Dr. James F. Smith joined the faculty of Boise State University in 1992, and is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Director of the Snake River Plains Herbarium. The Herbarium collection focuses primarily on plants of southwest Idaho, with plants continually added from throughout Idaho and the surrounding states. The collection grows through the collection work of faculty and students as well as an active exchange program. Dr. Smith's research interests include the Evolution of Floral Symmetry in Gesneriaceae, Phylogenetics of Tribe Episcieae (Gesneriaceae), Phylogenetics within Columnea (Gesneriaceae), and Phylogenetics of Piperaceae.
Articles
Phylogeny of a Neotropical Clade in the Gesneriaceae: More Tales of Convergent Evolution (with John L. Clark, Minde M. Funke, and Aaron M. Duffy), International Journal of Plant Sciences (2012)
The Gesneriaceae is a family known for convergent evolution of complex floral forms. As a...
A Systematic Revision of the Genus Manekia (Piperaceae) (with Heather K. Schubert, Michael S. Taylor, and Allan J. Bornstein), Systematic Botany (2012)
A systematic revision of the six nominal species of the Neotropical genus Manekia (Piperaceae) was...
The Extraordinary Journey of Peperomia Subgenus Tildenia (Piperaceae): Insights into Diversification and Colonization Patterns from its Cradle in Peru to the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, Journal of Biogeography (2011)
Aim Peperomia subgenus Tildenia consists of c. 60 species growing in seasonal habitats of Neotropical...
Columnea Pygmaea (Gesneriaceae), a New Species from Northwestern Ecuador (with John L. Clark), Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (2011)
Recent expeditions to the northwestern slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes and revisionary work of Columnea...
A New Species in the Lomatium foeniculaceum (Apiaceae) Clade Revealed Through Combined Morphometric and Phylogenetic Analyses (with Kimberly M. Carlson and Donald H. Mansfield), Systematic Botany (2011)
A high degree of morphological variability exists within Lomatium (biscuitroots, Apiaceae). This variability has led...
Contributions to Books
Molecular Evolution and Adaptive Radiation in Brocchinia (Bromeliaceae: Pitcairnioideae) Atop Tepuis of the Guayana Shield, Molecular Evolution and Adaptive Radiation (1997)
Molecular Evolution, Adaptive Radiation, and Geographic Speciation in Cyanea (Campanulaceae, Lobelioideae), Hawaiian Biogeography: Evolution on a Hot Spot Archipelago (1995)