Issues#131 to #140 (March to July 1996)
NOTES FROM THE NORTHWEST SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION MEETING
From: Adolf Ceska <aceska@freenet.victoria.bc.ca>
The Annual Meeting of the Northwest Scientific Association took
place in Tacoma (Pacific Lutheran University) on March 20, 21,
and 22. I attended sessions on "Rare Plants" and on "Puget
Through: Biodiversity of an Endangered Ecoregion." The common
theme of both sessions was protection of rare taxa and vanishing
ecosystems.
I was delighted to see several projects that dealt with long
term monitoring of populations of rare plants. Several speakers
stressed the need for making good collections of plants (see
notes below). Most speakers were concerned about the state of
the rare plants protection and about the political process of
the so-called "listing" of rare plants. Kathryn Beck and
Florence Caplow almost lost their battle with a faulty slide
projector, but astonished everybody by reporting new species of
Lesquerella and Eriogonum and a new variety of Astragalus con-
juctus discovered in the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Their
report also showed how difficult it is to get the legal protec-
tion for plants in peril (see a note on the rare plant group
below).
I was surprised how many people knew about BEN and I was rather
embarrassed when they recognized me as the person responsible
for this mischief. By the way, when I talked to Margaret
Willitts, a new Washingtonian originally from California, I
forgot to ask her for her new e-mail address.
In short, the Northwest Scientific Association meeting was a
nice opportunity to meet old and new friends. It was really
encouraging to see how many good botanical research projects are
being conducted in the Pacific Northwest.
(BEN # 131 24-March-1996)
------------------------------------------
DON'T FORGET TO COLLECT VOUCHER SPECIMENS
From: Wilf Schofield <wilfs@unixg.ubc.ca>
It is impossible to over-stress the importance of depositing
voucher specimens in a well-curated herbarium. Like all her-
barium specimens, these should possess a label that gives the
pertinent information concerning the source of the specimen,
whether collected from nature or cultivated. If cultivated, the
source of the culture should be given.
The essential significance of a voucher specimen is that it
serves as a clear indication of the identity of the plant upon
which research was based. In the case of a misidentification (or
upon a change in the concept of a taxon) the voucher can be
utilized to determine the true identity of the taxon. Even
relatively cautious scientists can make errors in identifica-
tion. Ecologists, in particular, need to obtain well-collected
and documented specimens that vouch for the identity of a taxon
upon which research is based. If immature or otherwise puzzling
specimens are the only available plants in the study plots, more
complete specimens should be taken from areas outside the plot.
Indeed,general collections should be made from the area of the
study that would serve as a reference for identity of imperfect
specimens. These should be deposited in an appropriate her-
barium. Vouchers should be deposited by plant geneticists,
cytologists, phytochemists and physiologists. Such vouchers
serve not only the identity of the research taxa, but can lead
one to the locality from which the taxa were obtained, and the
research checked or enhanced. There have been regrettable publi-
cations that appear to have misidentified the research taxon,
and the lack of a voucher makes it impossible to verify of
revise the identity. Such published research is, at best, ques-
tionable.
(BEN # 131 24-March-1996)
------------------------------------------
ONCE MORE ON VOUCHER SPECIMENS
From: Weber William A <weberw@spot.Colorado.EDU>
One important thing about vouchers occurs to me, and that is the
establishment of firm records of occurrence. With interest in
state and local floras, some people at least are beginning to
realize the importance of herbarium vouchers for state and
county records. I have always been obsessed with this problem
because at COLO there were very few or no vouchers for a great
many species that had been collected by expeditions and salted
away at Harvard and Philadelphia. A lot of my substance has been
used up in rediscovering these plants and in borrowing the
specimens, which are really vouchers, from the early expedi-
tions. Check lists, I feel, are fairly useless when they are
merely lists of names. I want to learn the basis for the record.
Another problem with vouchers is the proprietariness of her-
baria. It would not hurt herbarium ZZZZ to send the only
Colorado specimen to COLO, but it belongs to ZZZZ and no one
would ever let it go. I am perfectly willing to let a voucher go
to the herbarium for which it is most needed. Why shouldn't this
be a part of the unwritten code of ethics?
A persistent voucher problem is that my dear friend Askell Love,
in his Chromosome Number reports, said that vouchers of his
counts would be either at Montreal, Winnipeg, or Boulder. Damned
few of them are at Boulder, and it appears that the Winnipeg
specimens must have been thrown out by some assistant eager to
clear up messes. Askell's Colorado vouchers are very important,
because, unfortunately he accepted his students' identifications
of the specimens for which counts were made; some Astragali turn
out to be Trifolium and so on! People constantly ask us whether
we have this or that voucher, and mostly we do not.
(BEN # 131 24-March-1996)
------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON RARE PLANT BOTANISTS
The motive: To bring together botanists working throughout
Washington. Many are quite isolated from other botanists and
from the academic world of plant taxonomy. Perhaps there is a
way to educate ourselves and share information to improve the
quality of our own fieldwork and of rare plant botany generally
in Washington.
The spirit: An informal group to provide support and
information-sharing among rare plant and field botanists in
Washington. The group would be open to anyone engaged in
fieldwork or rare plant conservation work, regardless of af-
filiation or employer.
For more information contact: Florence Caplow (360-592-5062) or
Katy Beck (360-671-6913).
(BEN # 131 24-March-1996)
------------------------------------------
SEPARATION OF ELEOCHARIS OBTUSA AND ELEOCHARIS OVATA
Larson, B.M.H. & P.M. Catling. 1996. The separation of
Eleocharis obtusa and Eleocharis ovata (Cyperaceae) in east-
ern Canada. Canad. J. Bot. 74: 238-242.
Eleocharis engelmannii Steud., E. ovata (Roth) R. & S. and E.
obtusa (Willd.) Schultes of Eleocharis series Ovatae are dis-
tinctive in being CESPITOSE ANNUALS with smooth, brown, len-
ticular achenes and differentiated tubercles. The southern E.
engelmanii is very rare and localized in eastern Canada [accord-
ing to the New Jepson's Manual it occurs in the Pacific
Northwest from CA to WA]. It is distinctive because its tubercle
is less than 1/3 as tall as wide, and although it is as wide as
the achene, it is depressed so that it is less than 1/4 of the
achene height. This species may also be distinguished by its
short bristles that do not exceed the achene and by its rela-
tively long, ellipsoid spikelets. Eleocharis ovata has two
stamens and the tubercle is less than 2/3 the width of the
achene (tubercle 0.30 - 0.48 mm wide when dry). Eleocharis
obtusa has three stamens and tubercle more than 2/3 the with of
the achene (tubercle 0.52-0.83 mm wide when dry).
(BEN # 131 24-March-1996)
------------------------------------------
HOW TO GERMINATE PLANTS
From: "M. Richards" <richardsmte@sympatico.ca>
In reference to Norman C. Deno ( BEN # 129):
I received a postcard today announcing the First Supplement to
"Seed Germination Theory and Practice" It goes for US$15 at the
address given. I thought you might find this of use. - Mike
Richards
Ref.: Deno, N.C. 1993. Seed germination theory and practice. 2nd
Edition. 242 p. Published and distributed by the author [Dr.
Norman C. Deno, 139 Lenor Drive, State College, PA 16801,
USA].
(BEN # 131 24-March-1996)
------------------------------------------
THE CZECH GENIUS - JARA DA CIMRMAN - DISCOVERED IN SIBERIA
From: Jan Rehacek <jrehacek@MATH.GATECH.EDU> originally posted
on Jara da Cimrman discussion list <JDC-L@EARN.CVUT.CZ>
[Jara da Cimrman was a well known Czech genius and polyhistor
(cf. Sebanek, J. 1991. Ja, Jara Cimrman. Zapadoceske Nak-
ladatelstvi, Pardubice - sic!). Little is known about his
botanical works, but his achievements in botany and vegetation
science were - without any doubt - as important as in other
fields of arts and science his genius ever touched. I am sure
that for instance the discovery of Rafflesia arnoldii in Central
Bohemia (cf. Ziva 24: 210-211. 1976) will be eventually at-
tributed to Jara da Cimrman. - AC]
Czech officials confirmed yesterday that the male body found a
week ago in East Siberia belonged to the long lost Czech genius
Jara da Cimrman. Cimrman was positively identified by prof. Jan
Ceplecha (born 1906) who was one of Cimrman's last pupils in the
North Bohemian village Liptakov shortly before his mysterious
disappearance in 1914. No one is sure yet what exactly brought
Cimrman to Siberia, but some sources indicate that he might have
been dragged there by the Bolshevik Secret Police. Any conclu-
sions in this matter, however, would be premature at this time.
As we have already informed you, the appearance of the body
itself has caused a great deal of excitement throughout the
world, since according to Russian health authorities the body is
in a state of suspended animation and there is an 89.3% chance
that he can be brought back to life. Since a little notebook
written in Czech was discovered in his pocket, the body was
promptly flown to Prague, where it now resides in the "Bulovka"
hospital. From then on, the eyes of the world's media have been
riveted to Cimrman's fate and all the major networks are already
negotiating with the Czech government for the price of the
"interview of the century". So far it seems that the man who lay
frozen for more than 80 years will appear on a Larry King Live
special, broadcast from Prague.
As a gesture of solidarity, Japanese electronic firm Panasonic
shipped to Prague its giant microwave oven with a specially
designed slow defrosting regime, while most of world's medical
schools are sending their best experts there to assist their
Czech colleagues in what is supposed to be one of the most
difficult tasks of modern medicine. Among the first to arrive in
"Bulovka" were representatives of Kansas University Medical
Center, Miyazaki Medical College, Yale Medical School and the
Rheumatology Department of the University of Florida. The al-
ready huge interest in this miracle of modern medicine was
greatly amplified after it was disclosed that the body belongs
to Jara Cimrman, who is thought to have taken many revolutionary
inventions with him to his grave.
As a result of this disclosure, the stock market is now in its
most unstable position since the 1930s, since nobody is sure
which technologies will be deemed by Cimrman as viable for the
next century. Bill Gates is calling Cimrman's personal physician
Dr. Vrbsky every 5 minutes to inquire about the progress of
Cimrman's healing. Industry forecasters projected that phone
calls to Prague will be the biggest item on MicroSoft's budget
this year. Gates is primarily interested in Cimrman's operating
system "Appendix '98", which Cimrman devised in 1898 during his
internship in Tanvald Municipal Hospital. Cimrman's system was
one of the fastest at the time, allowing doctors to perform up
to 5 operations per minute. At such a speed, of course, not all
of the operations were successful, which is probably the reason
why Cimrman's system was later renamed to "Widows '99".
But other companies are taking notice too. All the major cor-
porations from Silicon Valley are moving their research
facilities to the Liptakov area, which is supposed to become the
future hub of the semiconductor industry. Representatives of
IBM, HP and Novell Inc. are trying to locate sites in the area
suitable for construction, while Silicon Graphics Inc. has
already started building its headquarters in nearby Tanvald. It
is no wonder, because semiconductors were Cimrman's favorite toy
(before he invented the squirt gun).
The officials of the University of California decided today to
set up another campus of the UC system, this time outside
California in Liptakov, where Cimrman is supposed to reside. It
is well known that Cimrman is an ardent patriot and it is thus
very unlikely that he'd accept a position at Berkeley, Los
Angeles or Santa Barbara. As the spokesman of the University
told the press today: "Since Cimrman won't come to the UC, the
UC has to come to him." Because Cimrman's reputation is expected
to attract high quality research it is possible, that in the
future the University of California at Liptakov will become one
of the top ranked US schools.
The chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nobel Foundation,
Mr. Bengt Samuelsson, proposed yesterday that all the capital of
the Foundation be transferred to Cimrman's personal account at
"Zivnostenska Banka" in Prague. According to his report, all the
Nobel prizes from now on would go to Cimrman anyway, and there-
fore it would be technically much easier to just give him the
whole amount, rather than make complicated annual transactions.
"With Cimrman alive, it would be a farce to give the same man
all the prizes every year" he concluded. Other members of the
Board pointed out, however, that Cimrman might perhaps choose to
give some pocket money to the outstanding researchers of his
choice. Mr. Samuelsson expressed hope, that this allowance,
tentatively called "The Cimrman-Nobel Award" will continue the
spirit of Alfred Nobel's will.
The story unfolds as we print, so stay tuned...
(BEN # 132 1-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
BETA CAROTENE STUDY STOPPED
From: The Oregon Scientist, Spring 1996, page 8.
The 4,565 Oregonians participating in the Kaiser Permanente
national study to test the effectiveness of beta carotene and
vitamin A in reducing lung cancer have been told to stop taking
the study vitamins after it was found that there are more deaths
among participants than among those taking inactive placebos.
(BEN # 132 1-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
WELCOME GREEN THUMBS
From: Times-Colonist [Victoria's daily newspaper] March 19, 1996
Greater Victoria councils should consider emulating a new Van-
couver parks board policy that allows community gardens in
parks, even if it means plowing up a bit of park lawn.
There are already allotment gardens in Greater Victoria, most on
provincial land, but demand has far outrstripped the number of
plots available. Last year, for example, there were as many as
40 names on the waiting list for the James Bay Garden
Association's 30-plus lots, though the average is usually about
15 names.
Although association past-president Don McGregor said there are
some parks he personally wouldn't want to see touched, there are
others with little corners that would be perfect for community
gardens.
People who fear that community gardens would detract from the
natural beauty of parks should visit the allotment gardens in
the area. What they'll find are attractive, well-managed oases
of plenty that would enhance any park.
(BEN # 132 1-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
JIM POJAR AND ANDY MACKINNON WON BY CUTTING CORNERS
From: Dr. Rudolf Schmid's review in Taxon 45(1996): 159-161.
[Dr. Rudolf Schmid published an almost three-page review of
three plant guides for the Pacific Northwest: Pojar and
MacKinnon's "Plant of coastal British Columbia including
Washington, Oregon & Alaska" (see BEN # 75), Lyons & Merilees'
"Trees, shrubs & flowers to know in British Columbia &
Washington" (BEN # 112), and Taylor & Douglas' "Mountain plants
of the Pacific Northwest: A field guide to Washington, western
British Columbia, and southeastern Alaska" (BEN # 110). In the
last paragraph of the review (abbreviated here), Dr. Schmid
tries to select the best from the three guides. - AC]
"In conclusion, which book is the best? It depends on one's
preference for words versus pictures, among other factors, for
instance, the rounded corners of Pojar & MacKinnon, which make
it better pocket or knapsack stuffer, or the old-fashioned charm
of Lyons & Merilees. Which would I have most? Well, I have them
all, though if my life depend on it I'd take Lyons & Merilees or
especially Pojar & MacKinnon. On the other hand I like the
mountains better than the coast [i.e., Taylor & Douglas], and
Lyons & Merilees is the sentimental favorite. All three works,
however, are most welcome and very inexpensive field companions
to identify common plants of the area."
(BEN # 132 1-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
NEW BOOK FOR DILLETANTES AND EXPERTS ALIKE
Nuwer, Hank. 1995. How to write like an expert about anything:
bring a factual accuracy and the voice of authority to your
writing. Writer's Digest Books, Cincinnati, OH [toll-free
phone number: 1-800-289-0963] ISBN 0-8979-645-8 [hardcover]
Price: US$ 17.99
This is a useful book for all the dilletantes who want to sound
like experts. On the other hand, experts too will have to buy
this manual, since after all the dilletantes will sound like
experts, the real experts will have a hard time to bring "the
voice of authority" to their writing. I skimmed through the book
in a bookstore; it's hard to find out if the author is a real
expert or just a dilletante. The only thing I am can say about
him is that he likes rhubarb.
(BEN # 132 1-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
ALL FOOLS' DAY EDITORIAL
Few BENs ago I asked the readers to send me their favourite
laws, axioms, rules, dicta, or principles that are known to
govern our Mother Nature. I received only one answer that dealt
with a relationship between one animal, and one plant species,
and I had to drop the idea to publish a collection of "Laws of
Nature" in this special issue. I found that it is difficult to
fight the first Newton's law of motion that says: "A body con-
tinues in a state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line
unless it is acted upon by external forces." Please, send me
your favourites. I can post them in the Mothers' Day issue of
BEN. (Or in the Fathers' Day issue, if you believe that the
Mother Nature is actually a Father.)- AC
(BEN # 132 1-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
BOTANICAL EVENTS IN VICTORIA
April 14, 1996 (Sunday): Flower Appreciation Day. Guided walks
at Thetis Lake Park at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.
April 16, 1996 (Tuesday): Botany Night. Mike Ryan will talk on
"British Columbia rare bryophytes." Swan Lake Nature House,
7:30 p.m.
April 19 + 20, 1996 (Friday p.m. and Saturday): Vancouver Island
Rock and Alpine Garden Society - Spring Show. St. Mary's,
1701 Elgin Street, Oak Bay. Friday 2:00 - 9:00 p.m., Saturday
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Plant sale Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
Admission $2.00.
April 20 + 21, 1996 (Saturday and Sunday): Gardening for
Wildlife. Native plant gardening demonstration and sale. Swan
Lake Nature Sanctuary, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
April 27, 1996 (Saturday): Native Plant Garden Tour. Self-guided
tour through eleven Victoria gardens that feature native
plants and low water use. 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tickets
$5.00, available in major bookstores and garden centres.
Organized by the Native Plants Study Group of the Victoria
Horticultural Society. Call 598-2909 or 598-5329, if you need
more information.
(BEN # 133 9-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY IN SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
From: Mary Stensvold <ping@ptialaska.net>
Jeff McKinney of Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri
is studying ethnobotany in southeastern Alaska. He has been in
southeastern since March 1995, and is working in both Hoonah and
Sitka. His research focuses on the medicinal uses of plants by
the Tlingit people. He can be reached at Box 6465, Sitka, Alaska
99835, or at: mckinney@wustlb.wustl.edu.
(BEN # 133 9-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
APRIL 2 -- TODAY IN THE HISTORICAL SCIENCES
From: DARWIN@steffi.uncg.edu originally on
darwin-l@ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu
APRIL 2, 1747: JOHANN JACOB DILLENIUS dies at Oxford, England,
after an attack of apoplexy. Born in Germany in 1687, Dillenius
studied medicine at Giessen and was eventually appointed doctor
to the town. His interest in botany won him election to the
Caesare Leopoldina-Carolina Academia Naturae Curiosum, and he
soon published a flora of the region around Giessen, "Catalogus
plantarum circa Gissam sponte nascentium" (Frankfurt am Main,
1718). Because Dillenius was critical of Bachmann, whose botani-
cal system was then popular, he did not find favor in German
systematic circles, and he emigrated to England in 1721 at the
invitation of William Sherard, who hired Dillenius to work on
his botanical encyclopedia. In England Dillenius was elected a
fellow of the Royal Society, and in 1724 he oversaw the publica-
tion of the final edition of John Ray's "Synopsis plantarum"
(London, 1724). He played host to Linnaeus in 1736 when the
Swedish botanist visited Oxford, and published "Historia
muscorum", an influential study of the cryptogams, in 1741. His
herbarium will be preserved in the collections of Oxford Univer-
sity.
[Today in the Historical Sciences is a feature of Darwin-L, an
international network discussion group on the history and theory
of the historical sciences. Send the message INFO DARWIN-L to
listserv@ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu or connect to the Darwin-L Web
Server (http://rjohara.uncg.edu) for more information.]
(BEN # 133 9-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
NEW BOOK: THE WILD ORCHIDS OF CALIFORNIA
Coleman, Ronald A. 1995. The wild orchids of California. Com-
stock Publishing Associates, Cornell University Press,
Ithaca, NY. 201 p. ISBN 0-8014-3012-7 [hard cover] Price
US$45.00.
"This profusely illustrated field guide covers the 32 species of
orchids that grow wild in California. The first book on
California's native orchids, it will be a valuable resource for
professionals and hobyists alike."
"... To help readers identify the orchids, 129 exquisite color
photographs show close-up details of the flowers, as well as the
leaves, seed capsules, and habitats. Distribution maps document
the counties in which the species grow. ... Coleman includes
keys to the genera and species, and discusses the relative
rarity of the different flowers and the threats to their con-
tinued existence in the wild."
(BEN # 133 9-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
RARE VASCULAR PLANTS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA - ONLINE (RELEASE 3)
From: Adolf Ceska <aceska@cue.bc.ca>
The publication "The rare vascular plants of British Columbia"
(Straley, G. B. et al. 1985. - Syllogeus 59: 1-165) has been
available on gopher freenet.victoria.bc.ca for some time (cf.
BEN # 70, Feb 14, 1994). The data are WAIS searchable, i.e., you
can search for the plant name (no common names, though), or for
any words mentioned in the text (e.g., Victoria, Nanaimo, etc.).
The search is limited to twenty successful hits.
The CONSERVATION DATA CENTRE vascular plant tracking lists (RED
and BLUE as of February 29, 1996, YELLOW as of January 28, 1994)
were added to the file and listed in the field called "BC CDC
status." The CDC tracking lists change continuously due to new
data acquisitions from herbaria and field work. Please request
an updated version from the Conservation Data Centre if your
work warrants it.
I added a field with SYNONYMS for those taxa that have been
known under different names. In order to facilitate searches, I
included some orthographic variants (e.g. Carex hystericina vs.
C. hystricina).
I would like to thank Gerald Straley for his permission to use
this list on the gopher, to Bob Scheer for his computer
transcription of the original publication, and to George Douglas
for providing Conservation Data Centre status ratings.
(BEN # 133 9-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
SUPRAGENERIC NAMES OF VASCULAR PLANTS
From: James L. Reveal <James_L_Reveal@umail.umd.edu>
originally posted on TAXACOM <taxacom@cmsa.berkeley.edu>
The INDICES NOMINUM SUPRAGENERICORUM PLANTARUM VASCULARIUM
databases, being prepared by the International Association for
Plant Taxonomy and the Norton- Brown Herbarium at the University
of Maryland in cooperation with the National Agricultural
Library, has been updated with several additions. The databases
are available at:
http://matrix.nal.usda.gov:8080/star/supragenericname.html
The first database is a listing of names above the rank of genus
for extant vascular plants. To date, the literature up to ap-
proximately 1860 has been consulted. As in the past, only
validly published and legitimate names are reported. Also, it is
important to remember that the data are being constantly changed
as more and more literature is reviewed.
The second database attempts to provide a concordance of all
family names according to modern authors in an expanded format
from that presented in the first volume of FLORA NORTH AMERICA.
All of the family names are validly published (or currently
treated in App. IIB of the Code) as if validly published. A
number of additional names are in the process of being validated
by myself and others. These will be added when available.
The third database is a summary, at the family level, of
numerous systems of classification, namely those presented by
Brummitt (1992), Cronquist (1981, 1988), Dahlgren (1989a,
1989b), Greuter et al. (1993), Gunn et al. (1992), Thorne
(1992a, 1992b), Watson & Dallwitz (1991, 1995+) and Wielgorskaya
(1995). My own views are also presented. Linear arrangments are
given for Cronquist, Dahlgren, Reveal and Thorne; the others are
alphabetical listings.
A new addition to this database are links to the family descrip-
tions available online by Watson & Dallwitz, the USDA/GRIN
generic listings being compiled by John Wiersema, and a series
of illustrations from a variety of sites.
The fourth database is new. The linear sequences of Cronquist,
Dahlgren and Thorne are outlined in detail at the ranks of
division, subdivision, classes, subclass, superorder, order and
family as appropriate. By changing formats from one author to
another, and from one level of ranks to another, it is possible
to do a comparative review of different portions of each
author's system of classification.
In preparing this database, a surprisingly large number of
commonly used names were found not to be validly published.
While several are listed here, a full citation is not yet avail-
able for several. As these names have been in common use for
years (in some cases nearly 30 years!), their continued use here
is only a matter of convenience.
HELP buttons with useful (hopefully) information is available on
all databases. As before, additions, corrections and comments
may be sent to me <James_L_Reveal@umail.umd.edu> directly.
(BEN # 133 9-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
MOSS IDENTIFICATION WORKSHOP - UTAH - MAY 17 & 18, 1996
From: Mary Barkworth <stipoid@cc.usu.edu>
The Intermountain Herbarium and Department of Biology at Utah
State University are sponsoring a workshop on moss identifica-
tion. The workshop will be lead by Dr. Alma Hanson, Botanist for
the Payette National Forest, who has been involved with a
floristic study of mosses for some time. The workshop will start
at 1 p.m. on Friday May 17 and extend to Saturday, May 18, at 5
p.m.
The cost of $60 [U.S.] ($50 if received before April 30) will
include a barbecue on Friday, lunch on Saturday, and field trip
on Saturday. The goal of the workshop is to help participants
learn how to identify mosses and to recognize a few genera in
the field. It will be geared to field botanists who can recog-
nize a moss as a moss but may have forgotten most of what they
ever knew about moss structures.
For more information, email me (Mary Barkworth) at
stipoid@cc.usu.edu. To enroll, send your name, address, daytime
telephone number, Email address (if you have one), and the
enrollment fee to Dr. Mary E. Barkworth, Department of Biology,
Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322-5305.
(BEN # 134 30-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
SYMPOSIUM ON VERNAL POOL ECOSYSTEMS - SACRAMENTO, CA JUNE 19-21
From: ECOLOG-L discussion list
Conference on the Ecology, Conservation, and Management of
Vernal Pool Ecosystems
June 19-21, 1996 at the Hilton Hotel in Sacramento, California
The four sessions include: (1) Vernal Pool Distribution and
Characteristics; (2) Ecology, Systematics, Status and Trends of
Vernal Pool Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems; (3) Conservation
and Management of Vernal Pools: and (4) Vernal Pool Regulatory,
Planning, and Policy Issues. The 40+ invited speakers and
panelists include scientists, managers, and planners from
universities, state and federal agencies, local governments,
environmental consulting firms, and conservation organizations.
Fees range from $100 (early registration by student members of
the sponsoring organizations) to $200 (late registration by non-
students, non-members of sponsoring organizations). Fees include
registration materials, lunches and refreshment breaks.
For registration and further information contact:
Mr. William Hull, Executive Secretary
Western Section of The Wildlife Society
P.O. Box 21638
Oakland, CA 94620-1638
(510) 465-4962 or fax (510) 465-1138
(BEN # 134 30-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
STATUS OF NON-NATIVE AQUATIC PLANTS IN WASHINGTON STATE
From: Jenifer Parsons - Washington Department of Ecology
<JENP461@ecy.wa.gov>
Many different aquatic plants have been introduced to freshwater
lakes and rivers in the northwest over the last century. Some of
them have apparently naturalized, and do not cause obvious
problems. Others plants have a tendency to dominate native plant
communities, often growing in dense, nearly monospecific
colonies. They can cause drastic changes to aquatic ecosystems,
as well as headaches for resource managers and recreational
boaters and swimmers. A brief listing of these plants is in-
cluded here (plants with an * are illegal to sell or transport
in Washington):
* Myriophyllum spicatum - Eurasian watermilfoil. It has been
growing in Lake Meridian, near Seattle, at least since 1965. In
the early 1970's it was introduced to the Okanogan River from
Lake Osoyos, and from there spread rapidly down the Columbia
River. It was also discovered in Lake Washington in the mid
1970's. Currently we have identified it in 60 lakes throughout
the state as well as the Pend Oreille River, the Columbia River
and the Okanogan River. It is usually spread by boat trailers,
and each year we find new sights where it has become estab-
lished.
* Egeria densa - Brazilian elodea or anacharis. It is native to
South America, and has been sold for many years as an aquarium
plant. It was first discovered in the United States in 1893 at
Long Island (New York). In Washington it has been in Long Lake,
Kitsap County since at least the early 1970's. Currently we know
of its existence in 13 western Washington lakes. Because these
lakes are widely distributed it is thought that each introduc-
tion resulted from a separate aquarium release.
* Hydrilla verticillata. Native to Europe, Asia and Australia.
It is considered the worst aquatic nuisance plant in other parts
of the U.S.A. where it has become established. Two distinct
forms of Hydrilla exist, a monoecious form (both male and female
flowers on the same plant) and a dioecious form (male and female
flowers on separate plants). The monoecious form of Hydrilla was
discovered in Washington last year in Pipe Lake, near Bellevue.
We are attempting to eradicate this plant.
* Myriophyllum aquaticum - parrot feather milfoil. It is native
to South America, and was imported as a plant for ornamental
ponds. It has been established in the sloughs of the lower
Columbia River since at least the early 1980's. Recently it was
discovered distributed throughout the Chehalis River from
Centralia to the mouth at Gray's Harbor. It also has been found
in two small private lakes in the northwestern part of the
state.
Cabomba caroliniana - native to the southeastern United States,
also a popular aquarium plant. It is established in sloughs of
the lower Columbia River, and also causes problems in several
coastal lakes of Oregon.
Nymphaea odorata - fragrant water-lily. Is native to the eastern
United States and was introduced in Washington in the late
1800's. It has become widespread, and its many horticultural
varieties are often planted in lakes. This plant has become
quite dense in some lakes with extensive shallow areas, and has
proved difficult to control.
There are also several other exotic plants with a more limited
distribution in Washington. However, they appear to be replacing
native plant communities where they are established, and may be
a cause for future concern. These are: Ludwigia uruguayensis -
water primrose. There is some debate about the name of this
plant, and whether in fact it is a non-native. It appears to be
limited to sloughs of the lower Columbia River, where it is the
dominant plant in a community composed of several non-native
plants (Egeria densa, Myriophyllum aquaticum, Myriophyllum
spicatum and Cabomba caroliniana). Nymphoides peltata - floating
heart. Native to Eurasia and established in the Spokane Reser-
voir (Long Lake), near Spokane. It is forming dense mats of
floating leaves in shallow areas of this reservoir. Sagittaria
graminea - grass-leaved arrowhead. Native to eastern North
America. In Washington it is known only from Lake Roesiger,
where it has become the dominate submersed plant in many areas
of the lake. This plant has caused problem where it has been
introduced in Australia. Utricularia inflata - Big floating
bladderwort. Native to southern and eastern North America. It
has been introduced to several western Washington lakes, and
occasionally grows to nuisance proportions.
Each of these plants was originally introduced to the state
through the aquarium or ornamental plant trade. People either
intentionally planted them in ponds and lakes, or they were
inadvertently introduced when unwanted pet fish were discarded
into lakes (there are some HUGE goldfish out there). The Depart-
ment of Ecology is currently working on educational materials to
be distributed through aquarium stores and nurseries asking
people not to release any plants or animals they purchase into
the environment. Also, we are trying to promote the use of
native plants for such hobbies.
(BEN # 134 30-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
ERYTHRONIUM GRANDIFLORUM HOTLINE: 1-800-595-0686
Dawn Loewen is a University of Victoria student who started her
M.Sc. work on ecology, ethnobotany and variation of Glacier
Lily, Erythronium grandiflorum [BEN 127]. Please, send her a
message, if you know interesting stands of this plant, or any-
thing else that could help her in her work. Her address is Dawn
Loewen <DCL@UVIC.CA> and you can call her at
"Erythronium grandiflorum hotline" toll number: 1-800-595-0686
(BEN # 134 30-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
NEW EDITIONS OF THE COLORADO FLORAS
Weber, W.A. & R.C. Wittman. 1996. Colorado Flora: Eastern Slope.
Revised Edition. University of Colorado Press, Boulder, CO.
496 p., 102 fig., ISBN 0-87081-3867-0 [alk.paper]
Weber, W.A. & R.C. Wittman. 1996. Colorado Flora: Western Slope.
Revised Edition. University of Colorado Press, Boulder, CO.
523 p., 64 color plates, 107 fig., ISBN 0-877-81-388-9
[alk.paper].
These updated guides, intended both for the student and scien-
tist, offer a complete, authoritative reference to the plants of
Colorado. Both volumes discuss plant geography, special botani-
cal features of the mountain ranges, basins, and plains, and
explain basic terminology. Interesting anecdotes and introduc-
tions are given for each plant family, and hints on recognizing
the largest families are provided as well. Each volume includes
a complete glossary, derivations of scientific names, indices to
common and scientific names, and hundreds of illustrations.
These two volumes have been regarded as the most complete guides
available and are essential to readers interested in Colorado's
plant life.
Wiliam A. Weber is professor emeritus with a half century of
experience in Colorado, and former curator of the University of
Colorado Museum Herbarium. He is recognized as the preeminent
authority on the flora of Colorado, and his earlier volume,
Rocky Mountain Flora, has been in print since 1953. Ronald C.
Wittmann is a physicist with the National Institute of Standards
and Technology, and co-author with William Weber of the Catalog
of the Flora of Colorado.
Order from University Press of Colorado, P.O.Box 849, Niwot, CO
80544. Toll-free number 1-800-268-6044. $US29.95 per volume,
shipping $3.00 for first book, $1.00 for each additional.
(BEN # 134 30-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
DEVELOPING A VIRTUAL HERBARIUM AS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
From: Mary E. Barkworth and Stephen W. Clyde. Utah State Univer-
sity, Logan, Utah 84322-5305. <stipoid@cc.susu.edu>
Two primary roles of herbaria are a) providing reliably iden-
tified specimens against which to check new specimens and b)
providing verifiable distributional data for individual taxa.
Herbaria could serve these roles more effectively by collaborat-
ing in the development of a "Virtual Herbarium". "Specimens" in
the Virtual Herbarium would be a linked set of image and text
files designed to show the diagnostic features of a taxon. The
images would be documented by standard herbarium specimens.
"Visitors" to the Virtual Herbarium would be able to find out
which features are considered most important in distinguishing
one species from another by reading the text material and
clarify their understanding of this material by looking at the
images. The textual material in the Virtual Herbarium need not
be restricted to morphological information but, because we see
identification as a primary role of the Virtual Herbarium, we
would emphasize such information during the initial development.
Distributional data would be obtained from a distributed
database system that, on request, would draw information from
the databases of the collaborating herbaria. Herbaria would have
the option of maintaining their database on a local server or
the central server. Similarly, they could combine their own
database structure with a tool that makes it accessible to the
central system or adopt a database developed as part of this
project. Our goal is to make it feasible for ALL herbaria to
participate in development of the Virtual Herbarium, from those
that exist primarily because of someone's dedication to those
that have several staff members.
An essential element of the Virtual Herbarium will be a data
model that informs visitors of differences in the interpretation
and application of scientific names. To make this a truly
beneficial element, we propose that it should include access to
information as to why different names are applied to a par-
ticular taxon - or a particular name is applied to different
groups of plants. Such a feature would eliminate some (not all)
of the nomenclatural differences that currently exist between
herbaria and help both taxonomists and non-taxonomists cope with
the confusion associated with changes in nomenclature.
Development of a Virtual Herbarium offers numerous advantages
that real herbaria cannot offer. These include easy access to
information about a wide range of species and related informa-
tion. The distributional data could be presented in the form of
distribution maps and/or checklists and would be linked to its
source, enabling researchers to determine which specimens it
would be particularly worthwhile to borrow. It would also be
easy to highlight data from an individual herbarium, thereby
highlighting its contribution and (we hope) making it easier to
justify continued or increased investment in its development. We
would emphasize that the Virtual Herbarium would not replace
real herbaria and real specimens; information in the Virtual
Herbarium would have to be documented by specimens in real
herbaria if it is to have the credibility needed to justify the
expense of its development.
Various approaches could be used in developing the Virtual
Herbarium. We strongly advocate a collaborative approach, one
that would involve frequent discussion among participating
herbaria. These discussions should also include representatives
of those who use herbaria. The annual meetings of the Northwest
Science Society would be an appropriate venue for such meetings
if, as we suggested in the proposal that we submitted to the
National Science Foundation, we start the development of the
Virtual Herbarium in northwestern North America.
We would be delighted to receive comments from anyone interested
in this concept of a Virtual Herbarium. They could either be
sent to me (Mary Barkworth, stipoid@cc.susu.edu) or shared with
others via the Herb-L (Intermountain and Pacific Northwest
Herbarium Discussion) <HERB-L@IDBSU.IDBSU.EDU>.
(BEN # 134 30-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
CURRENT STATUS THE SMASCH PROJECT - ONLINE
From: Thomas Duncan <tdunc@BUTTERCUP.MIP.BERKELEY.EDU>
originally posted on TAXACOM <TAXACOM@CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU>
The SMASCH Project, funded by the National Science Foundation
(NSF), is developing a database of text data and images of
specimens that document the distribution and classification of
the plants of California. The project began in 1992. By 1999,
the SMASCH database at the University and Jepson Herbaria will
contain records for approximately 300,000 accessions.
In February 1996, NSF conducted a site visit to the SMASCH
Project. As a result the MIP and the SMASCH Project are under-
taking a redesign of our home page, preparing SMASCH for dis-
tribution through the WWW by July 31, 1996, and beginning data
entry for the next year of the project (80,000 accession records
will be entered during the next twelve months). The current
status of our activities toward these goals is contained in
"What's New" at "http://ucjeps.herb.berkeley.edu/smasch/".
(BEN # 134 30-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
ETHNOBIOLOGY E-MAIL DISCUSSION LIST
From: Dana Lepofsky <dlepofsk@sfu.ca>
A new email group has been set up to facilitate communication
between ethnobiologists. If you would like to participate you
may subscribe by sending the following message
subscribe ethno-bio
to the list processor at Simon Fraser University (Vancouver,
B.C.)
majordomo@sfu.ca
The ethno-bio list is intended to encourage discussion about the
use of plants and animals by native peoples worldwide. To send
mail to the list, use the address
ethno-bio@sfu.ca
To send mail about the list (such as your membership in the
list), use the address
owner-ethno-bio@sfu.ca
(BEN # 134 30-April-1996)
------------------------------------------
DR. WILLIAM G. (BILL) DORE (1912 - 1996)
Dr. Bill Dore died in Ottawa on April 17, 1996, on his 84th
birthday. He was born in Ottawa in 1912, studied at Queen's
University, Kingston, Ontario (B.A. in 1933), received his
M.Sc. degree from McGill University in Montreal (1935), and his
Ph.D. from Ohio State University (1948). He was was a Professor-
Lecturer and Assistant Professor at the Dalhousie University
(1937-1945) and Assistant Professor at the Ontario Agricultural
College (1946-1947). In 1947 he went to the Plant Research
Institute in Ottawa where he was an Associate and later Senior
Botanist until his retirement in 1977.
Bill Dore's specialty was taxonomy of grasses and the ecology of
grasslands, and he had a good knowledge of aquatic vascular
plants and of the Ontario flora. He was the senior author of a
manual of grasses of Ontario (Dore, W.G. & J. McNeill. 1980.
Grasses of Ontario. Agriculture Canada Research Branch Monogr.
26. 566 p.).
I met Bill Dore in 1980's. He was delighted to hear that I was
working on the application of his technique of measuring light
using anthracene polymerization as my first plant ecology
project at the Charles University in Prague (Dore, W.G. 1958. A
simple chemical light meter. Ecology 39: 151-152.). In 1988, he
came for the Canadian Botanical Association meeting to Victoria,
and I remember how he caressed the tiny plants of Alopecurus
carolinianus that I showed him in Uplands Park.
Stephen Darbyshire, who succeeded Dr. Dore in the DAO wrote me
the following notes:
"Among Bill's wonderful contributions to botany has been
the warmth and help he has shown students and a plethora
of colleagues. Many times his generosity made its way into
other people's works with little acknowledgement. I
learned so much from him and wish that I had only half his
power of perception."
"I have been seeing Bill pretty regularly for the last 18
years or so. He was always so delighted to have someone to
talk botany with. After his wife Doris died (about 1984),
he really had a hard time of it. It was such a frustration
for him to have the mental capability and desire for
active work, but not the physical capability: his hands
became too shaky to write legibly; his legs would not let
him kneel in the garden; his reactions too slow to drive a
car to a collecting site; his stamina too short to work
for more than half an hour at a time."
Bill Dore was a founding member of the Canadian Botanical As-
sociation and a honourary member of the Ottawa Field-
Naturalists' Club (one of few members with more than 50 years of
membership).
(BEN # 135 9-May-1996)
------------------------------------------
BOTANICAL EVENTS IN VICTORIA
May 21, 1996. Botany Night: Matt Fairbarns will conduct a
workshop for identification of grasses. Swan Lake Nature
House, 7:30 p.m.
May 25, 1996. Friends of Ecological Reserves's trip to Trial
Island. McNeill Bay starting at 10:00 a.m. Charge $10.00 for
members of the Friends (more for non-members?).
Exhibit of botanical illustrations by Oluna Ceska in the Mocambo
Coffee, 1028 Blanshard Street (between the Fort & Broughton).
Till May 31, 1996.
(BEN # 135 9-May-1996)
------------------------------------------
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: WNPS ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
From: "Clayton J. Antieau" <antieau@coopext.cahe.wsu.edu>
originally on pacific-biosnet@listproc.wsu.edu
The Washington Native Plant Society seeks a skilled, motivated
half-time administrative assistant. Tasks include Board meeting
minutes, word processing, copying, mailing, filing, correspon-
dence. Process memberships and maintain mailing list. Develop
written materials. Assist Board members with volunteer manage-
ment and recruitment, publicity, marketing, fund raising, and
special projects. Build this office from the ground up; help
this 20 year old organization be even more effective!
Candidates must be well-organized, detail-oriented, self-
starting and have strong communication and computer skills. Some
travel. 20 hours/week; $12.00/hour plus benefits. Send cover
letter, resume, and one page writing sample to WNPS, 836 NE 58th
Street, Seattle, WA 98105.
Deadline for receipt of applications: 25 May 1996.
(BEN # 135 9-May-1996)
------------------------------------------
THE EBB OF EXPERIENCE
From: Jim Pojar <jpojar@mfor01.gov.bc.ca>
It struck me recently (as I'm sure it has struck others) that we
have a lot of new protected areas. Most are incompletely known--
if at all--in terms of ecology, recreation, cultural heritage,
and management issues. But they must be managed. And the
Protected Areas Strategy is not done yet, at least on paper.
We also seem to have fewer and fewer people around who have real
field knowledge of these protected areas (not just the new
ones!), and of the geographic region (or ecosection or whatever)
that these protected areas represent or occur in. So who is
going to develop the management plans, who assess the sig-
nificance of the protected resources and their relationship to
managed resources on the surrounding unprotected lands, who
address current management problems and anticipate emerging
issues in provincial, national, and international contexts? The
new technology is powerful and wondrous, but somewhere in this
process of "Now what do we do?" we need not just GIS operators
but some people who've actually set foot in (say) the Kitimat
Ranges or on the Chilcotin Plateau.
It has struck me repeatedly during the PAS process of the last
few years just how little, wide-ranging on-the-ground knowledge
there is among government staff involved in gap analysis,
Regional Protected Areas Teams, and Land & Resource Management
Plans. Localized knowledge and experience exists, but synoptic
field experience combined with the contextual knowledge that
confers meaning---the big picture, the provincial (at least)
perspective---is very uncommon. Those who have this combination
are mostly in my age class (40-50 years) or older. The pool of
knowledge and experience is draining as people move on; the
younger staff for the most part aren't picking it up, or do not
have the opportunity to learn. We cannot rely entirely on con-
sultants to fill the knowledge gap, partly because even manage-
ment by contracting-out requires some strategic direction and
quality control, and partly because the ranks of consultants are
affected by the same demographic. Nor is the academic community
much help: same demographic, and progress up the academic ladder
these days is hindered rather than helped by doing extensive
fieldwork. Specialization and prolific publication are key to
success. There are no more Vladimir Krajinas or Bert Brinks at
our B.C. universities.
Back in the 1970s young staff acquired this kind of knowledge
and experience on the job because circumstances included:
1. biophysical mapping, soil surveys etc. done by what was then
known as the Resource Analysis Branch (RAB); many people
were involved, some remain, sort of scattered throughout the
public service
2. province-wide ecosystem classification by the B.C. Forest
Service; many involved, some remain, mostly (like me) still
in F.S.
3. a traditional Provincial Museum, with many knowledgeable
people; not many remain, and they are going fast
4. provincial parks and fish & wildlife programs that were
still more in the exploration and inventory stages; tended
to be more resource- than "client"-oriented; even the Lands
Branch for a time considered resource management part of
their mandate and had biologists on staff.
Anyway, times have changed. But it is not too late to forestall
the end of experience. Why not set up an interagency field
training program, sort of an in-service Field Academy? Selected
individuals, judged to be key to PAS and the management of
protected areas, would be invited to spend 2-4 weeks each field
season with a few Experienced Mentors, doing fieldwork in
selected ecosections throughout the province. So as to be more
than a mere junket, and to help build the knowledge base for
these incompletely known protected areas, the fieldwork would
include collection of information (according to established
protocols) and case studies of management issues. Such sessions
would have to be long enough to do something substantive, but
not so lengthy as to disrupt people's personal lives or their
programs.
If you think this is an idea worth pursuing, please circulate
this note as you see fit. I would be prepared to devote some
time to it.
(BEN # 135 9-May-1996)
------------------------------------------
FLORA OF THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA
Buckingham, N.M., E.G. Schreiner, T.N. Kaye, J.E. Burger, & E.L.
Tisch. 1996. Flora of the Olympic Peninsula. Washington
Native Plant Society & Northwest Interpretive Association,
Port Angeles. 199 p. ISBN 0-914019-38-4 [soft cover] Cost
US$7.95.
Available from:
Northwest Interpretive Association
3002 Mount Angeles Road
Port Angeles, WA 98362
Phone: (360) 452-4501 ext. 239
This is the second edition of a popular vascular species list of
the Olympic Peninsula. New data on species distributions were
included and the nomenclature has been updated respecting
changes that have occurred since the publication of the Vascular
plants of the Pacific Northwest by Hitchcock et al. The chapter
on origins of the Olympic Flora (the Olympocentric View), and
annotated notes for numerous taxa contain a wealth of informa-
tion for anyone interested in phytogeography and plant taxonomy
of the Pacific Northwest.
(BEN # 135 9-May-1996)
------------------------------------------
PLANT COLLECTING FOR THE AMATEUR
Brayshaw, T.C. 1996. Plant collecting for the amateur. Royal
British Columbia Museum, Victoria. 44 p. ISBN 0-7718-9439-2
[soft cover] Price CND 8.95.
In this third edition of Chris Brayshaw's popular manual (first
published in 1973) Chris updated the text and added a new chap-
ter on insect pests in herbaria and their control. The book
also lists the main herbarium resources in British Columbia
and Canada and gives number of references useful for identi-
fication of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens.
The British Columbia Ministry of Forests (which made a financial
contribution to Chris Brayshaw's publication) simultaneously
published their own "Techniques and procedures for collecting,
preserving, processing and storing botanical specimens" (B.C.
Ministry of Forests, Working Paper 18/1996, 39 p. - no charge).
This publication has a similar scope and contents as the "Plant
collecting for the amateur," but the useful information is
overshadowed by some grave mistakes and blunders, especially in
the "Glossary of terms" and reference citations.
(BEN # 135 9-May-1996)
------------------------------------------
TRIAL ISLAND TRIP POSTPONED !!! NOW ON SUNDAY JUNE 2, 1996
The Trial Island trip organized by the Friends of the Ecological
Reserves has been postponed to Sunday June 2, 1996. Meet at
McNeill Bay beach near the foot of Transit Road at 10:00 a.m.
Fee: $10 for members, $15 for non-members (membership $15 single
or $20 families)
(BEN # 136 23-May-1996)
------------------------------------------
---------------------------
B O T A N Y B C 1 9 9 6
---------------------------
BOTANY BC 1996 - JULY 18 - 20 - SPECIAL HABITATS FIELD TOUR
From: Craig DeLong <sdelong@mfor01.for.gov.bc.ca>
When: July 18-20, 1996
Where: Ft St James to Valemount Field Tour
Topics: vegetation of special habitats (serpentine, limestone,
old growth Interior Cedar Hemlock forests, bogs, sand dunes,
etc.)
Schedule of Events
Thursday Evening, July 18, 1996:
Registration 6:00-7:30 p.m. (Ft St James, Stuart Lake,
Pitka Bay Resort)
Dr. Art Kruckeberg: Serpentine Ecology - 8:00 p.m.
Friday, July 19, 1996:
Field tour to Murray Ridge (serpentine) - morning
Field tour to Pope Mountain (limestone) - afternoon
Drive to Prince George (Miworth Community Hall)
BBQ Supper 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Dr. Hugues Masicotte: Mycorrhizae/Plant Relations - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 20, 1996:
Field tour Rocky Mountain Trench from Prince George to
Valemount and back (8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.)
wetlands, Cedar/Hemlock forests, sand dunes
Trevor Goward: Lichens of ancient Cedar/Hemlock forests
Travel from Prince George to Valemount and return will be by
coach with air conditioning, stereo and VCR. Please bring any
botanical videos that you think may keep us entertained on this
long trip.
We want to discourage people from using own vehicles for the
duration of the field tour. We don't want a lot of vehicles
strung out along the trip.
Cost - Registration Fees:
Early registration by June 15: $50.00 (students $40.00)
Regular registration by July 1: $60.00 (students $50.00)
Late registration after July 1: $70.00
Cancellation refunds:
100% up to July 1
80% July 1-15
no refunds after July 15
Accommodation:
Ft St James: Camping ($12) or motel room ($40-$45) -
Pitka Bay Resort on Stuart Lake make your own reservation
phone 604-996-8585
Prince George: Free camping in field or sleeping on floor or in
basement (for cave dwellers) of Miworth Community Hall (wash-
rooms available); many motel options in Prince George, but
BUS will only make one pickup in town at Ramada Inn (make
your own reservations if you want to stay in a motel).
Meals:
Supper on Thursday night will not be supplied
Pancake breakfast: approx. $6.00/person
Bag Lunches: approx. $7.00/person
BBQ Supper: approx. $10.00/person
Please indicate if vegetarian on the registration form
Transportation to and from BOTANY BC:
Please contact the following persons to get a map of how to get
to Pitka Bay Resort and for making arrangements of
getting/giving rides:
Vancouver Island/Vancouver area:
Elizabeth Easton - 953-3488 - eeaston@mfor01.gov.bc.ca
Smithers area:
Sybille Haeussler - 847-9451 - sybh@netshop.com
Prince George area:
Craig DeLong - 565-6202 - sdelong@mfor01.gov.bc.ca
Kamploops/Nelson area:
Andre Arsenault - 828-4128 - aarsenau@mfor01.gov.bc.ca
Williams Lake area:
Ray Coupe - 398-4403 - rcoupe@mfor01.gov.bc.ca
----------------- < cut here > ---------------------
BOTANY BC 1996 - Registration Form
Name:
Mailing Address:
Phone: Fax:
E-mail:
Accommodation: Camping: [ ] Motel: [ ]
Note: You must make your own motel reservation
Meals: Pancake breakfasts: [ ] Lunches: [ ] BBQ: [ ]
Vegetarian ? YES / NO
Registration fees enclosed: Regular: _______ Student: _______
Mail to Botany BC
c/o Jeanne Illingworth
3537 Savannah Ave.
Victoria, B.C.
V8X 1S6
ph 386-2803 or 386-0886
fax 388-9236
E mail: seiproject@pacificcoast.net
Note: only contact Jeanne about registration related questions
(including cancellations).
All other general questions should be directed to Craig DeLong
or one of the regional contacts listed under transportation.
(BEN # 136 23-May-1996)
------------------------------------------
UNUSUAL DINOFLAGELLATE/STICKLEBACK ASSOCIATIONS - SUMMARY
From: T. E. Reimchen, Dept of Biology, Univ. Victoria
<REIM@UVVM.UVIC.CA>
Over the last 25 years, I have been examining the evolution of
endemic threespine stickleback on the Queen Charlotte Islands.
The stickleback provide a particular interesting case of adap-
tive variation as each lake contains a distinctive form of
stickleback, quite comparable to the morphological variability
in Darwin's finches. Most of the highly divergent stickleback,
including giant forms and unarmoured forms occur in the bog
lowlands on the north-eastern corner of Graham Island. We have
been able to associate many of the morphological differences
among the populations to distinct predation regimes in each
habitat.
During the course of these studies, which involved samples from
over 300 ponds and lakes, I discovered some unarmoured stick-
leback in several ponds on the north-eastern corner of Graham
Island. In one of these ponds (Rouge Pond), many of the fish
were covered in a thin gelatinous envelope in which were em-
bedded numerous vegetative microcysts. These were subsequently
identified by Max Taylor (UBC) as a dinoflagellate of unknown
affinity. Numerous SEM and TEM studies by John Buckland-Nicks
(StFX) have shown that these cysts, which contain chlorophyll,
are unlike other dinoflagellate fish parasites. The cyst con-
tains a rigid fenestrated matrix penetrated by cytoplasmic
processes that extend from the dinokaryotic nucleus and as-
sociated chloroplasts. These traits, in addition to amoeboid
stages, a very short duration trophont and a variety of resting
cysts suggest associations with the Phytodiniales while a tem-
porary dinokaryon and palintomic sporogenesis suggest affinities
to the Blastodiniales. Although there remain numerous am-
biguities in its higher level associations, we have initiated
formal taxonomic description of this dinoflagellate.
Response of the fish to the infection is extensive epithelial
hyperplasia which produces a thick layer of cells over the
entire fish in which the dinoflagellates are embedded. Even in
cases of extensive infection, the fish exhibit no obvious be-
havioral signs of stress, suggestive of a symbiosis or non-
pathological association.
My student, P. O'Reilly, undertook mtDNA work of the stickleback
populations and found that the majority of populations have a
mtDNA lineage that is very similar to that found in the an-
cestral stickleback found in marine waters surrounding the Queen
Charlottes. However, he also found a highly divergent mtDNA
lineage (>2.0% sequence divergence) in a several populations.
The stickleback from Rouge Pond, which have the dinoflagellate
association, were monomorphic for this rare lineage. More recent
work by G. Orti (Stony Brook) shows that this rare haplotype
also characterizes stickleback from Japan and several sites in
Alaska, suggestive of a previously wide distribution, but now
restricted in space.
We are not yet sure whether the combined presence of this highly
atypical dinoflagellate with the rare mtDNA haplotype of the
stickleback in Rouge Pond are merely coincidental events that
occurred after postglacial colonization or whether the biogeog-
raphy of both were bound together during the Pleistocene in an
ice-free refugium suspected of occurring between the Queen
Charlotte Islands and the mainland.
The following references provide more detail on the
dinoflagellate/stickleback associations.
Reimchen, T. E. and J. Buckland-Nicks. 1990. A novel association
between an endemic stickleback and a parasitic dinoflagel-
late: Seasonal cycle and host response. Can. J. Zool. 68:
667-671.
Buckland-Nicks, J., T. E. Reimchen and F. J. R. Taylor. 1990. A
novel association between an endemic stickleback and a
parasitic dinoflagellate: Morphology and life cycle. J. of
Phycology 26: 539-548.
Buckland-Nicks, J. and T. E. Reimchen 1995. A novel association
between an endemic stickleback and a parasitic dinoflagel-
late. 3: Details of the life cycle. Arch. Protistenkd.
145:165-175.
Buckland-Nicks, T. E. Reimchen and D. J. Garbary. Haidadinium
gasterosteophilum gen. et. sp. nov. (Phytodiniales,
Dinophyceae), a freshwater ectoparasite on stickleback (Gas-
terosteus aculeatus from the Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada.
Phycologia (submitted July 1995).
These papers provide more detail on the host populations:
Reimchen, T. E. 1984. Status of un-armoured and spine-deficient
populations (Charlotte Unarmored Stickleback) of Threespine
stickleback, Gasterosteus sp. on the Queen Charlotte Islands,
British Columbia. Canadian Field-Naturalist 98:120-126.
O'Reilly, P., T. E. Reimchen, R. Beech and C. Strobeck. 1993.
Mitochondrial DNA in Gasterosteus and Pleistocene glacial
refugium on the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia.
Evolution 47: 678-684.
Orti, G., M. A. Bell, T. E. Reimchen and A. Meyer. 1994. Global
survey of mitochondrial DNA sequences in the threespine
stickleback: evidence for recent migrations. Evolution
48:608-622.
Reimchen, T. E. 1994. Predators and evolution in threespine
stickleback. In Evolution of the threespine stickleback (ed.
M.A. Bell and S. A. Foster), pp. 240-273. Oxford University
Press.
(BEN # 137 26-May-1996)
------------------------------------------
LICHEN REQUEST - THAMNOLIA VERMICULARIS STUDY
From: Vivian Miao <vmiao@unixg.ubc.ca>
originally posted on lichens-l@hawaii.edu
My colleague Joe McDermott and I are doing a study on the
population structure of Thamnolia vermicularis from a genetic
point of view. The presumptive sterile nature of this lichen
suggests that there would be an overall low level of variation.
To test this, we are using PCR based methods to investigate
variation in the ribosomal RNA genes (primarily in number and
location of introns in the coding regions) and in the spacer DNA
between the genes (the ITS and IGS regions). Through the
generosity of a number of helpful individuals, we have been able
to examine nearly 75 specimens from various distant places. To
improve the geographic representation of the study, we would
like to have at least about 250 samples worldwide. I'd like to
ask the members of this group for help in obtaining additional
specimens, especially of material from the southern hemisphere.
Although fresh material is better, we have worked successfully
with older material (a specimen from the 1930's is the oldest to
date). Whatever the age, only a small amount of material is
needed (one or two thalli). If you can spare a small amount of
material from your collection, or if you can recommend someone
we should contact, please e-mail me at the address below.
Thanks very much for your help.
Vivian Miao
West-East Centre for Microbial Diversity
B. C. Research Building
3650 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6S 2L2
Tel: (604) 222-5518 or (604) 222-5525
Fax: (604) 222-6648
vmiao@unixg.ubc.ca
(BEN # 137 26-May-1996)
------------------------------------------
PLANTS OF SOUTHERN INTERIOR BRITISH COLUMBIA
Parish, R., R. Coupe, & D. Lloyd [eds.]. 1996. Plants of
Southern Interior British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing,
Vancouver, B.C. 463 p. ISBN 1-55105-057-9 [soft cover]
CDN$24.95, US$19.95
Lone Pine Publishing's toll free numbers are:
Phone: 1-800-661-9017
Fax: 1-800-424-7173
This is the latest addition to the popular series of field
guides to plants of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest
[see BEN 31, 75, 114, and also 125 & 132]. The guide "features
nearly 700 species of plants commonly found in the region from
the crest of the Rockies west to the Coast Mountains, including
the interior of Washington and Idaho." The book contains more
than 1000 photographs and over 700 line drawings.
This is a great series of field guides, highly praised by their
users and reviewers. The Southern Interior guide is possibly
the best in the series, its editors and writers have done an
excellent job. The guide was produced by ten authors (three of
them edited the book). I could not find who wrote what part, but
you can feel Anna Roberts' fine hand in the contribution to
sedges, Trevor Goward's logical participation on lichens, and
Dr. George Douglas's treatment of Asteraceae. I was able to
detect Dr. Wilf Schofield's excellent contribution to the treat-
ment of bryophytes, although he is listed as a co-author only in
the Acknowledgements.
What should I say more? This is an excellent book. It is loaded
with information, it's easy to use, and yes, it has rounded
corners.
(BEN # 137 26-May-1996)
------------------------------------------
BOTANY BC - CORRECTION
The correct e-mail address of Sybille Haeussler is:
Sybille Haeussler - 847-9451 - sybh@netshop.net
(BEN # 137 26-May-1996)
------------------------------------------
SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT DATABASES IN HERBARIA
From: Weber William A <weberw@spot.Colorado.EDU>
A relatively small computer database that herbarium COLO was
able to put together with Tim Hogan's and Dina Clark's help, is
a godsend to us. All that we did was to search the herbarium for
one voucher specimen each for every species that occurs in any
Colorado county (there are 66 as you know). This list can be
retrieved for any county. What we get out of this is that if
anybody goes into a county and wants to collect, here is a list
of the things we already have, and they can take this list with
them to avoid duplication. Fortunately, we have the field books
of our major collectors and can check their itineraries very
easily to find out where they really were. Considering that long
ago, when I assessed our coverage by selecting the lilies, which
are easy to see and collect, and predictable as to their occur-
rence, I found we had 19 per cent of expected. I suppose that
now we are probably close to 30 per cent. We certainly can be
more efficient in the future. I think that "computerization" of
collections should arise from a real need, not to just get
Brownie points with your fellow curators and administrators.
I do not go along with total computerization. At the present
time the COLO herbarium people are doing only the Colorado
collections. They copy all of the information on the specimen,
and try to interpret the handwritten labels. I find that the
current crop of students have a very hard time with them, prob-
ably because they have never had to read handwritten things, and
may rarely have used the pen themselves. I have to do a lot of
interpretation for them because I know almost every sheet that
goes into the place, and many of the collectors. As far as I
know, this job will take several years and use a lot of money
and time on the part of the herbarium budget and the students,
respectively.
Here are the points that need to be considered very carefully
before embarking on total computerization:
1. Remember that there are two parts of the job; doing the
entries and proofreading them. These chores have to be done
at two different times. The entering clerk cannot be ex-
pected to proof the work. The files have to be retrieved
again for proofing, and often the sheets are not in the same
order as when they were entered.
2. Time and money are deeply involved. In our case, with the
coverage as light as it still is, money would better be
spent by sending people into the field to collect, using the
small data base mentioned above.
3. The project has to be envisioned as continuing indefinitely
into the future. When the money dries up, the project stops.
4. If the person entering gets sick, or leaves, and there is
time away from the machine, new specimens pile up and cannot
be placed in the herbarium files until someone gets them
entered. This is what I call a bottleneck. Herbaria have
enough unfinished work sitting on the tables and do not need
more.
5. There is something to be said for entering new material into
the computer at the time the labels are produced. This
applies to start-up herbaria at least. I am talking about an
herbarium with half a million specimens all needing entry.
6. If any specimen has its name changed or is placed elsewhere,
the computer needs to be told about it.
7. Regardless of how much is put into a database, the specimen
itself may eventually have to be consulted. The data base
never contains detailed descriptions of the actual specimen.
Identifications cannot be accepted on their face values.
Some administrators think that once you have a data base,
the collection becomes superfluous; nothing could be farther
from the truth.
The big question, which really should always be before the
people who give out the money, is this. Will the users of such a
data base ever pay our herbarium proportionately for the infor-
mation they get out of it? I think the answer is obvious. They
will expect to get it free of charge. If I were a fiscal officer
of the university I would insist that there be a quid pro quo,
but what administrator knows anything about an herbarium except
that it costs a great deal to maintain it? In his eyes the space
it occupies would be very useful for some other discipline. This
is one reason why herbaria are being given away. Paradoxically,
the herbarium manager is encouraged to believe that computeriza-
tion is a magic formula that will make the herbarium more re-
spectable in the eyes of an administrator and ones scientific
colleagues in other institutions.
(BEN # 138 5-June-1996)
------------------------------------------
NEW ALIEN PLANTS OF YUKON ROADSIDES
From: Bruce Bennett <bennettb@ywc.yk.doe.ca>
The Yukon has seen several significant foreign invasions in the
last 150 years: the fur trade, the Gold Rush, and the building
of the Alaska highway, to name a few. With each of these events,
some have stayed and adapted to the harsh northern environment,
others have simply disappeared. Along with the new residents
came many new animals and plants. This invasion continues to
this day. I am part of this invasion, having moved to the Yukon
last year. Since my arrival, I have started to locate other
invaders who may be overlooked, the vegetative invaders, the
alien plants.
Many of these plants are familiar to most Yukoners. The
lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl.) only came to the Yukon
about 500 years ago or so and continues to move north and
westward. Sweet clover (Melilotus alba Desr.) and alfalfa
(Medicago sativa L.) are familiar to travelers of our highways.
Others are relatively unknown and their distributions poorly
understood. Since my arrival at least five new species have been
added to our knowledge of the flora of the Yukon. Four turned up
in the area of Haines Junction and were brought to me by Lloyd
Freese of the National Park Service. He realized that the plants
were unusual, finding them growing along the highway. All proved
to be new species and included: Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.),
creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense [L.] Scop.), diffuse knapweed
(Centaurea diffusa Lam.) and salsify (Tragopogon dubius Scop.).
Perhaps the most exciting discovery was of the chick-pea milk-
vetch (Astragalus cicer L.). This is a very showy perennial of
the pea family. It was found on a roadside in the extreme
southeast corner of the Yukon near the LaBiche river blooming on
June 10 last year. It had ascending to suberect stems (5) 25-60
(100) cm and large racemes of yellow flowers crowded into ovoid
heads. Leaflets 8-15 pairs. It has broad stipules. From the
remnants of the previous year, I found hairy black marble-sized
10-15 mm inflated pods. Most species that are this large and
colourful are also very easily identifiable, however I was
unable to locate this species in any of the surrounding floras.
I spotted the same species along the windswept Haines road near
the B.C./Yukon border. It was still blooming in October while
the first snow was falling. This only added to my confusion.
Surely a plant that is this widespread cannot be too hard to
identify? My search finally ended this February. While on vaca-
tion in Victoria I visited the Royal B.C. Museum. I talked to
Chris Brayshaw who remarked that he had found a species similar
to my description near Ft. Nelson several years ago. Likewise,
he was unable to find a description in any North American Flora
and finally located it in the Flora Europaea. With the assis-
tance of John Pinder-Moss, the biological collections manager at
the herbarium, we finally located it in the collections. This
plant comes from Belgium and north-central Russia southwards to
northern Spain and Bulgaria although it is known to occasionally
naturalize farther north. According to the Atlas of North
American Astragalus Part II, Astragalus cicer is widely dis-
persed in moist grassy places, along streams and ditches, in
hedges, and in open woodland over most of continental Europe. It
was introduced in the United States for trial as a cover or
forage crop, reportedly naturalized in Whatcom County,
Washington, in southern Manitoba, near Brandon and possibly in
northestern Nevada. The Vascular Plants of British Columbia
reports the occurrence in B.C. as being rare found in Coquitlam
and Williams Lake, and also reports their flower colour as
white. I will have to return to the Haines road this summer to
determine if this species also ranges south into B.C.
Barneby, R.C. 1964. Atlas of North American Astragalus Part II.
The Ceridothrix, Hypoglottis, Piptolodoid, Trimeniaeus and
Orophaca Astragali. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 13:597-1188.
Douglas, G.W., G.B. Straley, and D. Meidinger (eds.). 1989.
Vascular Plants of British Columbia: Dicotyledons (Diapen-
siaceae through Portulacaceae). Special report series,
British Columbia Ministry of Forests, number 2. Crown Publi-
cations. Victoria, B.C.
Tutin, T.G., V.H. Heywood, N.A. Burgess, D.M. Moore, D.H. Valen-
tine, S.M. Walters and D.A. Webb. (eds.). 1964-1980. Flora
Europaea Vol.2, Rosaceae to Umbelliferae. Cambridge Univer-
sity Press. p.114
(BEN # 138 5-June-1996)
------------------------------------------
FLORA OF THE RUSSIAN ARCTIC VOL. I - AN INTERESTING ANACHRONISM
From: Adolf Ceska <aceska@freenet.victoria.bc.ca>
I bought the first volume (Pteridophytes to Butomaceae) of the
Arctic Flora USSR when I was a graduate student at the Charles
University in Prague in 1960. I was thrilled by the fresh
taxonomic treatment of the Russian North and I immediately
subscribed the series in the "Soviet Book" bookstore in Prague.
My excitement did not last too long. Somebody pinched my copy of
the Pteridophytes and the "Soviet Book" ignored my subscription.
Nevertheless, with the help of my friends and booksellers like
Koeltz and Scientia I managed to gather at least the most impor-
tant volumes of the Arctic Flora. Some taxonomic treatments,
especially those by Yurtzev and Tzvelev, are still useful and
interesting.
The University of Alberta Press started to publish the English
translation of the Arctic Flora of the USSR and the first volume
appeared last year. It contains Polypodiaceae - Butomaceae
(originally published in 1960), and Gramineae (originally pub-
lished in 1964). The treatment of pteridophytes is rather stale
and that of grasses was superceded by Tzvelev's "Grasses of the
USSR." In spite of this, the translation of the Arctic Flora
should be praised since it makes this important work accessible
to the broad English-speaking audience. The translation will
have six volumes, the last one will appear in 1998.
Flora of the Russian Arctic. Volume 1. Translated from the
original Russian "Arkticheskaya Flora SSSR" by G.C.D. Grif-
fiths, edited by J.G. Packer. University of Alberta Press,
Edmonton. 1995. 330 p. ISBN 0-88864-269-5 [hard cover] Price:
CDN$65.00
(BEN # 138 5-June-1996)
------------------------------------------
ASKELL LOVE (1916-1994) - IN MEMORIAM AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
From: Adolf Ceska <aceska@freenet.victoria.bc.ca>
Dr. Askell Love was a world leader in the science of plant
cytotaxonomy and phytogeography. His friend, Dr. William A.
Weber, published a short "In Memoriam" note and a bibliography
of Dr. Love's works in the Acta Botanica Islandica (12[1995]: 3-
5 and 6-34, respectively). I have a small surplus of reprints
that I can send you, if you are interested. Please, send me your
mailing address, and please, use my freenet adress:
aceska@freenet.victoria.bc.ca
NOT ben@cue.bc.ca; you may create a mail storm, if you use BEN's
address.
(BEN # 139 22-June-1996)
------------------------------------------
JUNE 10 -- TODAY IN THE HISTORICAL SCIENCES
1858: ROBERT BROWN dies in London in the Soho Square house left
to him by Joseph Banks, his long-time patron. One of the
preeminent taxonomic botanists of the early nineteenth century,
Brown had been an exceptionally industrious student of medicine
and botany as a young man in his native Scotland. Following a
period of naval service as a surgeon's mate, he was appointed in
1801 as a naturalist on the _Investigator_, a British Admiralty
ship preparing to sail around the world. The _Investigator_
voyage gave Brown an extensive knowledge of the plants of the
southern hemisphere, and he returned with specimens of nearly
4,000 species. As a leading figure in London scientific circles,
Brown played an important role in the establishment of the
Department of Botany in the British Museum, and served as
Librarian and President of the Linnean Society. Charles Darwin
in his _Autobiography_ will recollect the many hours he spent in
Brown's company:
I saw a good deal of Robert Brown, "facile Princeps
Botanicorum," as he was called by Humboldt; and before I
was married I used to go and sit with him almost every
Sunday morning. He seemed to me to be chiefly remarkable
for the minuteness of his observations and their perfect
accuracy. He never propounded to me any large scientific
views in biology. His knowledge was extraordinarily great,
and much died with him, owing to his excessive fear of
ever making a mistake. He poured out his knowledge to me
in the most unreserved manner, yet was strangely jealous
on some points....Hooker told me that he was a complete
miser, and knew himself to be a miser, about his dried
plants; and he would not lend specimens to Hooker, who was
describing the plants of Tierra del Fuego, although well
knowing that he himself would never make any use of the
collections from this country. On the other hand he was
capable of the most generous actions. When old, much out
of health and quite unfit for any exertion, he daily
visited (as Hooker told me) an old man-servant, who lived
at a distance and whom he supported, and read aloud to
him. This is enough to make up for any degree of scien-
tific penuriousness or jealousy. He was rather given to
sneering at anyone who wrote about what he did not fully
understand: I remember praising Whewell's _History of the
Inductive Sciences_ to him, and he answered, "Yes, I
suppose that he has read the prefaces of very many books."
Today in the Historical Sciences is a feature of Darwin-L, an
international network discussion group on the history and theory
of the historical sciences. Send the message INFO DARWIN-L to
listserv@ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu or connect to the Darwin-L Web
Server (http://rjohara.uncg.edu) for more information.
(BEN # 139 22-June-1996)
------------------------------------------
NEW PUBLICATION: GEOLOGY OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Orr, E.L. & W.N. Orr. 1996. Geology of the Pacific Northwest.
McGraw Hill Co., Inc. vi+409 p. ISBN 0-07-048018-4 [soft
cover] Price: US$39.95.
This book is a large format publication, filled with many
photographs, maps, diagrams and drawings and containing long
chapters on British Columbia, Washington and Oregon.
(BEN # 139 22-June-1996)
------------------------------------------
CATKIN-BEARING PLANTS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA - REVISED EDITION
Brayshaw, T. C. 1996. Catkin-bearing plants of British Columbia.
Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria. 213 p. ISBN 0-7718-
9458-9 [soft cover] Price CDN$24.95
This is a new, updated edition of Dr. Brayshaw's 1976 treatment
of Salix, Populus, Betula etc. in British Columbia. Several
species new to British Columbia were added and the distribution
maps were updated to include collections up to 1989. The publi-
cation can be ordered from (Visa & Mastercard accepted):
Royal Museum Gift Shop
675 Belleville Street
Victoria, B.C.
Canada V8V 1X4
Tel: 604-356-0505
Fax: 604-356-8197
(BEN # 139 22-June-1996)
------------------------------------------
FERNS ON THE INTERNET
From: Fiddlehead Forum 23(2), March-April 1996
The American Fern Society now has a homepage on the worldwide
web! The page is at http://www.visuallink.com/fern
Also,
Pteridonet is a new on-line listserve dedicated to the topic of
ferns. To subscribe send a message
subscribe Pteridonet Your full name
to
listproc@gac.edu
(BEN # 139 22-June-1996)
------------------------------------------
ADOLF CESKA: I HAVE MOVED AGAIN
In November 1995, I lost my job of a botany curator in the Royal
British Columbia Museum, due to the downsizing that took place
in the British Columbia Ministry of Small Business, Tourism and
Culture. From December 1995 to April 1996 I worked in the B.C.
Ministry of Forests on problems of vegetation classification
(essentially developing a new version of the COENOS computer
program) and on classification of wetland plant communities.
Since May 1996 I have been working as an Ecologist in the Con-
servation Data Centre, B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and
Parks. My responsibility is vegetation classification and iden-
tification of rare and endangered plant communities. My new
address is
Adolf Ceska
B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks
Conservation Data Centre
780 Blanshard Street
Victoria, B.C.
Canada V8V 1X4
Phone: 604-356-7855 (work), 604-477-1211 (home)
Fax: 604-387-2733
My private address is:
Adolf Ceska, P.O.Box 8546, Victoria, B.C., Canada V8W 3S2
I would like to thank all the BEN readers for their support
and encouragement (please, send me more news and contributions
to post on BEN !). I would like to stress that BEN does not
reflect official positions of my employers. Nevertheless, if you
know about some "rare and endangered" vegetation or ecosystem in
British Columbia that should get into the official mill, please,
let me know. Many thanks again.
(BEN # 139 22-June-1996)
------------------------------------------
VOUCHER SPECIMENS - FROM THE DISCUSSION ON TAXACOM [BEN # 131]
From: John Nelson <NELSON@CLS.BIOL.SC.EDU>
Steve Boyd (RSA) wrote:
"Here at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden Herbarium we are often
hitting the graduate students with the phrase 'NO VOUCHER - NO
DATA'. I first heard Brian Boom utter these words at the BRIT
symposium several years ago and it really hit home. I hope that
if our grad students hear these sacred words enough, the concept
will sink in and they will become advocates of collections when
they move on in their careers."
To further this thread, I'm pleased to say that the Editorial
Committee of CASTANEA has adopted a policy of strongly recom-
mending that any manuscripts submitted for publication, whether
floristic or not, involve serious vouchering of all material
involved. This will soon be a written policy.
(BEN # 140 29-July-1996)
------------------------------------------
VIRTUAL HERBARIUM PROPOSAL REJECTED [BEN # 134]
From: Mary Barkworth <stipoid@cc.usu.edu> originally on
<HERB-L@IDBSU.IDBSU.EDU>
Not altogether unexpectedly, the proposal that Stephen Clyde and
I submitted to NSF for initiating development of a Virtual
Herbarium was rejected. We have not yet been sent the reasons
why, but we would like starting on a new proposal, possibly
heading to another branch of NSF or another source of funding
altogether, but do so in the manner we wish to continue - as a
collaborative project involving several different herbaria.
Because it really helps to be able to meet and talk with col-
laborators, we are suggesting a Northwestern focus (Logan is in
the northern portion of Utah). Both Steve and I will be present-
ing papers on the concept at AIBS this year - they are scheduled
for Tuesday, 8.45 and 9 a.m, respectively in , Kane Hall 210,
and the AIBS has also set aside a room - HUB 20.4N - for a
meeting that afternoon for anyone interested in pursuing the
idea. We would particularly like to meet with people from
northwestern herbaria, but the meeting is open to anyone. As you
may gather, we think the idea is really worth pursuing. I hope
that we will have the reviewers' comments in hand before the
AIBS meetings so that we know what issues have to be addressed -
but in any case, we want to meet.
(BEN # 140 29-July-1996)
------------------------------------------
TABLES OF CONTENTS FOR ELSEVIER JOURNALS
From: "(Ed Rykiel)" <ej_rykiel@ccmail.pnl.gov>
originally posted on ECOLOG-L <ECOLOG-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU>
Tables of Contents for Elsevier journals can be found at
http://www.elsevier.nl/cas/estoc/Menu.html
The list includes Ecological Modelling, Ecological Economics,
Ecological Engineering, and Trends in Ecology and Evolution
among many others.
(BEN # 140 29-July-1996)
------------------------------------------
NEW LICHENOLOGICAL KEYS FOR THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
From: Toby Spribille
</S=T.SPRIBILLE/OU1=R01F14D03A@mhs-fswa.attmail.com>
McCune, B. & Trevor Goward 1995. Macrolichens of the Northern
Rocky Mountains. Mad River Press, Inc. v + 208 p. ISBN 0-
916422-82-8 [soft cover] Price US$24.95
This is a welcome addition to lichenological literature in the
interior Pacific Northwest. Here we have a set of very usable
keys which take in all of the non-crustose lichen species found
in the interior Columbia River basin. The authors avoided crus-
tose species but include those species which have foliose or
squamulose margins. Our experience with the book in a lichen
workshop this spring is that it is a very helpful and indispen-
sable reference which will fill a void in the libraries of many
naturalists.
The format of the book is reminiscent of Poelt's monumental
Bestimmungsschlussel europaischer Flechten, in that the emphasis
in on providing keys and not extensive remarks on each species'
ecology and distribution. Most of the taxonomy is very up-to-
date. The keys to several genera are original and much more
useful than those which have been available to date. An excel-
lent introduction explains lichen structure and biology, their
chemistry, ecology, and their relation to other cryptogams.
Illustrations of important characters are sprinkled liberally
throughout and are conveniently located along side the keys.
Lichenologists who were wearied by the proliferation of (often
`cute') common names in the authors' 1995 work (Lichens of
British Columbia, Part 1) will be pleased to see that not a
single common name is provided.
(BEN # 140 29-July-1996)
------------------------------------------
HIKING THE ANCIENT FORESTS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA AND WASHINGTON
Stoltmann, R. 1996. Hiking the ancient forests of British Colum-
bia and Washington. Lone Pine Publishing, Edmonton - Van-
couver. 191 p. ISBN 1-55105-045-5 [soft cover] Price US$15.95
(CND$19.95)
Author Randy Stoltmann died in the mountaineering accident
shortly after the completion of the manuscript of this book [BEN
# 76]. The book describes thirty hikes through the old growth
forests of British Columbia (Lower Mainland and Vancouver Is-
land) and Northwest Washington (North Cascades, Mount Rainier,
and Olympic Peninsula). The hikes range from short, easily
accessible walks and dayhikes to overnight backpacking trips in
remote wilderness areas. Detailed trail descriptions include
record trees, status of trails, photos and maps, and notes on
nature and forest ecology.
(BEN # 140 29-July-1996)
------------------------------------------