Wandering among Dehnhardt's gums: The cold case of Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Myrtaceae) and other nomenclatural notes on Eucalyptus

In this contribution, we treat all the names in the genus Eucalyptus published by F. Dehnhardt, including the much-discussed E. camaldulensis. Current opinion would suggest that Dehnhardt applied this name to a plant different from that to which the name has commonly been applied. Hence, E. camaldulensis was conserved with a conserved type. Despite this, we show that Dehnhardt’s original description clearly applies to the modern delimitation of E. camaldulensis subsp. camaldulensis and that conservation of the name was not necessary. Two names are neotypified on the basis of material preserved in NAP and W: E. gigantea, and E. procera. These two names are confirmed to be synonyms of other currently accepted names. Eucalyptus pulchella (of which E. linearis is a synonym) is also neotypified. A second-step lectotypification is provided for E. globulus

Data from: Origins of food crops connect countries worldwide

Research into the origins of food plants has led to the recognition that specific geographical regions around the world have been of particular importance to the development of agricultural crops. Yet the relative contributions of these different regions in the context of current food systems have not been quantified. Here we determine the origins (‘primary regions of diversity’) of the crops comprising the food supplies and agricultural production of countries worldwide. We estimate the degree to which countries use crops from regions of diversity other than their own (‘foreign crops’), and quantify changes in this usage over the past 50 years. Countries are highly interconnected with regard to primary regions of diversity of the crops they cultivate and/or consume. Foreign crops are extensively used in food supplies (68.7% of national food supplies as a global mean are derived from foreign crops) and production systems (69.3% of crops grown are foreign). Foreign crop usage has increased significantly over the past 50 years, including in countries with high indigenous crop diversity. The results provide a novel perspective on the ongoing globalization of food systems worldwide, and bolster evidence for the importance of international collaboration on genetic resource conservation and exchange

A Road Map for Conservation, Use, and Public Engagement around North America’s Crop Wild Relatives and Wild Utilized Plants

Crop wild relatives—the plant species closely related to agricultural crops—are valuable genetic resources used by plant breeders to increase pest and disease resistance, stress tolerance, nutritional profile, and other traits critical to productivity, quality, and sustainability. Wild utilized plants provide food and a variety of other ecosystem and cultural services to people. North America harbors a rich native flora that includes wild relatives of important food, fiber, industrial, feed and forage, medicinal, and ornamental crops, as well as a diversity of regionally significant wild utilized plants. Many of these species are threatened in their natural habitats, and most are underrepresented in plant genebanks and botanical gardens. These conservation gaps limit the portfolio of useful plant diversity available to present and future generations. Likewise, the myriad potential uses of North American crop wild relatives and wild utilized plants are underexplored, and public awareness of their value and threats is limited. Greater coordination of efforts among plant conservation, land management, agricultural science, and botanical education and outreach organizations will be necessary to secure, enhance use, and raise awareness with regard to these species. A road map for collaborative action is presented here, focused on five priorities: (i) to understand and document North America’s crop wild relatives and wild utilized plants, (ii) to protect threatened species in their natural habitats, (iii) to collect and conserve ex situ the diversity of prioritized species, (iv) to make this diversity accessible and attractive for plant breeding, research, and education, and (v) to raise public awareness of their value and the threats to their persistence