocleaceae
47 Marantaceae 15 Tectariaceae
4 Marattiaceae 8 Thelypteridaceae
7 Marcgraviaceae 22 Urticaceae
1 Mayacaceae 2 Verbenaceae
390 Melastomataceae 2 Woodsiaceae
5 Meliaceae 5 Zamiaceae
1 Menyanthaceae 12 Undetermined
1 Monimiaceae
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Table 2. Families re-curated at BRH, with approximate numbers of citation and determination
slips used per group, name(s) of included families that are no longer accepted or families that
some or all of genera have been moved to noted in paranthesis.
Herbarium Specimens Recently Mounted Specimens
Family Citation Determination Citation Determination Total
Droseraceae 1 1
Acanthaceae 22 22
Actinidaceae 4 4
Adiantaceae (now Pteridaceae)
3 1 4
Agavaceae 1 1
Aizoaceae 0
Alismataceae 2 2
Amaranthaceae (incl. Chenopodiaceae)
9 9
Amaryllidaceae 0
Anacardiaceae 0
Annonaceae 11 1 1 13
Apiaceae 0
Apocynaceae (incl. Asclepiadaceae)
25 4 29
Aquifoliaceae 1 1 2
Araceae 7 4 4 15
Araliaceae 7 2 1 10
Araucariaceae 0
Arecaceae 6 9 15
Aristolochiaceae 1 1
Aspleniaceae (incl. Dryopteridaceae, Thelypteridaceae, Tectariaceae, Lomariopsidaceae)
9 1 10
Asteraceae 76 20 4 100
Athyriaceae (now Woodsiaceae)
1 1 2
Balanophoraceae 2 2
Balsaminaceae 0
Basellaceae 1 1
Bataceae 0
Begoniaceae 1 1
Bignoniaceae 22 10 32
Blechnaceae 1 1
Boraginaceae 8 3 1 12
Brassicaceae 0
Bromeliaceae 1 1 2
Buddlejaceae (now Scrophulariaceae)
0
Burmanniaceae 1 1
Burseraceae 6 4 10
Cactaceae 4 4
Campanulaceae 2 2
Cannaceae 1 1
10
Capparaceae 2 2
Caricaceae 2 2
Casuarinaceae 0
Cecropiaceae (now Urticaceae)
2 2
Celastraceae (incl. Hippocrateaceae)
19 2 1 22
Chrysobalanaceae 4 2 6 Clethraceae 3 2 5
Clusiaceae (incl. Hypericaceae)
16 6 2 24
Cochlospermaceae 0
Combretaceae 10 10
Commelinaceae 9 1 1 11
Connaraceae 1 1
Convolvulaceae 16 15 31
Costaceae 3 3
Crassulaceae 3 3
Cruciferae (now Brassicaceae)
0
Cucurbitaceae 4 2 6
Cuppressaceae 0
Cyatheaceae 1 1
Cycadaceae (now Zamiaceae)
1 1
Cyclanthaceae 0
Cymodaceae 1 1
Cyperaceae 19 31 3 53
Cyrillaceae 2 3 2 7
Davalliaceae (now Lomariopsidaceae)
0
Dennstaediaceae 4 4
Dichapetalaceae 2 2
Dilleniaceae 8 1 9
Dioscoreaceae 7 2 9
Droseraceae 1 1
Ebenaceae 4 4 8
Elaeocarpaceae 5 5
Ericaceae 0
Eriocaulaceae 1 1
Erythroxylaceae 7 8 15
Euphorbiaceae 25 45 2 72
Fabaceae – Caesalpinoideae
16 18 34
Fabaceae – Faboideae 59 3 1 13 76
Fabaceae – Mimosoideae 47 13 60
Fagaceae 5 3 1 9
Flacourtiaceae (now Salicaceae + others)
18 6 24
Gentianaceae 7 2 9
Gesneriaceae 2 4 1 7
Gleichenaceae 0
Haemodoraceae 0
Haloragidaceae 0
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Hamamelidaceae 0
Heliconiaceae 10 10
Hydrophyllaceae 0
Hymenophyllaceae 2 2
Hypoxidaceae 0
Icacinaceae 2 2
Iridaceae 1 2 2 5
Lacistemataceae 1 1
Lamiaceae 4 2 5 11
Lauraceae 27 5 7 39
Lecythidaceae 2 1 3
Lentibulariaceae 3 3 6
Liliaceae 0
Loganiaceae 2 2 2 6
Loranthaceae & Santalaceae
2 2 1 5
Lycopodiaceae 1 1
Lythraceae 4 1 5
Magnoliaceae 1 1
Malpighiaceae 10 12 1 23
Malvaceae 22 9 31
Marantaceae 7 7 1 15
Marattiaceae 0
Marcgraviaceae 2 1 1 4
Mayacaceae 1 1
Melastomataceae 50 40 12 102
Polygalaceae 4 4 8
717 325 3 80 1125
Total Citation Slips 720
Total Determination Slips 405
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Table 3. Twenty collectors with most specimens at BRH.
Count Collector Count Collector
901 Schipp, WA 144 Fosberg, FR
618 Balick, MJ 110 Holst, BK
413 Arvigo, R 108 Vargas, RI
376 Dwyer, JD 88 Nee, M
367 Proctor, GR 74 Peña Chocarro, M
215 Anonymous 69 Walker, JB
204 Davidse, G 66 Spellman, DL
191 Croat, TB 61 Hunt, DR
175 Monro, AK 57 Atha, DE
150 Gentry, AH 55 Brown, JL
The most prolific collectors (Table 3) amongst the collections currently present in the
herbarium are William August Schipp (>900), Michael Balick (>600) and Rosita
Arvigo (>400). Several important collectors are noticeably lacking specimens at BRH
including Percival Gentle, Cyrus Lundell and Caroline Whitefoord, Gentle and
Lundell seem not to have had duplicates distributed to BRH and many Whitefoord
specimens are in boxes in the herbarium waiting to be mounted and incorporated.
81 type specimens were among specimens re-curated at BRH (Table 4), five of these
specimens were duplicates of types not previously indicated as types at BRH. It is
anticipated that completion of the re-curation project will reveal more ‘hidden’ types.
90% (73) of the type specimens curated to date at BRH are specimens collected by
William Schipp, there are no types collected by Percival Gentle or Cyrus Lundell
present in the collection.
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Table 4. Type specimen information (collector name, collection number, family, filing name & type information) of types curated at BRH up to 10th
December 2010.
Main Collector Number Family Filing Name Type Information
Balick, M.J. 2698 Arecaceae Geonoma deversa Type of Geonoma deversa (Isotype BRH)
Croat, T.B. 24979 Convolvulaceae Ipomoea lindenii Type of Ipomoea lindenii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Davidse, G. 31904 Asteraceae Acourtia belizeana Type of Acourtia belizeana (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Dwyer, J.D. 12334 Araceae Philodendron dwyeri Type of Philodendron dwyeri (Holotype MO, Isotype BRH)
Proctor, G.R. 30073 Lauraceae Nectandra salicifolia Type of Nectandra cayoana (Isotype BRH)
Proctor, G.R. 30211 Euphorbiaceae Sapium lateriflorum Type of Sapium mammosum (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Proctor, G.R. 35818 Asteraceae Critonia lanicaulis Type of Critonia belizeana (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Proctor, G.R. 36093 Aquifoliaceae Ilex tectonica Type of Ilex tectonica (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 24 Fabaceae - Mimosoideae Inga belizensis Type of Inga belizensis (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 63 Melastomataceae Conostegia caelestis Type of Conostegia caelestis (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 75 Aristolochiaceae Aristolochia schippii Type of Aristolochia schippii (Isotype BRH)
Schipp, W.A. 113 Fabaceae - Faboideae Machaerium cirrhiferum Type of Machaerium merrillii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 128 Celastraceae Cheiloclinium belizense Type of Salacia belizensis (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 168 Apocynaceae Tabernaemontana arborea Type of Tabernaemontana schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 201 Euphorbiaceae Pera barbellata Type of Pera barbellata (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 220 Melastomataceae Miconia schippii Type of Miconia schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 232 Melastomataceae Conostegia plumosa Type of Conostegia plumosa (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 284 Bignoniaceae Arrabidaea verrucosa Type of Arrabidaea belizensis (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 320 Melastomataceae Henriettea cuneata Type of Maieta cuneata (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 354 Acanthaceae Justicia ensiflora Type of Justicia ensiflora (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 388 Melastomataceae Henriettea succosa Type of Henriettella macrocalyx (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 395 Melastomataceae Miconia bubalina Type of Miconia belizensis (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 467 Melastomataceae Miconia ochroleuca Type of Miconia ochroleuca (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 493 Fabaceae - Faboideae Crotalaria cajanifolia Type of Crotalaria vitellina var. schippii (Isotype BRH)
Schipp, W.A. 538 Fabaceae - Mimosoideae Inga quaternata Type of Inga schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 584 Fabaceae - Faboideae Eriosema crinitum var. crinitum Type of Eriosema pinetorum (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 610 Plantaginaceae Benjaminia reflexa Type of Bacopa naias (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 641 Araliaceae Dendropanax arboreus Type of Gilibertia schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 647 Eriocaulaceae Eriocaulon schippii Type of Eriocaulon schippii (Isotype BM, Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 674 Apocynaceae Metastelma stenomeres Type of Cynanchum stenomeres (Isotype BM, Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 715 Celastraceae Elachyptera floribunda Type of Hippocratea lancifolia (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 763 Plantaginaceae Bacopa lacertosa Type of Bacopa lacertosa (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 856 Lauraceae Nectandra belizensis Type of Nectandra schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
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Schipp, W.A. 960 Annonaceae Desmopsis schippii Type of Desmopsis schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 961 Acanthaceae Mendoncia lindavii Type of Mendoncia belizensis (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 965 Cyrillaceae Purdiaea belizensis Type of Schizocardia belizensis (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 973 Burseraceae Protium schippii Type of Protium schippii (Isotype BRH)
Schipp, W.A. 1014 Celastraceae Maytenus schippii Type of Maytenus schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1018 Euphorbiaceae Sebastiania tuerckheimiana Type of Sebastiania longicuspis (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1031 Araliaceae Oreopanax obtusifolius Type of Oreopanax obtusifolius (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1040 Boraginaceae Cordia stellifera Type of Cordia stellifera (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1049 Euphorbiaceae Sapium glandulosum Type of Sapium schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1052 Fabaceae - Faboideae Ormosia macrocalyx Type of Ormosia toledoana (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1091 Fabaceae - Faboideae Machaerium floribundum Type of Machaerium rosescens (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1120 Fabaceae - Faboideae Vatairea lundellii Type of Lonchocarpus amarus (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1127 Bignoniaceae Clytostoma binatum Type of Clytostoma elegans (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1163 Elaeocarpaceae Sloanea schippii Type of Sloanea schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1168 Connaraceae Rourea schippii Type of Rourea schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1182 Salicaceae Homalium racemosum Type of Homalium riparium (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1196 Fabaceae - Mimosoideae Abarema idiopoda Type of Pithecellobium halogenes (Isotype BRH, Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1197 Fabaceae - Caesalpinioideae Bauhinia sericella Type of Bauhinia sericella (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1203 Annonaceae Unonopsis pittieri Type of Unonopsis schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1204 Phyllanthaceae Amanoa guianensis Type of Amanoa potamophila (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1205 Gentianaceae Lisianthius brevidentatus var. collinus
Type of Lisianthius collinus (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1236 Convolvulaceae Ipomoea trifida Type of Ipomoea confertiflora (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1242 Clusiaceae Clusia belizensis Type of Clusia belizensis (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1248 Fagaceae Quercus insignis Type of Quercus schippii (Isotype BM, Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1260 Fabaceae - Mimosoideae Pithecellobium peckii Type of Pithecellobium pistaciifolium (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1262 Lauraceae Beilschmiedia hondurensis Type of Beilschmiedia hondurensis (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1272 Araliaceae Oreopanax geminatus Type of Oreopanax lachnocephalus (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1273 Marcgraviaceae Marcgravia schippii Type of Marcgravia schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1275 Clusiaceae Clusia salvinii Type of Clusia schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1277 Acanthaceae Justicia albobracteata Type of Justicia albobracteata (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1281 Ebenaceae Diospyros tetrasperma Type of Diospyros schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1282 Lauraceae Licaria misantlae Type of Chanekia coriacea (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1290 Euphorbiaceae Acalypha gummifera Type of Acalypha gummifera (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1297 Fabaceae - Faboideae Ormosia schippii Type of Ormosia schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1306 Fabaceae - Mimosoideae Mimosa ervendbergii Type of Mimosa scalpens (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
15
Schipp, W.A. 1314 Salicaceae Laetia procera Type of Casearia belizensis (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1318 Fabaceae - Mimosoideae Cojoba graciliflora Type of Pithecellobium schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1320 Melastomataceae Topobea watsonii Type of Topobea rosea (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1330 Fabaceae - Faboideae Chaetocalyx brasiliensis Type of Chaetocalyx belizensis (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. 1353 Acanthaceae Odontonema tubaeforme Type of Odontonema amicorum (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. S89 Lentibulariaceae Utricularia amethystina Type of Utricularia adenantha (Isotype BM, Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. S569 Arecaceae Chamaedorea graminifolia Type of Chamaedorea schippii (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. S630 Fabaceae - Caesalpinioideae Bauhinia rubelcruziana Type of Bauhinia emarginella (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. S635 Celastraceae Maytenus guatemalensis Type of Maytenus guatemalensis (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. S661 Bignoniaceae Mussatia hyacinthina Type of Tynanthus hyacinthinus (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. S676 Fabaceae - Faboideae Machaerium riparium Type of Machaerium habroneurum (Isotype BRH, Isotype MO)
Schipp, W.A. S694 Acanthaceae Justicia fimbriata Type of Beloperone crenata (Isotype BRH)
Schipp, W.A. S899 Loganiaceae Strychnos brachistantha Type of Strychnos brachistantha (Isotype BRH)
16
5. Next Steps
5.1. Anticipated work in project year 3
During project year 3 German Lopez will have sufficient experience to continue and
complete the herbarium re-curation. At least 40 days (20%) of his time in year 3 will
be allocated to this task, it is anticipated that he should be able to finish by the end of
project in March 2012. In case of queries he can call upon expertise from RBGE.
5.2. Potential Issues
5.2.1. Classification
Following completion of this re-curation project the angiosperm families and genera
in the herbarium will follow the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III classification
(2009), fern families will follow Smith et al. (2006) and species names will follow
‘The Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Belize’ (Balick et al., 2000). However many
of the species concepts utilised by Balick et al. (2000) are no longer accepted, thus
following this first re-curation effort it is recommended that Forest Department in co-
operation with the Environmental Research Institute continue to update species and
generic names in the herbarium.
The Savanna plant database currently being developed as part of this Darwin Project
follows APG III and Smith et al. (2006) in its family delimitations. This database will
be used to produce an index of accepted families, genera and their synonyms for use
in the herbarium. It will also allow future updates of these indices to be produced as
necessary.
5.2.2. Specimen folders
As discussed in detail in Goodwin et al. (2010) the supplies of inner and outer covers
available within the herbarium are low and not sufficient for the numbers of
specimens currently in the herbarium; there are many inner covers that contain too
many specimens. We had estimated that there are currently 660 outer folders and
1320 inner folders in the herbarium. The urgency of this issue will grow with the
incorporation of recently mounted specimens into the herbarium and the repatriation
of duplicates from overseas herbaria. The Darwin project has purchased 1,900
specimen folders for the BRH herbarium during year 2 to alleviate some of this
pressure, however the the purchase of further supplies of archive quality outer and
inner covers is still urgently recommended.
More outer covers need to be purchased to allow genera to be placed separate genus
covers as currently small genera share outer covers.
5.2.3. Specimen data capture, management and digitisation
Specimens re-curated as part of this project have all been logged in the database
developed by the project. Minimal data capture was performed for specimens not
already registered in the database however the majority of specimens re-curated at
BRH were already present in the database. This data set provides a perfect tool to aid
the management of the herbarium. However the fine details of how this data will be
managed by the Forest Department and the Environmental Research Institute needs to
17
be resolved. For example for this system to work specimens incorporated in the
herbarium need to be continued to be logged in the database and any changes in
specimen determinations or in nomenclature used in the herbarium must be updated in
the database. The top copy of this database will be handed over to the Environmental
Research Institute in early project year 3.
18
6. Bibliography
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III (2009). An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny
Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III.
Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 161: 105-121.
Balick, M.J., Nee, M.H. & Atha, D.E. (2000). Checklist of the Vascular Plants of
Belize. Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 85: 246.
Goodwin, Z.A., Lopez, G.N., Mai, H., Haston, E., Harris, D.J. & Stuart, N. (2010).
Herbarium Recuration Interim Report. In: Darwin Initiative Project 17-022:
Conservation of the Lowland Savannas of Belize. pp. 1-9.
Haston, E., Richardson, J.E., Stevens, P.F., Chase, M.W. & Harris, D.J. (2009). The
Linear Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (LAPG) III: a linear sequence of the families in
APG III. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 161: 128–131.
Pennington, T.D. (1997). The genus Inga. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Smith, A.R., Pryer, K.M., Schuettpelz, E., Korall, P., Schneider, H. & Wolf, P.G.
(2006). A classification for extant ferns. Taxon 55(3): 705–731.
Thiers, B.M. (accessed September 2010). Index Herbariorum: A global directory of
public herbaria and associated staff. In: New York Botanical Garden's Virtual
Herbarium. http://sweetgum.nybg.org/ih/.
Tropicos.org (01 Sep 2010). In: Missouri Botanical Garden
<http://www.tropicos.org/>.
1
Desk
Desk
Desk
Shelves
Refrig
era
tor
Boxes
Legend:
“New” cabinet 33
shelves (3 x 11)
“Old” cabinet 26
shelves (2 x 13)
234
5
6
97
8
11 10 EmptyStorageLocked
EmptyStorage
&
Mounted
Empty
Sealed
Mounted
A - E
Mounted
Mounted
N - P
Mounted
P – Z
+ Ferns
Mounted
F - M
Sealed Sealed
Empty Locked
Locked
Mounted
from
RBGE (1/3)
Locked
Appendix 1A. Layout of herbarium cabinets at BRH prior to re-curation.
Desk
Desk
Desk
Shelves
Refrig
era
tor
Boxes
Legend:
“New” cabinet 33
shelves (3 x 11)
“Old” cabinet 26
shelves (2 x 13)
14 3 27 6 59 8
10 13
1512
14
11
16 17 18
19 20
21
Appendix 1B. Layout of herbarium cabinets at BRH after to re-curation.
Appendix 2A. Organisation of families within cabinets at BRH prior to re-curation with approximate number of shelves occupied
indicated.
1 2 3 4 5
Acanthaceae 2 Asteliaceae 0 Cabombaceae 0 Cyperaceae 6 Fabaceae 23
Achariaceae Asteraceae 10 Cactaceae 0.5 Cyrillaceae 1
Actinidiaceae Aytoniaceae 0 Campanulaceae 0.5 Davalliaceae 0
Adiantaceae Balanophoraceae 1 Cannabaceae 0 Dennstaedtiaceae
Adoxaceae Balsaminaceae Cannaceae 0.5 Dichapetalaceae 1
Agavaceae Basellaceae Capparaceae 0.5 Dilleniaceae 2
Aizoaceae Bataceae Caprifoliaceae 0 Dioscoreaceae 1
Alismataceae
1
Begoniaceae 1 Caricaceae 0.5 Droseraceae 0.5
Alliaceae Bignoniaceae 5 Caryophyllaceae 0 Dryopteridaceae 1
Alstroemeriaceae 0
Bixaceae 1 Casuarinaceae 0.5 Ebenaceae 1
Altingiaceae Blechnaceae Celastraceae 1 Elaeocarpaceae 1
Amaranthaceae Boraginaceae 3 Ceratophyllaceae Equisetaceae 0
Amaryllidaceae
1
Brassicaceae 0.5 Chenopodiaceae Ericaceae
Anacardiaceae 2 Bromeliaceae 3 Chloranthaceae
0
Eriocaulaceae 1
Anemiaceae 0 Brunelliaceae 0 Chrysobalanaceae 3 Erythroxylaceae ?
Annonaceae 2 Buddlejaceae Cibotiaceae Euphorbiaceae 7
Anthericaceae 0 Burmanniaceae 0.5 Cistaceae 0
Apiaceae 0.5 Burseraceae 1.5 Cleomaceae
Apocynaceae 3.5 Butomaceae 0 Clethraceae 1
Apodanthaceae Buxaceae 0.5 Clusiaceae 3
Aponogetonaceae 0
Cochlospermaceae 1
Aquifoliaceae 1 Combretaceae 4
Araceae 3 Commelinaceae 1
Araliaceae Connaraceae 1
Araucariaceae 0.5
Convolvulaceae 2
Arecaceae 8 Costaceae 1
Aristolochiaceae 1 Crassulaceae 0.5
Asparagaceae Cucurbitaceae 1
Asphodelaceae Culcitaceae 0
Aspleniaceae
1
Cupressaceae
Cyatheaceae
Cyclanthaceae
1
Cymodoceaceae 0.5
6 7 8 9 10
Fabaceae 9 Magnoliaceae 0 Melastomataceae 3 Poaceae 8 Rubiaceae 8
Fagaceae 1 Malpighiaceae 4 Meliaceae 4 Podocarpaceae 0.5 Rutaceae 1
Gentianaceae 1 Malvaceae 7 Menispermaceae Polygalaceae 1 Saccolomataceae
Gesneriaceae Marantaceae 2 Menyanthaceae Polygonaceae 5 Salicaceae 2
Gleicheniaceae 1
Marattiaceae Monimiaceae
1
Polypodiaceae 1 Salviniaceae 0.5
Haemodoraceae Marcgraviaceae Moraceae 3 Pontederiaceae Santalaceae 0.5
Haloragidaceae 1
Mayacaceae
1
Musaceae 1 Portulacaceae Sapindaceae 3
Heliconiaceae 1 Melastomataceae 9 Myricaceae Potamogetonaceae Sapotaceae 3
Hydrophyllaceae Myristicaceae 1 Primulaceae Schizaeaceae 0.5
Hymenophyllaceae Myrsinaceae 1 Proteaceae Schlegeliaceae 0.5
Hypericaceae Myrtaceae 3 Psilotaceae
1
Scrophulariaceae 1
Hypoxidaceae
1?
Najadaceae Pteridaceae 1 Selaginellaceae 0.5
Icacinaceae Nyctaginaceae Punicaceae Simaroubaceae 1
Iridaceae Nymphaeaceae
1
Putranjivaceae Smilacaceae 1
Isoetaceae
1
Ochnaceae 1 Quiinaceae
1
Lacistemataceae 1 Olacaceae Ranunculaceae 0.5
Lamiaceae 2 Oleaceae Rhamnaceae 0.5
Lauraceae 5 Onagraceae
1
Rhizophoraceae 1
Lecythidaceae Ophioglossaceae 0 Rosaceae 0.5
Lentibulariaceae 1
Orchidaceae 2 Rubiaceae 6
Lindsaeaceae Oxalidaceae
Loganiaceae 1
Papaveraceae
Lomariopsidaceae Passifloraceae
1
Lophosoriaceae Phyllanthaceae 1
Loranthaceae
1
Phytolaccaceae 0.5
Lycopodiaceae Pinaceae 1
Lygodiaceae Piperaceae 2
Lythraceae
1
11
Solanaceae 4
Sphenocleaceae
Staphyleaceae 1
Symplocaceae 0.5
Taxaceae
Tectariaceae
Theaceae
1
Thelypteridaceae
Theophrastaceae 1
Turneraceae 1
Typhaceae 0.5
Ulmaceae 1
Urticaceae 1
Verbenaceae 5
Violaceae 1
Vitaceae
Vochysiaceae 1
Woodsiaceae
Xyridaceae
Zamiaceae
Zingiberaceae
Zygophyllaceae
1
Appendix 2B. Organisation of families within cabinets at BRH prior to re-curation with approximate number of shelves occupied
indicated, cabinets 14 onwards are projected.
1 2 3 4 5
Acanthaceae 5 Apocynaceae 10 Arecaceae 16 Asteraceae 11 Boraginaceae 4
Achariaceae Aquifoliaceae 1 Aristolochiaceae 1 Balanophoraceae Brassicaceae 1
Actinidiaceae Araceae 7 Asparagaceae 1 Balsaminaceae 1
Bromeliaceae 5
Agavaceae
1
Araliaceae 2 Asphodelaceae 1 Basellaceae Burmanniaceae 1
Aizoaceae Araucariaceae 1 Aspleniaceae 1 Bataceae 1
Burseraceae 3
Alismataceae Spare 5 Spare 6 Begoniaceae 1 Buxaceae 1
Altingiaceae
1
26 26 Bignoniaceae 5 Cactaceae 1
Amaranthaceae 1 Bixaceae 1 Campanulaceae 1
Amaryllidaceae 1 Blechnaceae 1 Cannaceae 1
Anacardiaceae 5 Spare 5 Capparaceae 1
Annonaceae 6 26 Caricaceae 1
Apiaceae 1 Casuarinaceae 1
Spare 5 Spare 5
26 26
6 7 8 9 10
Celastraceae 2 Crassulaceae 1 Elaeocarpaceae 1 Fabaceae 23 Fabaceae 23
Chloranthaceae 1 Cucurbitaceae 1 Ericaceae 1 Spare 3 Spare 3
Chrysobalanaceae 2 Cupressaceae Eriocaulaceae 1 26 26
Cleomaceae 1 Cyatheaceae 1
Erythroxylaceae 1
Clethraceae 1 Cyclanthaceae Euphorbiaceae 9
Clusiaceae 2 Cymodoceaceae 1
Fabaceae 7
Cochlospermaceae 1 Cyperaceae 8 Spare 6
Combretaceae 5 Cyrillaceae 1 26
Commelinaceae 1 Dennstaedtiaceae
Connaraceae 1 Dichapetalaceae 1
Convolvulaceae 3 Dilleniaceae 3
Costaceae 1 Dioscoreaceae 1
Spare 5 Droseraceae 1
26 Dryopteridaceae 1
Ebenaceae 1
Spare 5
26
11 12 13 14 15
Fagaceae 2 Lecythidaceae Malvaceae 4 Melastomataceae 3 Myrtaceae ?
Gentianaceae 1 Lentibulariaceae Marantaceae 3 Meliaceae ? Najadaceae ?
Gesneriaceae 1 Lindsaeaceae
1
Marattiaceae Menispermaceae ? Nyctaginaceae ?
Gleicheniaceae 1 Loganiaceae 2 Marcgraviaceae Menyanthaceae ? Nymphaeaceae ?
Haemodoraceae Lomariopsidaceae 1 Mayacaceae
1
Monimiaceae ? Ochnaceae ?
Haloragidaceae 1
Loranthaceae 2 Melastomataceae 15 Moraceae ? Olacaceae ?
Heliconiaceae 3 Lycopodiaceae 1 Spare 3 Musaceae ? Oleaceae ?
Hydrophyllaceae Lythraceae 1 26 Myricaceae ? Onagraceae ?
Hymenophyllaceae 1
Magnoliaceae 0.5 Myristicaceae ? Ophioglossaceae ?
Hypericaceae Malpighiaceae 4.5 Myrsinaceae ? Orchidaceae ?
Hypoxidaceae 1
Malvaceae 8 Spare ? Oxalidaceae ?
Icacinaceae Spare 5 Spare ?
Iridaceae 1
26
Lacistemataceae 1
Lamiaceae 2
Lauraceae 7
Spare 4
26
16 17 18 19 20
Papaveraceae ? Podocarpaceae ? Rubiaceae ? Sapindaceae ? Solanaceae ?
Passifloraceae ? Polygalaceae ? Rutaceae ? Sapotaceae ? Sphenocleaceae ?
Phyllanthaceae ? Polygonaceae ? Saccolomataceae ? Schizaeaceae ? Staphyleaceae ?
Phytolaccaceae ? Polypodiaceae ? Salicaceae ? Schlegeliaceae ? Symplocaceae ?
Pinaceae ? Pontederiaceae ? Salviniaceae ? Scrophulariaceae ? Taxaceae ?
Piperaceae ? Portulacaceae ? Santalaceae ? Selaginellaceae ? Tectariaceae ?
Poaceae ? Potamogetonaceae ? Spare ? Simaroubaceae ? Theaceae ?
Spare ? Primulaceae ? Smilacaceae ? Thelypteridaceae ?
Proteaceae ? Spare ? Theophrastaceae ?
Psilotaceae ? Turneraceae ?
Pteridaceae ? Typhaceae ?
Punicaceae ? Ulmaceae ?
Putranjivaceae ? Urticaceae ?
Quiinaceae ? Verbenaceae ?
Ranunculaceae ? Violaceae ?
Rhamnaceae ? Vitaceae ?
Rhizophoraceae ? Vochysiaceae ?
Rosaceae ? Woodsiaceae ?
17 continued 20 continued
Rubiaceae ? Xyridaceae ?
Spare ? Zamiaceae ?
Zingiberaceae ?
Zygophyllaceae ?
Spare ?
