Systematics & taxonomy
Species discovery, revisionary studies, nomenclature and integrative classification of African plant lineages.
A collaborative research network
Understanding the origin, diversity and future of African plants.
CARPEL connects researchers working across plant systematics, phylogenetics, evolution and biogeography to advance knowledge of Africa's extraordinary flora.
TaxonomyPhylogeneticsEvolutionBiogeographyCollectionsConservation
About CARPEL
Research built around African biodiversity.
CARPEL is envisioned as an international consortium for researchers, students, collections professionals and partner institutions studying the evolutionary history of African plants.
Our work integrates field botany, herbarium collections, morphology, molecular data, phylogenetic inference, spatial analysis and biodiversity informatics. The goal is to produce robust classifications, explain patterns of diversification and make evidence available for conservation and sustainable use.
See how the network worksResearch themes
From specimens to evolutionary history.
Interconnected research programmes designed to answer questions at species, lineage and continental scales.
Phylogenetics & genomics
Molecular and genomic evidence used to reconstruct relationships, date divergences and test evolutionary hypotheses.
Evolutionary biology
Trait evolution, diversification, pollination, reproductive biology and adaptation across contrasting environments.
Biogeography
Spatial and historical analyses of range evolution, floristic connections and continental-scale distribution patterns.
Collections & informatics
Herbarium-based research, digitisation, data mobilisation, specimen imaging and reproducible biodiversity workflows.
Conservation evidence
Evolutionary and distributional evidence translated into assessments, priority setting and conservation planning.
The consortium model
A platform for shared expertise, data and training.
CARPEL can support collaborative projects across institutions while maintaining clear authorship, specimen provenance, data governance and benefit sharing.
01
Connect. Match complementary expertise, collections and geographic coverage.
02
Build. Develop joint projects, training activities, datasets and grant proposals.
03
Share. Publish open, reproducible outputs whenever legal and ethical frameworks allow.
Open to collaboration
Researchers • collections • institutions • students
People & partners
A network shaped by complementary expertise.
Consortium leadership
Scientific direction, governance, project development and partnership coordination.
Add profilesResearch members
Taxonomists, evolutionary biologists, biogeographers, collection specialists and data scientists.
Add membersStudents & early-career researchers
Postgraduate projects, mentorship, methods training and collaborative publication opportunities.
Add projectsInstitutional partners
Universities, herbaria, botanical gardens, museums, conservation agencies and research networks.
Add institutionsPublications & resources
Research outputs designed to be discovered and reused.
This section can connect visitors to publications, datasets, specimen portals, protocols, teaching material and project repositories.
Join the network
Build the next African plant evolution project with us.
We welcome collaborations involving taxonomy, phylogenetics, collections, fieldwork, biodiversity data, student training and conservation applications.
Email CARPEL
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