Understanding diversification and distribution patterns of New Guinea flora: Cyrtandra as a model genus

Representing the largest genus in the Gesneriaceae family with a currently estimated 800 species, Cyrtandra J.R. & G. Forst. is a model genus for studying the evolutionary history, diversification, and dispersal of understorey angiosperms across South East Asian tropical rainforests. Compared to the other regions where Cyrtandra is extant, the island of New Guinea is historically under sampled and understudied, with the last revision of the genus in the region undertaken by Rudolph Schlechter in 1923. As the world's second largest and most floristically diverse island, New Guinea is a key stepping stone between Asia and the Pacific, and assessing the patterns of diversification and distribution in New Guinea Cyrtandra will provide valuable insight into the genus as a whole and the understorey ecosystem of the island's tropical rainforests.

The project aims to produce a revised phylogeny of New Guinea Cyrtandra and utilise this to explore the understorey ecology, evolutionary history, and phylogeography of the species found there.