Abstract Detail

Kral-ing Through Time: The Impact of Robert Kral on the Past, Present, and Future of Botany in the Southeastern U.S

Keener, Brian [1].

Robert Kral's Legacy: Botanical Diversity, Conservation, and New Taxa.

Robert Kral (1926-) has had a prolific career in plant taxonomy, especially in the discovery of previously unrecognized vascular plant species. Over the course of a 52-year span, (1958-2010), Kral has published descriptions and names for 128 new taxa including 117 species, nine varieties, one subspecies, and one hybrid. Demonstrating Kral’s diverse interests, these new entities spanned 21 genera and 12 families. Of the novelties, he was sole or lead author on 114 of the 128 total, and second author on the remaining 14. Remarkably, most of Kral's new taxa descriptions were accompanied by his own exquisite artwork in the form of illustrative line-drawings. His impact on conservation is greatly felt in the southeastern United States, where of the 31 North American taxa of which he is an author, 24 are on the tracking list of at least one state, while seven have been federally listed as endangered or threatened. An additional three taxa from Central and South America are of conservation concern as listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Internationally, Kral's most notable area of contribution has been his work in the monocot family Xyridaceae, where he has described 83 taxa, including 79 in the genus Xyris and 4 in Abolboda.

1 - University of West Alabama, Biological and Environmental Sciences, Station 7, Livingston, AL, 35470, USA

Keywords:
Kral
Xyridaceae
Xyris
new taxa.

Presentation Type: Colloquium Presentations
Session: CO1, Kral-ing through time: the impact of Robert Kral on the past, present, and future of botany in the southeastern US
Location: Fort Worth Ballroom 4/Omni Hotel
Date: Monday, June 26th, 2017
Time: 8:45 AM
Number: CO1003
Abstract ID:365
Candidate for Awards:None