Böcker utgivna av Missouri Botanical Garden Press

An exploration of the Robinson Crusoe Islands, a national park of Chile located more than four hundred miles west of the South American continent. The classic novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe was based on the true adventures of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor who lived isolated in these islands from 1704 to 1709. There exist unique flowering plants and ferns that stimulate scientific questions: How and when did these plants arrive in the archipelago? What processes of evolution occurred after they colonized? Botanists on twelve expeditions over forty years from Ohio State University, University of Concepción, University of Vienna, and other institutions have revealed secrets of this unique plant world through numerous scientific publications. Isolated Wonder explains clearly and honestly the challenges of doing fieldwork on these islands, the excitements, the disappointments, and how research can dramatically impact personal lives, and vice versa. This book provides informative and entertaining insights into what happens on botanical expeditions in an isolated region of the world.

Renowned for its biological and cultural diversity as well as its beauty, the Tibetan sacred mountain Khawa Karpo supports one of the most exceptional areas of plant and animal diversity in the world. This book details conservation programs focused on Tibetan traditional knowledge of ethnobotany, ecology, and natural resource management as well as conservation biology and planning to create a Tibetan community-centered approach to conservation. It includes spectacular photographs, an inside look at Tibetans views on their changing landscape, the first comprehensive checklist of plants, and a checklist of animals.

Located in a sparsely populated stretch of wetland in the coastal West African nation of Gabon, the Ogooué is among the most well-preserved of the continent's major river deltas. Home to large populations of hippopotamuses, manatees, long-nosed crocodiles, and fish--as well as the nesting grounds for terns and other sea birds--the Ogooué also hosts a complex mix of flora, from meadows and mangroves to swamps and forests. It includes populations of more than 150 threatened plant species, making it a crucial site for ecological conservation. ​This book presents a comprehensive and lushly illustrated overview of the biodiversity of this remarkable area, one that should appeal as much to scientists as to general readers. Coauthored by 21 international experts, The Ogooué Delta explores the rich multitude of plant and animal life that make this area such a singular site. The authors also detail the delta's history of human settlement and interaction, as well as lay out a series of proposed conservation measures to ensure that the Ogooué remains a haven for natural diversity.

An in-depth look at India's 1,200 species of orchids. The Indian subcontinent--rightfully renowned for its ecological lushness--is home to more than 1,200 species of orchids, about a quarter of which can be found nowhere else on the planet. Fortunately, the Missouri Botanical Garden Press's new book enumerates and carefully classifies each one, following the latest insights from molecular phylogenetic studies. A Checklist of the Orchidaceae of India features typification, synonymy, distribution, habit, and conservation, as well as a key to the identification of orchid genera. The book is part of the Checklist of Indian Plants, a major collaborative project spearheaded by Peter H. Raven of the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, and the Harvard University Herbaria.

This massive contribution to floristic knowledge of western North America describes the 2,303 species, subspecies, and varieties of vascular plants currently known to grow spontaneously in the drainage basin of the San Juan River, a major tributary of the Colorado River. It includes parts of four states in the southwestern United States (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah), one of the regions of North America with the highest rate of plant endemicity. While rich in natural beauty and resources, the Four Corners region faces rapid development and population growth resulting in extensive habitat fragmentation and loss, erosion, and overuse. The need for a comprehensive flora of the region has never been more urgent.

The life of William G. D'Arcy was unusual in many respects. His research career as a systematic botanist would be considered exceptionally productive even if begun in his twenties, rather than at age 41. In his early career he worked as an economist, and then as an entrepreneur in the British West Indies. In that beautiful locale, a fascination with the local flora gradually attracted more and more of his energy. Deciding on a career change, D'Arcy pursued master's (University of Florida) and doctoral (Washington University) degrees. He was appointed by the Missouri Botanical Garden to organize the completion of the multi-volume Flora of Panama project and simultaneously developed the first computerized database for a large flora. He rose to the rank of Curator and became an internationally recognized expert in the systematics and evolution of the large and economically important nightshade family. This volume features a collection of scientific contributions by D'Arcy's friends and colleagues that form a fitting memorial to the life of this influential taxonomist.