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alanelliott.bsky.social

@alanelliott.bsky.social
112 followers 124 following 18 posts

Biodiversity Conservation Network Manager. World Flora Online & Global Conservation Consortium Rhododendron. Frae Angus. All things #Himalayan.

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Rhododendron @heyrhododendron.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Very successful integration of rhododendron conservation and human livelihoods 🤔 “…a shopkeeper in Basantapur, acknowledged selling rhododendron alcohol from his store. He insisted, however, “My family makes this alcohol from flowers grown in our garden, we do not collect them from the forest.”
news.mongabay.com
Nepal’s rhododendron tourism sparks unchecked liquor trade concerns
TINJURE-MILKE-JALJALE, Nepal — Every April, Nima Sherpa’s family used to picnic in a rhododendron (lali guras in Nepali) forest about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from her home at Basantapur Bazaar in Tehra...
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alanelliott.bsky.social @alanelliott.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
3rd paper in the #Rhododendron issue of Sibbaldia from @thebotanics.bsky.social SHORT NOTE Saving Rhododendron species: preservation and storytelling at the Botanical Garden of Copenhagen (Natural History Museum Denmark) doi.org/10.24823/Sib...
doi.org
SHORT NOTE Saving Rhododendron species: preservation and storytelling at the Botanical Garden of Copenhagen (Natural History Museum Denmark) | Sibbaldia: the International Journal of Botanic...
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alanelliott.bsky.social @alanelliott.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
2nd paper in the #Rhododendron special issue of Sibbaldia from @thebotanics.bsky.social Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary: a model for preserving Himalayan biodiversity and nature-based tourism doi.org/10.24823/Sib...
doi.org
Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary: a model for preserving Himalayan biodiversity and nature-based tourism | Sibbaldia: the International Journal of Botanic Garden Horticulture
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
We just passed the June solstice and you know what that means...our latest Plant List update is live! Visit worldfloraonline.org to see the latest.
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Rhododendron @heyrhododendron.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
🚨Rhododendron mariae provides protection against Dengue Fever 📣novel antiviral candidate towards DENV-2 ‼️effect initiated at the stage of virus adsorption to the cell surface 🔔demonstrated efficacy against DENV both in vitro and in vivo 🧪🪴🌿⚕️🍁
sciencedirect.com
Rhododendron mariae Hance protects against dengue virus infection by targeting viral entry and modulating host-pathogen interactions
Dengue virus (DENV) infection continues to pose a significant global public health threat, driven by complex host-pathogen dynamics and the absence of…
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alanelliott.bsky.social @alanelliott.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
The 1st article of the #Sibbaldia journal special issue looking at #Rhododendron in gardens is available now. journals.rbge.org.uk/rbgesib/issu... It's as much about the people and the work they do, as it is about the plants.
Screen shot of a directed Rhododendron flower used as the cover image.Screen shot of Rhododendron chpmanii, from the journal page.
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Nicolas Robert @robertsnickc.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Paul Valéry (1871-1945)... #Painting, ‘Shakunage Rhododendron’ by Zuigetsu Ikeda, 1877-1944.
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
TENS, or Taxonomic Expert Networks, help improve the WFO taxonomic backbone and curate a global consensus classification. TENs also provide a platform for world’s experts to share knowledge on world’s plants. At our most recent meeting, we added seven TENS, bringing our total up to 68!
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alanelliott.bsky.social @alanelliott.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
After being in the research collection for 15 years this unidentified Rhododendron, collected by George Argent flowered and we were able to identify it as Rhododendron mogeanum. A threatened species from Kalimantan. #Ex-situ #Rhododendron
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
La Red de Taxónomos Expertos del orden Buxales, liderada por Pedro A. González Gutiérrez recientemente completó un tratamiento global integral a nivel de especies que incluye una revisión sobre la tipificación.
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Instead of a bouquet of roses, this Valentine's Day we're hoping we get rose experts to help us form a Rosaceae Taxonomic Expert Network, or TEN. 🌹
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Did you hear the big news from our friends at Botanic Gardens Conservation International? BGCI launched new updates to PlantSearch that strengthen its role as the world’s most comprehensive resource on living plant collections. WFO will serve as the primary taxonomic reference! Swipe to learn more.
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
🚨New content alert🚨 WFO is always adding new data! Last month we added the following data: 🌺 Plants of Nepal 🌸 Flora Helvetica 🇫🇷 French descriptions 🇩🇪 German descriptions 🌼 Flora of Central Africa 📈 Approximately 50% of the Parse GBIF data Browse the latest data on worldfloraonline.org
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
As we start off the new year, WFO is excited to share our latest Plant List Update. The Plant List is updated twice a year in conjunction with the solstices. Watch to learn more about what's new since June.
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Welcome to one of our newest TEN, Hydnoraceae!
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Welcome to one of our newest TEN, Monimiaceae!
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Rhododendron @heyrhododendron.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Rhododendron Dashanbaoense (Ericaceae), a New Species from North-Eastern Yunnan, China Zhang, Ye, Wang, Luo, Chen, Liu & Su CURRENT SCIENCE 5(6),5472-5482 currentscience.info/index.php/cs... 🧪🪴🌱
Rhododendron dashanbaoense

Figure 1 from Zhang & Su

Line drawings of Species. nov. A. flowering branch. B–D. flowers. E. ovary and style. F. stamen. G. leaf adaxial surface. H. leaf abaxial surface. 
Drawing by Mingmiao Chen
Illustrated by Mingmiao Chen
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Rhododendron @heyrhododendron.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Rhododendron coin! From Nepal, 1972
A photo diagram describing a coin. The right side of the diagram shows the reverse side of the coin with a flowering truss of an elepidote Rhododendron. Nepalese writing surrounds the rhododendron. There is a smaller image of the front of the coin on the top left, writing encircles a faded graphic that may be a crown, with a crescent moon on the top left and a sun on the top right. In the bottom left of the diagram, text reads, 

“Nepal
1 Paisa
2029(1972)
Aluminum 
16.75mm
3,036,000
Engraver unknown 
2028-2036(1971-1979)”
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alanelliott.bsky.social @alanelliott.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
@worldfloraonline.bsky.social Nomenclatura y taxonomía para la comunidad: La familia de angiospermas Putranjiváceas cuenta ya con un nuevo catálogo global rjb.csic.es/nomenclatura...
rjb.csic.es
Nomenclatura y taxonomía para la comunidad: La familia de angiospermas Putranjiváceas cuenta ya con un nuevo catálogo global – Real Jardín Botánico CSIC
El estudio, que supone un hito taxonómico en el orden Malpighiales, ha sido realizado por un equipo internacional en el que han participado un investigador del Real Jardín Botánico-CSIC y una investigadora de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid y facilitará el trabajo para futuras investigaciones en esta familia
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Rhododendron @heyrhododendron.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Rhododendron campanulatum dominance increased progressively with altitude gain Leaf traits showed strong negative correlations with rising altitude Shrubby growth of R. campanulatum aids survival in cold environments Morphological changes suggest adaptation to harsh alpine conditions 🧪🍁🌏🌐🌿🌱🪴
sciencedirect.com
Adaptive strategies of Rhododendron campanulatum and Rhododendron anthopogon subsp. hypenanthum in the alpine ecosystem of Central Himalaya, India
Rhododendron campanulatum and Rhododendron anthopogon subsp. hypenanthum are significant species of the alpine ecosystem of the Central Himalaya, Indi…
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Edinburgh Journal of Botany @ejbotany.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Marking 125 years of #EJBotany #OpenAccess and its forerunner, Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, we are delighted to announce that ALL content is now freely available at journals.rbge.org.uk/notes and journals.rbge.org.uk/ejb
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alanelliott.bsky.social @alanelliott.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Scaffolding for Scientific Knowledge – the Nomenclatural Checklist stories.rbge.org.uk/archives/40823
stories.rbge.org.uk
Scaffolding for Scientific Knowledge - the Nomenclatural Checklist
A checklist of the plant family Putranjivaceae has just been published in the Edinburgh Journal of Botany (Quintanar et al. 2025). It’s a list of all the species accepted in the family. But it is more...
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Mingcan Rong @mingcan-rong.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Excited to share my first PhD paper which was based on my fieldwork at @thebotanics.bsky.social and just published on @geoopenaccess.bsky.social yesterday! 🌺
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alanelliott.bsky.social @alanelliott.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
PhD work by @mingcan-rong.bsky.social on the colonial legacy of cultivating scientific authority through the lens of Rhododendron @thebotanics.bsky.social doi.org/10.1002/geo2...
doi.org
Cultivating Scientific Authority: A Vegetal Geography of Chinese Rhododendrons at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
The paper presents a vegetal geography of Chinese rhododendrons at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), examining the mechanisms through which RBGE's scientific authority is established in the ....
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
🚨Extended deadline for our plant identification tool survey!🚨 World Flora Online is planning plant identification features that could be incorporated into the WFO platform and we want to hear from you to guide our priorities. 🧵
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
As the world faces a biodiversity crisis, precise knowledge about specific species is more important than ever. World Flora Online’s Taxonomic Expert Networks, or TENs, are collaborations of taxonomic experts who work together to agree upon a consensus classification for their plant groups.
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Happy Halloween from WFO! You may have heard of the ghost orchid, but did you know there is also a phantom orchid, hairy shadow witch orchid, and even a whole genus of dracula orchids? If you did, or know someone who knows all of this and much more about orchids, send them our way!
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
Welcome to our newest member, Real Jardín Botánico! 📷 by Antonello Dellanotte
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Welcome to our newest member, Info Flora, the national data and information center on the Swiss flora. To date, 55 botanic gardens and botanical institutes are represented on the World Flora Online Council.
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Welcome to our newest member, Jardin Botanico La Laguna! To date, 55 botanic gardens and botanical institutes are represented on the World Flora Online Council.
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
World Flora Online is planning plant identification features that could be incorporated into the WFO platform and we want to hear from you to guide our priorities. We invite you to tell us what you need from future WFO ID tools in a 10‑minute survey.
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Happy World Coffee Day! WFO is looking for a coffee expert, and we don’t mean your local barista. We want to form a Taxonomic Expert Network (TEN) for Rubiaceae, the coffee and quinine family. Swipe through to learn more about TENS, and send your favorite rubiaceae experts our way!
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alanelliott.bsky.social @alanelliott.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
Call for papers on #Rhododendron living collections for a special issue of Sibbadia the journal of botanical horticulture. More info at the end of the link. journals.rbge.org.uk/rbgesib/anno...
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Rhododendron @heyrhododendron.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
With Love. From an Invader. – Rhododendrons, Empire, China and Me An intensive field study. Every other day for a year, Yan Wang Preston (CN/GB) went to a particular love-heart-shaped Rhododendron ponticum bush and photographed it. 🧵 1/10 #nativeplants #invasiveplants #Rhododendronponticum
eriskayconnection.com
With Love. From an Invader. – Rhododendrons, Empire, China and Me - The Eriskay Connection
An intensive field study on a Rhododendron ponticum bush provides insight into our view of native and non-native on an ecological and political level.
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
The June solstice has passed, which means we have a fresh update for our WFO Plant List! The big news since December is we now have more than 200 named co-authors on the WFO Plant List. Watch to see what else is new and visit worldfloraonline.org to browse the Plant List.
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
Welcome to one of our newest TENs, Asparagaceae subfam. Scilloideae! This new TEN will focus on the Asparagaceae subfamily Scilloideae, which includes spring species like hyacinths and bluebells, could include as many as 70 genera and 1,000 species. It is being led by Mario Martínez Azorín at @ua.es
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Welcome to one of our newest TENs, Loasaceae. Loasaceae is a family of flowering plants that includes 22 genera. This TEN is led by Rafael Acuña-Castillo at the University of Costa Rica and Max Weigend @unibonn.bsky.social
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Welcome to one of our newest TEN, Boraginales! Boraginales includes 53 genera and 3,517 species. This new TEN includes the former smaller TENS of Cordiaceae and Boraginaceae subtribe Amsinckiinae. It is led by Max Weigend at @unibonn.bsky.social and Michael G Simpson at @sdsuresearch.bsky.social.
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Welcome to one of our newest TEN, Podostemaceae. Podostemaceae is a family of aquatic herbs that includes 52 genera that live attached to rocks in river rapids and waterfalls. This TEN is led by Ana Maria Bedoya at @nybg.bsky.social and Marco Pellegrini at Wits University.
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
Welcome to one of our newest TEN, Convolvulaceae! Convolvulaceae, commonly called the bindweeds or morning glory family, includes 59 genera and 1,982 species, This TEN is led by Ana Rita Giraldes Simoe at @mobotgarden and builds on the existing Convolvulaceae Network.
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Welcome to one of our newest TEN, Combretaceae. Combretaceae, or the white mangrove family, includes 10 genera and 585 species. This TEN is led by Olivier Maurin from Plantentuin Meise in Belgium.
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Welcome to one of our newest TEN, Clusiaceae. Clusiaceae is a family of trees and shrubs that includes 18 genera and 905 species. This TEN is led by Manuel Luján Anzola at @rbgkew.bsky.social
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Rhododendron @heyrhododendron.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Rhododendron Research Network Rockin’ Around the Clock May 29-30, 2025 A FREE virtual convention highlighting a global community of researchers, conservationists and members of the public working in genus Rhododendron 🪴🧪🌺 Convention schedule and registration: medeiroslab.com/2025-virtual...
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Rhododendron @heyrhododendron.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Rhododendron austrinum leaf cross-section stained with safranin-O and illuminated with UV Xylem and phloem in midrib vein in oranges and reds, parenchyma cells in blues and purples 40x magnification
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Thanks to The Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve for hosting the World Flora Online’s 24th Council Meeting last week! Around 40 individuals, representing 16 countries, participated in our latest meeting in person and virtually.
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Happy Valentine's Day from WFO! Instead of flowers, we're hoping for rose and violet experts to help us build more Taxonomic Expert Networks, or TENs. Know a Rosaceae and Violaceae expert? Reach out to us at taxwg@worldfloraonline.org.
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worldfloraonline.bsky.social @worldfloraonline.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
World Flora Online is now on Bluesky! Follow us for more updates and news from WFO.
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Michael Pirie @piriemike.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
🥳 Paper out! phytokeys.pensoft.net/article/1363...
phytokeys.pensoft.net
Maximising informativeness for target capture-based phylogenomics in Erica (Ericaceae)
Plant phylogenetics has been revolutionised in the genomic era, with target capture acting as the primary workhorse of most recent research in the new field of phylogenomics. Target capture (aka Hyb-S...
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alanelliott.bsky.social @alanelliott.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
The follow up on the previous post that we looked at based on some of the comments received about the imminent demise of plant taxonomy. There are more plant taxonomists today than there have ever been. stories.rbge.org.uk/archives/39789 #worldfloraonline #botany #taxonomy
stories.rbge.org.uk
There are more plant taxonomists today than there have ever been
In a previous post I proposed that the rate of plant species discovery had not significantly changed in the last fifty years despite enormous changes in technology. A comment was made that this might ...
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alanelliott.bsky.social @alanelliott.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
Molecular biology and the internet have had no effect on the rate of plant species discovery. The title is somewhat clickbaity but probably correct. stories.rbge.org.uk/archives/39768 My colleague Roger doing some investigating of World Flora Online data we manage.
stories.rbge.org.uk
Molecular biology and the internet have had no effect on the rate of plant species discovery
The title is somewhat clickbaity but probably correct. Working on the World Flora Online Plant List means we are continuously processing and reprocessing a list of all known vascular plant and bryo...
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