Rodrigo B. Singer

• Ph.D.
• Full Professor at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul

Angelonia Bonpl. (Plantaginaceae) is a neotropical genus of ornamental interest, with some Mexican species already commercialized in the horticultural trade. Angelonia integerrima Spreng. is the only species of the genus native to Southern Brazil, and, despite its high ornamental potential, its reproductive requirements are unknown. Flower features...

All 32 Brazilian species of Parodia Speg (Cactaceae) occurring in Rio Grande do Sul State are considered threatened, according to the IUCN criteria. Until 2021, Parodia rechensis (CR) was known by only two small populations. However, a new population with over 400 individuals was discovered in 2021, prompting the study of its reproductive biology a...

Reproductive isolation is one of the mechanisms of speciation. The two currently accepted subspecies of Parodia haselbergii (P. haselbergii subsp. haselbergii and P. haselbergii subsp. graessneri) were studied regarding flower traits, phenology, breeding systems and pollination. In addition, a principal component analysis with 18 floral characters...

The Dwarf Palm, Butia lallemantii Deble & Marchiori, is an endangered species endemic to the Pampa biome and typically grows in sandy and rocky soils. Given its economic, ecological, and cultural relevance, it is crucial to understand the ecology and biology of this species to encourage its preservation and highlight its significance for the Pampa....

Orchids are globally threatened by habitat loss and poaching. In this context, we present suggestions to maximize the gathered scientific information without compromising the continuity of orchid populations: 1. To keep population coordinates in secrecy and avoid unnecessary or careless postings on social media; 2. To acquire and carry valid, worki...

Figure 3. A suggested flowchart for researchers studying Orchidaceae. Notice that the collection of a few whole specimens is only suggested in cases where there are reasons to think that the plants belong to as yet undescribed species.

Figure 7. A plate of Bipinnula montana (Chloraeinae) in the LCDP style, assembled with photos made in Figure 4. A. (in the background) Habit; B. and C. Flower in frontal and lateral view, respectively; D. Dissected perianth; E. Column with labellum articulated at its base and dissected ovarium; F. Column and labellum in dorsal view; G. Column in do...

Figure 4. A simple protocol for optimizing orchid collection for research purposes without compromising the survival of the plant individuals or populations. Step 1: a complete photographic record in the field, complemented with notes. Step two: take just the necessary samples for vouchering. The inflorescence and a few leaves may be enough in terr...

Figure 8. Orchid pollinators. Only animals able to dislodge and deposit pollinia are to be considered pollinators. Insect pollinators are to be collected (vouchered) in moderate numbers. A. Syrphid fly with pollinaria of Prescottia densiflora (Brongn.) Lindl. onto its proboscis B. and C. Augochlorini Halictidae bees with pollinaria of Cyclopogon el...

The Andean forests of Colombia harbor high plant biodiversity, especially orchids. Here, we propose and describe a new species of Campylocentrum from the cloud forests of the eastern Andean slopes of Caquetá, Colombia. The new species resembles C. alvesii, from which it differs by the longer lip with obtuse lateral lobes, and C. asplundii, from whi...

Floral features, the pollination process, the breeding system, and fruiting success are documented in the Andean terrestrial orchid Gomphichis valida. Studies were performed at the Department of Ancash, Peru, at ca. 4250 m a.s.l., from June to November 2022. The breeding system was studied through controlled pollina-tions in plants excluded from po...

We report a new species of Myoxanthus from Huancavelica, Peru. Myoxanthus anancusiensis is described, illustrated, and compared with its similar species M. serripetalus and M. oliviae. We carried out a systematic review of the herbarium information of Myoxanthus species reported for Peru and compared the morphological characteristics of similar spe...

Gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI) has been mainly described in species-rich clades within Orchidaceae. We report GSI for a genus within Maxillariinae, one of the most conspicuous and diverse subtribes of neotropical orchids. Here, we describe the reproductive system of Brasiliorchis picta, B. phoenicanthera, and B. porphyrostele. Anatomical s...

Key message Through a multidisciplinary study we found that Gymnocalycium bruchii, an endemic cactus from central Argentina, acts as a dioecious species, which is the first record in this genus. Abstract Cactaceae species are typically hermaphroditic; however, about 2% have other different reproductive systems. These non-hermaphroditic species may...

Brazil is one of the centers of diversity of Cactaceae, yet studies addressing both pollination biology and the breeding system in Brazilian cacti are scarce. We herein present a detailed analysis of two native species with economic relevance: Cereus hildmannianus and Pereskia aculeata. The first species produce edible, sweet, spineless fruits and...

The pollination and the breeding system of Epidendrum densiflorum (Orchidaceae: Laeliinae) were studied through fieldwork and controlled pollinations in cultivated plants. Pollination is exclusively promoted by males of diurnal Lepidoptera: five species of Arctiinae and four of Ithomiinae were recorded as pollinators. These male insects are known t...

Encounters between flowers and invertebrates are key events for the functioning of tropical forests. Assessing the structure of networks composed of the interactions between those partners leads to a better understanding of ecosystem functioning and the effects of environmental factors on ecological processes. Gathering such data is, however, costl...

The fruits of palm trees (Arecaceae) are a very important food source for fauna and for humans, despite the still incipient role of these fruits in conventional diet. Seven palm tree species (plus one variety) that are native to the southern half of South America located east of the Andes (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and the southern states of Br...

The concept of mimicry has been developed for animals, but it also applies to plants. Plant species may be Müllerian mimics if they have similar reproductive traits and offer similar rewards to the pollinators. Several Oncidiinae orchids offer floral oils to their pollinators and have been suggested to form a Müllerian complex with species of Malpi...

The pollination process and breeding system of Pachygenium bonariense and Pachygenium pteryganthum were documented for native populations from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The flowers secrete nectar (on average with 65% to 67% of the concentration of total sugars), which is concealed into an incurved spur. Both species are pollinated by native, large...

Four species of Gomesa (Gomesa flexuosa, Gomesa ranifera, Gomesa cornigera, and Gomesa riograndensis), a horticulturally important, albeit scarcely studied orchid genus, were investigated. Pollination biology was studied through fieldwork in Rio Grande do Sul in Southern Brazil during two flowering seasons. Breeding systems were studied through con...

Agriculture can benefit from the biotechnological use of animal venom biodiversity. We explored the patent database to find the prevailing applications of scorpion, snake, spider, bee, and wasp venoms for agricultural purposes. We searched for patents registered worldwide using the keywords “animal species” AND “venom” associated with the Cooperati...

ABSTRACT – Fuchsia regia and F. campos-portoi (Onagraceae) belong to section Quelusia; a group native to the Patagonian, Southern and South-eastern Brazilian regions. To date, no studies coupling detailed pollinator observations and breeding system experiments have been published for these species. Studies were performed at the Parque Nacional do I...

Cereus hildmannianus K. Schum is a columnar cactus native to South and Southeast Brazil. The cultivation of this species seems justifiable for several reasons: its fruits are spineless and edible; it is not threatened with extinction; it naturally occurs in Pampa and Atlantic Forest under non-xeric conditions that may be unsuitable for the cultivat...

Background: The synonyms of the currently accepted scientific names are binomial names used to designate the same taxon, now in disuse due to the nomenclatural rules. We explore the evolution of the synonymy in the useful palm genus Euterpe to investigate if the inclusion of the synonyms affects the recovery of information on the uses and vernacula...

Orchid pollinia have the potential to make a valuable contribution to current techniques of germplasm storage and assisted reproduction, yet information regarding their preservation and their ability to remain viable over time is currently limited. Dactylorhiza fuchsii and Disa uniflora were used as models for investigating potential techniques for...

Plant species are mostly delimited solely by morphological characteristics, but this method has drawbacks and may result in identification errors. Pollination and ecological speciation studies may serve as additional tools for species delimitation. Sinningia lutea and S. allagophylla are species hitherto considered synonyms, and recent accounts sug...

A taxonomic revision of Capanemia (Orchidaceae) was completed after morphological, nomenclatural and phylogenetic studies. Our analyses do not support the infrageneric classification (Capanemia sect. Capanemia and Capanemia sect. Planifolia) proposed by Pabst in the seventies and recovered Sanderella as the sister group of Capanemia, albeit with lo...

Oncidiinae is an exclusively Neotropical orchid subtribe with about 1600 described species and an impressive array of vegetative and floral morphological adaptations. We present the results of a literature survey on the pollination strategies and breeding systems of this orchid subtribe. The flowers are pollinated by a wide range of insects (mostly...

The chemistry of the floral oils of Phymatidium delicatulum and P. tillandsioides (Orchidaceae) is described. These small epiphytes produce the oils in a complex gland (the elaiophore) located on the median petal. The floral oils of P. tillandsioides were shown to be comprised mostly of acylglycerols, as in many other Oncidiinae orchids from southe...

Epiphytes are hyper‐diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non‐vas...

The nomenclature of 15 orchid names described by João Barbosa Rodrigues and currently treated in the genus Gomesa (Orchidaceae: Oncidiinae) is reviewed. Thirteen names (Baptistonia echinata, Gomesa sessilis, Oncidium biflorum, O. geraense, O. hydrophilum, O. montanum, O. nitidum, O. odontochilum, O. uliginosum, Ornithophora quadricolor, Rodriguezia...

To date, the endangered terrestrial orchid Codonorchis canisioi was only known from two collections at its type locality. This plant has not been collected since 1935 and is currently considered as Critically Endangered in the Brazilian list of threatened flora. We recently found two small populations about 174 km from the type locality. We thus se...

Subtribe Spiranthinae is the most species-rich lineage of terrestrial Neotropical orchids, encompassing > 500 species and 40 genera. We conducted maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data of plastid matK-trnK and trnL-trnF and nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences for 36 genera and 182 species of Spiranthinae plu...

We studied the breeding system and pollination biology of Cattleya coccinea, C. intermedia, C. purpurata and C. tigrina in native populations from Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. At the State level, the three latter species are considered under risk of extinction and this work is intended to be a contribution towards their conservation and mana...

div class="page" title="Page 1"> Because of their remarkable flower morphology, orchids are particularly interesting objects of study. Most orchid species hold their pollen in discrete packs, so-called pollinia (singular; pollinium). These pollinia, together with other pollinium stalks, form more or less complex translatory units, so-called pol- l...

A taxonomic synopsis of Bipinnula Comm. ex Juss. (Orchidaceae: Chloraeinae) in Argentina is presented. Three species are recognized: B. biplumata Rchb.f., B. penicillata (Rchb.f.) Cisternas & Salazar and B. polysyka Kraenzl. A key to separate these species is presented and their distribution in Argentina is presented. All species are described in d...

A taxonomic synopsis of Dorstenia (Moraceae) in Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Southern Brazil, is presented. Three species were recorded: D. brasiliensis, D. carautae, a new record for the state of RS, and D. tenuis. All species are described and illustrated through detailed photos of living specimens. A taxonomic key to separate the species, as well as...

A taxonomic synopsis of Dorstenia (Moraceae) in Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Southern Brazil, is presented. Three species were recorded: D. brasiliensis, D. carautae, a new record for the state of RS, and D. tenuis. All species are described and illustrated through detailed photos of living specimens. A taxonomic key to separate the species, as well as...

The subspecies of Fuchsia regia (Vand. ex Vell.) Munz (Onagraceae) in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The genus Fuchsia L. has 107 species distributed in 12 sections, with eight Brazilian species belonging exclusively to section Quelusia (Vand.) DC. In the State of Rio Grande do Sul, two subspecies of F. regia (Vand. ex Vell.) Munz occur: F. regia subsp...

La mayoría de las especies de orquídeas no-autógamas dependen de un reducido número de polinizadores para fructificar. Las orquídeas Brachystele unilateralis (Poir.) Schltr. y Chloraea virescens (Willd.) Lindl. poseen una distribución restricta a los Andes australes donde un único abejorro nativo y endémico (Bombus dahlbomii Guérin- Méneville) habi...

The new combination Handroanthus coronatus (Proença & Farias) Farias is proposed for Tabebuia coronata Proença & Farias. Floral and vegetative features supporting this taxonomic transfer are discussed.

Most non-autogamous orchids rely on either a single, or on a small number of pollinators to set fruit. The nectar-rewarding orchid Brachystele unilateralis and the nectarless and deceit-pollinated Chloraea virescens are restricted to the Southern Andes, where a single native and endemic bumblebee (Bombus dahlbomii) occured until the introduction of...

Lyroglossa and Pteroglossa (Orchidaceae: Spiranthinae) are first recorded for Rio Grande do Sul. Descriptions, illustrations, taxonomic notes and distribution are presented. We also provide an artificial key to distinguish the genera of the “Stenorrhynchos Clade” reported so far in Rio Grande do Sul.

As a step towards a revision of the sectional classification of Neotropical species of Habenaria, we focus here on section Pentadactylae. In its current delimitation, this is the largest of the 14 New World sections and embraces a group of 34 morphologically heterogeneous species. We expanded the sampling of Neotropical species currently placed in...

Gunnera perpensa L. (Gunneraceae) is a native South African plant widely used in traditional medicine as an antibacterial and antifungal. In southern Brazil there is the native species called Gunnera manicata L. that also belongs to the Gunneraceae. Nevertheless, there is no information about chemical and pharmacological properties of South America...

A taxonomic synopsis of Brazilian Chloraeinae (Orchidaceae) is presented. Artificial keys to separate the genera and species are included. Vegetative and floral features of all species are described and illustrated with drawings and photographs, and data on their distribution, phenology and ecology are presented. Two lectotypes and one neotype are...

A total of 46 lectotypes, one neotype and one epitype are designated for species of Goodyerinae and Spiranthinae originally described by José Mariano da Conceição Vellozo and João Barbosa Rodrigues. Moreover, three new previously accepted names are treated as synonyms.

Masdevallia coccinea and the Masdevallia ignea "banderitas" are ornamental orchids which are very prized by amateur farmers and collectors. In Colombia, the harvest pressure on these species has been enormous and few natural populations survive in the departments of Boyacá (Arcabuco of Berlin Páramo, Duitama) and Santander (between Málaga and Bucar...

Background and aims: The pollination biology of very few Chloraeinae orchids has been studied to date, and most of these studies have focused on breeding systems and fruiting success. Chloraea membranacea Lindl. is one of the few non-Andean species in this group, and the aim of the present contribution is to elucidate the pollination biology, func...

The pollination process and breeding system of the sympatric Habenaria johannensis, H. macronectar, H. mega-potamensis and H. montevidensis was documented for native populations from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. All species investigated offer a nectar reward (mean values of total sugars ranging from 18 to 26%) concealed in a spur. Habenaria montevide...

Sinningia lutea (Gesneriaceae) is described and illustrated as a new species from the Pampa Biome, in Southern Brazil. In the literature, this species has hitherto been confused with S. allagophylla from which it can be easily separated using a set of floral and vegetative features (especially corolla color and size and leaf shape). An artificial k...

A taxonomic revision of the recently proposed neotropical genus Christensonella (tribe Cymbideae, subtribe Maxillariinae) is presented. Twelve species are recognized: C. echinophyta, C. ferdinandiana, C. huntii, C. nardoides, C. neowiedii C. pacholskii, C. pachyphylla, C. paranaensis, C. pumila, C. subulata, C. subulifolia and C. uncata. An identif...

A proposal to conserve the name Brasiliorchis R.B. Singer, Koehler and Carnevali (Orchidaceae: Maxillariinae) against Bolbidium Lindl. This proposal was later (2012) recommended by the Nomenclature Commitee for Vascular Plants of the IAPT (see Report of the Nomenclature Committee for Vascular Plants 64, in Taxon (2012) 61(5): 1108-117).

Capanemia Barb. Rodr. comprises seven species that mostly inhabit the Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest domain. The genus currently consists of two sections: Capanemia Cogn. and Planifolia Pabst, distinguished on the basis of leaf shape. We compare the floral morphology and anatomy of all species to determine whether separation into sections is suppor...

Gunnera perpensa (Gunneraceae) is an African plant widely used in traditional medicine. This species is known for its activity involving the female reproductive system, such as inducing or increasing labor, treating female infertility, expelling the placenta and/or preventing post-partum hemorrhage. These properties are probably due to (z)-venusol,...

Gunnera (Gunneraceae) forms a complex association with the cyanobacterium Nostoc puctiforme L. Gunnera-Nostoc symbiosis is the only one reported involving a flowering plant, and results in the formation of the neurotoxic amino acid β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA). The species Gunnera manicata L., for which phytochemical, pharmacological and toxico...

Capanemia Barb. Rock. (Orchidaceae, Oncidiinae) currently includes 17 epiphytic, predominantly Brazilian species. As part of an ongoing revision of this genus, we herein propose new synonyms and typifications for several taxa. After a thorough revision of both herbarium material and many living specimens in cultivation collected in southern and sou...

Zygostates dasyrhiza (Kraenzl.) Schltr. is here documented for the first time for the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A morphological description, data about geographic distribution and habitat, an artificial key to the three Zygostates species native to Rio Grande do Sul, and additional comments about this species are provided.

Cattleya presents about 120 species distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. In its current delimitation, Cattleya also encompasses the Brazilian species formerly placed within the genera Laelia and Sophronitis, as well as the species of a number of recently segregated genera. This contribution deals with this genus in Rio G...

I n stit u t o d e B io c i ê ncias U FRGS O gênero Capanemia Barb. Rodr. (Oncidiinae: Orchidaceae) na Região Sul do Brasil 1 RESUMO: O gênero Capanemia abrange sete espécies de orquídeas epífitas distribuídas do Uruguai, Paraguai, extremo Nor-deste da Argentina, parte da Bolívia e principalmente em florestas das regiões Sul e Sudeste do Brasil, en...

Darwin s second book was totally dedicated to the floral functional morphology and pollination of temperate and tropical orchids. This book was published in 1862 and was likely conceived as an assemblage of evidence supporting ideas that were proposed in -On The Origin of The Species-; namely, the advantages of the intercrossing between different c...

RESUMEN El segundo libro de Darwin fue íntegramente dedicado a la morfología floral y polinización de diversos grupos de orquídeas de regiones templadas y tropicales. Este libro fue publicado en 1862 y parece haber sido concebido como una fuente de pruebas o un complemento para ideas sugeridas en El Origen de las Especies; en especial, la noción s...

Cuticular wax, abdominal and cephalic extracts of foraging workers and males of Nannotrigona testaceicornis and Plebeia droryana, from the "Aretuzina" farm in São Simão, SP, Brazil, were analyzed by GC-MS. The principal constituents were hydrocarbons, terpenes, aldehydes, esters, steroids, alcohols, and fatty acids. Interspecific differences for bo...

Previously known from only two specimens collected in Uruguay, Prescottia ostenii Pabst is reported for the first time from Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. Several morphological features lacking in the original description are described and illustrated. The taxonomic affinities of this species are discussed, based on vegetative and floral morph...

McIllmurray y Oakeley (2004) demostraron que el nombre Maxillaria ramosa ha sido mal aplicado a Ornithidium pendulum desde 1967, y posiblemente corresponde a M. cassapensis. Referimos los nombres Ornithidium ochraceum, O. loefgrenii y Maxillaria spathulata a la sinonimia de O. pendulum (además de los sinónimos ya reconocidos O. dichotomum y Scaphyg...

O gênero Brasiliorchis R. Singer, S. Koehler & Carnevali, é proposto para conter aquelas espécies de orquídeas antes incluidas na Aliança Maxillaria picta; um agrupamento primariamente endêmico do bioma Mata Atlântica, no Sul e Sudeste do Brasil. Este novo gênero é sustentado tanto por caracteres morfológicos quanto por estudos de biologia molecula...

RESUMO: (O gênero Eulophia R. Brown Ex Lindl.(Orchidaceae: Eulophiinae) no Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil). Eulophia abrange aproximadamente 200 espécies distribuídas principalmente nas regiões tropicais e subtropicais da África, Madagascar e das Américas. O presente trabalho trata do estudo taxonômico deste gênero no Rio Grande do Sul. Baseia-se em rev...

Species' boundaries applied within Christensonella have varied due to the continuous pattern of variation and mosaic distribution of diagnostic characters. The main goals of this study were to revise the species' delimitation and propose a more stable classification for this genus. In order to achieve these aims phylogenetic relationships were infe...

Samples of Ephedra tweediana, collected from native populations occurring in the Reserva Biológica do Lami José Lutzenberger (Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil), and from cultivated plants of Ephedra triandra were submitted to extraction with acetone, derivatized with cyclohexanone and analyzed by GC/MS. In order to verify the efficiency of the methodology,...

Corymborkis abrange aproximadamente seis espécies distribuídas principalmente nas regiões tropicais e subtropicais da Ásia, África e das Américas. O presente trabalho trata do estudo taxonômico deste gênero no Rio Grande do Sul, contribuindo, portanto, para o conhecimento da flora do Estado. Este trabalho baseou-se em revisão bibliográfica bem como...

The structural variation of pollinia and pollinaria in Orchidaceae is discussed. Pollinia and pollinaria are restricted to two (of the five) orchid subfamilies: Orchidoideae and Epidendroideae. The attributes of pollinia and pollinaria of these subfamilies are commented on and discussed. Pollinia and pollinaria also occur in the plant family Apocyn...

RESUMO: Schefflera arboricola (Hayata) Merr (Araliaceae) é uma planta exótica, porém amplamente cultivada no Brasil para ornamentação. Devido à abundância de flores que produz, esta árvore é altamente atrativa para abelhas Apis mellifera, bem como para diversos meliponíneos nativos. S. arboricola oferece aos seus visitantes florais pólen e néctar,...

The orchid genus Maxillaria is one of the largest and most common of neotropical orchid genera, but its current generic boundaries and relationships have long been regarded as artificial. Phylogenetic relationships within subtribe Maxillariinae sensu Dressler (1993) with emphasis on Maxillaria s.l. were inferred using parsimony analyses of individu...

A recent phylogenetic analysis of four DNA regions for ca. 354 species of core Maxillariinae strongly indicate that the genus Maxillaria, as traditionally circumscribed, is grossly polyphyletic. We pre-sent a new phylogenetic classification for core Maxillariinae that recognizes 17 genera. Necessary realign-ments include: 1) resurrection of the gen...

Since the time of Darwin, evolutionary biologists have been fascinated by the spectacular adaptations to insect pollination exhibited by orchids. However, despite being the most diverse plant family on Earth, the Orchidaceae lack a definitive fossil record and thus many aspects of their evolutionary history remain obscure. Here we report an exquisi...