In this first part of volume seven of New Journal of Botany, we are pleased to publish seven papers, three of which describe new taxa or combinations. Rosalyn Marshall et al. summarise hybrids detected in the Genus Hedera and provide three new names; Clive Stace offers us new combinations in six genera of the British flora, while Pete Stroh and Walter Scott describe Angelica archangelica subsp. littoralis (Apiaceae), a putative new native taxon for Britain.
Two papers focus on changes in British plant populations over time: David Pearman considers the population dynamics of rare annual plants on the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall, UK, from 2009 to 2016, while Paul Ashton et al. look at regional stability versus fine scale changes in community composition of mesotrophic grasslands over 25 years.
From Sweden, Sanna Olander and Torbjorn Tyler consider morphometrics and taxonomy of Erigeron acris sensu lato (Asteraceae) in Fennoscandia while Declan Quigley et al. document first records of Prickly Palm Acrocomia spp. (Arecaceae) endocarps from Irish and NW European waters; and two book reviews round off this issue.
Volume seven will, sadly, be the last volume of New Journal of Botany. Trustees of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland have reluctantly concluded that the journal in its present form is no longer viable, and are working with Taylor & Francis to terminate the existing publication agreement. The number of submissions from professional botanists has progressively declined and this is symptomatic of the status of whole-organism botanical research in the UK and nearby countries. We have encouraged and welcomed submissions from enthusiastic amateurs but the existing electronic platform for submission, review, proofing and production, while exemplary in academic circles, is one that many of them are unfamiliar with and are reluctant to engage with.
The next issue scheduled for publication in late 2017 will be the last and there is still time (just about!) to submit articles of relevance to the northern and western European focus of New Journal of Botany and which address one or more topics of particular interest:
Phytogeography, floristics, distribution and recording;
Taxonomy, systematics and evolution;
Population and conservation biology, including ecological genetics;
Ecology, including autecological, physiological and phenological studies;
Plant/animal interactions, including plant biochemistry;
History of botany, including its development not only in Britain and Ireland but also in a European context.