Russell L Barrett

Botanic Gardens of Sydney · National Herbarium of New South Wales

Twenty-seven new species are described from Western Australia. Bossiaea arenitensis R.L.Barrett, B. zarae R.L.Barrett (Fabaceae), Commelina roensis M.D.Barrett & R.L.Barrett (Commelinaceae), Crinum joesmithii M.D.Barrett & R.L.Barrett (Amaryllidaceae), Eriocaulon rivicola G.J.Leach, M.D.Barrett & R.L.Barrett (Eriocaulaceae), Glycine remota M.D.Barr...

Circumscription of the large genus Pultenaea Sm. has been contentious since shortly after description. We draw on recently generated phylogenomic data to provide a fully resolved phylogeny of Pultenaea and related genera based on near-complete species level sampling for the genus. Phylogenomic data divide Pultenaea sens. lat. into five independent...

Premise Cleomaceae is an important model clade for studies of evolutionary processes including genome evolution, floral form diversification, and photosynthetic pathway evolution. Diversification and divergence patterns in Cleomaceae remain tangled as research has been restricted by its worldwide distribution, limited genetic sampling and species c...

Understanding the variability of extinction risk and its potential drivers across different spatial extents is crucial to revealing the underlying processes of biodiversity loss and sustainability. However, in countries with high climatic and topographic heterogeneity, studies on extinction risk are often challenged by complexities associated with...

XX International Botanical Congress (IBC), Madrid 2024

Faced with environmental changes, plants may either move to track their ancestral niches or evolve to adapt to new niches. Vitaceae, the grape family, has evolved diverse adaptive traits facilitating a global expansion in wide-ranging habitats, making it ideal for investigating transition between move and evolve strategies and exploring the underly...

Grasses (Poaceae) comprise around 11,800 species and are central for human livelihoods and terrestrial ecosystems. Knowing their relationships and evolutionary history is key to comparative research and crop breeding. Advances in genome-scale sequencing allow for increased breadth and depth of phylogenomic analyses, making it possible to infer a ne...

Traits with intuitive names, a clear scope and explicit description are essential for all trait databases. The lack of unified, comprehensive, and machine-readable plant trait definitions limits the utility of trait databases, including reanalysis of data from a single database, or analyses that integrate data across multiple databases. Both can on...

The diverse and spectacular Hibisceae tribe comprises over 750 species. No studies, however, have broadly sampled across the dozens of genera in the tribe, leading to uncertainty in the relationships among genera. The non-monophyly of the genus Hibiscus is infamous and challenging, whereas the monophyly of most other genera in the tribe has yet to...

Angiosperms are the cornerstone of most terrestrial ecosystems and human livelihoods1,2. A robust understanding of angiosperm evolution is required to explain their rise to ecological dominance. So far, the angiosperm tree of life has been determined primarily by means of analyses of the plastid genome3,4. Many studies have drawn on this foundation...

Genetic diversity represents the fundamental basis of biological variation within species, and is therefore the ultimate representation of biodiversity. Despite that all forms of diversity being defined by genomic differences, genetic diversity has received relatively less attention compared with species and ecosystem diversity. Here, we review rec...

Madagascar is a biogeographically unique island with a remarkably high level of endemism. However, endemic taxa in Madagascar are massively threatened due to unprecedented pressures from anthropogenic habitat modification and climate change. A comprehensive phylogeny-based biodiversity evaluation of the island remains lacking. Here, we identify hot...

A taxonomic revision of the Pultenaea setulosa species complex (Fabaceae, tribe Mirbelieae) is presented. Prior to this study, P. setulosa Benth. was broadly circumscribed as a single, morphologically variable species. Here, we present evidence supporting the recognition of 18 species, 14 of which are new to science. Pultenaea setulosa is recircums...

Caesia walalbai A.T.Webb, Birch & R.L.Barrett (Asphodelaceae, Hemerocallidoideae) is described as a new species endemic to south-east Queensland, Australia. It is distinguished from other white-flowered, eastern Australian Caesia species by long, often recurved pedicels and entirely yellow staminal filaments. Caesia walalbai is notable for having 2...

Poales are one of the most species‐rich, ecologically and economically important orders of plants and often characterise open habitats, enabled by unique suites of traits. We test six hypotheses regarding the evolution and assembly of Poales in open and closed habitats throughout the world, and examine whether diversification patterns demonstrate p...

Establishment of a national park protection system in China, including the latest target proposed to protect at least 30% of the land area, calls for a comprehensive exploration of conservation priorities incorporating multiple diversity facets. We herein evaluate the spatial distribution of Chinese flowering plants from the perspectives of richnes...

Model species continue to underpin groundbreaking plant science research. At the same time, the phylogenetic resolution of the land plant Tree of Life continues to improve. The intersection of these two research paths creates a unique opportunity to further extend the usefulness of model species across larger taxonomic groups. Here we promote the u...

Model species continue to underpin groundbreaking plant science research. At the same time, the phylogenetic resolution of the land plant Tree of Life continues to improve. The intersection of these two research paths creates a unique opportunity to further extend the usefulness of model species across larger taxonomic groups. Here we promote the u...

What grows where? Knowledge about where to find particular species in nature must have been key to the survival of humans throughout our evolution. Over time, and as people colonised new land masses and habitats, interactions with the local biota led to a wealth of combined traditional and scientific wisdom about the distributions of species and th...

Background Explaining contrasting patterns of distribution between related species is crucial for understanding the dynamics of biodiversity. Despite instances where hybridization and whole genome duplication (WGD) can yield detrimental outcomes, a role in facilitating the expansion of distribution range has been proposed. The Vitaceae genus Causon...

The genus Erythrophleum Afzel ex R.Br. is revised for Australia and three species are recognised, all previously included in E. chlorostachys (F.Muell.) Baill. Erythrophleum arenarium R.L.Barrett & M.D.Barrett is described as a new species to accommodate populations from desert sands of the Great Sandy Desert and Dampier Botanical Districts in nort...

Poales are one of the most species-rich, ecologically and economically important orders of plants and often characterise open habitats, enabled by unique suites of traits. We test the hypotheses that Poales species are assembled into distinct phyloregions, with centres of high phylogenetic diversity and endemism clustered in tropical regions, and t...

A new species of Lomandra Labill., Lomandra briggsiana R.L.Barrett & T.C.Wilson, is described from the Great Dividing Range and Western Slopes of New South Wales. The new species has affinity to the widespread south-eastern Australian species Lomandra multiflora (R.Br.) Britten, and to L. decomposita (R.Br.) Jian Wang ter & A.R.Bean and Lomandra ra...

Aim The aim of this study was to further advance our understanding of the species-rich, and ecologically important angiosperm family Combretaceae to provide new insights into their evolutionary history. We assessed phylogenetic relationships in the family using target capture data and produced a dated phylogenetic tree to assess fruit dispersal mod...

Traits with intuitive names, a clear scope and explicit description are essential for all trait databases. Reanalysis of data from a single database, or analyses that integrate data across multiple databases, can only occur if researchers are confident the trait concepts are consistent within and across sources. The lack of a unified, comprehensive...

Cyphostemma , with ca. 200 species, is the second‐largest genus after Cissus in the grape family Vitaceae. Cyphostemma exhibits a high degree of morphological variation both between and within species that confounds species delimitation. Additional questions remain due to limited taxon sampling, original reference specimens damaged or lost and inco...

Thysanotus elatior R.Br. (Asparagaceae) is reinstated, described, lectotypified and compared with putatively related species. The species is restricted to the Top End of the Northern Territory and the Kimberley of Western Australia but was previously confused with T. banksii R.Br., a Queensland species. Notes are provided on the distribution, habit...

Two new dwarf species of Diplacrum are described from tropical Australia: Diplacrum blakei K.L.Wilson & R.L.Barrett and D. latzii K.L.Wilson & R.L.Barrett. Diplacrum is the only genus in Cyperaceae tribe Bisboeckelereae occurring in Australia. Historically, it has been confused with Scleria (Tribe Sclerieae). Descriptions are provided for all four...

Hybridization caused by frequent environmental changes can lead both to species diversification (speciation) and to speciation reversal (despeciation), but the latter has rarely been demonstrated. Parthenocissus, a genus with its trifoliolate lineage in the Himalayan–Hengduan Mountains (HHM) region showing perplexing phylogenetic relationships, pro...

• Background and Aims: While variation in genome size and chromosome numbers and their consequences are often investigated in plants, the biological relevance of variation in chromosome size remains poorly known. Here, we examine genome and mean chromosome size in the cyperid clade (families Cyperaceae, Juncaceae, Thurniaceae), which is the largest...

Broˇzov´a et al. (2022) present a study, “Toward finally unraveling the phylogenetic relationships of Juncaceae with respect to another cyperid family, Cyperaceae”, with the premise of revising the phylogenetic re-lationships in Juncaceae and Cyperaceae based on Sanger sequencing of one nuclear rDNA (ITS) and two plastid regions (the gene rbcL and t...

Morphological and single-nucleotide polymorphism data support splitting Pultenaea glabra Benth. into eight species, including one in Victoria, and seven in eastern and northern New South Wales. Six species are newly described, five of which are, like P. glabra , narrow-range endemics within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and adjacen...

Orchidaceae occurring in the Kimberley region of Western Australia are revised. Calochilus barbarossa R.L.Barrett, M.D.Barrett & K.W.Dixon, Calochilus kimberleyensis R.L.Barrett, M.D.Barrett & M.A.Clem., Dipodium ammolithum M.D.Barrett, R.L.Barrett & K.W.Dixon and Dipodium basalticum M.D.Barrett, R.L.Barrett & K.W.Dixon are described and illustrate...

We here describe Dianella lignosa R.L.Barrett & M.D.Barrett (Asphodelaceae) as a new species from the Kimberley region of Western Australia, previously included under Dianella longifolia R.Br. The new species is readily identifiable by its thick, woody lateral rhizomes, and also differs from D. longifolia in leaf and floral characters.

Morphological and single-nucleotide polymorphism data support splitting Pultenaea glabra Benth. into eight species, including one in Victoria, and seven in eastern and northern New South Wales. Six species are newly described, five of which are, like P. glabra, narrow-range endemics within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and adjacent...

Eastern Asia (EA) and North America north of Mexico (NA) have comparable latitude, land area, and climate, but the overall plant diversity is much higher in EA than in NA. Despite intensive studies on disjunct taxa of the two regions, the temporal and spatial diversity patterns between the two floras remain unclear. Here we explore the floristic di...

Pultenaea williamsii I.Telford, Clugston & R.L.Barrett (Fabaceae, Faboideae, Mirbelieae), endemic to the New England Bioregion, New South Wales, Australia, is described as new, segregated from the P. flexilis-P. juniperina-P. blakelyi species assemblage. Its distribution is mapped and habitat and conservation status are discussed.

We here describe Machaerina ascendens R.L.Barrett & K.L.Wilson as a new species from swamps within forests in the far southwest of Western Australia. The new species is readily identifiable by its scrambling habit and compressed, multi-noded culms, features which separate it from all other Australian species. The clearly distichous glumes, few hypo...

Lepidosperma prospectum G.T.Plunkett & R.L.Barrett (Cyperaceae tribe Schoeneae) is here described as a new species from the Sydney region of New South Wales. It is highly restricted in distribution, occurring at Manly (Sydney Harbour National Park), Kamay Botany Bay National Park and Royal National Park in dense coastal shrublands behind coastal cl...

The reliable mapping of species richness is a crucial step for the identification of areas of high conservation priority, alongside other value and threat considerations. This is commonly done by overlapping range maps of individual species, which requires dense availability of occurrence data or relies on assumptions about the presence of species...

The reliable mapping of species richness is a crucial step for the identification of areas of high conservation priority, alongside other value considerations. This is commonly done by overlapping range maps of individual species, which requires dense availability of occurrence data or relies on assumptions about the presence of species in unsample...

Eastern Asia (EA) and North America north of Mexico (NA) have comparable latitude, land area, and climate, but the overall plant diversity is much higher in EA than in NA. Despite intensive studies on disjunct taxa of the two regions, the temporal and spatial diversity patterns between the two floras remain unclear. Here we explore the floristic di...

Causonis (Vitaceae) is widely distributed in the tropical, sub-tropical and temperate regions from Asia to Australia. The genus was established by Rafinesque in 1830 but included under Cayratia by Gagnepain in 1911. Generic status of Causonis was restored in 2013, but circumscription of the genus and its species remained poorly understood. Here, we...

Australia has a very diverse pea-flowered legume flora with 1715 native and naturalised species currently recognised. Tribe Mirbelieae s.l. includes 44% of Australia’s peas in 24 genera with 756 recognised species. However, several genera within the Pultenaea alliance in tribe Mirbelieae are considered to be non-monophyletic and two main options ha...

A lectotype is chosen for Australia's only native species of Actinidiaceae, Dillenia andreana F.Muell. A case is made for Saurauia andreana (F.Muell.) Oliv. ex F.Muell. to be treated as a new combination based on Dillenia andreana rather than as the name of a new taxon. Notes are provided on the classification of Yang-tao (Chinese Gooseberry or Kiw...

A new species of lithophytic fig, Ficus desertorum B.C.Wilde & R.L.Barrett, endemic to arid Central Australia, is described and illustrated. It is distinguished from other species in Ficus section Malvanthera Corner by having stiff lanceolate, dark green, discolorous leaves; many parallel, often obscure lateral veins; petioles that are continuous w...

Morphological studies of Lechenaultia filiformis R.Br. have determined that more than one taxon is presently included under that name. We here recognise the suite of disjunct populations from northeast Queensland, northeast Northern Territory, New Guinea and the Moluccas as a new species, Lechenaultia peregrina R.W.Jobson & R.L.Barrett. This is the...

Biodiversity exchanges across the Malesian region, linking the distinct biotas of Asia and Australia, have long attracted the curiosity of biologists. Tetrastigma (Vitaceae) has a wide distribution in Asia through the Sunda archipelago to Australia and provides a good case to elucidate floristic exchange between Asia and Australia. Tetrastigma spec...

A new genus, Netrostylis R.L.Barrett, J.J.Bruhl & K.L.Wilson is described for Australasian species previously known as Tetraria capillaris (F.Muell.) J.M.Black (Cyperaceae tribe Schoeneae). The genus is restricted to southern and eastern Australia, and the North Island of New Zealand. Two new combinations are made: Netrostylis capillaris (F.Muell.)...

Cyperaceae (sedges) are the third largest monocot family and are of considerable economic and ecological importance. Sedges represent an ideal model family to study evolutionary biology because of their species richness, global distribution, large discrepancies in lineage diversity, broad range of ecological preferences, and adaptations including m...

The Tricostularia Nees ex Lehm. group of genera is reviewed and formally recognised as Cyperaceae tribe Schoeneae subtribe Tricostulariinae R.L.Barrett, K.L.Wilson & J.J.Bruhl. Molecular data from plastid rbcL and trnL-F and nuclear ITS and ETS regions are combined with a novel assessment of morphological characters to support our new classificatio...

We reassess the current taxonomic status and distribution of Cyperaceae on Rapa Iti, Austral Islands, French Polynesia. This includes the poorly known Machaerina involuta H.St John (Cyperaceae, tribe Schoeneae), 86 years after it was first collected. Detailed morphological examination revealed that M. involuta belongs in Morelotia Gaudich., and the...

We reassess the current taxonomic status and distribution of Cyperaceae on Rapa Iti, Austral Islands, French Polynesia. This includes the poorly known Machaerina involuta H.St John (Cyperaceae, tribe Schoeneae), 86 years after it was first collected. Detailed morphological examination revealed that M. involuta belongs in Morelotia Gaudich., and the...

The genus Corynotheca F.Muell. ex Benth. is revised and Corynotheca borealis R.L.Barrett, Keighery & T.Macfarlane is described as a new species from the east Kimberley region of Western Australia and the adjacent Northern Territory. Corynotheca dichotoma (F.Muell.) F.Muell. ex Benth. is reinstated for a species growing on yellow sands in the Mid We...

The predominantly austral genus Schoenus L. is the largest genus in tribe Schoeneae and one of the ten most species‐rich Cyperaceae genera, with over 150 accepted species found mostly in Australia, New Zealand, south‐east Asia and southern Africa. Here we use data based on two nuclear and three plastid DNA regions to present one of the most compreh...

Morphological characterizations of genera in Cyperaceae tribe Abildgaardieae have been highly problematic and the subject of much debate. Earlier molecular phylogenetic studies based on Sanger sequencing and a limited sampling have indicated that several generic circumscriptions are not monophyletic. Here, we provide the first phylogenetic hypothes...

Three species are recognised in a new circumscription of the genus Chaetospora R.Br. Chaetospora is lectotypified on C. curvifolia R.Br. A new combination, Chaetospora subbulbosa (Benth.) K.L.Wilson & R.L.Barrett is made for Schoenus subbulbosus Benth. Lectotypes are also selected for Chaetospora aurata Nees, Chaetospora curvifolia R.Br., Chaetospo...

Across tropical northern Australia 14 Drosera species are recognised within the D. petiolaris complex. The complex is placed in section Lasiocephala; a group of perennial sundews mostly characterised by an indumentum of white hairs upon the petiole. Here we describe a new species for the complex, D. stipularis Baleeiro, R.W.Jobson & R.L.Barrett, wh...

We present a phylogeny based on four DNA molecular markers (rps16–trnK spacer, rps16 intron, rpl32–trnL spacer and ITS) concentrating on species of Eragrostis Wolf in Australia. Two Australian radiations are shown within Eragrostis, one being centred in the arid zone and one in the monsoon tropics. The genus is paraphyletic, with species of Cladora...

Understanding the causes of the Sino‐Japanese disjunctions in plant taxa has been a central question in eastern Asian biogeography, with vicariance or long‐distance dispersal often invoked to explain such patterns. Diabelia (Caprifoliaceae; Linnaeoideae) comprises four shrubby species with a Sino‐Japanese disjunct distribution. The species diversif...

Barrett, R.L. (2019). Three new species of Corchorus L. and Grewia L. (Sparmanniaceae / Malvaceae subfamily Grewioideae) from northern Australia, an earlier name in Grewia, and recircumscription of Triumfetta kenneallyi Halford. Austrobaileya 10(3): 458-472. Corchorus drysdalensis R.L.Barrett is described as a new species from the Drysdale River Na...

A new genus, Anthelepis R.L.Barrett, K.L.Wilson & J.J.Bruhl, is described for four Cyperaceae species from mainly tropical areas of South-East Asia, New Caledonia and Australia. The relationships of the three previously described species have been much-debated. In recent decades, they have most commonly been placed in either Schoenus L. or Tricostu...