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Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Robert Soreng

Research Associate

I am principally interested in grasses (fam. Poaceae), and specialize in the taxonomy of cool season grasses (Pooideae), particularly the genus Poa (ca. 500 species world-wide).  Having spent 8 years conducting molecular research on relationships among grasses at family, subfamily, tribal and genus levels, I now am able to devote my time to the study these plants in the herbarium and the field, while continuing to collaborate with colleagues on molecular studies. Poa possibly has the most variation in breeding systems of any genus of plants, and I study this variation to better assess the nature of species in this genus.  I also specialize in grass nomenclature and help to maintain and update the grass data in TROPICOS (Missouri Bot. Gards. taxonomic database).

Department / Division
Botany
Education
  • BS, Oregon State University, 1978
  • MS, New Mexico State Universtity, 1980
  • PhD, New Mexico State University, 1986
Publications
Journal Article
Book Chapter
  • Soreng, Robert J. 2025. "Poa Blue Grass." In Jepson eFlora. 13 ed. Baldwin, Bruce, editor. Berkeley, California: University of California, Berkeley. In Revision 13 2025.
  • Finot, Victor L., Giussani, Lililana M., and Soreng, Robert J. 2022. "Poa L." In Poaceae (I-Z). Finot, Victor L., editor. 821–916. Concepcion: Universidad de Concepcion. In Flora de Chile, 6 (1).
  • Finot, Victor L., Soreng, Robert J., Giussani, Lililana M., and Romina, Muñoz. 2022. "Nicoraepoa." In Poaceae (I-Z). Finot, Victor L., editor. 721–732. Concepcion: Universidad de Concepcion. In Flora de Chile, 6 (1).
  • Giussani, L. M., Anton, Ana M., Negritto, M. A., Romanutti, A. A., and Soreng, Robert J. 2012. "Poa L." In Monocotyledoneae. Poaceae: Aristiodoideae a Pharoideae. Zuloaga, Fernando O., Rúgolo de Agrasar, Zulma E., and Anton, Ana M., editors. 284–339. Córdoba: Graficamenta Ediciones. 3 in Flora Argentina: Flora Vascular de la República Argentina.
  • Peterson, Paul M., Soreng, Robert J., and Smith, S. F. 2012. "Poaceae." In Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro and Strong, Mark T., editors. 714–766. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution. In Smithsonian Contributions to Botany, 98. (https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.98.1)
  • Soreng, Robert J. 2012. "Clave de los Generos de Pooideae." In Monocotyledoneae. Poaceae: Pooideae. Zuloaga, Fernando O., Rúgolo de Agrasar, Zulma E., and Anton, Ana M., editors. 25–31. Córdoba: Graficamenta Ediciones. 3 in Flora Argentina: Flora Vascular de la República Argentina.
  • Soreng, Robert J. 2012. "Tribu Poeae R. Br." In Monocotyledoneae. Poaceae: Pooideae. Zuloaga, Fernando O., Rúgolo de Agrasar, Zulma E., and Anton, Ana M., editors. 97–102. Córdoba: Graficamenta Ediciones. 3 in Flora Argentina: Flora Vascular de la República Argentina.
  • Soreng, Robert J. and Gillespie, L. J. 2012. "Nicoraepoa." In Monocotyledoneae. Poaceae: Pooideae. Zuloaga, Fernando O., Rúgolo de Agrasar, Zulma E., and Anton, Ana M., editors. 270–277. Córdoba: Graficamenta Ediciones. 3 in Flora Argentina: Flora Vascular de la República Argentina.
  • Gillespie, Lynn J., Soreng, Robert J., Paradis, L. Michel, and Bull, Roger D. 2010. "Phylogeny and reticulation in Poinae subtribal complex based on nrITS, ETS, and trnTLF data." In Diversity, Phylogeny, and Evolution in the Monocotyledons. Seberg, O., Peterson, G., Barfod, A., and Davis, J. I., editors. 589–617. Aarhus: Aarhus University Press.
  • Romaschenko, Konstantin, Peterson, Paul M., Soreng, Robert J., Garcia-Jacas, N., and Susanna, A. 2010. "Phylogenetics of Stipeae (Poaceae: Pooideae) based on plastid and nuclear DNA sequences." In Diversity, phylogeny, and evolution in the Monocotyledons. Seberg, O., Petersen, G., Barfod, A. S., and Davis, J. I., editors. 511–537. Aarhus, Denmark: Aarhus University Press.
  • Saarela, Jeffrey M., Liu, Qing, Peterson, Paul M., Soreng, Robert J., and Paszko, Beata. 2010. "Phylogenetics of the grass 'Aveneae-type plastid DNA clade' (Poaceae: Pooideae, Poeae) based on plastid and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequence data." In Diversity, phylogeny, and evolution in the Monocotyledons. Seberg, O., Petersen, G., Barfod, A. S., and Davis, J. I., editors. 557–587. Aarhus, Denmark: Aarhus University Press.
  • Soreng, Robert J., Bull, Roger D., and Gillespie, Lynn J. 2010. "Phylogeny and reticulation in Poa based on plastid trnTLF and nrITS sequences with attention to diploids." In Diversity, Phylogeny, and Evolution in the Monocotyledons. Seberg, O., Peterson, G., Barfod, A., and Davis, J. I., editors. 619–643. Aarhus: Aarhus University Press.
  • Soreng, Robert J. 2009. "8.10 Poa L." In Grasses of the Intermountain Region. Anderton, L. K. and Barkworth, Mary E., editors. 108–135. Logan, Utah: Intermountain Herbarium.
  • Peterson, Paul M. and Soreng, Robert J. 2007. "Systematics of California grasses (Poaceae)." In California grasslands: ecology and management. Stromberg, M. R., Corbin, J. D., and D'Antonio, C. M., editors. 7–20. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Soreng, Robert J. 2007. "Poa L." In Manual of Grasses for North America. Barkworth, Mary E., Anderton, L. K., Capels, K. M., Long, S., and Piep, M. B., editors. 112–141, 396-405, 521-523. Logan: Intermountain Herbarium and Utah State University Press.
  • Soreng, Robert J. 2007. "Poa L." In Flora of North America, Poaceae, part 1, vol. 24.. Barkworth, Mary E., Capels, K. M., Long, S. L., and Piep, M. B., editors. 486–601. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Liu, L., Zhu, G. H., Soreng, Robert J., and Olonova, M. V. 2006. "Poa." In Flora of China: Poaceae, Volume 22. Wu, Z. Y., Raven, Peter H., and Hong, De-Yuan, editors. 257–309. Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press.
  • Wu, Z. L., Lu, S. L., Liu, L., Zhu, G. H., Chen, S. L., Chen, X., Phillips, S. M., Soreng, Robert J., Aiken, S. G., Tzvelev, N. N., and Olonova, M. V. 2006. "Tribe Poeae." In Flora of China: Poaceae, Volume 22. Wu, Z. Y., Raven, Peter H., and Hong, De-Yuan, editors. 224–316.
  • Soreng, Robert J. 2002. "Poa L." In The Jepson Desert Manual: Vascular Plants of Southeastern California. Baldwin, Bruce G., Boyd, S., Ertter, B. J., Patterson, R. W., Rosatti, T. J., and Wilkin, D. H., editors. 593–595, 597. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Soreng, Robert J. 2001. "Poa." In Illustrated Flora of British Columbia. Douglas, G. W., Meidinger, D., and Pojar, J., editors. 224–257. Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management.
  • Soreng, Robert J. 2000. "Apomixis and amphimixis comparative biogeography: a study in Poa (Poaceae)." In Grasses: Systematics and Evolution: International Symposium on Grass Systematis and Evolution (3rd: 1998). Jacobs, W. L. and Everett, J., editors. 294–306.
  • Soreng, Robert J. and Davis, J. I. 2000. "Phylogenetic structure in Poaceae subfamily Pooideae as inferred from molecular and morphological characters: misclassification versus reticulation." In Grasses: Systematics and Evolution (International Symposium on Grass Systematics and Evolution (3rd: 1998). Jacobs, W. L. and Everett, J., editors. 61–74.
  • Grass Phylogeny Working Group, Barker, N. P., Clark, L. G., Davis, J. I., Duvall, M. R., Guala, Gerald F., Hsiao, C., Kellogg, E. A., Linder, H. P., Mason-Gamer, R., Mathews, S., Soreng, Robert J., and Spangler, R. 1998. "A Phylogeny of the Grass Family (Poaceae), as Inferred from Eight Cheracter Sets." In Grasses: Systematics and Evolution: International Symposium on Grass Systematics and Evolution (3rd: 1998). Jacobs, W. L. and Everett, J., editors. 3–7.
  • Soreng, Robert J. 1994. "Poa L." In The Vascular Plants of British Columbia, part 4. Douglas, G. D., Straley, G. B., and Meidinger, D., editors. 129–138.
  • Soreng, Robert J. 1993. "Poa L." In The Jepson Manual, Higher Plants of California. Hickman, J. C., editor. 1284–1291. University of California Press.
Book
Web Page / Electronic Publication