The deadline to submit a presentation for the 2026 annual in-person TORCH meeting has been extended to June 10th, 2026. Please use this form<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsrDfN9tqGjPevCHCamwGAPrDP2WQ1xVTlSxwwamqnP9WLMw/viewform__;!!GNU8KkXDZlD12Q!4jCQMl9MGRjpkBn9StMAiDSr6kBkHiN7w3NuOluvkHZY2ezjNb6IRyAAhmObjU7H3iQUnp7UoQPTOKFGUg86rQ$ [docs[.]google[.]com]> to submit a 5- or 15-minute talk or a poster.
The meeting will be July 8-10 at the University of Oklahoma Biological Station in Kingston, OK. You can register for the meeting here<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScA5AAZq31CYV4uR53chqL0FJVIxxVtEyfyO6YNiFBpfdrb5Q/viewform__;!!GNU8KkXDZlD12Q!4jCQMl9MGRjpkBn9StMAiDSr6kBkHiN7w3NuOluvkHZY2ezjNb6IRyAAhmObjU7H3iQUnp7UoQPTOKGwebFWyA$ [docs[.]google[.]com]>.
Sorry for the late reminder/notification! We have a TORCH Steering Committee meeting today at 10 am.
Here's the agenda: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ypdi_GevoHb0IDKkdoApR3Z4UaSHYnee/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104350415121385170544&rtpof=true&sd=true__;!!GNU8KkXDZlD12Q!6VNldPgJFiAsf6WdnQvsifh2DzLrulHpeHZdm6p92SWsvIzLkIe8uf9IwHwxBQaGzHMoHjPDbO4YUtWiQlEycA$ [docs[.]google[.]com]
And here's the meeting link: https://oklahoma.zoom.us/j/99269184142
Please consider providing your input on the TORCH Symbiota Portal, so Jason and I might best share your thoughts and concerns in preparation for a Symbiota Portal Managers Meeting (May 19-20 in San Luis Obispo, CA).
Complete this Google form<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGaocFGMlzRr97mn0upvJY1nnRMCvXvyUYqWiRvFDNfYzyYg/viewform?usp=header__;!!GNU8KkXDZlD12Q!-Kvqv4CS2A0EmJ-wQonra9tsaMOj-yTBJ9TKnEpBqn4_upx7sqLhvFjqG25WzLoX3XZrx1QJ0Kbnyx3cRd8$ [docs[.]google[.]com]> with your input (short URL: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://forms.gle/sK1UssdoGremxpcL6__;!!GNU8KkXDZlD12Q!-Kvqv4CS2A0EmJ-wQonra9tsaMOj-yTBJ9TKnEpBqn4_upx7sqLhvFjqG25WzLoX3XZrx1QJ0Kbn_p-K_1E$ [forms[.]gle]). If possible, please respond by Friday, May 15th.
This paper would not have possible without the tremendous group effort of the TORCH community. Thanks to those of you who participated in the digitization of TORCH collections. I hope you find the insights into the flora of Texas and Oklahoma interesting.
Thanks for sharing. This turned out well! It is interesting to see what might contribute most to the observed distribution and diversity patterns. The Edwards Plateau remains something of an enigma, but the presence of elevated numbers of uncommon species and endemics has been known for a long time. Other parts of the state could be explained in part as an edge affect (the margins of an area are more susceptible to influx of colonizers and fragmentation of ranges than the central portion. This makes the Edwards Plateau even more unusual. Of course the "edges" are political boundaries.
