University of Georgia Department of Plant Biology

Ph.D Plant Systematics, University of Florida 1991

As a modern systematist (morphology, anatomy, field work), I incorporate molecular data with revisionary work on the relationships of certain temperate lily-like plants, the Melanthiaceae, with particular focus on the taxa of tribe Melanthieae.

I also conduct floristic surveys in Georgia and neighboring states. Floristic inventories are an important function of the GA Herbarium. These are field-based studies comprising a plant survey of a natural area, resulting in a complete inventory including voucher specimens.

• Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Coastal Resources Division, “Plant Survey of the Lower Ogeechee River Corridor, a treasure of diverse coastal habitats in Bryan, Chatham, and Effingham Counties, Georgia,” W.B. Zomlefer [PI], 2011-2013, $ 30,705.
• National Science Foundation, ―Collaborative research: The GA-VSC Herbaria collaborative: phase I of a statewide consortium. W.B. Zomlefer [PI] & D. E. Giannasi [coPI] at UGA, R. Carter [PI] at VSU; 2011-2013; [$ 395,315 Total]; UGA: $ 198,255.
• National Park Service, ―Supplemental funding for costs of published reports. W.B. Zomlefer [PI], 2010-2012.
• Georgia Department of Natural Resources, ―Vascular flora and vegetation analysis of the South Atlantic Coastal Plain Limestone Forest.W. B. Zomlefer [PI] & P. Lynch [coPI], 2010-2011.
• UGA Faculty Research Grant, ―Imaging GA Herbarium collections: A pilot study. W.B. Zomlefer [PI], 2010-2011.
• National Science Foundation, Assembling the Tree of Life [AToL], “Collaborative Research – From Acorus to Zingiber: Assembling the phylogeny of the monocots,” 2008-2013.
• National Park Service, “Plant specimen curation and publication of baseline inventories for Ocmulgee National Monument and Congaree National Park,” 2009-2012
• Georgia Botanical Society, “Vascular plant flora and vegetation analysis of Georgia south Atlantic coastal plain limestone forests,” 2009-2010.
• Georgia Native Plant Society, “Vascular plant flora and vegetation analysis of Georgia south Atlantic coastal plain limestone forest,” 2009-2010.
• Georgia Botanical Society, “The state of herbaria in Georgia,” 2008-2010.
• Georgia Native Plant Society, “Georgia’s herbaria,” 2008-2010.
• National Park Service, “Floristic quality index and plant attribute database development for SECN parks,” 2008-2009.

• GAIA Award of Excellence in Botanical Illustration and Research (Florida Society of Botanical Artists, 2009).
• Author and illustrator of the reference Guide to Flowering Plant Families (1994).

• Zomlefer, W.B., D.E. Giannasi, A. Reynolds, & K. Heiman. 2011. Vascular plant flora of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, a corridor from the Buford Dam to Atlanta, Georgia. Rhodora 113(956): in press.
• Zomlefer, W.B., D.E. Giannasi, M.W. Denslow, D.B. Poindexter, & P. Ball. 2011. Noteworthy collections: Georgia. Castanea 76(2): 197-189.
• Zomlefer, W.B. & L.M. Kruse. 2011. Addendum to the flora of Cumberland Island National Seashore, Camden County, Georgia. Castanea 76(2): 183-186.
• Givnish, T J., et al. 2010. Assembling the tree of the monocotyledons: Plastome phylogeny and the evolution of Poales. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 97: 584-616.
• McNeal, D.W. & W.B. Zomlefer. 2010. Documentation of the chromosome number for the California endemic, Toxicoscordion exaltatum (Liliales: Melanthiaceae). Madroño 57(3): 180-183.
• Zomlefer, W.B. 2010. Survey of the herbaria of Georgia. Tipularia (Journal of the Georgia Botanical Society) 25: 32-40.
• Echols, S.L. & W.B. Zomlefer. 2010. Vascular plant flora of the remnant blackland prairies in Oaky Woods Wildlife Management Area, Houston County, Georgia. Castanea 75(1): 78-100.
• Zomlefer, W. B., W.S. Judd, & K.N. Gandhi. 2010. (1928) Proposal to conserve the name Veratrum against Melanthium (Melanthiaceae). Taxon 59:644–645.
• Zomlefer, W. B., D. E. Giannasi &, S. L. Echols. 2010. Vascular plant flora of Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park, Cobb County, Georgia. Southeastern Naturalist 9(1):129-164.
• Zomlefer, W.B. & W.S. Judd. 2009. A recombination of Anticlea elegans (Melanthiaceae). Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 3(1): 159-160.
• Zomlefer, W. B., D. E. Giannasi, K. A. Bettinger, S. L. Echols, & L. M. Kruse. 2008. Floristic survey of Cumberland Island National Seashore, Camden County, Georgia. Castanea 73: 29-60.
• Zomlefer, W. B. & W. S. Judd. 2008. Two new species of Schoenocaulon (Liliales: Melanthiaceae) from Mexico supported by ITS sequence data. Systematic Botany 33(1): 117-124.

• American Society of Botanical Artists,
• American Society of Plant Taxonomists,
• Botanical Society of America,
• Georgia Botanical Society,
• Georgia Native Plant Society,
• Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance,
• Natural Science Collections Alliance,
• International Association for Plant Taxonomy,
• Society of Herbarium Curators,
• Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections,
• Southern Appalachian Botanical Society,