SG logo A Singapore Government Agency Website
Purchase our 2025 calendar at our Gardens Shops before they sell out! Please note early closures in November as we conduct our annual stock take for our Gardens Shops. Sections of the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden is closed for upgrading works till 2nd half of 2024. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Research Staff

  2. Research
  3. Research Staff
  4. Dr Michele RODDA

Dr Michele RODDA

Image of Researcher, Dr Michele RODDA.

Email Address: MICHELE_RODDA@NPARKS.GOV.SG

 

Research Interests

My principal research interest is on the taxonomy and evolution of Apocynaceae subfamilies Asclepiadoideae, Periplocoideae and Secamonoideae in Southeast Asia and neighbouring regions, with a particular focus on Continental Southeast Asia and New Guinea.
In the past four years I have also started studying the diversity of herbaceous Urticaceae in Borneo, in particular the species-rich genus Elatostema.
I have participated in numerous field expeditions to Laos, Myanmar and Sarawak, aimed at increasing the collection density in lesser explored areas as well as to train local botanists in field collection techniques.

I also have a keen interest in botanical art and illustration and I have curated an exhibition on Nature Printing at the SBG Library of Botany & Horticulture (July 2019 – ongoing). A book on botanical illustration in Singapore is in preparation.


Current Research

  1. Revision of Apocynaceae subfamilies Asclepiadoideae, Periplocoideae and Secamonoideae for the Flora of Thailand, Flora of Peninsular Malaysia and Flora of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
  2. Revision of Urticaceae for the Flora of Singapore and the taxonomy and evolution of herbaceous Urticaceae of Borneo.
  3. The genus Hoya in New Guinea.
  4. Phylogeny of Marsdenieae, Periplocoideae and Secamonoideae.
  5. Curation of the SBG collections of botanical illustrations

 

Selected Publications

Camara-Leret, R. et al. [99 authors including Low, Y.W., Middleton, D.J. & Rodda, M.]. (2020). New Guinea has the world's richest flora. Nature 584: 579–583.

Rodda, M. (2020). Heterostemma carnosum (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae), a new species from Papua New Guinea. Taiwania 65: 326–328.
Rodda, M., Simonsson, N., Ercole, E., Khew, G., Niissalo, M., Rahayu, S. & Livshultz, T. (2020). Phylogenetic studies in the Hoya group (Apocynaceae, Marsdenieae): the position of Anatropanthus and Oreosparte. Willdenowia 50: 119–138.

Middleton, D.J. & Rodda, M. (2019). Apocynaceae. In: Middleton, D.J., Leong-Škorničkova, J. & Lindsay, S. (eds) Flora of Singapore, vol. 13, pp. 421–630. Singapore: National Parks Board. 

Rodda, M. (2019). Two new species and two new records of Marsdenia (Apocynaceae) from Thailand. Annales Botanici Fennici 57: 9–15.

Rodda, M. & Poopath, M. (2019). A new species of Telosma (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae) from Thailand. Phytotaxa 416: 238–242.

Rahayu, S. & Rodda, M. (2019). Hoya of Sumatra, an updated checklist, three new species, and a new subspecies. European Journal of Taxonomy 508: 1–23.
Rodda, M., Aung, M.M. & Armstrong, K. (2019). A new species, a new subspecies, and new records of Hoya (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae) from Myanmar and China. Brittonia 71: 424–434.

Rodda, M. (2019). A revision of Jasminanthes (Apocynaceae) with four new species from Borneo. Phytotaxa 405: 127–146.

Rodda, M. & Rahayu, S. (2018). A revision of the Hoya uncinata complex (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae), with description of a new species. Phytotaxa 383 (3): 252–258.
Rodda, M. & Monro, A.K. (2018). Elatostema muluense (Urticaceae), a new species from the extraordinary caves of Gunung Mulu National Park, Malaysia. Kew Bulletin 73: 41.

Rodda, M. (2017). Index of names and types of Hoya (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae) of Borneo. Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore 69(1): 33–65.

Simonsson Juhonewe, N. & Rodda, M. (2017). Contribution to a revision of Hoya (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae) of Papuasia. Part I: ten new species, one new subspecies and one new combination. Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore 69(1): 96–147

Rodda, M. (2016). Proposal to reject the name Stapelia cochinchinensis (Hoya cochinchinensis) (Apocynaceae). Taxon 65(6): 1430.

Lamb. A. & Rodda, M. (2016). A Guide to Hoyas of Borneo. Natural History Publications (Borneo). Kota Kinabalu. 204 pp.
Rodda, M. (2016). Taxonomy and typification of Hoya meliflua (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae). Phytotaxa 247: 287-291.

 

 

Our Other Websites

NParks logo City In Nature Image of the CUGE logo. Click on the logo to find out more. Image of GCF logo. Click on the logo to find out more.