New Journal of Botany 7.1 is published!

Hedera x sepulcralis, one of the new ivy hybrids
 described in New Journal of Botany
Image: R. Marshall/RHS

Apologies that the latest issue of New Journal of Botany, BSBI's scientific journal, has been so delayed but it's on-line now and we hope you'll agree that it was worth waiting for!

The latest issue opens with a paper by Rosalyn Marshall, Hugh McAllister and James Armitage describing three new infrageneric hybrids in the genus Hedera (Ivy). 

The authors consider material from the UK, Spain and the USA; the distinguishing features of the three newly named hybrids are discussed and there is a key allowing identification of the two hybrids known to have arisen in the UK. 

This paper comes hot on the heels of a new monograph by Rosalyn and Hugh, published by the Royal Horticultural Society, which covers the surprisingly colourful diversity of ivy, from the 12 species to around 200 of the most widely grown cultivars, which are illustrated and fully described in the monograph. It also covers the benefits of ivy for wildlife, uses in folklore and the decorative arts as well as the botany, ecology and evolutionary history of the genus. There is a checklist of 2000+ ivy cultivars and scientific names, alongside advice on cultivation and propagation. You can order the monograph here.  

Trifolium bocconei
One of the rare annual plants
discussed in David Pearman's
paper on plants on the
Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall
Image: D. Pearman  

Also in this issue of New Journal of Botany you will find a paper by David Pearman on the population dynamics of rare annual plants on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall from 2009 to 2016.

Paul Ashton et al. looks at regional stability versus fine scale changes in community composition of mesotrophic grasslands over a 25 year period, while Clive Stace offers us new combinations in six genera of the British flora and Pete Stroh, BSBI Scientific Officer, describes a putative new native taxon for Britain. And no, I'm not going to spoil the surprise by telling you what it is!

But New Journal of Botany has always looked beyond British and Irish shores, and in this issue we are also delighted to publish a paper by Sanna Olander and Torbjorn Tyler on Erigeron acris in Fennoscandia, while Declan Quigley et al. document first records of Prickly Palm Acrocomia spp. from Irish and northwest European waters.

If you are a BSBI member, you can access New Journal of Botany on-line by going to the members-only area and following the links. You'll need to have your password to hand and enter it when prompted - email me if you've forgotten it and don't forget to let me know your membership number.

If you're not a member - I'm really sorry but access to New Journal of Botany is restricted to BSBI members (and some institutional subscribers who pay hundreds of pounds a year!) If you want to read the journal, your best bet is to join BSBI and then you will have on-line access to not only the latest issue but all back issues since 2011, when the journal was launched.