Sandra Knapp
I am a specialist on the taxonomy of the nightshade family, Solanaceae, and have spent much time in the field in Central and South America collecting plants. My particular focus of research is the taxonomy of the nightshade family Solanaceae, focusing on the megadiverse genus Solanum, which contains potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants and is one of only a handful of flowering plant genera with more than 1000 species, and more recently the peppers (Capsicum) and their poorly known close relatives in the genus Lycianthes.
I have described more than 75 new species of plants, mostly in Solanum and from the New World tropics. I came to the Natural History Museum in 1992 to manage the international project Flora Mesoamericana - a synoptic inventory of the approximately 18,000 species of plants of southern Mexico and the isthmus of Central America.
My current projects include: 1) A world-wide taxonomic monograph of the some 1500 species of Solanum and a similar global monographic treatment of Capsicum and Lycianthes, 2) Flora Mesoamericana, 3) Collaborative research in phylogenetics and genomic evolution of Solanaceae, 4) Research into the domestication of Solanaceae crops such as eggplants in China and "African supervegetables", 5) Conservation and biodiversity monitoring projects in
My work depends upon seeing plants in their native habitats and I have been fortunate enough to have visited many countries and worked with many colleagues overseas.
On my past few field trips I have posted blogs from the field, you can look for new ones on the NHM website or on Solanaceae Source, our collaborative web platform for nightshade taxonomy (www.solanaceaesousrce.org)
Education
- PhD, Cornell University, United States, 1980 - 1986
- BA, Pomona College, United States, 1974 - 1978
Source: National History Museum
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