Plant Systematics
About Us
Plant systematics involves testing and describing new species, discovering the phylogenetic relationships of lineages, and analysing global biogeography. Systematics spans multiple scales and is not limited to living species or features that can be seen with the naked eye. Classifying fossils and pollen groups can be just as useful in systematics to help interpret the evolutionary history and diversity of plant groups.
At UNE, plant systematics is supported by the N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium, which houses >110,000 specimens and is the largest collection of land plants of any university herbarium in Australia. The herbarium is part of a worldwide network, providing access to specimens and collaborations around the world. We combine expertise in field botany, molecular genetics and genomics, morphological analysis, phytochemistry, microscopy, and palaeobotany to document the diversity of our natural biological heritage and provide useful tools for the community.
Join us if you are passionate about Botany and want to grow our knowledge of plant diversity and evolution. We collaborate widely around Australia and the rest of the world and supervise a diverse group of students, both on-campus and remotely. We offer additional research funding through Botany Student Grants. You will have the opportunity to learn multiple skills, including phylogenetics, morphometrics, palynology, genomics and bioinformatics. If you are keen, but lack formal training, please get in touch, and we will advise you on the best undergraduate or postgraduate courses for you. Dr Andrew Thornhill – Director of the N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium, Assocate Professor Rose Andrew – evolutionary and population genetics Dr Sapphire McMullan-Fisher – macrofungal taxonomy and phylogeny, and ecology Emeritus Professor Jeremy Bruhl - plant systematics, sedge expert Dr Ian Telford, Curator of the N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium
Contact Us
To find out more about our research, please contact:
Dr Andrew Thornhill, andrew.thornhill@une.edu.au
