John Wiersema

Ph.D., 1984, Biology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

M.S., 1979, Biology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

B.S., 1974, Psychology & Sociology, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Plant nomenclature: a member of the Editorial Committee for the last 3 Codes, and Vice-rapporteur for the Shenzhen Code; with ongoing responsibility for the content of the Code Appendices database.

Economic botany: 3+ decades curating data on agricultural plants for the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service.

Systematics of Nymphaeales, esp. Nymphaea, on a global basis.

Journal Article

• Kirkbride,Joseph H., Jr. and Wiersema, John H. 2025. "Wernham's and Sprague's Manettia (Rubiaceae) types." Taxon, https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.13378.
• Knapp, Sandra, Álvarez, Inés, Monro, Anna, Prado, Jefferson, Turland, Nicholas J., and Wiersema, John. 2024. "Livestreaming the Nomenclature Section at the XX International Botanical Congress in Madrid, 15-19 July 2024." Taxon, 73, (1) 413–414. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.13127.
• Roestel, Jessica A., Wiersema, John H., Jansen, Robert K., Borsch, Thomas, and Gruenstaeudl, Michael. 2024. "On the importance of sequence alignment inspections in plastid phylogenomics – an example from revisiting the relationships of the water‐lilies." Cladistics, https://doi.org/10.1111/cla.12584.
• Turland, Nicholas J., Alvarez, Ines, Knapp, Sandra, Monro, Anna M., and Wiersema, John H. 2024. "XX International Botanical Congress, Madrid 2024: Report of Congress action on nomenclature proposals." Taxon, https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.13258.
• Turland, Nicholas J., Kempa, Matúš, Knapp, Sandra, Král'ovičová, Eva, and Wiersema, John H. 2024. "Results of the preliminary guiding vote (“mail vote”) on proposals to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants submitted to the XX International Botanical Congress, Madrid 2024." Taxon, https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.13233.
• Turland, Nicholas J. and Wiersema, John H. 2024. "Synopsis of Proposals on Nomenclature – Madrid 2024: A review of the proposals to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants submitted to the XX International Botanical Congress." Taxon, 73, (1) 325–404. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.13114.
• Prado, Jefferson, Applequist, Wendy, Wilson, Karen L., Marhold, Karol, Malécot, Valéry, Wiersema, John H., Greuter, Werner, Herendeen, Patrick S., McNeill, John, Zamora, Juan Carlos, and Monro, Anna M. 2023. "(218–220) Proposals to authorize binding decisions to be implemented upon General Committee approval of a recommendation, subject to ratification by a later International Botanical Congress." Taxon, 72, (2) 453–454. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12906.
• Pusalkar, Prashant Keshav and Wiersema, John H. 2023. "(2964) Proposal to conserve the name Boehmeria puya (Maoutia puya, Leucosyke puya) (Urticaceae) with a conserved type." Taxon, 72, (3) 673–674. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12972.
• Turland, Nicholas J. and Wiersema, John H. 2023. "(426–433) Miscellaneous proposals to amend the Shenzhen Code." Taxon, 72, (5) 1186–1188. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.13057.
• Wiersema, John H. and McNeill, John. 2023. "(358–359) Two proposals clarifying some acts of typification." Taxon, 72, (5) 1153. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.13036.
• Wiersema, John H., Schori, Melanie, Zijlstra, Gea, Gandhi, Kanchi N., and McNeill, John. 2023. "(369–373) Proposals to eliminate the future application of Article 20.2 to generic names matching technical terms in morphology." Taxon, 72, (5) 1158–1167. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.13041.
• Wiersema, John H., Greuter, Werner, and McNeill, John. 2023. "(253) Proposal to clarify the option in Art. 7.11 for equivalency to "here designated"." Taxon, 72, (3) 680–681. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12944.
• Wiersema, John H., Wisnev, Michael A., and Prado, Jefferson. 2023. "(255-257) Proposals to clarify the meaning of "author" in Article 9.4 and exempt Article 7.8 from applying to names untypified before 2026." Taxon, 72, (3) 682–683. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12946.
• Khuraijam, Jibankumar Singh and Wiersema, John H. 2022. "Typification of three names of Asian conifers." Phytotaxa, 550, (3) 295–300. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.550.3.10.
• Wiersema, John H. and Kirkbride, Joseph H., Jr. 2022. "Authorship and typification of Rubiaceae names published by AP de Candolle and A. Richard revisited." Taxon, https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12724.
• Wiersema, John H., Turland, Nicholas J., Greuter, Werner, Barrie, Fred R., and McNeill, John. 2022. "(136-137) Proposals to clarify the definition of "illustration"." Taxon, 71, (3) 703–703. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12726.
• Wiersema, John H., Schori, Melanie, and McNeill, John. 2022. "(185) Proposal to amend Article 48.2 to improve its parallel construction in relation to Article 52.2." Taxon, 71, (6) 1339–1340. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12851.
• Peterson, Paul M., Wiersema, John H., Soreng, Robert J., Romaschenko, Konstantin, and Herrera Arrieta, Yolanda. 2022. "(2881) Proposal to conserve the name Triraphis (Poaceae: Chloridoideae: Triraphideae) with a conserved type." Taxon, 71, (2) 474–475. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12701.
• Wiersema, John H. and Turland, Nicholas J. 2022. "(176) Proposal to protect the places of publication of family names listed in Appendix IIB." Taxon, 71, (6) 1332–1333. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12845.
• Wiersema, John H. 2022. "(194) Proposal to readdress the issue of whether or not the types of basionyms or replaced synonyms of conserved names with conserved types are themselves conserved." Taxon, 71, (6) 1345–1346. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12856.
• Wiersema, John H., Wen, Jun, and Zijlstra, Gea. 2022. "(2900) Proposal to conserve the name Ampelopsis (Vitaceae) with a conserved type." Taxon, 71, (3) 700–701. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12753.
• Wiersema, John H., Turland, Nicholas J., and Prado, Jefferson. 2021. "(081-082) Proposals to allow the use of a hyphen to be treated as a correctable error in all nothogeneric names that are condensed formulas." Taxon, 70, (2) 459–459. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12477.
• Khoury, Colin K., Carver, Daniel, Greene, Stephanie L., Williams, Karen A., Achicanoy, Harold A., Schori, Melanie, Leon, Blanca, Wiersema, John H., and Frances, Anne. 2020. "Crop wild relatives of the United States require urgent conservation action." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117, (52) 33351–33357. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2007029117.
• Kirkbride, Joseph H. and Wiersema, John H. 2020. "Neotypification of Manettia reclinata (Rubiaceae)." Taxon, Article 12232. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12232.
• Kirkbride, Joseph H. and Wiersema, John H. 2020. "Nomenclatural anomalies among Kunth's Rubiaceae." Taxon, 69, (3) 605–612. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12183.
• Turland, Nicholas J., Wiersema, John H., and McNeill, John. 2020. "(007–008) Proposals to make clearer the circumstances under which a holotype can exist." Taxon, 69, (3) 626–627. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12248.
• Turland, Nicholas J., Wiersema, John H., and McNeill, John. 2020. "(018–020) Proposals for a clearer and more concise Article 40 and to resolve conflict between Art. 40.6 and Art. 9.10." Taxon, 69, (3) 633–635. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12258.
• Khoury, Colin K., Amariles, Daniel, Soto, Jonatan Stivens, Diaz, Maria Victoria, Sotelo, Steven, Sosa, Chrystian C., Ramírez-Villegas, Julian, Achicanoy, Harold A., Castañeda-Álvarez, Nora P., León, Blanca, and Wiersema, John H. 2019. "Data for the calculation of an indicator of the comprehensiveness of conservation of useful wild plants." Data in Brief, 22 90–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2018.11.125.
• Khoury, Colin K., Amariles, Daniel, Soto, Jonatan Stivens, Diaz, Maria Victoria, Sotelo, Steven, Sosa, Chrystian C., Ramírez-Villegas, Julian, Achicanoy, Harold A., Velásquez-Tibatá, Jorge, Guarino, Luigi, León, Blanca, Navarro-Racines, Carlos, Castañeda-Álvarez, Nora P., Dempewolf, Hannes, Wiersema, John H., and Jarvis, Andy. 2019. "Comprehensiveness of conservation of useful wild plants: An operational indicator for biodiversity and sustainable development targets." Ecological Indicators, 98 420–429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.11.016.
• Khuraijam, Jibankumar Singh, Mazumdar, Jaideep, and Wiersema, John H. 2019. "Typification of the Himalayan endemic conifer Abies spectabilis (Pinaceae) revisited." Taxon, 68, (3) 574–579. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12060.
• Kirkbride, Joseph H., Jr. and Wiersema, John H. 2019. "(81-84) Requests for binding decisions on the descriptive statements associated with Cinchona cordifolia, C. lancifolia, C. oblongifolia, and C. ovalifolia (Rubiaceae)." Taxon, 68, (4) 877–878. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12115.
• Lin, Qin-Wen, Liao, Shuai, Ma, Jin-Shuang, and Wiersema, John H. 2019. "The valid publication of Abroma (Malvaceae)." Taxon, 68, (2) 391–393. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12057.
• Turland, Nicholas J. and Wiersema, John H. 2019. "Procedures and timetable for proposals to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants." Taxon, 68, (6) 1372–1373. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12173.
• Kirkbride, Joseph H., Jr., Wiersema, John H., and Gunn, Steven R. 2018. "Charles Robert (Bob) Gunn (1927-2015)." Taxon, 67, (1) 227–228. https://doi.org/10.12705/671.33.
• Kirkbride, Joseph H., Wiersema, John H., and Delprete, Piero G. 2018. "(2588) Proposal to conserve the name Emmeorhiza against Endlichera (Rubiaceae)." Taxon, 67, (1) 215–216. https://doi.org/10.12705/671.26.
• Peterson, Paul M., Soreng, Robert J., Phillips, Sylvia M., and Wiersema, John H. 2018. "(2620) Proposal to reject the name Poa amabilis (Eragrostis amabilis) (Poaceae)." Taxon, 67, (3) 644. https://doi.org/10.12705/673.25.
• Turland, N. J. and Wiersema, John H. 2017. "Synopsis of Proposals on Nomenclature-Shenzhen 2017: A review of the proposals concerning the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants submitted to the XIX International Botanical Congress." Taxon, 66 217–274. https://doi.org/10.12705/661.36.
• Turland, Nicholas J., Kempa, M., Knapp, S., Senková, E., and Wiersema, John H. 2017. "XIX International Botanical Congress: Preliminary guiding mail vote on nomenclature proposals." Taxon, 66, (5) 995–1000. https://doi.org/10.12705/664.25.
• Turland, Nicholas J., Wiersema, John H., Monro, Anna M., Deng, Yun-Fei, and Zhang, Li. 2017. "XIX International Botanical Congress: Report of Congress action on nomenclature proposals." Taxon, 66, (5) 1234–1245. https://doi.org/10.12705/665.16.
• Wiersema, John H., Delprete, Piero G., Kirkbride, Joseph H., Jr., and Franck, Alan R. 2017. "A New Weed in Florida, Spermacoce latifolia , and the Distinction between S. alata and S. latifolia (Spermacoceae, Rubiaceae)." Castanea: The Journal of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society, 82, (2) 114–131. https://doi.org/10.2179/17-124.
• Wiersema, John H., May, T. W., and Turland, N. J. 2017. "Report on corrections and future considerations for Appendices II-VIII of the International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi, and Plants." Taxon, 66 772–775. https://doi.org/10.12705/663.38.
• Yang, Y., Zhu, X. -Y, and Wiersema, John H. 2017. "Nomenclature notes on Phoebe chekiangensis (Lauraceae)." Taxon, 66 165–166. https://doi.org/10.12705/661.10.
• Greuter, Werner, Turland, Nicholas J., and Wiersema, John H. 2016. "A proposal relating to infraspecific names (Article 24)." Taxon, 65, (4) 905–906. https://doi.org/10.12705/654.36.
• Greuter, Werner, Wiersema, John H., and Turland, Nicholas J. 2016. "Proposals relating to the valid publication of new combinations, names at new rank, and replacement names (Article 41)." Taxon, 65, (4) 911–912. https://doi.org/10.12705/654.41.
• Khoury, Colin K., Achicanoy, Harold A., Bjorkman, Anne D., Navarro-Racines, Carlos, Guarino, Luigi, Flores-Palacios, Ximena, Engels, Johannes M. M., Wiersema, John H., Dempewolf, Hannes, Sotelo, Steven, Ramírez-Villegas, Julian, Castañeda-Álvarez, Nora P., Fowler, Cary, Jarvis, Andy, Rieseberg, Loren H., and Struik, Paul C. 2016. "Origins of food crops connect countries worldwide." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 283, (1832). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.0792.
• McNeill, John, Shaw, Julian M. H., and Wiersema, John H. 2016. "Proposal to preclude homonymy of generic names with names of intergeneric graft-hybrids (chimaeras)." Taxon, 65, (5) 1198–1199. https://doi.org/10.12705/655.39.
• Sun, Tiantian, Wiersema, John, and Yang, Yong. 2016. "Correcting the type designations of Caryodaphnopsis baviensis and C. laotica (Lauraceae)." Phytotaxa, 270, (3) 227. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.270.3.8.
• Wiersema, John H. 2016. "Proposal to provide a more direct definition of the term "gathering"." Taxon, 65, (5) 1186–1186. https://doi.org/10.12705/655.32.
• Wiersema, John H. and Gandhi, Kanchi N. 2016. "Proposals to add Gerard, Fl. Gallo-Prov. 1761, Kramer, Elench. Veg. 1756, and Miller, Gard. Dict. Abr. ed. 4. 1754 to the list of suppressed works in Appendix VI." Taxon, 65, (3) 638–639. https://doi.org/10.12705/653.23.
• Wiersema, John H. and Gandhi, Kanchi N. 2016. "Proposals to amend Articles 32.2, 23.5, and 24.2 to clarify the treatment of transcribed Greek terminations of epithets." Taxon, 65, (5) 1195–1196. https://doi.org/10.12705/655.37.
• Wiersema, John H. and Greuter, Werner. 2016. "A proposal concerning the valid publication of suprageneric "autonyms"." Taxon, 65, (3) 652–652. https://doi.org/10.12705/653.33.
• Wiersema, John H., Greuter, Werner, and McNeill, John. 2016. "Some proposals to resolve problems relating to the conservation or rejection of names, suppression of works, and binding decisions." Taxon, 65, (3) 642–646. https://doi.org/10.12705/653.26.
• Wiersema, John H., McNeill, John, Turland, Nicholas J., Orli, Sylvia S., and Wagner, Warren L. 2015. "The foundation of the Melbourne Code Appendices: Announcing a new paradigm for tracking nomenclatural decisions." Taxon, 64, (5) 1021–1027. https://doi.org/10.12705/645.11.
• Dorr, Laurence J. and Wiersema, John H. 2010. "Proposals to reject twelve names emanating from Loefling's Iter Hispanicum (1758), Ayenia sidiformis (Malvaceae), Cofer (Symplocaceae), Cruzeta and C. hispanica (Amaranthaceae), Edechia inermis and E. spinosa (Rubiaceae), Justicia putata (Acanthaceae), Menais and M. topiaria (? Boraginaceae), Muco (Capparaceae), Samyda parviflora (Salicaceae), and Spermacoce suffruticosa (Rubiaceae)." Taxon, 59, (4) 1280–1282.
• Dorr, Laurence J. and Wiersema, John H. 2010. "Names of American vascular plants published in Loefling's Iter Hispanicum (1758) and its German translation (1766)." Taxon, 59, (4) 1245–1262.
• Dorr, Laurence J. and Wiersema, John H. 2010. "Typification of names of American species of vascular plants proposed by Linnaeus and based on Loefling's Iter Hispanicum (1758)." Taxon, 59, (5) 1571–1577.
• Nicolson, Dan H. and Wiersema, John H. 2004. "Proposal to conserve Sesamum indicum against Sesamum orientale (Pedaliaceae)." Taxon, 53 210–211.
• Gandhi, K. N., Wiersema, John H., and Soreng, Robert J. 2001. "(1479) Proposal to conserve the name Bouteloua gracilis (Kunth) Griffiths against B. gracilis Vasey (Poaceae)." Taxon, 50, (2) 573–575.
• Soreng, Robert J., Terrell, Edward E., Wiersema, John H., and Darbyshire, S. J. 2001. "Proposal to conserve the name Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort. against Schedonorus arundinaceus Roem. & Schult. (Poaceae: Poeae)." Taxon, 50 915–917.
• Wagstaff, D. J., Wiersema, John H., and Lellinger, David B. 1999. "Poisonous plant vouchers." Veterinary and human toxicology, 51 162–164.
• Wiersema, John H., Hill, S. R., and Terrell, Edward E. 1986. "The USDA Plant Nomenclature File." American Journal of Botany, 73 795.

Dataset

• Roestel, Jessica A., Wiersema, John H., Jansen, Robert K., Borsch, Thomas, and Gruenstaeudl, Michael. 2023. [Dataset] On the importance of correct DNA sequence alignment in plastid phylogenomics – an example from revisiting the relationships of the water lilies. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.7860937.

Book Chapter

• Wiersema, John H. and Leon, B. 2016. "The GRIN Taxonomy crop wild relative inventory." In Capturing wild relative and landrace diversity for crop improvement.. Maxted, N., Dulloo, M. E., and Ford-Lloyd, B. V., editors. 453–457. CAB International. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781780646138.0453.

Book

• Wiersema, John H., McNeill, J., Turland, N. J., Barrie, F. R., Buck, W. R., Demoulin, V., Greuter, W., Hawksworth, D. L., Herendeen, P. S., Knapp, S., Marhold, K., Prado, J., Prud'homme van Reine, W. F., and Smith, G. F., editors. 2015. International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Melbourne Code) adopted by the Eighteenth International Botanical Congress Melbourne, Australia, July 2011. Appendices II-VIII. Königstein, Germany: Koeltz Scientific Books. In Regnum vegetabile v. 157.