INTRODUCTION
Dr. Carlsward’s research interests incorporate techniques of plant anatomy and morphology to study plant evolution. The primary goal of her research is to use phylogenetics as a foundation for studying character evolution of plant structure. Most of Dr. Carlsward’s research has focused on the orchid family (Orchidaceae), but she has experience with many other plant families. During her graduate research career, she worked extensively with the economically important Vanda tribe, which includes species like the (Dendrophylax lindenii). Currently, she is working on collaborative projects examining the vegetative and floral anatomy of Aeridinae, Dichaea, Lockhartia, Oncidiinae, Scaphosepalum, and Sobralieae.
Students interested in gaining hands-on experience with plant structure and evolutionary questions should contact Dr. Carlsward about current research opportunities.
My EIU Story
Student Projects
Graduate Students
- Cole Tilford (Fall 2023): A survey of diatom assemblages of North Dakota: Identification, enumeration, and assessment of stream health with environmental variables
- Sam Eident (Fall 2017): Comparative leaf anatomy of CAM, C3, and weak CAM species in Oncidiinae (Orchidaceae)
- Laura Brauer (Summer 2010-2011): Comparative leaf anatomy and systematics of Badiera and related genera (Polygalaceae)
Undergraduate Students
- Nick Cheney (Honors Thesis, Spring 2024): The impact of cervid herbivory on industrial fiber hemp in east central Illinois
- Frida Chavez (Honors Thesis, Summer 2023): Structural causes of variegation in nine families of angiosperms
- Stephanie May (Honors Thesis, Fall 2019): Polyploidy and leaf structure in Kosteletzkya (Malvaceae)
- Kelly Clark (Honors Thesis, Spring 2019): Epidermal structure in leaves of angraecoid orchids and its evolutionary implications
- Hunter Levingston (Honors Thesis, Spring 2019): Foliar anatomy and phylogenetics in Aeridinae, an Asian subtribe of orchids
- Heather Wilber (Honors Thesis, Spring 2014): Comparative vegetative anatomy of Polygaleae (Polygalaceae)
- Sarah Schlund (Honors Thesis, Spring 2013): Puccinia mariae-wilsoniae and Claytonia virginica: a pathogen's tale
- Maggie Bland & Jamie Herget (Spring 2012): Leaf anatomy of diploid and polyploid Kosteletzkya (Malvaceae)
- Kein Stanley (Fall 2012): Vegetative anatomy of Aeridinae (Vandeae, Orchidaceae)
- Alison Faller (Spring 2011): Foliar epidermal anatomy of Oncidiinae (Orchidaceae)
- Mitch Quill (Spring 2011): Sequence variation in DNA barcoding regions for widespread taxa in eastern North America
- Levi Cole (Spring 2010) & Lisa Ford (Fall 2010): Peduncle anatomy of Scaphosepalum (Orchidaceae)
- Cassie Eischeid (Summer 2009) & Brad Daugherty (Fall 2009): Ecological anatomy of exotic plant species in the Buell-Small Succession Study, New Jersey
- Jessica Leathers (Spring 2009) & Anthony Tate (Fall 2007): Comparative floral anatomy of Maxillaria s.l. and related genera (Orchidaceae)
Education & Training
Ph.D., Botany, University of Florida, 2004
M.S., Botany, University of Florida, 1996
B.S., Physics, University of Florida, 1994
Conference Presentations
Levingston H and BS Carlsward. 2019. Foliar anatomy and phylogenetics of Aeridinae, an Asian Subtribe of Orchids. 海角大神 Student Research and Creative Discovery Conference, Charleston, Illinois.
Levingston H and BS Carlsward. 2018. Leaf anatomy of Aeridinae (Vandeae, Orchidaceae). Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science, Decatur, Illinois.
Clark K and BS Carlsward. 2018. Epidermal anatomy of Angraecinae (Vandeae, Orchidaceae). Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science, Decatur, Illinois.
Slaven IS and BS Carlsward. 2015. Examination of failure of fibers from synthetic rope with foreign inclusions using polarized light microscopy. International Technical Rescue Symposium, Portland, Oregon.
Simo-Droissart M, B Sonké, C Micheneau, SV Droissart, G Plunkett, PP Lowry, O Hardy, M Edwards, BS Carlsward, and T Stévart. 2014. Taxonomy and phylogenetic study of two Angraecum sections (Orchidaceae) in continental Africa. Twentieth Congress of The Association for the Taxonomic Study of The Flora of Tropical Africa, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Stévart T, C Micheneau, M Simo-Droissart, V Droissart, LI Porter, S Verlynde, D Geerinck, P Descouvieres, B Sonke, O Hardy, M Edwards, BS Carlsward, and G Plunkett. 2013. New insights into developing a natural generic taxonomy of the Continental African angraecoid orchids. Fifth International Orchid Conservation Congress, Saint-Denis, La Reunion.
Abbott JR, KM Neubig, and BS Carlsward. 2013. Synopsis of Badiera (Polygalaceae), a Caribbean clade of shrubs. Annual Meeting of the Botanical Societies, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Abbott JR, KM Neubig, and BS Carlsward. 2013. Further insight into the disintegration of the polyphyletic mess that was Polygala s.l. (Polygalaceae). Annual Meeting of the Botanical Societies, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Endara L and BS Carlsward. 2013. Anatomical characterization of warts on Scaphosepalum (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae). Annual Meeting of the Botanical Societies, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Wilber H, BS Carlsward, and JR Abbott. 2013. Leaf anatomy and systematics of Polygaleae (Polygalaceae). Annual Meeting of the Botanical Societies, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Carlsward BS and K Stanley. 2013. Vegetative anatomy of Aerides alliance (Vandeae, Orchidaceae). Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science, Jacksonville, Illinois.
Schlund SA, AS Methven, and BS Carlsward. 2013. Puccinia mariae-wilsoniae and Claytonia virginica: a pathogen's tale. Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science, Jacksonville, Illinois.
Carlsward, BS. 2012. Vegetative anatomy of Orchidaceae. Annual Meeting of the Botanical Societies, Columbus, Ohio.
Bland M, BS Carlsward, and SJ Meiners. 2012. Comparative foliar anatomy of Kosteletzkya (Malvaceae). Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science, Galesburg, Illinois.
Brauer L and BS Carlsward. 2011. Rehydration techniques for herbarium-dried leaf tissue of Badiera. Annual Meeting of the Botanical Societies, St. Louis, Missouri.
Eident SA and BS Carlsward. 2011. Comparative leaf anatomy of C3 and CAM species in Oncidiinae (Maxillarieae, Orchidaceae). Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science, Charleston, Illinois.
Carlsward BS and KM Neubig. 2010. Vegetative anatomy of Sobralieae (Orchidaceae). Annual Meeting of the Botanical Societies, Providence, Rhode Island.
Abbott JR, BS Carlsward, KM Neubig, WS Judd, WM Whitten, and NH. Williams. 2010. The disintegration of Polygala (Polygalaceae), with four new genera for the flora of North America. Annual Meeting of the Botanical Societies, Providence, Rhode Island.
Carlsward BS, WS Judd, MJ Donoghue, DE Soltis, and PS Soltis. 2009. Character evolution among the dirty dozen angiosperm clades: examples from the Campanulidae and Saxifragales. Challenges Posed by Large Data Sets in Assembling the Plant and Fungal Trees of Life Symposium. Annual Meeting of the Botanical Societies, Snowbird, Utah.
Jernegan M, J Coons, BS Carlsward, N Coutant, and HR Owen. 2009. Structural and physiological adaptations of Physaria ludoviciana (silvery bladderpod; Brassicaceae) to sand prairie conditions. Annual Meeting of the Botanical Societies, Snowbird, Utah.
Leathers J and BS Carlsward. 2009. Calyx anatomy of Maxillariinae (Orchidaceae). Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science, Edwardsville, Illinois.
Klaus I and BS Carlsward. 2009. Comparative in vitro micropropagation and vegetative structure of Aeridinae (Orchidaceae). Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science, Edwardsville, Illinois.
Neubig KM, WM Whitten, BS Carlsward, MA Blanco, L Endara, NH Williams, and M Moore. 2008. Phylogenetic utility of ycf1 in orchids: an underappreciated plastid DNA region. Annual Meeting of the Botanical Societies, Vancouver, Canada.
Tate A, BS Carlsward, and WM Whitten. 2008. Perianth Anatomy of Maxillaria and related genera (Orchidaceae). Annual Meeting of the Botanical Societies, Vancouver, Canada.
Tate A and BS Carlsward. 2008. Perianth Anatomy of Maxillaria and related genera (Orchidaceae). Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science, Champaign, Illinois.
Carlsward BS, SR Manchester, and WS Judd. 2006. Angiosperm AToL stamen and pollen morphology: preliminary observations. Annual Meeting of the Botanical Societies, Chico, California, USA.
Micheneau C, BS Carlsward, MF Fay, T Pailler, and MW Chase. 2006. Implications of plant-pollinator interactions in floral trait evolution: a case study from subtribe Angraecinae (Vandeae, Orchidaceae) on Reunion Island (Mascarene Archipelago, Indian Ocean). Annual Meeting of the Botanical Societies, Chico, California, USA.
Publications
*Linked publications below can be downloaded for free from The Keep. For reprints of any other publication, please contact Barbara Carlsward directly.
Aryal, P, SJ Meiners, and BS Carlsward. 2020. Ectomycorrhizae determine chestnut seedling growth and stress response. Agroforestry Systems 2020: 1-10.
Luo J, SJ Meiners, and BS Carlsward. 2019. Patterns of VA mycorrhizal colonization in a successional plant community. The American Midland Naturalist 182: 12-26.
Karki NP, BS Carlsward, A. Maia. 2018. Histological c