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The genus Ceropegia has largely radiated without evolutionary shifts in pollinator functional specialization, maintaining its interactions with small Diptera. Intriguing biogeographic and phylogenetic patterns may reflect processes of regional dispersal, diversification and subsequent specialization onto a narrower range of pollinators, though some of the findings may be caused by inconsistent sampling. Comparisons are made with other plant genera in the Aristolochiaceae and Araceae that have evolved flask-shaped flowers that trap female flies seeking oviposition sites.

were no major biogeographic differences in the types of Diptera that were used in 3 particular regions, though some subtle differences were apparent. Likewise there were no differences between the two major clades of Ceropegia, but clear differences when comparing the range of Diptera exploited by Ceropegia with that of the stapeliads. This clade, one of the largest in the Asclepiadoideae, is a fascinating example of a species radiation driven by an apparently relatively uniform set of pollinators.

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Herbarium collections shape our understanding of the world’s flora and are crucial for addressing global change and biodiversity conservation. The formation of such natural history collections, however, are not free from sociopolitical issues of immediate relevance. Despite increasing efforts addressing issues of representation and colonialism in natural history collections, herbaria have received comparatively less attention. While it has been noted that the majority of plant specimens are housed in the global North, the extent of this disparity has not been rigorously quantified to date. Here, by analyzing over 85 million specimen records and surveying herbaria across the globe, we assess the colonial legacy of botanical collections and how we may move towards a more inclusive future. We demonstrate that colonial exploitation has contributed to an inverse relationship between where plant biodiversity exists in nature and where it is housed in herbaria. Such disparities persist in herbaria across physical and digital realms despite overt colonialism having ended over half a century ago, suggesting ongoing digitization and decolonization efforts have yet to alleviate colonial-era discrepancies. We emphasize the need for acknowledging the inconvenient history of herbarium collections and the implementation of a more equitable, global paradigm for their collection, curation, and use.

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Flower morphology, karyology and taxonomy of the polymorphic Ceropegia aristolochioides are reviewed. Ten different samples from Africa and Arabia, representing the main morphotypes, were analysed using RAPDs. The dendrogram resulting from cluster analysis is compared with the current taxonomy. Only two subspecies within C. aristolochioides should be recognized, despite considerable differences in floral morphology within both. It is proposed to confine the typical subspecies to tropical Africa and to consider C. aristolochioides ssp. albertina and Ceropegia seticorona as synonyms. C. aristolochioides ssp. deflersiana, easily distinguished by hairy carpels, is restricted to the SW Arabian Peninsula. The formal recognition of varieties within each subspecies, which might be considered with regard to the highly diverse flower morphology, is rejected.

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