Research Interests:

Conservation biology is a very multi-faceted discipline.  I apply the tools of systematics to plant conservation--that is, the central focus of my work is the discovery, taxonomic circumscription, and monography of plants, and the subsequent development of applied resources that facilitate their identification and communication of information about them.  Taxonomic understanding is an obligate prerequisite for any conservation work, guiding everything from rapid bioinventory, to official listing, species-specific biological inquiry, or management decisions.  To document and understand plant diversity is Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (Convention for Biological Diversity).  Associated with this work, I serve on the NC DACS Plant Conservation Scientific Committee--the state body charged with reviewing and recommending to the Board, species for state listing, as well as significant natural areas for state acquisition.

I welcome students interested in pursuing graduate degrees particularly in systematics and floristics.  Our program has a rich history of contributing to the knowledge of the flora of the Southeast through floristic inventories undertaken as M.S. theses.  Students interested in pursuing careers with environmental consultancies, non-governmental organizations like The Nature Conservancy, state agencies, or natural heritage programs have been well placed with such experience.  I prefer students interested in systematics to work on New World groups or those invasive in the Southeast, because of the great needs and the obvious advantage of location, but am flexible.

Selected Publications:
Books:

Krings, A.  Accepted.  Manual of the vascular flora of Nags Head Woods (Outer Banks, North Carolina).  New York Botanical Garden Press, New York.

Krings, A. and R.R. Braham.  2005.  Guide to tendrillate climbers of Costa Rican mountains.  Blackwell Publishing, Ames.  [read a review] [more info]

Publications in peer-reviewed journals:

Krings, A., D.T. Thomas, and Q.-Y. (J.) Xiang.  2008.  On the generic circumscription of Gonolobus (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae): Evidence from molecules and morphology.  Systematic Botany 33: 403-415.

Krings, A.  2007.  Novelties in Gonolobus (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae) from the Lesser Antilles.  Systematic Botany 32: 180-194.

Krings, A. and A.C. Saville.  2007.  Two new species and three lectotypifications in the Ibatia-Matelea complex (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae) from northern South America.  Systematic Botany 32: 862-871.

Krings, A.  2006.  Distribution and phenology of Gonolobus suberosus (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae) and its varieties in North America.  Vulpia 5: 24-40.  [View article]

Krings, A.  2006.  Four novelties and a lectotypification in Matelea (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae) from Hispaniola.  Sida 22: 941-953.  [View article]

Krings, A. and P.R. Fantz.  2006.  Notes on types in Apocynaceae - Asclepiadoideae in Cuban herbaria and four lectotypifications in West Indian Gonolobinae.  Sida 22: 533-537.  [View article]

Krings, A. and R.J. Richardson.  2006.  Cayratia japonica (Vitaceae) new to North Carolina and an updated key to the genera of Vitaceae in the Carolinas.  Sida 22: 813-815.  [View article]

Krings, A.  2005.  Lectotypification and a new combination in Matelea (Apocynaceae - Asclepiadoideae) for an endemic Hispaniolan vine.  Sida 21: 2081-2085.  [View article]

Krings, A.  2005.  A new species of Matelea (Apocynaceae - Asclepiadoideae) from Hispaniola.  Sida 21: 1519-1523.  [View article]

Krings, A.  2005.  Notes on the Matelea bayatensis-correllii-tigrina complex (Apocynaceae - Asclepiadoideae - Gonolobinae) in the Greater Antilles and Bahamas.  Sida 21: 1525-1533.  [View article]

Krings, A.  2005.  A new combination in Matelea (Apocynaceae - Asclepiadoideae) for an endemic Jamaican vine.  Sida 21: 1515-1517.  [View article]

Krings, A.  2005.  Typification of Ceropegia palustris Pursh and Lyonia maritima Elliott (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae).  Sida 21: 1507-1513.  [View article]

Krings, A.  2005.  The flora of Nags Head Woods and the Outer Banks of North Carolina: Additions and corrections.  J NC Acad. Sci. 121 (3): 111-116.

Krings, A. and Q.-Y. Xiang.  2005.  Taxonomy of the Gonolobus complex (Apocynaceae - Asclepiadoideae) in the southeastern US: ISSR evidence and parsimony analysis.  Harvard Papers in Botany 10: 147-159.

Krings, A., F. Areces Berazaín, and J.C. Lazcano Lara.  2005.  New and rediscovered milkweeds from Cuba: Calotropis gigantea and Gonolobus stephanotrichus (Apocynaceae - Asclepiadoideae).  Willdenowia 35: 315-318.

Krings, A., A.S. Weakley, J.C. Neal, and E.C. Swab.  2005.  Ranunculus ficaria (Ranunculaceae) new to North Carolina and an updated key to Carolina congeners.  Sida 21: 2429-2437.  [View article]

Krings, A., AJ Harris, F.M. Inman, E. Lee, and A.R. Richardson.  2005.  An annotated catalogue of the Bertram Whittier Wells Big Savannah (Pender Co., North Carolina) collections in the North Carolina State University Herbarium.  Vulpia 4: 52-67.  [View article]

Krings, A.  2004.  Abaxial foliar vestiture of Desmodium Desv. (Fabaceae) in North Carolina and vegetative recognition of the species.  Vulpia 3: 140-172.  [View article]

Krings, A. and C. Franklin.  2004.  An annotated, preliminary checklist of the vascular flora of Camp Butner, North Carolina.  Sida 21: 1131-1139.

Krings, A. and Q.-Y. Xiang.  2004.  The Gonolobus complex (Apocynaceae - Asclepiadoideae) in the southeastern United States.  Sida 21: 103-116.  [View article]

Krings, A.  2003.  Typification and nomenclatural history of Trachelospermum difforme (Apocynaceae).  Sida 20: 1641-1644.

Krings, A.  2003.  Contributions to the flora of Nags Head Woods, I: Key to the trees and shrubs.  Vulpia 2: 1-14.  [View article]

Krings, A.  2003.  Contributions to the flora of Nags Head Woods, II: Key to the vines.   Vulpia 2: 15-22. [View article]

Krings, A.  2003.  Exsiccatae of Carolina Richardia (Rubiaceae) studied in an analysis of floral variation.  Vulpia 2: 77-80. [View article]

Krings, A.  2002.  Additions to the flora of Nags Head Woods (Dare County, North Carolina) and the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  Sida 20 (2): 839-843.

Krings, A.  2002.  Floral variation and diagnosis of Richardia (Rubiaceae) in the Carolinas.  Castanea 67 (3): 329-330.  [View article] [provided with permission from Castanea]

Krings, A.  2002.  The Nags Head Woods collections of the National Park Service Cape Hatteras National Seashore herbarium (CAHA).  J. NC Acad. Sci. 118 (3): 145-155.

Krings, A.  2002.  A new species of Gonolobus (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadeae, Gonolobinae) from southern Costa Rica.  Sida 20 (1): 105-108. 

Krings, A.  2002.  Keys to the vines of Carolina wetlands.  Vulpia 1: 23-40.   [View article]

Krings, A.  2002.  Cultivated, dicotyledonous taxa at the North Carolina State University herbarium.  Vulpia 1: 133-156.  [View article]

Krings, A., M.G. Burton, and A.C. York.  2002.  Commelina benghalensis (Commelinaceae) new to North Carolina and an updated key to Carolina congeners.  Sida 20 (1): 419-422. 

Krings, A., R. Westbrooks, and J. Lloyd.  2002.  Cirsium nuttallii (Asteraceae: Cynareae): New to North Carolina and an illustrated key to southeastern congeners.  Sida 20 (2): 845-848.

Krings, A.  2001.  Neotypification of Enslenia albida and a new combination in Ampelamus for Cynanchum laeve (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae).  Sida 19 (4): 925-929. 

Krings, A.  2001.  Vines of a temperate state: Still undercollected?  Sida 19 (4): 1147-1155. 

Krings, A.  2001.  North Carolina State University Herbarium (NCSC): A brief history and a preliminary overview of the collections.  J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 117 (4): 224-239.

Krings, A.  2001.  Vines of two Texan semi-arid desert communities: Floristic composition and ecological notes.  The Southwestern Naturalist 46 (3): 400-404.

Krings, A.  and J.C. Neal.  2001.  A Scutellaria (Lamiaceae) new to North Carolina and a key to the small-flowered Carolina congeners.  Sida 19 (3): 735-739.

Krings, A. and J.C. Neal.  2001.  South American skullcap (Scutellaria racemosa Pers., Lamiaceae) in the southeastern United States.  Sida 19 (4): 1171-1179.

Krings, A.  2000.  A phytogeographical characterization of the vine flora of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts.  J. Biogeography 27 (6): 1311-1319.

Krings, A.  2000.  A new combination for Sarcostemma cynanchoides var. hartwegii (Asclepiadaceae).  Sida 19 (1): 137-138.

Krings, A.  2000.  Floristics and ecology of Mesoamerican montane climber communities: Monteverde, Costa Rica.  Selbyana 21 (1,2): 156-164.

Krings, A.  1999.  Observations on the pollination biology and flowering phenology of Texan Matelea reticulata (Engelm. ex A. Gray) Woods. (Asclepiadaceae).  Madroño 46(3): 155-158.

Krings, A.  1999.  An annotated, preliminary checklist of the dicotyledonous lianas and vines of the Las Cruces Biological Station, Costa Rica.  Sida 18 (4): 1247-1258.

CD-ROMS:

Kirchoff, B., S. Baskauf, A. Krings, B. Purcell, and J. Cox.  2008.  Woody plants of the southeastern U.S.: A field course on CD.  Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis. [ISBN 978-1-930723-62-7] [more info]

Krings, A. and M.H. Kruger.  2003.  Wetland rushes of the Southeast.  Applied Taxonomic Solutions, Raleigh, NC.  [ISBN 0-9740483-2-1]

Krings, A.  2003.  Identifying grasses, sedges, and rushes.  Applied Taxonomic Solutions, Raleigh, NC.  [ISBN 0-9740483-3-x]

Krings, A.  2003.  Common grasses of the Carolinas.  Applied Taxonomic Solutions, Raleigh, NC.  [ISBN 0-9740483-1-3]

Krings, A.  2003.  Wetland vines of the Carolinas.  Applied Taxonomic Solutions, Raleigh, NC.  [ISBN 0-9740483-0-5]