March 10, THURSDAY, 7:30pm
Speaker: Dr. Sarah Jacobs, California Academy of Sciences
The plant genus Castilleja (the iconic group of wildflowers more commonly known as ‘the paintbrushes’) is a very young and diverse group of plants found primarily in western North America. Taxonomy in the genus has been challenging, resulting in its notoriety as a ‘difficult group’. Much of the difficulty has been attributed to its young age, the apparent ease of hybridization when species co-occur, and complicated genetics. This talk will broadly cover the biology of Castilleja, what we do (and don’t) know about its evolution, and how my research is aiming to fill in the gaps. I will also highlight the challenge of defining species in lineages like Castilleja and what that means for systematics and taxonomy in the group.
Sarah Jacobs PhD, California Academy of Sciences
Assistant Curator of Botany and Howell Chair. Read more about Sarah Jacobs here.
Natural History Wanderings 
Leave a Reply