The second edition of Genera Palmarum, which is now available, is co-authored by Drs. John Dransfield and Natalie Uhl, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Plant Biology, Cornell University.

A reception was held after Dr. Dransfield’s August 29,2008 presentation to honor Dr. Uhl who together with Dr. Dransfield wrote the second edition of Genera Palmarum, which will undoubtedly become a classic in its field of study.

Dr. Uhl received her MS and PhD in botany in our department and worked with palms for many years with Dr. Harold E. Moore, Jr. The first edition of Genera Palmarum (published in 1987) was based on a 17 year collaboration with Dr. Moore. Natalie was co-editor with John Dransfield of the journal Principes (now Palms) from 1979 to 2000.

Among her many awards and honors, Dr. Uhl was awarded the Robert Allerton Award in 2003 by the National Tropical Botanical Garden in recognition of her lifetime achievements in the plant sciences. She is also one of the receipients of the Botanical Society of America Centennial Awards and the first woman to ever receive the Asa Gray Award, the highest recognition given to a plant scientist by the American Society of Plant Taxonomists.