Introduction

The present edition of the Newsletter is the second one and, unfortunately, it is already long overdue. My apologies for the delay, but a long-lasting illness, a marriage, teaching obligations, and computerization took quite a lot of my time this year.

The same reasons can be used to explain my slow progress this year. On the other hand, I feel very fortunate to announce that many persons responded to the invitation to revise Euphorbiaceae genera for the Flora Malesiana project. Up to now, about 25 persons committed themselves and promised to revise a genus or participate in one of the general chapters about Euphorbiaceae. An up-to-date list of all promises is included in this issue.

In the Netherlands there is a saying: 'Promise creates debt'. In other words, I like to know if the contributors have made any progress. Every year I have to report progress to the Foundation Flora Malesiana, this includes: revisions finished, activities (workshops, fieldtrips, grant applications etc.), progress in 1993, planning 1994, planning after 1994, expected bottle-necks/requirements for accelerated progress, publications. If you have any special developments to report, please let me know before the end of January 1994.

A possible bottle-neck may be lack of material or literature. During this year several contributors requested Leiden material on loan or asked for photocopies of literature. These services are still available.

Another bottle-neck may be an enormous amount of unidentified Euphorbiaceae. In Leiden we are in the lucky circumstance to have the assistance of Dr. Max van Balgooy. He has a profound knowledge of all Malesian plants and Euphorbiaceae are one of his favorite families. If necessary, you can ask him to identify Euphorbiaceae up to genus level, however, the quantities should be limited. Mr. Kochummen may do the same for Malaysian material from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak.

Dr. Radcliffe-Smith in Kew likes to assist in any problems with generic delimitations. Please, feel free to contact him.

Before I stop the introduction I like to wish you all a happy and very Flora Malesiana productive 1994!

Peter van Welzen

Progress

The first revision has been published as precursor in Blumea (reprint included with this issue), it is the revision of the monotypic genus Cheilosa Blume. Please, try to use the same terminology in your own Flora Malesiana contributions and the same format, however, with two exceptions, do not add 'Vernacular names' and include 'Field notes' in the descriptions if relevant.

The revision of the genus Neoscortechinia is nearing completion, but will take some time as enormous amounts of material are available.

Several genera have been analyzed by students or participants in courses, these can be published next year: Chaetocarpus, Chrozophora, Doryxylon, Homonoia, Moultonianthus, Spathiostemon, Syndyophyllum, Trigonopleura, and Wetria.

Anne Schot (Leiden) has almost finished the revision of Aporosa, one of the large genera, with about 80 species. In 1994 she will start with some anatomical research and a cladistic analysis of the genus.

A grant proposal within the European Community (Human Capital and Mobility Programme) for a cooperation network (Leiden, Kew, Paris, Dublin, Oxford, Reading, Aberdeen, Mainz, and Aarhus) in the 'Botanical Diversity of the Indo-Pacific region' has been very successful. Four post-doctoral fellowships and five graduate research positions are available for citizens of EC countries (applications outside country of citizenship before January 1, 1994, to Prof. P. Baas, RHHB, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands). Two post-doctoral fellowships have been assigned to Euphorbiaceae; one, Baccaurea to Leiden, the other, Antidesma, to Kew. The start of the fellowships will be between 1 Dec. 1993 and 1 Sept. 1994.

Perhaps the subject in Leiden will change to Claoxylon and/or Cleistanthus as the revision of Baccaurea may also be funded by the Dutch Scientific Organization NWO as a Ph.D. project. The revision of Baccaurea will be more interesting as a Ph.D. project, because it will include a phylogenetic and historical biogeographic analysis in cooperation with two similar projects on insects. The NWO decision will be at the beginning of 1994.

At the end of October, Anne Schot and I visited Bogor, Indonesia, to assist several M.Sc. students, Sri Murdoyuwono, Metilistina Sasinggla, and Ratna Widuri, and a staff member, Tutie Djarwaningsih, with their revision of several Euphorbiaceae genera. Their work is progressing nicely and the results can be expected in 1994.

Flora Malesiana Symposium

The third Flora Malesiana Symposium will be organized in Kew, England from 10--14 July 1995. During the symposium we like to organize a workshop on Malesian Euphorbiaceae. The results of the workshop will be reported during the symposium. Therefore, you are invited to participate in the symposium. Included with this newsletter you will find the first brochure of the symposium. In it you can indicate your interest, after which you can return it to Bob Johns. Please, be aware that only limited funds will be available to participants, therefore, try to raise your own grant during 1994! It would be a pity if you could not come to the symposium.

Next to the workshop you can present a paper during a general session or show a poster as special poster sessions will be held. People interested in ferns may like to stay longer as the Eric Holttum Memorial Pteridophyte Symposium will be held in the week after the Flora Malesiana Symposium, also in Kew.

Local Floras

In the former newsletter contributors

to Flora Malesiana were asked to use their results for the Tree Flora of Sabah and Sarawak also. This request is repeated here, together with two other requests. Please, also consider the Flora of the Philippines Project, an area where after Merrill little or no flora work occurred and where a flora is badly needed. Grady Webster drew attention to another project, The Flora of Singapore Project. Especially the revision of Macaranga and Mallotus is needed for this area.

Genera and Species

The following list shows the Malesian Euphorbiaceae genera in alphabetical order, the number of species estimated world-wide, estimated within Malesia, presence world-wide, and the contributor. This list is the updated version from the first newsletter. Many more contributors are present in this list. Several researchers still have to select genera, they can use the list below.

Herbaria of importance

Add to the list:

CANB: Australian National Herbarium, CSIRO, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia

Mapping

Dr. Bertel Hansen wrote me that contributors to the Flora Malesiana Project can make use of his map program called Kort (Danish for map). This program uses the Micro World Data Bank II code of F. Pospeschil and A. Rivera, the PC-version of the CIA world map. The Copenhagen data club ComBit, Bertel Hansen, and Jørgen Andersen adapted the map to the Kort program, which can be used to plot distributions of taxa on more or less any map you want. You can create your own maps and use these to map the coordinates of the collecting localities of your specimens. Several taxa can be mapped on the same map. Coordinate files for your taxa can be made via Kort or via the Coor program of myself.

Several examples of maps are shown below.