Scientific Publications
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden publishes "Aliso: A Journal of Taxonomic and Evolutionary Botany" on a regular basis and occasional publications of Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden as needed to accommodate longer papers of special interest.
'Aliso'
First published in 1948, "Aliso" is the scientific journal of RSABG. It is devoted to the publication of original papers dealing with studies in taxonomic and evolutionary botany worldwide, as well as floristics and other facets of botanical research pertaining to the western United States and areas of comparable climate and vegetation. Submissions by scientists who are not affiliated with the Garden are welcome. The journal is named for the western sycamore (Platanus racemosa Nutt.), known to early Californians by its Spanish name, aliso. This tree is associated with the founding of Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.
"Aliso: A Journal of Taxonomic and Evolutionary Botany" recently published Volume 29, Issue 1, in Spring 2011.
Articles included are: (Note: RSABG authors are designated with bold font)
- Distribution and regional ecology of Californian palm oases interpreted from Google Earth Images. R. A. Minnich, E. Franco-Vizcaíno, and M. Salazar-Ceseña.
- Sinker structure of Phoradendron californicum (Viscaceae) confounds its presumed close relationship to other acataphyllous species. R. Schmid, C. L Calvin, and C. A. Wilson.
- Plants of the Colonet region, Baja California, Mexico, and a vegetation map of Colonet Mesa. A. B. Harper, S. Vanderplank, M. Dodero, S Mata, and J. Ochoa.
- Phylogenetic evaluation of series delimitations in section Palmata (Acer, Aceroideae Sapindaceae) based on sequences of nuclear and chloroplast genes. J. Li.
- Nomenclatural changes for some grasses in California. II. J. P. Smith, Jr. and J. T. Columbus.
- Ponderosa pine revisited. J. R. Haller and N. J. VivRtte.
- Wood Anatomy of family Salvadoraceae from the Indian Subcontinent with special reference to the ultrastructure of the vessel wall. V. Saxena and S. Gupta.
Click here for a PDF "Aliso" volume index and table of contents.
Monocots Comparative Biology and Evolution (excluding Poales) (Aliso, vol. 22, 2006). The first of two volumes of papers from the Third International Conference on the Comparative Biology of the Monocotyledons, held in 2003, is now available from Missouri Botanical Garden Press. The second volume (Aliso, vol. 23), Monocots: Comparative Biology and Evolution—Poales, was published 2007.
"A Second Summary of the Culture of California Plants at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, 1950-1970." Download the PDF. This is the follow up to the earlier "A Summary of the Culture of California Plants at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, 1927-1950" that was published by Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in 1957.
Submission of Manuscripts Publication in "Aliso" is currently free of page charges, and page limits are generous. We encourage submission of longer manuscripts that would suffer from length reduction. The large journal format and expertise of a dedicated state-of-the-art printer, Allen Press, facilitate high-quality illustrations. There is no backlog of manuscripts at this time. Instructions for contributors for manuscript preparation and submission may be 
downloaded here or requested from the editor-in-chief. Please check our website for recent modifications to instructions.
Subscriptions and Back Issues Inquiries concerning subscriptions, purchase of back issues, and exchanges should be addressed to Irene Holiman This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Occasional Publications Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden also publishes occasional publications designed for stand-alone articles on topics of special interest to botanists in Southern California. Authors considering publication in the occasional series are encouraged to correspond with the managing editor.
Recent Occasional Publication
"Processing Seeds of California Native Plants" by Michael Wall and John Macdonald was developed over a ten-year period by members of the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden Seed Conservation Program. This manual occupies a unique niche among seed publications because of its focus on the seed processing steps that precede - and are necessary for - successful propagation and long-term seed storage. It targets California native plants and plants native to northern Baja California, Mexico, but the general techniques will be applicable also to other physiologically or taxonomically related species. High quality, local-source germplasm collections are a critical resource for restoration, conservation, and the stewardship of our natural biological communities, and this publication was developed specifically for those working in these fields.
For more information, please call the RSABG library at (909) 625-8767 ext. 210.
Editorial Board
Vanessa E. T. M. Ashworth, Editor-in-Chief
Lucinda A. McDade, Managing Editor
Elizabeth A. Friar, Series Editor, Occasional Publications devoted to status reports on special status plants in California
Editorial Consultants: J. Travis Columbus, Elizabeth A. Friar and J. Mark Porter