Alastair Robinson | |
---|---|
Born | 1980 (age 41–42) |
Alma mater | University College London, Queens' College, University of Cambridge |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Carnivorous plants, Nepenthes, Drosera |
Institutions | National Herbarium of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria |
Thesis | Mutational Analysis of Cyclin D3;1 in Arabidopsis (2005) |
Author abbrev. (botany) | A.S.Rob. |
Alastair S. Robinson (born 1980) is a taxonomist and field botanist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes , for which he is regarded as a world authority. [1] [2] He is currently Manager Biodiversity Services at the National Herbarium of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, where he oversees identification botany services, the Library and Artwork components of the State Botanical Collection, and the botanical journal Muelleria , [3] a peer-reviewed scientific journal on botany published by the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, [4] for which he is Editor in Chief.
In 2007, Robinson co-discovered the giant Palawan pitcher plant, Nepenthes attenboroughii , for which he published the formal description and diagnosis in 2009, speculating on the paleogeographical evidence for the radiative speciation of an enigmatic group of ultramafic Philippine and Malaysian Nepenthes from a common ancestor on the island of Borneo. [5] [6] Nepenthes attenboroughii was the largest-pitchered Nepenthes discovered since the identification of Nepenthes rajah on Borneo in 1858. [5] [2] [7] [8] Other discoveries resulting from his work in Palawan include a first record of the orchid genus Stigmatodactylus in the Philippines, with two new species, Stigmatodactylus aquamarinusA.S.Rob. & E.Gironella and Stigmatodactylus dalagangpalawanicumA.S.Rob., described from Palawan in 2016. [9] [10]
A slipper orchid endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia, was commemoratively named Paphiopedilum robinsonianum after this authority following its discovery in 2013. [11] [12]
Robinson received his BSc from University College London and his PhD from the University of Cambridge for research into the molecular control mechanisms of spatio-temporal cell-development in plants. Specialisms also include stapeliads (Apocynaceae), terrestrial orchids, ecology and conservation biology. [1] [2]
Works of interest include a 3-volume flora of the genus Drosera (2017), a 2-volume flora of the genus Pinguicula (2016), a 2-volume flora of Nepenthes , titled Pitcher Plants of the Old World (2009), for which he co-authored the species descriptions, and a range of Nepenthes field guides. [2] [13]
Robinson is brother to screen actress Zuleikha Robinson. [7]
The standard author abbreviation A.S.Rob. is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name . [14]
Nepenthes vogelii is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo. It is thought to be most closely related to N. fusca.
Nepenthes mindanaoensis is a tropical pitcher plant native to the Philippine islands of Mindanao and Dinagat.
Nepenthes philippinensis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines. It is known from Palawan and the neighbouring Calamian Islands and Linapacan, where it grows at 0–600 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level.
Nepenthes mira is a highland pitcher plant endemic to Palawan in the Philippines. It grows at elevations of 1550–1605 m above sea level.
Ch'ien C. Lee is a photographer and botanist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes. Lee has described several new Nepenthes species, including N. baramensis, N. chaniana, N. gantungensis, N. glandulifera, N. jamban, N. lingulata, N. palawanensis, N. pitopangii, N. platychila, and N. harauensis. Lee also described the natural hybrid N. × bauensis.
Nepenthes paniculata is a tropical pitcher plant belonging to the genus Nepenthes.
Nepenthes deaniana is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines, where it grows at an altitude of 1180–1296 m above sea level. The species is known only from the summit region of Thumb Peak, a relatively small, ultramafic mountain in Puerto Princesa Province, Palawan.
Nepenthes mantalingajanensis is a tropical pitcher plant known only from the summit region of Mount Mantalingajan, the highest point on the Philippine island of Palawan, after which it is named.
Mount Victoria, or Victoria Peaks, is a mountain in central Palawan, Philippines, that lies within the administrative Municipality of Narra. The mountain, which includes the twin peaks known as "The Teeth", as well as the single prominence known as Sagpaw, form the largest contiguous land area and second highest portion of the Mount Beaufort Ultramafics geological region, a series of ultramafic outcrops of Eocene origin, that includes Palawan's highest peak, Mount Mantalingahan.
Nepenthes peltata is a tropical pitcher plant known only from the upper slopes of Mount Hamiguitan on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. It is characterised by a peltate tendril attachment and conspicuous indumentum. The species typically produces ovoid pitchers with a prominent basal crest and large nectar glands on the lower surface of the lid.
Nepenthes attenboroughii, or Attenborough's pitcher plant, is a montane species of carnivorous pitcher plant of the genus Nepenthes. It is named after the celebrated broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, who is a keen enthusiast of the genus. The species is characterised by its large and distinctive bell-shaped lower and upper pitchers and narrow, upright lid. The type specimen of N. attenboroughii was collected on the summit of Mount Victoria, an ultramafic mountain in central Palawan, the Philippines.
Stewart Robin McPherson is a British geographer, field biologist, nature photographer, and writer.
Volker B. Heinrich is a German naturalist.
Nepenthes palawanensis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sultan Peak on the island of Palawan in the Philippines, where it grows at elevations of 1100–1236 m above sea level. It was discovered in February 2010 by Jehson Cervancia and Stewart McPherson.
Pitcher Plants of the Old World is a two-volume monograph by Stewart McPherson on the pitcher plants of the genera Nepenthes and Cephalotus. It was published in May 2009 by Redfern Natural History Productions and covers all species known at the time. The work was edited by Alastair Robinson and Andreas Fleischmann.
Nepenthes gantungensis is a tropical pitcher plant known from a single peak on the Philippine island of Palawan, where it grows at elevations of 1600–1784 m above sea level.
Nepenthes leonardoi is a tropical pitcher plant known from a single locality in central Palawan, the Philippines. It is closely allied to several other Palawan endemics, including N. deaniana, N. gantungensis, and N. mira. The traps of this species reach at least 24 cm in height. Some specimens are noted for producing very dark, almost black, upper pitchers.