Jacquelyn A. Kallunki

Profile

Jacquelyn Kallunki’s primary duty is to administer the vascular plant section of the Herbarium, including supervision of its staff, oversight of its operation, management of its specimen loan, exchange, and identification programs, and communication with its users.
She also manages The Species of Eastern Brazil Catalogue project, of which the goal is an electronic catalogue of specimen information that will provide names and the geographic ranges of species of vascular plants found in the coastal states of eastern Brazil and to make this catalogue available on the Garden’s web site. The information can be used by floristicians, conservationists, monographers, and phytogeographers interested in the extremely diverse flora of the highly endangered rain forests of coastal Brazil.

Jacquelyn’s research concerns the taxonomy of one group of genera (subtribe Galipeinae) of the Citrus family (Rutaceae). Although species of this group occur in lowland forests throughout tropical America, 34% occur in eastern Brazil, and 28% of these are endemic to the forests of that region. Because of this diversity and endemism, her recent field work has been conducted in eastern Brazil. Based on specimens collected during only a few short trips, Jacquelyn and her Brazilian colleague, JosÈ R. Pirani, were able to describe 21 new species of a single genus (Conchocarpus). Still, specimens of new species continue to be collected from that area and are a constant source of delight.