Plant Systematics, Conservation Biology, and Ethnobotany

04

Wendy Applequist, Ph.D.

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Associate Curator
William L. Brown Center 

Research Interests

• Taxonomy of the flora of Madagascar

Taxonomy of the Homalium albiflorum species complex and description of new species. Applequist is an associate curator in MBG’s William L. Brown Center; her research interests include the taxonomy of the flora of Madagascar. The last treatment of Homalium (a genus with tiny, but very interesting flowers) from Madagascar is now obsolete, with many species that are unknown to science appearing in more recent herbarium collections. It appears that several different species with similar flowers were wrongly lumped together into a single species, Homalium albiflorum. The student who participates in this project will study specimens to collaboratively decide how many species are present in that complex and will collect measurements and qualitative descriptive data for new species. The student will learn all stages of taxonomic revisionary work and will co-author the manuscript in which new species are published. The participating student should have some familiarity with basic botanical terminology through a botany course or other experience.

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