Steven R. Manchester

Steven R. Manchester is the Curator of Paleobotany at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biology. He holds a Ph.D. in Paleobotany from Indiana University (1981), with additional degrees from Oregon State University. His research focuses on angiosperm evolution, particularly Northern Hemisphere families, integrating fossil evidence with modern phylogenetics. He has authored over 200 publications, including studies on Eocene floras, Cretaceous-Paleogene transitions, and collaborative projects across North America, Europe, and Asia. Notable work includes discoveries of extinct plant families and Arctic fossil walnuts.

Manchester’s research emphasizes multi-organ paleobotanical analyses, linking flowers, fruits, leaves, and wood to modern phylogenies. He has described new genera like Remberella and Pogonokardion, and his fieldwork spans regions from the High Arctic to the Tibetan Plateau. His educational contributions include courses in Paleobotany, Palynology, and Plant Geography.

Publications highlight studies on fossil floras from India, Peru, and the U.S., with recent focus on Cretaceous angiosperm origins and Eocene dispersal patterns. His work bridges paleobotanical data with modern biogeography, illuminating plant evolution across major geological epochs.