Leguminosae
SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS (2001-2005)
- 156 publications, including Legumes of the World (2005), Leguminosae of Madagascar (2002), Advances in Legume Systematics, part 10 (2003), seven high impact papers, two Flora Zambesiaca legume volumes and two International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) checklists
- The genera Alhagi, Exostyles, Lysiloma, Plathymenia, Platymiscium, large parts of Pultenaea, Thailentadopsis and Zollernia revised and published. A synopsis of Berlinia completed. The new tree genus Maraniona from Peru published in Systematic Botany.
- Four major papers on geographically structured legume phylogenies and global legume distribution patterns published, including the novel 'succulent biome' which largely explains why sister taxa are found widely distributed across the major continents
- In 2004 Nigel Veitch received the Jack L. Beal Award for work published in the Journal of Natural Products on the flavonoid chemistry of Ateleia herbert-smithii. A major review was also published on the use of new analytical techniques to study systematic legume chemistry. Several new biologically active compounds were described from legumes.
- The first Kew botanist to collect in Gabon since 1957 focused on legumes
- Legume collections in the Millennium Seed Bank increased by 1,600 to 4,446, and now contain 1,740 species in 280 genera
- All 171 genera of Caesalpinioideae analysed palynologically and the data published. The wood anatomy of tribe Millettieae published .
- c. 15,000 legume specimens databased as part of two data-sharing programmes (the African Plants Initiative, and the NE Brazilian Repatriation project)
- The wood anatomy of the Mimosoideae was published in 2006.
- Ten legume PhDs awarded, and four more ongoing
- A preliminary list of the Leguminosae in Northeastern Brazil was published in 2006, as volume 2 in the series Repatriation of Kew Herbarium Data for the Flora of Northeastern Brazil Series
KEY ELEMENTS OF FUTURE PLANS (2006 onwards)
- Flora Zambesiaca legumes will be completed and the final three volumes published by the end of 2008
- An electronic version of the book Legumes of the World is to be developed starting in September 2006
- A new classification of subfamily Caesalpinioideae is to be proposed based on combined molecular-morphological analysis of all genera
- A synopsis of Berlinia is to be published, a PhD thesis submitted and a monograph subsequently published. A benchmark paper on the phylogeny and biogeography of the Indigofereae is to be published. Two papers on neotropical Acacia are to be published before the end of 2007. A monograph of genus Hymenostegia will be completed. A new Brazilian tree genus is to be published.
- A review article entitled 'Isoflavonoids of the Leguminosae 1997-2004' has been submitted to the Royal Society of Chemistry, to appear in their journal: Natural Product Reports (Impact Factor 7.890) in 2006-7. Other phytochemical studies will concentrate on basally branching lineages in the Papilionoideae and on legume derived compounds important in medicine and agriculture.
- A paper on the pollen of Polygalaceae is to be published, and a new project looking at Mimosoideae pollen in Madagascan species started
- Seed collecting from the world's drylands will continue to target legumes