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Dr. Lena Struwe is the Director of the Chrysler Herbarium, the former Faculty Director of Rutgers Gardens, and tenured Professor at Rutgers University, where she is in charge of research programs focused on global plant diversity, botanical education and factual accuracy, and science and perceptions of weeds. Her courses include plant diversity and evolution, nature journaling, and (soon) biodiversity collections. She is the recipient of several national teaching awards and is the creator of the blog Botanical Accuracy and the website BotanyDepot.
Contact information
e-mail: lena.struwe@rutgers.edu
office phone: 848-932-6343
Mailing address and office: 237 Foran Hall, Cook Campus, Rutgers University, 59 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Profile links:
Research interests
Evolutionary history, biodiversity, and biogeography of angiosperms, especially gentians (Gentianaceae) and relatives in Gentianales; Neotropical historical biogeography and its relationship to ecological niche evolution; European and North American flora and its indigenous and non-native components and floristic change over time, focused largely on weeds and urban plants; contemporary ethnobotany (especially medicinal and edible plants; global evolution and human perceptions and uses of weeds); dandelion biology and symbolism in contemporary society; education in formal and informal settings of plant biodiversity and botany on local to global scales; biodiversity exploration by community scientists and students.
Mission statement
I use field and lab-based biological and ethnobotanical scientific research methods to study wild plants and their evolution and interactions with humans in natural areas, cities, and our homes and classrooms in order to understand the intersection of biodiversity, evolution, education, and human communication in contemporary society, improve botanical accuracy and literacy, and provide enhanced plant diversity knowledge worldwide – from the scientists to the people.
Elevator Pitch
I work on the species diversity of plants and the co-evolution between plants, humans, and their environment, from geologically ancient times to recent climatic changes, global trade, land use shifts. I study how plants of the world evolve and interact with humans’ needs and wants, from wild species in the rainforest to dandelions in your lawn and herbal medicines at your supermarket. I do my research in wilderness areas as well as in parking lots and home gardens to understand why plant species are where they are, how they got there, how they evolved and still evolve, where they will go next, how they can be used, and finally, and not the least, what they mean for you and what you mean for them.