Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants

FLORA, the scientific botanical journal with the longest uninterrupted publication sequence (since 1818), considers manuscripts in a range of areas of botany which appeal to a broad international scientific readership. The journal publishes original contributions and review articles on plant structure (morphology and anatomy), plant developmental biology (ontogeny), phytogeography (including phylogeography), plant population genetics, plant functional ecology (including ecophysiology), plant population ecology, biotic interactions between plants and other organisms, plant community ecology, and ecosystem ecology. Suggestions for Special Issues are welcome, as are compilations of manuscripts (both original and review articles) for Special Features on a specific topic.
Manuscripts on the following subjects are highly welcome, especially when they integrate between areas or research approaches: comparative and evolutionary aspects of morphology, anatomy and development, ecophysiology of plant species related to their distribution, mechanisms of ecological interactions in plant communities (e.g. plant-plant interactions, plant-soil feedback, and plant-animal interactions), reproductive ecology including plant-pollinator interactions, genetic and spatial structure of plant populations, and functional diversity in plant communities.
Manuscripts focused on floristics or vegetation studies will only be considered if they go beyond a purely descriptive approach and have relevance for interpreting plant structure, distribution or ecology. Manuscripts whose content is restricted to taxonomy, phylogeny, nomenclature, or geobotany of local interest, or applied agricultural, horticultural, pharmacological or silvicultural aspects, or experimental studies dealing exclusively with investigations at the cellular or subcellular level will not be considered for publication.

Submission of Papers with Graduate or Undergraduate Students as Lead Authors
FLORA has initiated a section in its journal dedicated to highlighting exceptional, original research publications that are part of PhD, graduate, or undergraduate student theses and carry the name of the student, preferably as the lead author. Papers in this category will be published under the heading "Highlighted Student Research" and will be marked accordingly in the table of content of the volume in which it is published. The papers must be recommended for this honor by FLORA Handling Editors, following the normal peer review process and additionally taking the following criteria into account:
the student contribution to the work is substantial
innovative research question or methodology
high quality of study / experimental design and data
above-average quality of data analysis, presentation and discussion
well written text


Students who wish their papers to be considered for the honor have to explain in the cover letter the main reasons why the paper represents an outstanding contribution to the field, referring to the criteria above, and should indicate such a wish by marking the appropriate box as a FLORA Highlighted Student Research paper during the online submission process. The supervisor should confirm in the cover letter that research was generated during a BSc, MSc, or PhD degree.

Editor-in-Chief
Hermann Heilmeier
Freiberg University of Mining and Technology Interdisciplinary Environmental Research Centre, Leipziger Straße 29, 09596, Freiberg, Germany Email Hermann Heilmeier
Editorial Coordinator
Elke Richert
Freiberg University of Mining and Technology Biology and Ecology Unit, Freiberg, Germany Email Elke Richert
Subject Editors
Walter Durka
Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research UFZ Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120, Leipzig, Germany Subjects: micro-evolution, population genetics (molecular)
Favio González
National University of Colombia Faculty of Sciences, Edif. 425, office 230, Bogota, Colombia Subjects: morphology including micro- and floral morphology, palynology
Timo van der Niet
University of KwaZulu-Natal School of Life Sciences, P. Bag X01 Scottsville, 3209, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa Subjects: organismic interactions incl. flower biology, symbiosis, parasitism, mutualism; molecular systematics/taxonomy and phylogenetics
Gerhard Overbeck
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul Grassland Vegetation Research Laboratory, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500 - Bloco IV - Prédio 4343, CEP 91501-970, Porto Alegre RS, Brazil Subjects: biogeography and vegetation ecology of tropical and subtropical zones
Alessio Papini
University of Florence Department of Biology, Via Micheli, 3, 50019, Firenze, ItalySubjects: histology, cytology, embryology
Louis P. Ronse de Craene
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, TW9 3AB, Edinburgh, United Kingdom Subjects: floral development and evolution
Karsten Wesche
Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Gorlitz, 02 806, Görlitz, Germany Subjects: biogeography incl. phylogeography and vegetation ecology of extra-tropical zones
Fei-Hai Yu
Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Shifu Road 1139, Jiaojiang District, 318000, Taizhou, China Subjects: population biology, phenology and community interactions (mutualism, parasitism etc.)
Honorary Editors
Eckehart J Jäger
Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg
Otto L. Lange†
University of Würzburg
Rainer Lösch
Editorial Board
Christopher A. Adams
Berea College, Berea, Kentucky, United States
Harald Auge
Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research UFZ Department of Community Ecology, Leipzig, Germany
Francisco Balao
University of Seville, Sevilla, Spain
Karl-Georg Bernhardt
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Wien, Austria
Gary Brown
Sultan Qaboos University, Department of Biology, College of Science, Al-Khod, Sultanate of Oman
Cecilia Brunetti
University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
Burkhard Büdel
University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
Marcel Serra Coelho
Paulista University, SAO PAULO, Brazil
Ulrich Deil
University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Jelena Dragišić Maksimović
University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Ali El-Keblawy
University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Brigitta Erschbamer
University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Gamal M. Fahmy
Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
Stephan Hättenschwiler
Centre for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Montpellier, France
Isabell Hensen
Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
Norbert Hölzel
University of Münster, Munster, Germany
Steve Johnson
University of KwaZulu-Natal School of Life Sciences, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
Andreas Jürgens
Darmstadt University of Technology, Darmstadt, Germany
Johannes Kollmann
Technical University of Munich Chair of Restoration Ecology, Freising, Germany
Jozef Kovacik
Trnava University in Trnava, Trnava, Slovakia
Elzbieta Kuta
Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Krakow, Poland
Peter Leins
Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
Wolfgang Lewandrowski
The University of Western Australia School of Biological Sciences, Perth, Australia
Shouli Li
Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
Xiao-Tao Lü
Institute of Applied Ecology Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
Bohumil Mandak
Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Department of Genetic Ecology, Pr?honice, Czech Republic
Pietro K. Maruyama
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Departamento de Genetica Evolucao e Ecologia, BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil
Lucica Mihalte (Crisan)
University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca Faculty of Horticulture, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
L. Patricia C. Morellato
Sao Paulo State University Julio de Mesquita Filho Rio Institute of Biosciences Claro Campus, RIO CLARO, Brazil
Barbara Neuffer
University of Osnabruck, Osnabruck, Germany
Ettore Pacini
University of Siena, Siena, Italy
Giacomo Puglielli
Estonian University of Life Sciences Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
Anantanarayanan Raman
Charles Sturt University, Albury, Australia
Sophia Rhizopoulou
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Sergio R. Roiloa
University of A Coruna, A Coruna, Spain
Davi Rodrigo Rossatto
Sao Paulo State University Julio de Mesquita Filho - Jaboticabal Campus, JABOTICABAL, Brazil
Fernando A.O. Silveira
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Thomas Stützel
Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
Alexander P. Sukhorukov
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moskva, Russian Federation
Frank Thomas
University of Trier, Trier, Germany
Peter Török
University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
Sandra Varga
University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom
Agustina B. Ventre Lespiaucq
Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain
Anton Weber
University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
Xuejun Yang
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Shahin Zarre
University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran, Islamic Republic of
Yulong Zheng
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Mengla, China