Envisaging a global infrastructure to exploit the potential of digitised collections.

Tens of millions of images from biological collections have become available online over the last two decades. In parallel, there has been a dramatic increase in the capabilities of image analysis technologies, especially those involving machine learning and computer vision. While image analysis has become mainstream in consumer applications, it is still used only on an artisanal basis in the biological collections community, largely because the image corpora are dispersed. Yet, there is massive untapped potential for novel applications and research if images of collection objects could be made accessible in a single corpus. In this paper, we make the case for infrastructure that could support image analysis of collection objects. We show that such infrastructure is entirely feasible and well worth investing in.

The genus Indigofera (Leguminosae) in New Caledonia: two new species and a key for the species.

Indigoferamonieriana M.Pignal & L.P.Queiroz, sp. nov. and Indigoferadumbeana M.Pignal & L.P.Queiroz, sp. nov., two new species from New Caledonia, are described and illustrated. Both new species have been collected for a long time, but most herbarium specimens were named as the Australian species Indigoferaaustralis, even though they clearly stand apart from this species and the other New Caledonian species of the genus. Indigoferamonieriana can be diagnosed by the tall virgate shrubby habit, leaves with an articulate rachis and 7-11 widely obovate to orbiculate leaflets with greyish undersurface and almost invisible venation. Indigoferadumbeana can be recognized by the arborescent habit, leaves with 15-19 elliptical leaflets, small, c. 6 mm long flowers, and ellipsoid seeds. Preliminary IUCN assessments are provided for both species. A key is provided for all species of Indigofera recorded from New Caledonia.

RésuméIndigoferamonieriana M.Pignal & L.P.Queiroz, sp. nov. et Indigoferadumbeana M.Pignal & L.P.Queiroz, sp. nov., deux nouvelles espèces de Nouvelle-Calédonie, sont décrites et illustrées. Toutes deux sont récoltées depuis longtemps, mais la plupart des spécimens d'herbier sont rapportés à Indigoferaaustralis, une espèce australienne, même si elles se distinguent clairement de cette espèce et des autres espèces du genre de la Nouvelle-Calédonie. Indigoferamonieriana peut être caractérisée par son port arbustif élevé, ses feuilles avec un rachis articulé et 7­11 folioles largement obovales à orbiculées, une face abaxiale grisâtre et une nervation presque invisible. Indigoferadumbeana se reconnaît à son port arborescent, à ses feuilles avec 15­19 folioles elliptiques, à ses fleurs de petite taille (environ 6 mm de long) et à ses graines ellipsoïdes. Des statuts UICN préliminaires sont proposés. Une clé est fournie pour toutes les espèces d'Indigofera répertoriées en Nouvelle-Calédonie.

The French Muséum national d'histoire naturelle vascular plant herbarium collection dataset.

We provide a quantitative description of the French national herbarium vascular plants collection dataset. Held at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris, it currently comprises records for 5,400,000 specimens, representing 90% of the estimated total of specimens. Ninety nine percent of the specimen entries are linked to one or more images and 16% have field-collecting information available. This major botanical collection represents the results of over three centuries of exploration and study. The sources of the collection are global, with a strong representation for France, including overseas territories, and former French colonies. The compilation of this dataset was made possible through numerous national and international projects, the most important of which was linked to the renovation of the herbarium building. The vascular plant collection is actively expanding today, hence the continuous growth exhibited by the dataset, which can be fully accessed through the GBIF portal or the MNHN database portal (available at: https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/p/item/search/form). This dataset is a major source of data for systematics, global plants macroecological studies or conservation assessments.

Useful Brazilian plants listed in the field books of the French naturalist Auguste de Saint-Hilaire (1779-1853).

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Information regarding the use of beneficial, native Brazilian plants was compiled by European naturalists in the 19th century. The French botanist Auguste de Saint-Hilaire (1779-1853) was one of the most important such naturalists; however, his manuscripts (field books) have not yet been studied, especially in the context of useful plants. AIM OF THE STUDY: To present data documented by Saint-Hilaire in his field book regarding the use of native plants by the Brazilians. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data on useful plants were obtained from field books (six volumes) deposited in the Muséum national d' Histoire naturelle in Paris, France. The vernacular names of the plants, registered as "N.V." or "Nom Vulg." in the field book, were carefully searched. Traditional information about these plants was translated and organised using a computer. The botanical identification of each plant was determined and updated from the original descriptions and names cited in the field books by A. de Saint-Hilaire. Correlated pharmacological studies were obtained from PubMed. RESULTS: A total of 283 useful plants were recorded from the field books and 165 (58.3%) could be identified to genus or species. Fifty-eight different traditional uses were registered for the identified plants; the most common were as purgatives and febrifuges. Other data recovered were related to edible fruits and plants with interesting sensorial characteristics. For the few species that have been subjected to laboratory studies, the efficacy of the recorded traditional uses was confirmed. CONCLUSION: The data recorded by the French naturalist A. de Saint-Hilaire represent a rich, unexplored source of information regarding the traditional uses of Brazilian plants.

Leaf functional response to increasing atmospheric CO(2) concentrations over the last century in two northern Amazonian tree species: a historical δ(13) C and δ(18) O approach using herbarium samples.

We assessed the extent of recent environmental changes on leaf morphological (stomatal density, stomatal surface, leaf mass per unit area) and physiological traits (carbon isotope composition, δ(13)C(leaf) , and discrimination, Δ(13)C(leaf) , oxygen isotope composition, δ(18)O(leaf) ) of two tropical rainforest species (Dicorynia guianensis; Humiria balsamifera) that are abundant in the Guiana shield (Northern Amazonia). Leaf samples were collected in different international herbariums to cover a 200 year time-period (1790-2004) and the whole Guiana shield. Using models describing carbon and oxygen isotope fractionations during photosynthesis, different scenarios of change in intercellular CO(2) concentrations inside the leaf (C(i)), stomatal conductance (g), and photosynthesis (A) were tested in order to understand leaf physiological response to increasing air CO(2) concentrations (C(a)). Our results confirmed that both species displayed physiological response to changing C(a) . For both species, we observed a decrease of about 1.7‰ in δ(13)C(leaf) since 1950, without significant change in Δ(13)C(leaf) and leaf morphological traits. Furthermore, there was no clear change in δ(18)O(leaf) for Humiria over this period. Our simulation approach revealed that an increase in A, rather than a decrease in g, explained the observed trends for these tropical rainforest species, allowing them to maintain a constant ratio of C(i)/C(a) .

Evidence of transoceanic dispersion of the genus Vanilla based on plastid DNA phylogenetic analysis.

The phylogeny and the biogeographical history of the genus Vanilla was investigated using four chloroplastic genes (psbB, psbC; psaB and rbcL), on 47 accessions of Vanilla chosen from the ex situ CIRAD collection maintained in Reunion Island and additional sequences from GenBank. Bayesian methods provided a fairly well supported reconstruction of the phylogeny of the Vanilloideae sub-family and more particularly of the genus Vanilla. Three major phylogenetic groups in the genus Vanilla were differentiated, which is in disagreement with the actual classification in two sections (Foliosae and Aphyllae) based on morphological traits. Recent Bayesian relaxed molecular clock methods allowed to test the two main hypotheses of the phylogeography of the genus Vanilla. Early radiation of the Vanilla genus and diversification by vicariance consecutive to the break-up of Gondwana, 95 million years ago (Mya), was incompatible with the admitted age of origin of Angiosperm. Based on the Vanilloideae age recently estimated to 71 million years ago (Mya), we conclude that the genus Vanilla would have appeared approximately 34 Mya in South America, when continents were already separated. Nevertheless, whatever the two extreme scenarios tested, at least three long distance migration events are needed to explain the present distribution of Vanilla species in tropical areas. These transoceanic dispersions could have occurred via transoceanic passageway such as the Rio Grande Ridge and the involvement of floating vegetation mats and migratory birds.