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Botany research

A wide variety of research is carried out in the Botany Department. It centres on systematics and taxonomy - the description and naming of plants and their evolutionary relationships.

Our research underpins a variety of other disciplines such as ecology, conservation and biomonitoring. 

Find out more about our research areas below. For specific project details, search our research projects or visit the CVs of individual researchers.

Research projects database
  • Scaly tree fern Cyathaceae in the Mascarenes
    Evolutionary geobiology of land plants

    This research project aims to discover the mechanisms and processes creating land plant biodiversity, focusing on angiosperm, liverwort and fern groups.

  • A GPS is used to work out exact locations
    GIS-related studies

    Geographical information systems are used in a number of inter-disciplinary Museum projects. The techniques are enabling Botany Department staff to investigate the factors that affect the structure, composition and biodiversity of forests.

  • Seaweeds on the shore at Vattarnes, Iceland
    Algal research

    The Botany Department’s algal-related research programme includes projects to map and record seaweed biodiversity in the North Atlantic and detailed studies of red algae.

  • Zygodon trichomitrius leaf cells
    Bryophyte research

    Find out about the bryophyte-related research being conducted by Botany Department staff, which focuses on the exploration, description and monitoring of bryophyte flora in the tropics.

  • Tetracyclus clypeus, an extinct freshwater Miocene fossil from the USA
    Diatom research

    Diatom research within the Botany Department covers both extinct and existing taxa. Among the projects are a number that focus on diatom biodiversity while others address formation of the unique cell wall.

  • The fern Asplenium x microdon
    Fern research

    Discover the rich history of fern research at the Museum, as well as a wide scope of ongoing projects concerning fern diversity.

  • The lichen Physcia tenella is tolerant of polluted air
    Lichen research

    Lichenologists at the Museum focus on several interesting aspects of lichens: their biodiversity, their evolution as symbiotic organisms and their use as indicators of environmental conditions (e.g., air and water pollution, global climate change).

  • Solanum herculeum, a narrow endemic from southern Spain
    Seed plant research

    Seed plant taxonomic expertise within the Botany Department includes the Asteraceae, Convolvulaceae, Hypericaceae, Orobanchaceae, Solanaceae and Urticaceae families. Find out more about related research projects.

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