Thomas B. Croat, PhD

Thomas B. Croat, PhD

P.A. Schulze Curator of Botany and Researcher at the Missouri Botanical Garden, Honorary Adjunct Professor of Biology int the College of Arts & Sciences

My research interests involve the systematics, floristics and ecology of the family Araceae (philodendron family). Despite the great horticultural interest in the philodendron family and its importance as a major component of many tropical forests, the taxonomy of Araceae is extremely poorly known and the family still contains a high proportion of undescribed species. Thus, work at this stage consists primarily of recognizing and describing new species, writing descriptions and identification keys for tropical floras, and intensively studying certain groups.