From aceska at telus.net Sun Apr 1 11:32:23 2007 From: aceska at telus.net (Adolf Ceska) Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2007 03:32:23 -0700 Subject: [BEN-L]BEN # CCCLXXVI Message-ID: <000401c77449$099bab60$1c12d8cf@xphome> BBBBB EEEEEE NN N ISSN 1188-603X BB B EE NNN N BBBBB EEEEE NN N N BOTANICAL BB B EE NN NN ELECTRONIC BBBBB EEEEEE NN N NEWS No. CCCLXXVI April 1, 2007 aceska@telus.net Victoria, B.C. ----------------------------------------------------------- Dr. A. Ceska, P.O.Box 8546, Victoria, B.C. Canada V8W 3S2 ----------------------------------------------------------- FROGS SAT AROUND A PUDDLE Poem written in 1878 by the Czech poet Jan Neruda. It is poem #22 in his collection of "Cosmic Songs" (Písně kosmické): Frogs sat around a puddle And gazed at heavens high Frog teacher pounding into skulls The science of the sky. He spoke about the heavens Bright dots we see there burning And men watch them, "astronomers" Like moles they dig for learning. When these moles start to map the stars The large becomes quite small What's twenty million miles to us They call one foot, that's all. So, as those moles did figure out (If you believe their plan) Neptune is thirty feet away Venus, less than one. If we chopped up the Sun, he said (Awed frogs could only stare) We'd get three hundred thousand Earth's With still a few to spare The Sun helps us make use of time, It rolls round heaven's sphere And cuts a workday into shifts "Forever" to a year What comets are is hard to say A strange manifestation Though this is not a reason for Some idle speculation They are no evil sign, we hope No reason for great fright As in a story we got from Lubyenyetsky, great knight A comet there appeared, and when It rays were seen by all The cobblers in a tavern Began a shameful brawl He told them how the stars we see So many, overhead Are actually only suns Some green, some blue, some red And if we use the spectroscope Their light tells, in addition Those distant stars and our Earth Have the same composition He stopped. The frogs were overwhelmed. Their froggy eyeballs rolled. "What more about this universe Would you like to be told?" "Just one more thing, please tell us sir" A frog asked, "Is it true? Do creatures live there just like us Do frogs exist there too?" Translated by D.P. Stern http://www.phy6.org/outreach/poems/frogs.htm NEW MEXICO LEGISLATURE - DECLARING PLUTO A PLANET Date Released: Thursday, March 8, 2007 Source: http://legis.state.nm.us/Sessions/07%20Regular/memorials/house/HJM054.pdf HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 54 48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2007 INTRODUCED BY Joni Marie Gutierrez DECLARING PLUTO A PLANET AND DECLARING MARCH 13, 2007, "PLUTO PLANET DAY" AT THE LEGISLATURE. WHEREAS, the state of New Mexico is a global center for astronomy, astrophysics and planetary science; and WHEREAS, New Mexico is home to world class astronomical observing facilities, such as the Apache Point observatory, the very large array, the Magdalena Ridge observatory and the national solar observatory; and WHEREAS, Apache Point observatory, operated by New Mexico state university, houses the astrophysical research consortium's three-and-one-half meter telescope, as well as the unique two-and-one-half meter diameter Sloan digital sky survey telescope; and WHEREAS, New Mexico state university has the state's only independent, doctorate-granting astronomy department; and WHEREAS, New Mexico state university and Dona Ana county were the longtime home of Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto; and WHEREAS, Pluto has been recognized as a planet for seventy-five years; and WHEREAS, Pluto's average orbit is three billion six hundred ninety-five million nine hundred fifty thousand miles from the sun, and its diameter is approximately one thousand four hundred twenty-one miles; and WHEREAS, Pluto has three moons known as Charon, Nix and Hydra; and WHEREAS, a spacecraft called new horizons was launched in January 2006 to explore Pluto in the year 2015; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that, as Pluto passes overhead through New Mexico's excellent night skies, it be declared a planet and that March 13, 2007 be declared "Pluto Planet Day" at the legislature. HOW TO HIRE AN ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT WHO WOULD GET YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS WITHOUT A GLITCH From: A.C. Patella, Open Bluffs Consulting, If you want to get your development project approved, look for the consultant who would help you to get it through the environmental assessment process. The fool-proof technique is to hire a reputable consultant from far away. If you want to develop the Pacific Ocean waterfront, any consultant from Alberta seems to be the best bid, because of the lack of experience with the ecology of the ocean coastline. Big names supported by a large list of the overseas contracts will guarantee you - a developer - that the local governments approve any destruction of the environment your development might have caused. On the contrary, you may even get a national award for the most environmentally friendly development in the area, and possibly, in the whole Canada. For the Garry oak (_Quercus garryana_, also known as Oregon white oak) ecosystems in British Columbia, the best way to get your environmental assessment accepted is to hire an arborist. The word "arborist' sounds better than anything "environmental" (e.g., "environmental services" or "environmental consulting"). The arborist will consider all our native oaks knurled and he will tell you that all the oak trees are either dying or they will eventually die. Nobody can prove him wrong. I met an arborist who came to write an environmental assessment for the development of a major retail store complex in the Victoria area with oak (i.e., the RED-listed plant community). He came from Vancouver, BC, where they do not have any oak trees except the street alleys with European oaks. When he came to the site that he was supposed to evaluate, he looked sheepishly around, and said, "So this is that Garry oak?" waiting for our confirmation. Needles to say, the business complex is now standing on the site that used to have quite extensive RED-listed native Garry oak vegetation. Several years ago I met an arborist from Duncan, BC (southern Vancouver Island) who was convinced (and who tried to convince me as well) that all the arbutus/madrone trees (_Arbutus menziesii_) in British Columbia would die within five years. People like him are the best to hire, if you want to get the development in the British Columbia RED-listed communities with _Arbutus menziesii_. Whomever you hire as your environmental consultants, you have to stand behind them. If you see or expect some opposition, pledge the full support to them by saying something like "_if you have questions or wish to have an increased understanding of all the environmental issues of this particular area, please, feel free to contact the following individuals [include the names of your hired consultants or arborists]. These individuals have provided relevant, ground breaking research into this problem in recent years._" I.e., all the other views are irrelevant and have their views biased, obtained from other than ground breaking research. In the larger projects that are exposed to much wider public scrutiny, you have to apply another, highly effective technique. This is the so-called "Falconridge Bluff", named after the inventor of this technique. If you see that the environmental consultants would strongly oppose the "Alternative A" because it would have a significant negative impact on that particular site, you have to offer them an "Alternative B" that might look like a feasible, win-win solution. All the environmental consultants hired for such a project (get as many as you can!) would all be strongly in favour of the "Alternative B", they would praise the advantages of that alternative, and they would either ignore the unacceptable "Alternative A", or they would reject "Alternative A" without saying too much how bad it is. After you get all those environmental assessments together, you would make the announcement that the "Alternative B" is not feasible (e.g., "because it would represent serious safety hazards") and that the "Alternative A" is then the only way to go. Those environmental assessments would not bring too many arguments against the "Alternative A", since they would consider it totally stupid to start with, and they would all spend their ink on praising the "Alternative B". At the same time, they would all be silent, since they would be embarrassed that they fell into this smart trap. If you want to apply this "Falconridge Bluff", the "Alternative B" has to be selected with great caution, that is, you have to make the "Alternative B" credible to the environmental consultants. No Leonardo da Vinci or Jules Verne fantasies, such as - for instance - a suggestion to build a freeway bridge over an extensive raised bog on large sunken polyurethane blocks. You may not find too many consultant who would take your "Alternative B" seriously. My experience tells me that in most cases, the environmental statements are just a required formality. I know some cases where the habitat destruction went ahead in spite of of the fact that the environmental assessment recommended otherwise. In most such cases, the developers or managers either ignored the statement, or, most probably, they did not read it at all. I wish all the best luck to all the environmental consulting companies, especially those, who do not have an arborist on their staff! My Open Bluffs Consulting is hiring three of them in the next coming months. GEOGRAPHIC ILLITERACY LED US TO BE HOODWINKED INTO WAR From: Alexander B. Murphy [Author's permission to post this article in BEN is greatly appreciated. AC] Amid all the recriminations over the disaster in Iraq, no one has placed the ultimate blame where it properly belongs: with the president of Harvard University. No, not poor hapless Larry Summers, but his predecessor, James Conant, who announced in 1948 that ''geography is not a university subject.'' That pronouncement lies behind both the American schoolchildren who locate North Korea in Australia and an administration that thought of Iraq as a contemporary, interchangeable counterpart of the Japan and Germany of the 1940s. During the course of the 20th century, geography virtually disappeared from elementary and secondary schools, and it was abolished at some of the nation's leading universities. This has served to undermine our capacity to understand America's role in the world or to consider how something as basic as ethnic distributions might be relevant in our foreign engagements. Only a geographically illiterate public could have been hoodwinked by the characterizations of Iraq spouted in Washington at the time of the invasion. Yet even ''educated'' opinion -- normally a brake on the worst sort of policymaking stupidity -- could not and did not act as a brake because it, too, was uneducated. In a world where Iraq was little more than a blank space in most people's minds, few were in a position to point to the obvious once America moved in: the importance of strengthening institutions such as the Iraqi army that promoted state nationalism (not recognized); the strategic advantages that could come from securing Iraq's borders against foreign intruders (not prioritized); the need to guarantee a sharing of oil revenues given the lack of significant oil fields in Sunni areas (not considered); the value of showing that the United States had no long-term military designs on Iraq (not only ignored, but undercut as plans went ahead for new military bases). The blinders that got us where we are today have not disappeared. The debate centers on what is going on inside Iraq itself. Yet what are the implications of the invasion of Iraq for the larger geopolitical picture? What impact has it had, for example, on America's influence in Southeast Asia? What role does Iraq play in widening the geographic scope of violent extremism? The crisis in Iraq should not distract us from the gravity of such questions. Unless they become the focus of attention, the administration can continue to claim, without challenge from significant segments of the electorate, that Iraq is at the leading edge of the war on terrorism. The absurdity of this claim becomes clear when one considers that the Iraq invasion has been used relentlessly and effectively by those seeking to undermine American influence in other parts of the world. Al-Qaida sympathizers from Europe have gone to Iraq, and then returned to Europe in a position to wreak more havoc than they ever could have imagined without the training Iraq had provided them. We cannot have a serious discussion of the role of Iraq in the larger terrorism picture if such matters are not part of the conversation. In a world where the gap between political rhetoric and reality is growing by the day, public accountability is impossible in the absence of a basic level of global understanding and inquisitiveness. There will always be differences of opinion on policy initiatives, but the Iraq venture has been conducted and promoted through a combination of on-the-ground illusions and unasked questions -- all made possible by a geographically challenged general population. The results now lie starkly before us. If we are to salvage anything reasonable from the wreckage and avoid similar policy pitfalls in the future, we can no longer let political grandstanding trump serious consideration of the cultural, political and environmental character of the contemporary world. Alexander B. Murphy is vice president of the American Geographical Society and a past president of the Association of American Geographers. SLIVOVICE: TRADITIONAL MORAVIAN SPIRIT IS UNDER THREAT FROM EUROPEAN UNION BUREAUCRATS From: http://www.radio.cz/en/article/89874 Anyone who's been to Moravia will most probably have sampled a glass of slivovice, the potent clear spirit usually made from plums, which is synonymous with the region and which the local inhabitants are extremely proud of. Although many Moravians distill their own slivovice, there are also a handful of Czech firms who sell it on the Czech market, but this might be about to change. A new proposed regulation before the European Parliament could mean that these distilleries might not be able to call their product slivovice in the future. In April a new regulation is to go before the European Parliament which - if passed - would define slivovice as a spirit made from plum juice with alcohol added to it. If this is approved, it means that the traditional distilled Moravian liquor would no longer be able to call itself slivovice. Naturally, distillers - some of whom have been selling slivovice for decades - are up in arms about the proposed move. They say changing the name of their product could have a detrimental effect on their business. I spoke earlier with the owner of a small, family-run distillery in Moravia, Martin Zufanek, and asked him what Moravian slivovice is actually made from: "Slivovice has always only been made from plums. Here in Slovacko we have always made Slivovice from various kinds of plums. We use ordinary, plain plums as well as different cultivated plums, such as the Stanley. So, it's a mixture of plums, but, it's always been just plums and nothing else." Mr Zufanek says that if the proposed legislation is passed it could have major repercussions for his company: "If the new EU regulation is approved and the new definition of slivovice means that it becomes kind of liquid made from fruit juice with alcohol added to it, our company would have to think about a new name for our products. We take pride in producing our slivovice and various fruit liqueurs using nothing but fruit, without any extra alcohol added. The new legislation would therefore have a negative impact on our company's strategy and philosophy. At the moment, I don't know what exactly we would do..." One thing Mr Zufanek is sure of, however, is that his company would sell less slivovice than before, because it would take some time for customers to get used to the new name of the product. One small consolation for Mr Zufanek, however, is that Czech diplomats and members of the European Parliament have promised that they will fight tooth and nail to try and "save" Czech slivovice and change the definition in the legislation before it is voted on next month. ________________________________________________________________ Subscriptions: http://victoria.tc.ca/mailman/listinfo/ben-l Send submissions to aceska@telus.net BEN is archived at http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ ________________________________________________________________ From aceska at telus.net Thu Apr 12 18:07:59 2007 From: aceska at telus.net (Adolf Ceska) Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2007 10:07:59 -0700 Subject: [BEN-L]BEN # 377 Message-ID: <000001c77d25$239b49f0$1c12d8cf@xphome> -----Original Message----- From: Adolf Ceska [mailto:aceska@telus.net] Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2007 10:02 AM To: 'bn-l@victoria.tc.ca' Subject: BEN # 377 -- BBBBB EEEEEE NN N ISSN 1188-603X BB B EE NNN N BBBBB EEEEE NN N N BOTANICAL BB B EE NN NN ELECTRONIC BBBBB EEEEEE NN N NEWS No. 377 April 12, 2007 aceska@telus.net Victoria, B.C. ----------------------------------------------------------- Dr. A. Ceska, P.O.Box 8546, Victoria, B.C. Canada V8W 3S2 ----------------------------------------------------------- SNOWBANK FUNGI OF WESTERN NORTH AMERICA: COLD BUT NOT FROZEN From: Cathy Cripps, Dept of Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 [ccripps@montana.edu] One of my first encounters with the "Snowbank fungi" was glissading down a snowy slope, when suddenly just before I hit bare ground, hordes of shiny gray mushroom heads appeared unexpectedly from the snow glistening in the high elevation sunlight. It quite took my breath away. Later I learned that deep in the high elevation forests of western North America where snowbanks linger long into summer months, a unique group of macrofungi flourishes on the melt waters released by the white remnants of winter. Fruiting bodies initiate in the subnivean zone and push up through the snow as it melts around them forming small caverns. At the snow-soil interface temperatures hover around freezing. As warm air and sun reduce the snowbanks, an array of mushrooms and cup fungi is revealed along margins in the adjacent melt-water zone. As the season progresses they remain as silent sentinels marking the outline of defunct snowbanks with their bodies. The "Snowbank fungi" are a consistent feature of high elevation western conifer forests in spring and early summer. They are reported primarily from the Rocky Mountains and Cascade Range, but their distribution stretches from southern Canada to northern New Mexico at elevations of 1500 to 3800 m. I have observed them en masse in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Canada and they are well known in the Pacific Northwest, the Sierra Nevada range of California and the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. Many of the snowbank fungi are endemic to western North America. Others also occur outside the West but not in this unique ecological niche. Moser (2004) states "we have nothing comparable in Europe". The "Snowbankers" appear to be a unique western North American phenomenon. They are not associated with the open snow-beds of arctic and alpine habitats, nor are they associated with glaciers. They are not the typical spring mushroom flora, although a few overlap chronologically with this group. They have not been reported from the eastern USA as an ecological group. The "Snowbank fungi" are well-distributed where certain conditions are met. They proliferate in regions of high elevation with short, cold summers where snowbanks remain until July. Sufficient elevation is necessary for a deep snowpack in mature forests suffused with downed logs and abundant litter and woody debris. Spring and summer nights must be cool enough to retain the snowbanks, and days warm enough to provide melt water for the fungi which fruit as the soil warms and dries. The fungi can occur on steep slopes or level ground, but snowbanks persist longer on northern slopes and in deep shade where fruiting is protracted. Fruiting can stretch into July and August at higher elevations. The "Snowbank fungi" are associated mostly with the spruce-fir zone (mixed conifers), and particularly with Engelmann spruce (_Picea engelmannii_ Engelm.), subalpine fir (_Abies lasiocarpa_ [Hook.] Nutt.), and lodgepole pine (_Pinus contorta_ Laud.), although they also occur in mixed whitebark pine (_Pinus albicaulis_ Engelm.) forests. It is this particular set of trees that provides enough shade to protect against a quick snowmelt (unlike larch or other deciduous trees at high elevations). These trees are also associated with the mycorrhizal "Snowbankers" such as certain species of _Hygrophorus_ and _Cortinarius_ and they provide woody substrates for the saprobic species as well. This taxonomically diverse group was first reported as an ecological assemblage by Wm Bridge Cooke in a 1944 article (Cooke 1944) on the fungi of Mount Shasta, California. This was followed by _Subalpine fungi and snowbanks_ (Cooke 1955) where he related the details of the macrofungi consistently fruiting near snowbanks in spring. The names of the fungi he reported are out- of-date (but recognizable). This set of fungi was subsequently called the "Snowbank flora" by Alex Smith in _A Field Guide to Western Mushrooms_ (1975). He reported particular species near snowbanks in Idaho where he spent summers, but did not treat the group as a whole in an article. In 1965 Orson K. Miller, Jr. contributed the brief but informative _Snowbank Mushrooms in the Three Sisters Wilderness Area_ (Miller 1965). Both Smith and Miller described several new species of "snowbank mushrooms" and linked additional taxa to western snowbanks in a number of publications (references at end). Ammirati and Moser joined in to help delineate snowbank _Cortinarius_ taxa, an ongoing process. More recent literature has updated the nomenclature (Bessette et al. 1995, Miller & Miller 2006, Redhead et al. 2000). Moser described the snow-bank fungi as a uniquely North American phenomenon (2004). This insight brings with it the realization that the "snowbank fungi" are dependent on a particular habitat limited to forest-covered mountain slopes with special climatic, geographic, and biological components. These restricted ranges are directly (habitat reduction, forest thinning, fire) and indirectly (global climate change) impacted by human activities. THE SNOWBANK FUNGI The snowbank fungi are a taxonomically and ecologically diverse group of fleshy fungi that include both Basidiomycota and Ascomycota adapted to the unique microclimate provided by remnant snows in high-elevation conifer forests. _Hygrophorus_ and _Cortinarius_ species are mycorrhizal genera and have a mutually beneficial relationship with conifer trees. Other fungi are saprobic and decompose logs, twigs, cones, and organic debris, except for _Caloscyphe fulgens_ which is a seed pathogen. All snowbank species of _Hygrophorus_ are endemic to North America, with the exception of _H. marzuolus_ which is reported from Europe in spring but not necessarily with snowbanks (Moser 1955). _Hygrophorus_ species can initiate fruiting in the subnivean zone and _H. goetzii_ has been observed under 7-10 cms of solid ice where snow has melted and refrozen (Miller 1965). _Hygrophorus goetzii_ has a small viscid pinkish-cream fruiting body (Hesler and Smith 1963, Miller 1965, 1967). _Hygrophorus marzuolus_ (Fr.) Bres. and _H. caeruleus_ O.K. Mill. have large, fleshy bluish-gray sporocarps, but only the latter has a strong smell of rancid meal (Miller 1984, Bessette et al. 1995). _Hygrophorus subalpinus_ A.H. Sm. is a robust pure white mushroom with a gelatinous veil at first, and is sold in markets as an edible in the Pacific Northwest. _Neohygrophorus angelesianus_ (A.H. Sm. & Hesler) Singer combines the macro-features of _Hygrophorus_ and _Clitocybe_, and produces small brownish-gray mushrooms with drab purple brown tints and decurrent gills; the red reaction of fresh gill and stem tissue to KOH is distinctive (Smith and Hesler 1942, Miller 1965, 1967, Bessette et al. 1995). Several species of _Cortinarius_ are associated with snowbanks (Miller 1965) and others occur later in the spring grading into the typical spring mushroom flora. _Cortinarius ahsii_ McKnight first described by McKnight is a nondescript brown mushroom with a bright yellow veil named for Alexander H. Smith (his initials: A.H.S.); it is likely synonymous with _C. zinziberatus_ (Fr.) Fr. of Europe which is not reported with snowbanks according to Moser. While this species became a well known "Snowbanker", it is often not the most common snowbank _Cortinarius_ species. Subsequent study by Ammirati, Moser and Miller revealed at least two other look-alikes that fruit at the same time which can be sorted out with the help of a UV light. This includes "_C. flavobasalis_" which fluoresces orange at the base (fresh young fruiting bodies!) and "_C. flavoroseus_" with a veil and flesh (cut it open) that fluoresce bright yellow. The latter two species have provisional names and they are currently under study for publication. Ammirati states that a number of the snowbank _Cortinarius_ subgen. _Telemonia_ are not named, and Moser notes that particular _Cortinarius_ species from subgenus _Phlegmacium_ can also be present. Out of four new taxa of the genus _Cortinarius_ dealt with in Moser (2002), at least one (_Cortinarius auchmerus_ M.M.Moser) might be associated with snow banks. Occasionally particular _Entoloma_ species are reported next to snowbanks in spring. Two of the most common snowbank fungi, _Clitocybe glacialis_ Redhead, Ammirati, Norvell & M.T. Seidl (=_Lyophyllum montanum_ A.H. Sm.) and C. albirhiza, are considered decomposers. _Clitocybe glacialis_ is recognized by its overall silvery gray color which glistens in sunlight reflected off snow (Smith 1957, 1975; Miller 1967). _Clitocybe albirhiza_ H.E. Bigelow & A.H. Sm. is a related rather nondescript pale brown mushroom of the same size that can be recognized by the copious white subterranean rhizoids at its base (Bigelow and Smith 1962). Mushrooms of both emerge from the subnivean zone, and persist after the snow has melted, likely due to slow decomposition in a cool climate. Interestingly, as they decompose, the two species become difficult to distinguish as both become a watery yellow-brown. _Mycena overholtsii_ A.H. Sm. & Solheim fruits in clusters on decorticated logs buried in the snow (Smith 1979). As snow recedes around the log, the mushrooms mature in moist snow chambers. The long, hirsute stipe is often buried in deep cracks in the woody substrate. It is recognized by its rather large size for a _Mycena_, a gray-brown striate bell-shaped cap and substantial mycelium on the lower part of the stem. Hence the common name "fuzzy foot". Other early species of _Mycena_ are typically much smaller. _Lentinellus montanus_ O.K. Mill. is another agaric found on logs near snow, but here the brown shell- shaped caps lack a stem. _Melanoleuca angelisiana_ A.H. Sm. is characterized by a gray-brown pileus, contrasting white gills and a dark stipe (Smith 1944, Bessette et al. 1995). It fruits on the ground near snowbanks and in other habitats as well. _Melanoleuca _species have a white spore print and amyloid ornamented spores (somewhat similar to those of _Russula_). Macroscopically they often have a 'twisted-striate' stipe. Two western _Stobilurus species_ fruit in early spring near snowbanks, _S. albipilata_ (Peck) Wells & Kempton and _S. occidentalis_ Wells & Kempton, and they are delineated on microscopic characteristics (Redhead et al. 1980). Both are tiny collibioid mushrooms and it is helpful to follow their long stems down to buried cones for confirmation of identification. Although not strict "Snowbankers", they do occur at the same time and in the same habitats. All of the species in the preceding five genera (_Clitocybe_, _Mycena_ _Lentinellus_, _Melanoleuca_ and _Strobilurus_) have white spores and are North American species. _Nivatogastrium nubigenum_ (Harkn.) Singer & A.H. Sm. is a unique gastroid fungus related to the genus _Pholiota_ (Singer and Smith 1959, Miller 1965). The cap never opens to release the spores and this is hypothesized to be is an adaptation to extreme cold and drought. Cooke (1955) reported that squirrels eat the fruiting bodies and disseminate the spores, and he described specimens set out on stones and branches to dry for later use. The caps are often buried in snow and are revealed only at maturity. There are no other secotioid fungi known on wood, and this species is restricted to North America. I have collected it near McCall Idaho on logs in the spruce-fir zone, and Cooke collected it on Mount Shasta in California. Interestingly, _Nivatogastrium baylisianum_ E. Horak has been reported from alpine areas in New Zealand (Horak 1971). Non-gilled Basidiomycota include several wood decomposers in the polypore and jelly fungus groups. There is some evidence that the hyphal growth of _Tyromyces leucospongia_) (Cooke & Harkn.) Bondartsev & Singer (white sponge polypore) is maximized at 12 to 16 deg. C, and that it can complete its life cycle below 7 deg. C. (Bessette et al. 1995). It is recognized as a white, soft marshmallow-like polypore with angular pores found on downed logs at snowmelt. Many of the snowbank fungi do not grow well in culture and have therefore not been shown to be psychrophilic. The bright orange soft polypore with ragged teeth found in the same habitat is _Pycnoporellus ablboluteus_ (Ellis & Everh.) Kotl. & Pouzar (orange sponge polypore). _Guepinopsis alpina_ (Tracy & Earle) Brasf. (lemon drops) is a gelatinous basidiomycete and some jelly fungi are able to sporulate after being frozen while fully hydrated (Ingold 1982), an adaptation well-suited to cold climates. Miller (1981) cites this as the most prolific species during snowmelt in the western mountains, and we have shown it prefers cold temperatures for fruiting ( Cripps, unpublished). Numerous ascomycetes are associated with snowbanks, and several are reported here, although more certainly exist and particularly where melting snowbanks are combined with burned ground. _Caloscypha fulgens_ (Pers.) Boud., an orange cup fungus with a bluish exterior (especially when handled), also occurs in Europe. It is a seed pathogen on spruce (_Picea_) and kills dormant seeds during stratification (cold treatmet) in cool, moist soils (Paden et al. 1978). _Sarcosoma mexicanum_ (Ellis & Holw.) Paden & Tylutki is a black cup fungus with a swollen gelatin-filled base (Tylutki 1979) that functions as a moisture reserve during spore maturation. It often fruits with the snowbank flora, but is not a strict snowbank associate. I have observed it in Oregon, Idaho, and New Mexico, and it is reported from western Montana. _Plectania nannfeldtii_ Korf fruits in the subnivean zone and the black stalked cups emerge as snow melts in pockets around them (Miller 1965, 1967; Seaver and Shope 1930; Tylutki 1979). The rubbery ascocarps are remarkably durable and endure long after the snows are gone. It was first described by Swedish mycologist Nannfeldt on a visit to Colorado in the early 1900s (Evenson 1997). A set of Myxomycetes (slime molds) are also known to occur near snow. They are more commonly called the "nivicolous" myxomycetes and they are protists not fungi. They have been called the snowbank slimemolds, but "snowbank" is defined in a broader sense for these organisms to include subalpine snowbanks and also alpine snowbeds. Habitats include proximity to snow in alpine, arctic, and high elevation habitats around the world and in the eastern USA. For photos see link on myxo-specialist Steve Stephenson's website http://www.myxowb.com/snow.htm . When collecting "snowbank fungi", it is important to record the particulars of habitat and location since this specialized niche is easily overlooked in forest management. If snowbank fungi truly are restricted to the western US and require certain biotic and abiotic conditions, only those who recognize them can provide information on their distribution and identify potential threats. They are worth getting to know for their ecology, their uniqueness, as well as for their beauty. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This paper is dedicated to the memory of Orson K. Miller, Jr., a mycologist and wonderful mentor who introduced me to the snowbank fungi by in 1985 when our mycology class at the Flathead Lake Biological Station collected snowbank fungi on the steep slopes to Jewel Basin in western Montana. I had collected them in Colorado for ten years previously, but their import had somehow escaped me. I would like to thank Joe Ammirati and Egon Horak for their comments to the first draft of this article. Table 1. Snowbank-associated fungi in the western USA. Taxa Ecology BASIDIOMYCOTA Gilled Mushrooms (dark or pink spores) _Cortinarius ahsii_ McKnight mycorrhizal with conifers _Cortinarius auchmerus_ Moser mycorrhizal with conifers _Cortinarius clandestinus_ Kauffman mycorrhizal with conifers _Cortinarius croceus_ (Schaeff.) Gray mycorrhizal with conifers _Cortinarius "flavobasalis"_ McKnight & Moser nom. prov. mycorrhizal with conifers _Cortinarius "flavoroseus"_ nom. prov. mycorrhizal with conifers _Cortinarius subalpinus_ nom. prov. mycorrhizal with conifers _Cortinarius_ (_Phlegmacium_) spp. mycorrhizal with conifers _Entoloma_ sp. Terrestrial _Nivatogastrium nubigenum_ (Harkn.) Sing & A. H. Smith on wood Gilled Mushrooms (white spores) _Clitocybe albirhiza_ Bigelow & A. H. Smith terrestrial decomposer _Clitocybe glacialis_ Redhead et al. terrestrial decomposer _Hygrophorus goetzii_ Hesler & A.H. Smith mycorrhizal with conifers? _Hygrophorus marzuolus_ (Fr.) Bres. mycorrhizal with conifers _Hygrophorus subalpinus_ A. H. Smith mycorrhizal with conifers _Lentinellus montanus_ O.K. Miller wood decomposer _Melanoleuca angelesiana_ A. H. Smith unknown _Mycena overholtlsii_ A. H. Smith & Solheim wood decomposer _Neohygrophorus angelesianus_ (A. H. Smith& Hesler) Singer unknown _Strobilurus albipilatus_ (Peck) Wells & Kempton conifer cone decomposer _Strobilurus occidentalis_ Wells & Kempton conifer cone decomposer Non-gilled _Pyncnoporellus alboluteus_ (Ellis & Everh.) Kotl. & Pouzar wood decomposer _Tyromyces leucospongius_ (Cooke & Harkn.) Bondartsev & Singer wood decomposer Jelly Fungi _Guepiniopsis alpina_ (Tracy & Earle) Brasf. wood decomposer ASCOMYCOTA _Caloscypha fulgens_ (Pers.) Boud. seed pathogen on _Picea_ _Discina perlata_ (Fr.) Fr. terrestrial decomposer _Gelatinodiscus flavidus_ Kanouse & A.H. Smith on yellow cedar litter: _Callitropsis nootkatensis_ (D. Don) Oerst.; syn.: _Chamaecyparis nootkatensis_ (D. Don) Spach _Gyromitra montana_ Harmaja terrestrial decomposer? _Sarcosoma latahense_ Paden & Tylutki terrestrial decomposer? _Sarcosoma mexicanum_ (Ellis & Holw.) Paden & Tylutki mycorrhizal with spruce? _Plectania nannfeldtii_ Korf decomposer _Abies_, _Picea_ litter LITERATURE CITED Bessette, A.E., O.K. Miller Jr., A. Bessette, & H.H. Miller. 1995. _Mushrooms of North America in Color_. Syracuse Univ. Press, Syracuse NY. 172 p. Bigelow, H.E., A.H. Smith. 1962. _Clitocybe_ species from the western United States. _Mycologia_ 54: 498-515. Cooke, Wm Bridge. 1955. Subalpine fungi and snowbanks. _Ecology_ 36(1): 124-130. Cooke, Wm Bridge. 1944. Notes on the ecology of the fungi of Mount Shasta. _American Midland Naturalist_ 31:237-249. Cripps, C.L. 1996. _Snowbank mushrooms of the Rocky Mountains_. International Symposium on Snow, Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, Davos, Switzerland, Nov. 21-24. Evenson, V. 1997. _Mushrooms of Colorado_. Denver Botanic Gardens & Denver Museum of Natural History, Denver, CO. Hesler, L.R., & A.H. Smith, 1963. _North American Species of_ Hygrophorus. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, TN 416 p. Horak, E. 1971.Contributions to the knowledge of the Agaricales s.l. (fungi) of New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 9: 463-493. Ingold, C.T. 1982. Resistance of certain basidiomycetes to freezing. _Trans. Br. Mycol. Soc._ 79: 554-556. Miller, O.K., Jr. 1965. Three new species of lignicolous agarics in the Tricholomataceae. _Mycologia_ 57: 933-945. Miller, O.K., Jr. 1965. Snowbank Mushrooms in the Three Sisters Wilderness Area. _Mazama_ 47: 38-41. Miller, O.K., Jr. 1967. Notes on Western Fungi. I. _Mycologia_ 59: 504-512. Miller, O.K. 1981. _Mushrooms of North America_. Chanticleer Press, E.P. Dutton, New York. 368 p. Miller, O.K., Jr. 1984. A new species of _Hygrophorus_ from North America. _Mycologia_ 76: 816-819. Miller, O.K. Jr. & H.H.Miller, 2006. _North American Mushrooms_. Pequot Press (a Falcon Guide), Helena, MT. Moser, M. 1955. Hygrophoraceae. Pp. 36-46. In _Kleine Kryptogamen-flora_, Band II b.. Moser, M. 2002. Studies in the North American Cortinarii VII. New and interesting species of _Cortinarius_ subgen. _Telamonia_ (Agaricales, Basidiomycotina) from the Rocky Mountain _Feddes Repertorium_ 113: 48-62. Moser, M. 2004.Subalpine conifer forests in the Alps, the Altai, and the Rocky Mountains: a comparison of their fungal populations. Pp. 151-158. In: Cripps, ed., _Fungi in Forest Ecosystems: systematics, diversity and ecology_. New York Botanical Garden Press, Bronx, NY. Paden, J.W., J.R. Sutherland, & T.A.D. Woods. 1978. _Caloscyphe_ (Ascomycetidae, Pezizales): the perfect state of the conifer seed pathogen _Geniculodendron pyriforme_ (Deuteromycotina, hyphomycetes). _Can. J. Bot._ 56:1978. Redhead, S.A. 1980. The genus _Strobilurus_ (Agaricales) in Canada with notes on extralimital species. _Can. J. Bot._ 58:68-83. Redhead, S.A., J. Ammirati, L. Norvell, & M. Seidl. 2000. Notes on Western North American snowbank fungi. _Mycotaxon_ 76: 321-328. Smith, A.H. 1944. New North American Agarics. _Mycologia_ 36: 242-262. Smith, A.H. 1957. Additional new or unusual North American agarics. _Sydow. Ann. Mycol._ Ser II., Beiheft 1: 46-61. Smith, A.H. 1975. _A field Guide to Western Mushrooms_. The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor. 280 p. Smith, A.H., & L.R. Hesler. 1942. Studies in North American Species of _Hygrophorus_ - II. _Lloydia_ 5(1): 6. Smith, A.H., H.V. Smith, & N.S. Weber. 1979. _How to know the gilled mushrooms_. Wm. C. Brown Co, Dubuque, Iowa. 334 p. Smith, A.H. and W.G. Solheim. 1953. New and unusual fleshy fungi from Wyoming. _Madrono_ 11(4): 103-109. Singer, R, & A. H. Smith, 1959. Studies on Secotiaceous Fungi. V: _Nivatogastrium_ Gen. Nov. _Brittonia_ 11: 224-228. Tylutki, E.E., 1979. _Mushrooms of Idaho and the Pacific Northwest: Discomycetes_. The University Press of Idaho, Moscow, ID. 133 p. POSTSCRIPT: Snow Mushrooms Just for fun, check out this article which describes mushrooms actually made out of snow! Cornish, V. 1902. On snow-waves and snow-drifts of Canada. _The Geographical Journal_ 20:137-173. TEXTBOOK ANNOUNCEMENT: INTRODUCTION TO FUNGI Webster, J. & R.W.S. Weber. 2007. _Introduction to Fungi_ 3rd Edition Cambridge University Press, New York. ISSN 978-0-521-80739-5 [hardback]; ISSN 978-0-521-01483-0 [paperback] xix+841 p. Price: US$140.00 [hardback]; US$75.00 [paperback] Available from: Cambrisge University Press, 32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013, USA http://www.cambridge.org This new edition of the universally acclaimed and widely-used textbook on fungal biology has been completely re-written, drawing directly on the authors' research and teaching experience. The text takes account of the rapid and exciting progress that has been made in the taxonomy, cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, pathology and ecology of the fungi. Features of taxonomic relevance are integrated with natural functions, including their relevance to human affairs. Special emphasis is placed on the biology and control of human and plant pathogens, providing a vital link between fundamental and applied mycology. The book is richly illustrated throughout with specially prepared drawings and photographs, based on living material. Illustrated life-cycles are provided, and technical terms are clearly explained. Extensive reference is made to recent literature and developments, and the emphasis throughout is on whole-organism biology from an integrated, multidisciplinary perspective. Fungi treated in an up-to-date taxonomic context to provide a natural framework for mycology classes. Each group of fungi treated in an integrated manner to give easy access to comprehensive information about a given species or group. Drawings and photographs made by the authors from living material, to enable characteristic features to be easily recognized by the student: 326 line diagrams 149 half-tones 12 colour plates 28 tables. Contents 1. Introduction; 2. Protozoa: Myxomycota (slime moulds); 3. Protozoa: Plasmodiophoromycota; 4. Straminipila: minor fungal phyla; 5. Straminipila: Oomycota; 6. Chytridiomycota; 7. Zygomycota; 8. Ascomycota (ascomycetes); 9. Archiascomycetes; 10. Hemiascomycetes; 11. Plectomycetes; 12. Hymenoascomycetes: Pyrenomycetes; 13. Hymenoascomycetes: Erysiphales; 14. Hymenoascomycetes: Pezizales (operculate discomycetes); 15. Hymenoascomycetes: Helotiales (inoperculate discomycetes); 16. Lichenized fungi (chiefly Hymenoascomycetes: Lecanorales); 17. Loculoascomycetes; 18. Basidiomycota; 19. Homobasidiomycetes; 20. Homobasidiomycetes: gasteromycetes; 21. Heterobasidiomycetes; 22. Uredinales: the rust fungi; 23. Ustilaginomycetes: smut fungi and their allies; 24. Basidiomycete yeasts; 25. Anamorphic fungi. Literature references - "only" about 115 pages! ________________________________________________________________ Subscriptions: http://victoria.tc.ca/mailman/listinfo/ben-l Send submissions to aceska@telus.net BEN is archived at http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ ________________________________________________________________ From aceska at telus.net Wed Apr 25 13:57:42 2007 From: aceska at telus.net (Adolf Ceska) Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2007 05:57:42 -0700 Subject: [BEN-L]BEN # 378 Message-ID: <000401c78739$500c56a0$1c12d8cf@xphome> =20 BBBBB EEEEEE NN N ISSN 1188-603X BB B EE NNN N =20 BBBBB EEEEE NN N N BOTANICAL BB B EE NN NN ELECTRONIC BBBBB EEEEEE NN N NEWS No. 378 April 25, 2007 aceska@telus.net Victoria, B.C. ----------------------------------------------------------- Dr. A. Ceska, P.O.Box 8546, Victoria, B.C. Canada V8W 3S2 ----------------------------------------------------------- WEEPING FORSYTHIA, ANOTHER SHRUB NATURALIZED IN CANADA From: Paul M. Catling, Biodiversity, National Program on=20 Environmental Health, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada,=20 Wm. Saunders Bldg., Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa,=20 Ontario, Canada K1A 0C6 [catlingp@agr.gc.ca ] Weeping forsythia, _Forsythia suspensa_ (Thunb.) Vahl was found=20 established without planting in three natural areas and in a=20 vacant lot, all in the vicinity of Port Credit, Peel County,=20 Ontario. These are the first records of this shrub growing=20 without cultivation in Canada. A specimen voucher in Agriculture=20 and Agri-food Canada collection in Ottawa (DAO) bears the=20 following information: Rattray Marsh, W of Port Credit,=20 43.5140=B0 N, 79.6086=B0 W, 1 Jan. 2006, P.M. Catling s.n.=20 Also called Golden Bells, this early-blooming, yellow-flowered=20 shrub is attractive, easy to grow and easy to propagate. As well=20 as being a popular horticultural plant it is widely employed as a=20 medicinal herb in China, where the fruits are known as the drug=20 Lian-qiao, the same name being applied to the plant. It is used=20 as a broad-spectrum antibiotic to treat fevers, urinary tract=20 infections, and inflammatory conditions.=20 Weeping Forsythia is native to China. It was first described as=20 _Ligustrum suspensum_ by the Swedish botanist, Carl Peter=20 Thunberg, in 1780. The name was transferred to the genus=20 _Forsythia_ (commemorating Scottish botanist William Forsyth (1737=971804), by the Danish botanist Martin Vahl (1749 =97 1804) in=20 1804. The genus _Forsythia_ (olive family - Oleaceae) contains 11=20 species, most of which occur in eastern Asia with six native to=20 China (Mei-Chen et al. 1996) and one species from Albania in=20 southeastern Europe. In Canada and most of the United States,=20 the most frequently cultivated species of Forsythia are Green- stem Forsythia (also called Golden Bells, _F. viridissima_=20 Lindl.) and its hybrid with _F. suspensa_ called Border Forsythia=20 (_F. x intermedia_ Zabel). The three taxa mentioned above occur=20 throughout the United States and Canada as cultivated plants. The=20 only species of Forsythia known as an escape in Canada is=20 _Forsythia viridissima_ which has escaped in Ontario (Catling=20 1997, Newmaster et al. 1998, Kartesz & Meachum 1999).=20 Since the widely planted _Forsythia x intermedia_ is a sterile=20 hybrid, it does not escape. Weeping forsythia on the other hand=20 has arching or pendulous branches that root at tips when they=20 touch the ground. As a result it can spread locally without=20 pollination or seed production. It is more likely to be spread=20 through dumping of garden waste than many other invasive=20 horticultural shrubs. Although it has some characteristics that=20 make it a potentially dangerous as an invasive of natural=20 habitats, it is conspicuous and thus more readily controlled.=20 Since it is said to be attractive as browse to white-tailed deer,=20 there may be some level of control where deer are present.=20 Although not previously reported as naturalized in Canada, it is =20 naturalized in Illinois (McClain & Ebinger 1995). Weeping=20 Forsythia is cold hardy north to zone 5b (see=20 http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html ) which includes=20 much of the Carolinian zone of southern Ontario and also occurs=20 over much of Nova Scotia and in southern British Columbia. At all of the Ontario locations, young plants were developing=20 from tips of branches of older plants but this was much more=20 prevalent with some plants than others. Over 20 plants had=20 developed from a single shrub on a vacant lot. In the wooded=20 ravines in the region of Port Credit where Weeping Forsythia was=20 found, the natural forest is largely Red Oak and White Pine with=20 an understory of Witch Hazel. Although commonly cultivated and=20 sometimes planted in natural areas, it is rare outside of gardens=20 and only a few escaped plants have been observed at any location.=20 Consequently it is not a problem in terms of competition with=20 native vegetation at these sites, unlike several alien invasive=20 woody plants and vines (including _Acer ginnala_ Maxim.,=20 _Euonymus alatus_ Sieb., _Euonymus fortunei_ (Turcz.) Hand.-Mazz.=20 var. _radicans_ (Sieb ex Mic.) Rehd., _Frangula alnus_ P. Mill.,=20 _Hedera helix_ L., _Ligustrum vulgare_ L., _Lonicera tatarica_=20 L., _Rhamnus cathartica_ L., and _Viburnum lantana_ L.) that have=20 invaded the same ravines and are displacing native plant species.=20 The green (when young) or pale brown (when older) branches have=20 distinctive raised lenticels (small bumps) and opposite leaves.=20 A key and nomenclatural summary follows.=20 =20 KEY TO SPECIES (derived from Bailey 1949 and Rehder 1937) =20 1a. Branches hollow between the nodes ........ _F. suspensa_ 1b. Branches with pith .................................... 2 2a. Leaves simple; branches upright ........ _F. viridissima_ 2b. Leaves simple or three-lobed; branches upright or arching=20 ....................................... _F. x intermedia_ =20 NOMENCLATURAL SUMMARY Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl, _Enum. Pl._ 1: 39. 1804.=20 SYNONYMS INCLUDE:=20 _Ligustrum suspensum_ Thunb., _Nova Acta Soc. Scientiarum=20 Upsaliensis_ 3: 209. 1780. _Syringa suspensa_ (Thunb.) Thunb., _Syst. Veg. (Ed. 14)_ 57. 1784 _Forsythia fortunei_ Lindl., _Gardener=92s Chronicle and=20 Agricultural Gazette_ 1864: 412. 1864. _Forsythia sieboldii_ Dipp., _Handb. Laubholzk._ I 109 fig. 63. 1889. _Rangium suspensum_ (Thunb.) Ohwi, _Acta Phytotax.Geobot._ 1 (2): 140. 1932. A number of forms and varieties have been described. The most=20 distinctive of these is f. _pubescens_ Rehder (_Plantae=20 Wilsonianae_ 1(2): 302. 1912) which has the young bracts and=20 leaves pubescent. Others include: var. _variegata_ Butz=20 (f. _aureo-variegata_ Koehne.) with leaves variegated with=20 yellow; var. _decipiens_ Koehne with solitary deep yellow flowers=20 and pedicels 1-2 cm; and var. _atrocaulis_ Rehder with young=20 growth purplish; and var. _latifolia_ Rehder with broad leaves.=20 Two escaped Canadian plants are referable to var. _fortunei_ (Lindl.) Rehder with branches upright and arching and leaves=20 often three-lobed, and four are referable to var. suspensa with=20 branches pendulous and trailing and leaves mostly simple.=20 Varieties are not recognized in some of the most recent taxonomic=20 treatments (Mei-Chen et al. 1996). =20 =20 REFERENCES Bailey, L.H. 1949. _Manual of cultivated plants_. MacMillan=20 Company, New York. 1116 p.=20 Catling, P.M. 1997. The problem of invading alien trees and=20 shrubs: some observations in Ontario and a Canadian=20 Checklist. _Canadian Field-Naturalist_ 111: 338-342. Kartesz, J.T. & C.A. Meachum. 1999. _Synthesis of the North=20 American flora. Version 1.0._ Biota of North America=20 Program, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. McClain, W. & J. Ebinger. 1995. Naturalized _Forsythia=20 suspensa_ (Thunb.) Vahl in Illinois. _Trans. Illinois=20 State Academy of Sciences_ 88(3,4): 119-121.=20 Mei-Chen, C., Q. Liang-quing, & Peter S. Green. 1996. Oleaceae. Pp. 272-319 in Zheng-yi, W. & P.H. Raven. _Flora of China,=20 Myrsinaceae through Loganiaceae. Vol. 15._ Missouri=20 Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri. 387 p. =20 Newmaster, S. G., A. Lehela, P.W.C. Uhlig, S. McMurray, &=20 M.J. Oldham. 1998. _Ontario plant list_. Ontario Forest=20 Research Institute, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources=20 (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario), Forest Research Information=20 Paper 123. =20 Rehder, A. 1937. _Manual of cultivated trees and shrubs hardy in North America_. MacMillan Company, New York. 930 p. =20 TWO NEW INTRODUCED GRASSES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA=20 From: Frank Lomer, Honourary Research Associate,=20 UBC Herbarium, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC [lomerlomer@hotmail.com] _Parapholis incurva_ (L.) C.E. Hubbard Curved Hardgrass; Sickle grass _Parapholis_ is a genus of six species native to Europe and Asia.=20 (Worley 2007) Two species have been introduced in North America:=20 _P. strigosa_ (Dummort.) C.E. Hubbard and _P. incurva_. Both are=20 weedy, salt-tolerant annuals with an unusual (for us)spike-like=20 inflorescence with sunken spikelets that are embedded in the=20 rachis concavities. =20 They can be found in seaside sites such as salt marshes, muddy to sandy spits and disturbed trampled shorelines. _Parapholis strigosa_ occurs in California while _P. incurva_ is more widespread, occurring across North America and now around the=20 world. In our area it is most often found in coastal sites from California north to Washington and now British Columbia. _Parapholis incurva_ is among the oddest looking of grasses that=20 can be found in here because of its curved and pointed spikes up to more than 10 cm long that sprout out from just about every=20 node of this spreading little plant. The effect is rather un-grasslike - more like a wad of dried seaweed or spilled=20 noodles when it is bleached by the sun. It favours bare muddy, sandy or stoney trampled places along the=20 fringes of seaside vegetation bordering estuaries, lagoons or salt marshes. The only known site for this species in BC is Piper's Lagoon=20 Park, Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, where it forms a dense band along a compacted sandy path just above the high tide zone. It=20 was also observed in a small patch in sand on the opposite side=20 of the lagoon. It seems rather a harmless component of the upper=20 fringe of the tidal shore. It is to be expected elsewhere in similar habitats on Vancouver Island and SW BC. A specimen will be deposited at the UBC herbarium and 6=20 duplicates to other herbaria. =20 _Parapholis incurva_ (L.) C.E. Hubbard British Columbia, Vancouver Island, Nanaimo, Piper's=20 Lagoon Park, SE shore, N of parking area. 49 deg 13.467' N 123 deg 56.885' W Common along sandy path below elevated path, in compacted sand above _Distichlis spicata_ zone. With _Festuca rubra_, _Grindelia_ sp. Collected by Frank Lomer 6008 15 June, 2006 =20 _Schedonnardus paniculatus_ (Nutt.) Trel. Tumblegrass. _Schedonnardus_ is a native North American genus that has just=20 one species. It ranges across the Great Plains from Canada south to Mexico. It is a somewhat weedy perennial that has been=20 found outside of its native range as far away as Argentina (Snow=20 2002). Like _Parapholis_, it has one-flowered spikelets embedded=20 in one side of the rachis, but instead of a single curving spike,=20 the rachis branches in a raceme-like inflorescence. It is quite=20 unlike any other grass species normally found in BC. Hitchcock=20 and Cronquist (1973) gives the height as 15-30 cm, Snow (2003)=20 says 5-50 cm for this species. The plants I found were small; the=20 tallest 15 cm and the shortest less than 2 cm. Most plants were=20 between 5 and 10 cm tall. Tumblegrass is known from Alberta and=20 Montana, but had not been recorded from the west side of the=20 Continental Divide this far north. A small population of Schedonnardus comprised of perhaps less=20 than 150 plants in about a 1 x 20 meter patch was found in BC about 23 km due north of the Montana border and about 55 km due=20 west of the Alberta border. The area was open cleared rangeland of ponderosa pine and the plants were found on the old remnants of a deteriorated pebbly roadbed just off a gravel road. The small plants appeared to be annual with small shallow roots,=20 but on closer inspection proved to be clumped with the dense remains of old leafy sheaths at the clustered culm bases on some=20 plants. They formed more or less flattened mats of a glaucous=20 blue colour and had spreading culms that curved stiffly upward in=20 few-branched inflorescence, rather like crabgrass=20 (_Digitaria_ sp.). Very inconspicuous among other weedy species:=20 _Bromus tectorum_, _Apera interrupta_, _Potentilla argentea_,=20 _Plantago patagonica_ and _Matricaria discoidea_. Given the native range of this species, its weedy nature, and=20 the unnatural weedy habitat, it seems certainly to be introduced=20 at this site. Sought but not seen in the surrounding area=20 including a wide search in the nearby grassland meadow which was=20 formed by clearcutting. A specimen will be deposited at the UBC herbarium and a duplicate=20 at the Royal British Columbia Museum (V) in Victoria, British=20 Columbia. _Schedonnardus paniculatus_ (Nutt.) Trel. British Columbia, 10.3 km south of Elko from railroa=20 bridge. Cutts Road, N side, 100 m east of Hwy 93 49 deg 12' 56" N. 115 deg 09' 15" W. Dry pebbly track ruts heading north from Cutts Rd. Rather=20 dense small patches in a very limited area.=20 Collected by Frank Lomer 5966 5 June, 2006 Literature Cited Hitchcock, C.L. & A. Cronquist. 1973. _Flora of the Pacific=20 Northwest_. University of Washington Press, Seattle, WA. Snow, N. 2003. 17.40 _Schedonnardus_ Steud. Pp. 228-230. In:=20 Flora North America Editorial Committee, eds._ Flora of=20 North America North of Mexico: Vol. 25. Magnoliophyta:=20 Commelinidae (in part): Poaceae, part 2_. New York and=20 Oxford. Worley, T. 2007. 14.38 _Parapholis_ C.E. Hubb. Pp. 687-688.=20 In: Flora North America Editorial Committee, eds._ Flora=20 of North America North of Mexico: Vol. 24. Magnoliophyta:=20 Commelinidae (in part): Poaceae, part 1_. New York and=20 Oxford. ON-LINE PUBLICATION: _SOUTHWESTERN WASHINGTON PRAIRIES_ From: Joseph Arnett [joseph.arnett@dnr.wa.gov] and Janice Miller [janice.miller@dnr.wa.gov] Florence Caplow and Janice Miller produced a report titled _Southwestern Washington Prairies: using GIS to find remnant=20 rairies and rare plant habitat_ and the Washington Natural=20 Heritage Program has posted it on line on our publications page=20 at: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/pubs/sw_prairies.pdf Abstract More than 99% of the grasslands of southwestern Washington=20 (Clark, Lewis, and Cowlitz Counties) have been converted to=20 agriculture and other uses. Remnant grasslands of southwestern Washington support, or did support, four federally listed species=20 and two federal Species of Concern: Nelson's checker-mallow=20 (_Sidalcea nelsoniana_), Bradshaw's lomatium (_Lomatium=20 bradshawii_ [Rose ex Mathias] Mathias & Constance), Kincaid's=20 lupine (_Lupinus sulphureus_ subsp. _kincaidii_ [Smith] C.L.=20 Hitchc.), golden paintbrush (_Castilleja levisecta_ Greenm.),=20 pale larkspur (_Delphinium leucophaeum_ Greene), and thin-leaved=20 peavine (_Lathyrus holochlorus_ [Piper] C.L. Hitchc.). These=20 grassland areas (=93prairies=94) also support 12 other species of=20 plants that are considered rare in Washington State. GIS analysis produced a list of potential prairie areas which=20 were used as a basis for reconnaissance fieldwork in the summer=20 of 2004. We performed an initial reconnaissance in thirty-two=20 separate prairie areas in Lewis, Cowlitz, and Clark counties.=20 Bicycle surveys were used in portions of the area. Nine prairies=20 supported no visible native prairie vegetation.=20 Twenty-three prairies had at least some remnant prairie species,=20 generally along the roadsides. Ten populations of five rare=20 species were found in the course of the survey, including two new=20 populations of Kincaid=92s lupine. Most of the populations were=20 found on roadsides or along fencerows. For other on-line publications see http://www.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/pubs/index.html announcing: Environmental Disasters, Natural Recovery and Human Responses available April, 2007 BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT: _ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS_ Roger del Moral (University of Washington)& Lawrence R. Walker (University of Nevada, Las Vegas). 2007.=20 _Environmental Disasters, Natural Recovery and Human=20 Responses_. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New=20 York. 220 p. ISBN-13: 9780521677660 (softcover);=20 ISBN-13: 9780521860345 (hardcover). Price: US$130.00 (hard cover); US$48.00 (softcover) Natural disasters destroy more property and kill more people with=20 each passing year. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, hurricanes,=20 tsunamis, floods, landslides, fires and other natural events are=20 becoming more frequent and their consequences more devastating.=20 Del Moral and Walker provide a comprehensive summary of the=20 diverse ways in which natural disasters disrupt humanity and how=20 humans cope. Burgeoning human numbers, shrinking resources and=20 intensification of the consequences of natural disasters have=20 produced a global crisis of unparalleled proportions. Through=20 this detailed study, the authors provide a template to improve=20 restoration to show how relatively simple approaches can enhance=20 both human well-being and that of the other species on=20 the planet. They demonstrate that we no longer have the luxury to=20 let damaged landscapes recover by natural processes and argue for=20 the development of the political will to act to return lands=20 damaged by natural and human forces to productivity. This book=20 will appeal to ecologists, land managers and planners, decision=20 makers, and to anyone curious about the world and how natural=20 disasters continue to shape civilizations. This book developed=20 from the authors' strong interests in the mechanisms of primary=20 succession and how understanding these mechanisms can be used to=20 enhance the quality of life across the planet.=20 Contents Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. Natural=20 disturbances - synergistic interactions with humans; 3. Infertile=20 and unstable habitats; 4. Infertile and stable habitats; 5.=20 Fertile and unstable habitats; 6. Fertile and stable habitats; 7.=20 The lessons learned; Glossary; Illustration credits; Further=20 reading; Index. ROGER DEL MORAL is Professor of Biology at the University of=20 Washington. His research includes the mechanisms of vegetation=20 response to disturbances caused by volcanoes, glaciers, grazing=20 and urbanization. He has practiced wetland restoration for over=20 20 years and has experience with dune and subalpine meadow=20 restoration. He has studied volcanoes on four continents,=20 including detailed studies of Mount St. Helens that started in=20 1980. LAWRENCE R. WALKER is Professor of Biology at the University of=20 Nevada, Las Vegas. His research focuses on ecological plant=20 succession and the theoretical and practical lessons for=20 restoration. His research in succession and restoration has=20 encompassed work on volcanoes, dunes, glacial moraines,=20 floodplains, landslides, cliffs, hurricanes, reservoir drawdown=20 zones, abandoned roads and mine tailings. CORRECTION: BEN # 374 - HAWKWEEDS (GENUS _HIERACIUM_) Several errors in the hawkweed (_Hieracium_) key have been=20 corrected and a new key has been posted at http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben374.html#3 ________________________________________________________________ Subscriptions: http://victoria.tc.ca/mailman/listinfo/ben-l Send submissions to aceska@telus.net BEN is archived at http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ ________________________________________________________________