WELCOME NOTE

Issue 72: From the Editors

Leonardo Borges (Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Brazil) & Stephen Boatwright (University of the Western Cape, South Africa)

with contributions by Brian du Preez (University of Cape Town, South Africa) & Marcus Falcão (Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

The Bean Bag has been in existence for more that 50 years, and was started on the initiative of Charles (Bob) Gunn and Richard Cowan in 1975, with the first printed issue distributed in May 1975. As an annual newsletter, it aims to keep legume researchers informed about new publications, events and projects focused on the systematics of the family Leguminosae. In the current global turmoil and unrest, it is wonderful to have this constant that keeps us connected as a global legume community.

Bean Bag Number 72 reports on diverse aspects of another productive year of global legume systematics research. It includes an overview of 50 years of Bean Bags, an important announcement on the next International Legume Conference (ILC), reports from working groups within the community, a student digest, portraits of two leguminologists, a book review, spotlight on one botanical artist, new legume species highlights from 2025, and the annual compilation of legume literature in the 2025 bibliography. As usual, there are also many spectacular photos of legumes in this issue.

We are very grateful to Colin Hughes for preparing the Bean Bag overview and particularly the new species highlights; Anne Bruneau, Bente Klitgaard, Colin Hughes, and Vidal Mansano for the Gallery of Leguminologists; Anne Bruneau for contributing the book review; Thiago Cobra e Monteiro for the Student Digest; the various coordinators of working groups for their update reports; and those who shared the beautiful photos and artwork illustrating this issue. We also thank Carole Sinou for assistance with posting the Bean Bag to the Legume Data Portal; Gwilym Lewis at Kew for reviewing parts of this issue and facilitating the archiving of the Bean Bag in the Kew Research Repository.

Finally, a word of appreciation to the legume community at large. As can be seen by the number of new species and articles in the bibliography, research on legumes is alive and well, and thriving despite the many challenges that research faces globally today. It is exciting to start preparing for another ILC, where we can meet as a community and spend a few days exploring our shared love of legumes.

To read more recent BB issues, visit the Legume Data Portal.

A complete list of issues of the BB (since 1975 are available via the Kew Research Repository.

To receive new volume notifications and eventual information of interest to the legume community, join the BB email group and don’t forget to keep an eye on the Legume Data Portal, which also posts news items of interest to the legume community.

Cover image: Flowering branch of Mimosa blanchetii Bentham. The species occurs mainly in campo rupestre sites within the Caatinga Domain in Bahia, Brazil. Photo: Domingos Cardoso.

A praying mantis embushes a bee visiting the inflorescence of Mimosa bombycina Barneby in Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Photo by Monique Maianne.