A Taxonomic Revision of Pleurothyrium (Lauraceae)

密苏里州植物园的亨克货车德沃夫博士将 美国月桂属侧耳属的研究种 热带地区，以便描述它们的特征并绘制它们的地理分布图， 范围和栖息地。 樟科是世界上 常见的热带森林树木，无论是在 美洲和亚洲热带。 这个家庭经济条件很好 作为商业木材、食用水果的来源， （例如鳄梨），香料（肉桂，月桂叶）， 芳香油（樟脑、玫瑰木油）。 尽管如此， 物种和属的知识处于贫困状态，因为 有限的标本馆收藏，因为花和 水果通常不显眼，需要专门寻找， Werff博士已经瞄准了一个估计的35种物种， 美洲热带的一个属，开始一个长期的分类学 重新评价家庭。 叶片形状有相当大的变化 和脉序，在毛状体（植物毛），并在花 形态学已经记录到目前为止，和新的领域收集 这将有助于评估其可靠性。 在野外和植物标本馆中区分物种的特征。 该小组的分类学专著将包括正确的 指定物种的科学名称，绘制 品种的范围，注意开花和结果的季节性， 植物形态的描述，以及关于 传粉者和植物种子的动物传播者， 水果. 这一努力将有助于不断清查 热带植物资源

Dr. Henk van der Werff of the Missouri Botanical Garden will study species of the laurel genus Pleurothyrium of the American tropics, in order to characterize them and map their geographical ranges and habitats. The Lauraceae family is one of the most commonly encountered groups of tropical forest trees, both in the American and Asian tropics. The family is of great economic interest as well, as a source of commercial timber, edible fruits (avocados for example), spices (cinnamon, bay leaves), and aromatic oils (camphor, rosewood oil). Nonetheless, taxonomic knowledge of the species and genera is in a poor state, because of limited collections in herbaria and because the flowers and fruits are often inconspicuous and require dedicated searching to collect. Dr. Werff has targeted the estimated 35 species of one genus of the American tropics, to begin a long-term taxonomic reappraisal of the family. Considerable variation in leaf shape and venation, in trichomes (plant hairs), and in floral morphology has been documented so far, and new field collections will facilitate an assessment of the reliability of these features for distinguishing species in the field and herbarium. The taxonomic monograph of the group will include correct assignment of scientific species names, mapping of the geographic ranges of species, notes on flowering and fruiting seasonality, description of vegetative morphology, and preliminary data on pollinators and likely animal dispersers of the plants' seeds and fruits. This effort will contribute to on-going inventory of tropical plant resources.