I trained as a plant taxonomist, but rapidly transitioned into a plant systematist with a special interest in the Cape flora once I started my academic career at Stellenbosch University. Over the past 25 years my research focussed on the evolution, systematics and to some extent ecology of the biodiverse Cape Flora. For most of my career there were two subthemes to this research interests – (1) Systematics of Cape plant lineages, with special focus on Oxalis and (2) Inter-organismal interactions in the Cape, with special focus on the Protea-ophiostomatoid fungal system. The latter expanded when I became a core team member of the Centre of Excellence in Tree Health Biotechnology. This saw an expansion of my research to explore other ophiostomatoid fungi in the Cape Flora, and later the endophytes associated with Oxalis and olive trees in the Cape. Much as I enjoyed both the research and the collaboration with top scientists in FABI, Pretoria University, the Centre of Excellence centres finally disbanded, and I started scaling down, and finalizing this fascinating research chapter in my career. It culminated in 2023, with the publication of a comprehensive review paper on the Protea-Ophiostomatoid system that summarised the results of 20 years of research, resulting in 4 M.Sc. and 4 PhD studies on this remarkable inter-organismal system. I remain fascinated by inter-organismal interactions, and will continue to explore the endophytic associations of Oxalis and the unusual anther smut infections of some Oxalis species. I will also initiate studies on biocrusts in 2024 – another fascinating inter-organismal system that has remained understudied in the Cape.
During the next phase of my research career, I also intend to return to my first passion, namely the systematics of Cape plants. During my association with the CoE in Tree Health Biotechnology I gained considerable experience in genomics, and I have now commenced applying this to the study of Cape plants. A current PhD student is busy sequencing the genome of the first Cape Oxalis, with the intent to use this genome as basis to understanding the genetic basis of the complex tristylous breeding system of this genus. We are doing this in collaboration with Prof. Yves Van de Peer (Ghent University, Belgium), Dr Roswitha Schmickl (Charles university, Czech Republic) and Prof. Levi Yant (University of Nottingham, UK). Once in place, this Oxalis genome will form the basis from which to explore many of the other unusual biological traits of southern African Oxalis. Dr Oberlander (Pretoria University) and I have also recently been invited to start a collaborative project on global Oxalis systematics by Profs. Alicia Lopez (Instituto de Botánica Darwinion, Buenos Aires, Argentina) and Pedro Fiaschi (Campus Universitário, Brazil). Our first aim is to produce and publish a global checklist of accepted Oxalis species by December 2024. We have also initiated writing a field guide to the South African members of Oxalis, which we aim to publish within the next five years.
My Cape plant systematic research has also expanded in recent years to include other lineages in dire need of systematic revision and conservation. This included a monograph on Polhillia, the second most threatened genus in the Cape Flora. This was done in collaboration with Prof Muthama Muasya (UCT). We then moved on to Indigofera, and studied the systematics, evolution and biogeography of the Cape Clade of this genus. Work has also been initiated in the badly neglected and systematically complex Diosmeae within the Rutaceae. In collaboration with Dr Janine Victor (South African National Biodiversity Institute – SANBI), we have initiated a systematic revision of the group, with an incumbent Masters starting with this in 2024.