9311097 Gentry and Talbot Among the fascinating growth forms of tropical plants, lianas or woody vines are common in forests and ecologically important. They are also poorly studied taxonomically, in part because of difficulties in procuring flowering and fruiting material from high in the forest canopy. Graduate student Talbot under the supervision of Dr. Gentry is studying the species of the New World genus Salacia of the family Hippocrateaceae, mostly lianas and small trees, with a great diversity of floral form in regions of northern South America. Herbarium study of preserved specimens will be supplemented by extensive field work in Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador to acquire new materials and to make observations on pollination and seed dispersal. New morphological characters will be acquired through use of scanning electron microscopy of pollen and of leaf surfaces, adding to traditional anatomical and morphological features. %%% The diversity of species in the tropics is still little appreciated or documented, and in particular for lianas or woody vines, where flowers and fruits are difficult to collect from the high forest canopy. This research will focus on plants of the genus Salacia and will improve our understanding of species recognition, phylogenetic relationships among the species, and patterns of geographical spread and endemism. ***
