assistance in the collection of research material

[erik rothacker]

Dear esteemed list members.

I am a doctoral student at the Ohio State University in the Department
of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology and associated with the OSU
herbarium (OS). I am interested in the phylogeny of the primitive
Epidendroideae and in particular, the evolution of the loss of
chlorophyll in groups such as Gastrodia and its relatives.  I am also
interested in the most basal tribe of the Epidendroideae, the Neottieae
(Neottia, Limodorum, Aphyllorchis, Cephalanthera, Epipactis and
Palmorchis) and the implications this may have on the evolution with-in
the subfamily as a whole. To this end, I am working in depth on the
genus Palmorchis in order to obtain a detailed understanding of the
diversity within a subset of taxa under study. Given the size and number
of taxa in question(some 40-50 total), as well as the broad geographical
distribution (pan tropical)of basal Epidendroideae, I am in need of
assistance in the collection of material essential for the successful
completion of my research program.



I am including here a list of genera of which I need at least one more
member of to complete my sampling. I would need fresh-dried leaf
material and if possible alcohol preserved flowers and buds. A voucher
specimen for the herbarium would be great, as my director, also my
advisor, would be appreciative for increasing the diversity in our
collections (and given the problems museum collections are having
lately, any help there is greatly accepted).



I have recently been to Ecuador and Panama in search of material of the
genus Palmorchis, which I am looking at specifically for monographic
work as mentioned above. I am looking for assistance from field
botanists and researchers in northern and western South America
(Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname, Trinidad y Tobago, Brazil (Para and
Amazonas), the Guyana's, Peru and Ecuador), and Costa Rica in the area
of Golfito-Osa.



I have also recently been told of a population of Stereosandra javanica
at Chebodas, Java, Indonesia, but am not at this time able to make a
contact there.



I apologize for the directness of this email and for the mass spamming
of the list; unfortunately there is no nice way to plea for help. In
advance to all that reply, I thank you for your time and assistance,



Please feel free to contact me directly

Sincerely

 Erik



{partial wish list:

Neottia, Limodorum, Aphyllorchis, Palmorchis (all species except P.
trilobulata), Gastrodia (except G.procera), Triphora (except T.
trianthophora), Sertifera, Silvaorchis, Stereosandra, Epipogium,
Xerorchis, Auxopus, Didymoplexiella, Neoclemensia, Uleiorchis.}





*********************************************

Erik Rothacker, M.Sc.

Ph.D. Candidate

Evolution, Ecology, Organismal Biology

The Ohio State University

Museum of Biological Diversity, Herbarium

1315 Kinnear Rd.

Columbus, Ohio 43212



rothacker.1 at osu.edu
erothac at columbus.rr.com
http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~jfreuden/ErikR/index.htm