From aceska at telus.net Wed Nov 14 08:03:05 2007 From: aceska at telus.net (Adolf Ceska) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:03:05 -0800 Subject: [BEN-L]BEN # 383 Message-ID: <005201c82694$c9f597b0$e0ef059a@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. 383 November 14, 2007 aceska@telus.net Victoria, B.C. ----------------------------------------------------------- Dr. A. Ceska, P.O.Box 8546, Victoria, B.C. Canada V8W 3S2 ----------------------------------------------------------- MICHEL SARRAZIN (1659 - 1734): A BOTANIST AT HEART,=20 THIS PHYSICIAN'S 18TH-CENTURY PLANT OBSERVATIONS=20 ARE STILL USED TODAY From: Larry Hodgson [Originally published in the=20 _Canadian Gardening_ Fall 2007, p. 82; permission=20 to post it in BEN is gratefully acknowledged.] Few people left as big a mark on Canadian botany as Michel=20 Sarrazin, better known historically as the king's physician of=20 New France (now Quebec).=20 Born in Bourgogne, France, in 1659, he headed across the pond in=20 1685, where he served as a surgeon to the colonial troops. (At=20 the time, surgery was a separate profession from medicine:=20 surgeons performed blood-letting and amputations; physicians=20 diagnosed and treated health problems.) However, after a long=20 recovery from a grave illness, Sarrazin returned to France in=20 1694 to study medicine.=20 While there, he visited the Jardin Royal des Plantes (the=20 forerunner of France's principal botanical garden) and decided to=20 study plants under the celebrated botanist Joseph Pitton de=20 Tournefort. By the time Sarrazin returned to New France in 1697=20 with a degree in medicine and a new title, king's physician, he=20 had a fresh passion: botany. The only doctor in the colony,=20 Sarrazin spent almost every spare minute he had wandering the=20 region, collecting and analyzing plant specimens and making=20 notes.=20 Although Sarrazin had to brave tumultuous river crossings, a=20 harsh climate, wild animals and hostilities, he managed to send=20 hundreds of dried and living plants back to the Academy of=20 Sciences in France, along with copious notes on their habits and=20 medicinal uses.=20 The most intriguing specimen Sarrazin discovered was likely the=20 one later named for him: _Sarracenia purpurea_, the pitcher=20 plant. He had suggested that the plant was catching and eating=20 insects, a notion considered laughable by scientists of the time.=20 (It wasn't until Charles Darwin published Insectivorous Plants in=20 1875-nearly 150 years after Sarrazin's death - that the=20 physician's theory was finally validated.)=20 Eventually, Sarrazin fell out of favour in botanical circles, due=20 in part to his suggestion of the habits of carnivorous plants,=20 which was too radical for the times, and his insistence on using=20 plant-based remedies learned from the aboriginal Canadians-a=20 practice denigrated by the French medical establishment. Though=20 his heretical approach meant he was unable to get his 1708 tome,=20 _Histoire des plantes de Canada_, published, the book remained=20 available for research purposes and served as the basis for most=20 botanical studies in Canada for the next 100 years; his=20 observations are still used today. Sarrazin's name lives on in history books as Canada's first=20 physician, a title to which "and botanist" should certainly be=20 added.=20 Main achievements: - A staunch promoter of improved agricultural techniques, Michel Sarrazin introduced winter wheat, as well as other cold-hardy=20 grains from Scandinavia, to help farmers in New France (now=20 Quebec) challenged by growing the long-season crop seeds=20 imported from Europe. - Sarrazin was the first to write about the properties of wild=20 sarsparilla (_Aralia nudicaulis_), a member of the ginseng=20 family, and in fact gave the genus its name. - Fascinated by maples and their use by native peoples, Sarrazin=20 wrote several papers on the topic and encouraged settlers to=20 harvest the tree's sap as a source of sugar-which was being=20 imported at the time at great expense from the Antilles. Maple=20 sugar was later exported from Canada to France.=20 VICTORIA VS. VANCOUVER: JAMES ROBERT ANDERSON, JOHN DAVIDSON=20 AND BOTANICAL COMPETITION ACROSS THE GEORGIA STRAIT=20 From: David Brownstein - http://www.brownstein.ca=20 [This piece is drawn from research contained in=20 David Brownstein (2006): _Sunday Walks and Seedtraps: The Many=20 Natural Histories of British Columbia Forest Conservation, 1890- 1925_, unpublished PhD thesis, Institute for Resources,=20 Environment and Sustainability, UBC, Vancouver.] =20 =09 British Columbia botanical study underwent a significant=20 generational change between 1910 and 1925. We can learn about=20 this shift by examining the competing aspirations of James Robert=20 Anderson of Victoria and John Davidson of Vancouver. This BEN=20 entry will trace some of the conflicts that ensued as each man=20 attempted to build and maintain an herbarium in a province that=20 was not inclined to support even one such institution. =20 Neither man held a university degree, but the B.C. government=20 considered Davidson to be their botanical expert possessing=20 greater authority than Anderson, who had made the study of=20 British Columbia flora a life-long passion. This competition=20 represented some of the first steps in the professionalization of=20 BC nature study and epitomized the traditional political rivalry=20 between Vancouver Island and the Bitish Columbia mainland. =20 =09 James Robert Anderson (1841-1930) was born on June 19 at Fort=20 Nisqually, then located in the Hudson's Bay Company commercial=20 empire. The young Anderson, one of thirteen children, was "the=20 almost constant companion of his father," Alexander Caulfield=20 Anderson (1814-1884). Anderson senior was the Hudson Bay Company=20 employee in charge of the fort. Later the family moved to=20 Victoria and miscellaneous diary entries beginning in 1879=20 indicate that James Robert was active in collecting botanical=20 specimens as a diversion from his business pursuits. He became=20 an accountant in the "Government Buildings" and was later=20 appointed the "Collector of Statistics" for Agriculture in June=20 1891. =09 The Department of Agriculture was initiated to advise BC's=20 immigrant farmers on which crops were best suited to which=20 regions of the province. Scientific agricultural advice was to=20 help overcome the lack of arable land in B.C., as assumptions of=20 agrarianism pervaded government policy through to the 1920s. =20 Science was thus a tool for economic development, and in his=20 first Departmental report Anderson described topics that ranged=20 quite broadly to include climate, the specific crops being grown=20 in various districts, the hindrances to each such as diseases,=20 and animal pests.=20 =09 >From the outset Anderson infused his new post with his natural=20 history interests to such a degree that within four years it=20 became absolutely impossible to tell his legislated role apart=20 from his leisure hour pursuits. He never drew a boundary between=20 his public office and his private time. Anderson would later=20 write,=20 "During my tenure of office, I voluntarily added to my duties the=20 collection and classification of the botany of the province,=20 which, when I left, amounted to some thousands of specimens... I=20 may add that I voluntarily did this work, it being no part of my=20 duties, and spent most of my holidays and spare time towards its=20 accomplishment with the view of ultimately building up a=20 Botanical Department for the Provincial Museum in Victoria." =09 Anderson joined the Natural History Society of British Columbia=20 in 1895, and he had far more success collecting herbarium=20 specimens than the agricultural statistics that were the original=20 purpose of his job. His title eventually changed from=20 Statistician to Deputy Minister of Agriculture, a re-naming that=20 accurately reflected his increased activities. =20 When the 67-year-old Anderson contracted severe pneumonia, the=20 Minister forced his retirement on September 8th, 1908. =20 Retirement meant an opportunity for Anderson to concentrate on=20 the portions of his job that he loved the mostNthose botanical=20 activities that he had voluntarily added to his duties. In the=20 process the government became possessive of Anderson's herbarium,=20 still housed in the government buildings, and was reluctant to=20 transfer it to the Provincial Museum. Cabinet declined Anderson' s offer to maintain the herbarium for a modest pension and they=20 began to limit his access to the specimens that he had collected=20 as a volunteer. Even more insulting was the rumour that "a=20 stranger" had been employed by the government to work up a=20 herbarium representative of the B.C. flora, a project that=20 Anderson had claimed as his own life's work. =20 =09 At the request of the Natural History Society, in February 1909=20 Anderson undertook to compile a work on the flora of B.C. for a=20 fee of $100. He submitted a complete manuscript in March 1910,=20 but there was no money to publish and distribute it. Anderson=20 submitted his draft manuscript to the provincial secretary, Henry=20 Esson Young, for evaluation and possible publication as a=20 government document. Anderson was explicit in his instructions=20 that "whatever is decided I am averse to my paper being subjected=20 to the criticism of any one less acquainted with the subject than=20 I am." Through a friend in Vancouver, Anderson learned that his=20 manuscript had been handed to John Davidson for evaluation, the=20 same "stranger" who had been recently employed as Provincial=20 Botanist to produce a B.C. flora; worse still in Anderson's mind=20 was the fact that Davidson was "now preparing a paper [of his=20 own] of those subjects."=20 =09 The minister responded that he had "taken the matter up with my=20 expert, Mr. Davidson, of the Botanical Department," who deplored=20 the inactivity of the Vancouver and Victoria Natural History=20 Societies. Davidson had counselled Young that Anderson's paper=20 was exactly the sort of publication that should come out of the=20 amateur society and that there should not be any need for its=20 publication by the government. This advice was one of several=20 events that soured the relationship between the natural history=20 societies on Vancouver Island and the mainland. Anderson's piece=20 was eventually published, by the Department of Education in 1925,=20 under the title _Trees and Shrubs, Food, Medicinal and Poisonous=20 Plants of British Columbia_. Anderson died in Victoria five=20 years later, having achieved success as a collector but never=20 attaining much recognition for his efforts. =20 Who was this mysterious "stranger" in Vancouver? John Davidson=20 (1878-1970) had worked in the Botany Museum at the University of=20 Aberdeen, Scotland from 1893 to 1911. He emigrated to Vancouver=20 in 1911, at which time Henry Esson Young, Provincial Secretary,=20 appointed him to assist G.K. MacLean in conducting a botanical=20 survey of B.C. Conflict between MacLean and Davidson regarding=20 their mandate prompted Young to re-appoint MacLean elsewhere, and=20 Davidson became British Columbia's Provincial Botanist. Young=20 was also in charge of the Ministries of Education and Health, so=20 in anticipation of the future University of British Columbia,=20 Davidson immediately began work on a provincial herbarium and a=20 botanical garden. =20 =09 Davidson's botanical garden was located at Essondale on the=20 grounds of the provincial mental hospital (courtesy of the=20 minister). This was an enormous opportunity, but one that left=20 many questions as Davidson did not know how long it would be=20 until the work of the Botanical Office would be transferred to=20 the University. Young had not made it clear whether he intended=20 for the Office to continue after a University Botanical=20 Department had been established, or whether the latter would=20 absorb the former. =20 =09 One of Davidson's first tasks was to examine Anderson's=20 collection, which he described as representing "much field work=20 enthusiastically pursued." Davidson considered it "splendid" and=20 said that it "would have formed a very good nucleus for a=20 Provincial Herbarium were it organized by species rather than=20 alphabetically." Davidson's initial collecting activities put him=20 in direct competition with J.R. Anderson's retirement project in=20 Victoria. Davidson thought of himself as a botanical pioneer and=20 downplayed his lack of a degree, doing his utmost to=20 differentiate himself from self-taught locals such as Anderson. =20 Anderson saw himself as having a lifetime of local botanical=20 experience and Davidson as knowing a great deal about taxonomy,=20 but little of the local flora. =20 =09 For the next five years Davidson worked hard botanizing around=20 Vancouver, his priority to record the names and locations of=20 plants so that in future years researchers could tell which=20 species were native and which were due to "man's interference=20 with nature's order of things." Through this work he met and then=20 collaborated with members of the B.C. Alpine Club, to whom he=20 gave night classes in natural history. =20 =09 In the spring of 1914, Minister Young asked Davidson to apply for=20 a position in the soon to be created provincial university,=20 something that pleased the 35-year-old botanist to no end. =20 University president Frank F. Wesbrook was not so impressed by=20 Davidson's qualifications however, and he wrote that Davidson's=20 training appear to be rather along the lines of collecting,=20 classifying and preserving plants for museum purposes rather than=20 the conduct of a large botanical department, of which the museum=20 would be but a single feature and sub-department. =09 Wesbrook felt that the post of a junior in the botany department,=20 such as that which Davidson sought, should wait until "after the=20 appointment of the professor."=20 =09 The Botanical Office suffered a great blow when Henry Esson Young=20 was replaced as Minister of Education by Thomas Taylor on=20 December 15, 1915. Without the protection of his former patron,=20 Davidson's office and activities were threatened with abolition " on the ground of economy" due to the war that was then raging in=20 Europe. Davidson was instructed to cease operations on March 31,=20 1916, at which time he was to dismiss his staff and hand over all=20 of the specimens to the University of British Columbia. =20 =09 Davidson had cultivated supportive networks in every social=20 stratum and sympathetic letters to the editor appeared in the=20 Vancouver newspapers. What troubled Davidson however, was that=20 the Vancouver Island natural historians, so closely associated=20 with the Provincial Natural History Museum, remained mute while=20 many others came to his aid. In his greatest hour of need since=20 arriving in B.C., Davidson's previous activities and outlook had=20 served to alienate those whose aspirations were strikingly=20 similar to his own. =20 =09 Correspondence between naturalists on the mainland and those on=20 the island explain the problem. Charles Frederick Newcombe (1851 -1924) wrote that he had initially cooperated with Davidson in=20 sending collections of specimens, but that he did not see=20 Davidson's office as in any way necessary. This was because John=20 Macoun (1831-1920), formerly the natural historian with the=20 federal Geological Survey, had retired to the Island in Sidney,=20 and he was always ready to assist local amateurs in identifying=20 material. Newcombe recognized Davidson's "practical training"=20 and had tried unsuccessfully to get him to "do something to help=20 our Victoria collections." Davidson was "standoffish" in response=20 to this request, which ended potential botanical cooperation=20 across the Strait of Georgia. "Mr. Davidson's evident wish to=20 run his office as a 'One man show' has alienated many would-be=20 supporters, and his present 'S.O.S.' call meets with less=20 sympathy than it would otherwise have done." Rather than=20 cooperating with other botanists in publishing a tentative list=20 of B.C. plant distributions for others to improve upon, Davidson=20 kept this information in a card file in the Botanical Office. =20 This increased his authority as an expert but at the cost of=20 support and contributions from others equally qualified. =20 As the issue of the Botanical Office closure was debated in the=20 editorial pages, a compromise emerged in March 1916 that Davidson=20 and his staff should accompany the collections and continue their=20 work at the University of British Columbia. Davidson moved what=20 plants and shrubs that he could to Point Grey, but by then the=20 trees were too well established so they remained behind at the=20 Essondale site (where they still stand, now called Riverview). =20 After a successful teaching career at UBC, Davidson would=20 eventually retire in 1948. Within a few years the space occupied=20 by his botanical garden was claimed for building construction and=20 parking lots. A new botanical garden was established at a=20 different UBC location in 1968. The UBC native plant garden is=20 dedicated to Davidson's memory and countless Davidson sheets are=20 still held in the UBC Herbarium. =20 =09 Both Anderson and Davidson represent a time in which it was=20 possible to become a self-taught botanical authority. They=20 acquired their expertise through direct observation, assisted by=20 natural history museums and amateur societies. Over the course=20 of their lifetimes these institutions were being eclipsed by=20 research universities as the primary centres of learning. John=20 Davidson, being younger and located near the newly created UBC,=20 was able to navigate this shifting terrain. James Robert=20 Anderson was already too old to accommodate these institutional=20 changes so his botanical legacy, equally impressive, is less=20 well appreciated today. =20 =20 BOOK REVIEW: WILDFLOWERS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS From: Margaret Hubble, Northern Okanagan Naturalist Club, Vernon, British Columbia, Canada [mhubble@uniserve.com] =20 Scotter, George W. & Halle Flygare. 2007. _Wildflowers of=20 the Rocky Mountains_. Whitecap Books, North Vancouver, BC,=20 255 p. ISBN 1-55285-848-0 ISBN-13 978-1-55285-848-6 [soft=20 cover] Price: CDN$29.95 Available from: http://www.whitecapbooks.ca=20 =20 I feel very privileged to write a book review of George Scotter's=20 newest book called "Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains". This=20 book is a revised and expanded edition to his previous classic=20 book called _Wildflowers of the Canadian Rockies_, published in=20 1986. It now features wildflowers that can be found from northern=20 British Columbia to New Mexico.=20 _Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains_ is an extremely well laid=20 out book from the beautiful color flower photos on the cover to=20 the line drawings showing flower parts, leaf shapes and=20 arrangements. Each detailed description of the 350 species of=20 plants has a full-color photograph for easy identification.=20 Plants are grouped into six sections, according to flower color:=20 white; yellow and cream; green; pink; red, orange, and brown; and=20 purple and blue. Included are all the most common species likely=20 to be encountered along the roadsides and hiking trails in the=20 Rockies. Also featured are some rare and shy beauties found in=20 more remote areas.=20 The tips in _Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains_ are a valuable=20 aid to identifying a newly found flower. George lists a series of=20 questions describing the characteristics of the flowers, leaves,=20 stems, fruits, berries or seeds as well as the habitat of the=20 flower. Often I think I have examined a plant thoroughly enough,=20 only to find out later I should have checked, for example, the=20 seed pods. Does the plant have seed pods and what do they look=20 like, are the leaves linear shaped or arrow leaved shaped, green=20 on top and grey underneath, or shiny green on both sides? Asking=20 these questions helps focus on careful examination of the plant=20 in question which results in accurate flower identification. An important goal for George Scotter "has been to make this book=20 user friendly, simple, enjoyable to read, and accurate in=20 detail". To this end, he has succeeded! I feel, like George, that=20 to be able to recognize and call a plant by its name is a first=20 important step in a fuller understanding and appreciation of the=20 natural world. He hopes we will see the beauty and fragility of=20 the wildflowers of the Rockies and recognize the urgent need to=20 protect and preserve them. George strongly believes that an=20 informed public is necessary for ensuring the wise management of=20 these majestic mountains now and in the future. =20 This newest field guide, _Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains_, by=20 George Scotter, is one that I look forward to putting in my=20 backpack for all my walks and hikes.=20 About authors Dr. George W. Scotter has worked for the Bureau of Land=20 Management in Idaho and as a range science professor at Utah=20 State University. He won the prestigious J.B. Harkin medal for=20 outstanding contributions to conservation.=20 H=E4lle Flygare, a member of the Swedish Association of Nature=20 Photographers, has been photographing the flora and fauna of=20 Alaska, Yukon, the Arctic and the Canadian Rockies for 30 years.=20 He has worked as a forest technician for British Columbia and=20 Alberta Forest Services, and as a park warden in Banff National=20 Park. ________________________________________________________________ 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 Nov 28 05:19:26 2007 From: aceska at telus.net (Adolf Ceska) Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:19:26 -0800 Subject: [BEN-L]BEN # 384 Message-ID: <000601c8317e$3ed536a0$e0ef059a@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. 384 November 27, 2007 aceska@telus.net Victoria, B.C. ----------------------------------------------------------- Dr. A. Ceska, P.O.Box 8546, Victoria, B.C. Canada V8W 3S2 ----------------------------------------------------------- ANWAR MAUN (JANUARY 1, 1935 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2007) From: Dianne Fashelt [dfahselt@yahoo.com] We are sorry to say that Dr. Anwar Maun, Professor Emeritus at the University of Western Ontario, died on September 24, 2007. He had quietly and good-naturedly suffered Lyme disease for many years, and complications arising from that malaise proved his undoing. Although particularly weakened in his last months he was still engaged in writing his book on sand dunes of the world, reviewing manuscripts, directing home improvement projects and dune-walking. He was taken to hospital at the end of July, with acute ascites, and never really emerged into normal life again. Anwar was born January 1, 1935 into a farming family in Pakistan. He spent his childhood and youth in an agricultural setting and was familiar with field crops as well as the workings of buffalo and camels. He was also exposed in early life to the atrocities that accompanied partitioning of India and Pakistan. Scholarship was encouraged and he was an excellent student, and enrolled in Punjab University in Lahore, where he received a Merit Scholarship as well as both B.Sc. and his first M.Sc. His Masters research focused on the effects of the time of sowing and various cultural factors on the yield of maize, and as a result of his work the overall yield of maize was improved in the Canal Colony of that province. He was a "distinguished member" of the college basketball team and granted the privilege of wearing "the colors". He graduated from PU in 1958. His next masters program was undertaken at the American University of Beirut during a time when Lebanon was green and beautiful, and Moslems and Jews intermarried and lived together in peace. Here at AUB he received one of the few available Open Scholarships and was described by his supervisors as an outstanding graduate student. In 1963 he earned a second M.Sc., this in Agriculture-Plant Pathology, which was based on his research on improving the yield and quality of four annual forage plants. Following his years in Lebanon he returned for a short time to Pakistan before temporarily leaving his young daughters and heading for Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. There he enrolled in a PhD program in an Agronomy Department, but his course work included several ecology offerings by the renowned R.L. Daubenmire. Clearly the Daubenmire field trips in the mountains and prairies of the "Pacific Northwest" heightened Anwar's fascination with natural systems. His research at WSU concerned the influence of temperature on floral induction, pollen viability and seed set of cool-season grasses, and his results were described in five papers published in _Agronomy Journal_ and in _Crop Science_. He graduated with his Ph.D. in Crop Ecology in early 1968 and then moved to the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, where he taught and researched for 35 years. At UWO he contributed significantly to undergraduate and graduate teaching in ecology, and launched a large important second-year population biology course for undergraduates as well as an innovative interdisciplinary graduate program in environmental sciences. When first at UWO he was a post-doctoral fellow and worked on weeds, but later as he moved through the professorial ranks abandoned the agricultural side of life and started to research dune ecosystems. His first published papers were mostly applied, but after launching an extensive program of dune ecology on the shores of Lake Huron his dune contributions began to appear. The first five were published in 1981, and mainly concerned ecology of the grasses, _Ammophila breviligulata_ and _Calamovilfa longifolia_. Anwar was the author of nearly 100 scientific papers, with the majority focused on sand dune ecology, a field in which he became recognized as a world expert. For his extensive achievements related to dune systems he was awarded the prestigious George Lawson Medal by the Canadian Botanical Association. Among the many topics addressed by him and his students in the course of dune research were burial and emergence from sand (e.g., Zhang & Maun 1990), dune stabilization through planting (e.g., Maun & Krajnyk 1989), browsing and predation (e.g., Gedge and Maun 1994), intrapopulational variation (e.g., Hawke & Maun 1988) and allelopathy (Yun & Maun 1997). Other facets of his dune work explored interactions involving mycorrhizae (e.g., Little & Maun 1996), white-tailed deer (Phillips & Maun 1997) and threatened or rare species (e.g., Maun 1997). His opus magnus on sand dune ecology is nearly finished and will be published by Oxford University Press. He traveled widely to present his work, consult and examine student theses involving dune vegetation. He spent one sabbatical at the University of California, Davis (1981) and another at the Institute for Ecological Research in Oostvoorne, Holland (1988-1989) and was for many years an Associate Editor of the _Canadian Journal of Botany_. In addition he reviewed papers submitted for publication to more than ten other international journals. Although he only acted as departmental chair for one year he was a bright light among administrators, distinguishing himself by kindness, fairness, far-sightedness and a dogged determination to make things better. He co-ordinated the departmental graduate education committee for many years, and also served as chair of the undergraduate teaching committee, as well as of many other major committees, both in the department and the Faculty of Science. He was interested in and collected art, particularly Innuit lithographs and Pakistani carpets, and skilled in photography and woodworking. He kept a close eye on the wildlife in his chemical- free backyard, and had a weakness for birds, along with, strangely enough, whales. He participated in the _Islamic Society of North America_ and was one of its highly respected officers. Anwar left many projects undone and many pleasures still anticipated. He will be missed greatly all across Canada, in Pakistan and in the numerous other parts of the world where his insight, abilities, and spectacular smile earned him enthusiastic followings. References Gedge, K. & M.A. Maun. 1994. Compensatory response of two dune annuals to simulated browsing and seed predation. _Journal of Vegetation Science_ 5: 99-108. Hawke, M.A. & M.A. Maun. 1988. Intrapopulation variation in reproduction and seed mass of a dune annual: _Cakile edentula_ var. _lacustris_. _Journal of Coastal Research_ 4: 103-112. Little, L.R. & M.A. Maun. 1996. _Ammophila_ problem revisited: a role for mycorrhizal fungi. _Journal of Ecology_ 84: 1-7. Maun, M.A. 1997. Restoration ecology of a threatened endemic: _Cirsium pitcheri_ along the Great Lakes. _Coenoses_ 12: 109-117. Maun, M.A. & I. Krajnyk. 1989. Stabilization of Great Lakes sand dunes: effect of planting time, mulches and fertilizer on seedling establishment. _Journal of Coastal Research_ 5: 791-800. Phillips, T. & M.A. Maun. 1996. Population ecology of _Cirsium pitcheri_ on Lake Huron sand dunes: Impact of white tailed deer. _Canadian Journal of Botany_ 74: 1439-1444. Yun, K.W. & M.A. Maun. 1997. Allelopathic potential of _Artemisia campestris_ ssp. _caudata_ on Lake Huron sand dunes. _Canadian Journal of Botany_ 75: 1903-1912. Zhang, J. & M.A. Maun 1990. Effect of burial in sand on seed germination, seedling emergence and survival of _Agropyron psammophilum_. _Canadian Journal of Botany_ 68: 304-310. GEORGIA MASON (1910-2007) From: Rhoda Love [rglove@uoregon.edu] We are sad to report that Oregon botanist Georgia Mason died in Eugene-Springfield Oregon on October 8, 2007 at the age of 97. Ms. Mason played an important role in Oregon botany. She was the Curator of the University of Oregon Herbarium in Eugene from 1969 to 1976. (The Herbarium was later transferred to OSU.) Mason earned a BA degree from Montclair State University in New Jersey in 1941, and an MS from Oregon State University in 1960. She was an expert on the flora of the Wallowa Mountains, and was also interested in wetland plants and weedy invasives of the Willamette Valley. After her retirement from the UO, she continued to live in Eugene and led many educational botany walks in the area. Otherwise she gardened and lived a quiet life with her beloved dogs. She has approximately 2,230 herbarium sheets at the OSU Herbarium. In 1979 she established the Georgia Mason OSU Herbarium Fund with an endowment that supports student employment at the Herbarium in Corvallis. Georgia Mason published two well-respected books: _Guide to the Plants of the Wallowa Mountains of Northeastern Oregon_ (UO Museum of Natural History,1975), and _Plants of Wet to Moist Habitats in and Around Eugene Oregon_ (self-published, 1982). DELETIONS AND ADDITIONS TO THE FLORA OF BRITISH COLUMBIA: _GALIUM PARISIENSE_ COMPLEX(RUBIACEAE) From: Adolf Ceska & Oldriska Ceska c/o [aceska@telus.net] Summary: _Galium parisiense_ L. specimens from British Columbia have been re-identified as _Galium anglicum_ Hudson. _Galium parisiense_ should be deleted from the flora of British Columbia and replaced by _Galium anglicum_. Lipscomb & Nesom (2007) have recently revised the _Galium parisiense_ complex and recognized three species that have been ususally treated as "_Galium parisiense_ sensu lato": _Galium anglicum_ Hudson (= _G. parisiense_ var. _leiocarpum_ Tausch) _Galium divericatum_ Pourret ex Lam. _Galium parisiense_ L. In view of this treatment, our report of "_Galium parisiense_" from British Columbia from Lasquetti Island (Ceska & Ceska 1998) was based on aspecimen that has been re-identified as _Galium anglicum_ (Nesom, pers. communication). Another specimen of "_Galium parisiense_" from Hornby Island also belongs to _Galium anglicum_. The following identification key was freely adapted from one published by Lipscomb & Nesom (2007): Key to _Galium parisiense_, _G. divaricatum_, and _G. anglicum_ 1. Fruit surface bristly-hispid with uncinate-tipped hairs ........................................ _G. parisiense_ 1. Fruit surface without hairs, smooth or papillose ... 2 2. Inflorescence relatively diffuse, branches divaricate; ultimate fruits (2-)3-6(-7) nodes beyond primary stem axis (with largest leaves); first inflorescence internode (beyond primary stem axis) 15-50 mm long ................................... _G. divaricatum_ 2. Inflorescence relatively strict, branches ascending; ultimate fruits 2-3(-4) nodes beyond primary stem axis (with largest leaves); first inflorescence internode (beyond primary stem axis) 3-12(-20) mm long ...................................... _G. anglicum_ All species of this complex are native in Europe and the Middle- East Asia. According to Lipscomb & Nesom (l.c.), _Galium anglicum_ has been introduced to Canada, continental USA & Hawaii, Australia & New Zealand. _Galium divaricatum_ has been introduced to the continental USA & Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand._Galium parisiense_ has been introduced to Chile, USA & New Zealand, For more detailed maps of the distribution of these taxa in the USA see Lipscomb & Nesom (2007). Specimens deposited in the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria (V): _Galium anglicum_ Hudson V 191155 British Columbia, Gulf Islands; Hornby Island, Helliwell Park. 49 deg. 31' N. 124 deg. 35' W. Elev. 30 m Richard Martin, s.n., June 6, 1987 (identified by G.L. Nesom) _Galium anglicum_ Hudson V 181266 British Columbia, Gulf Islands; Lasqueti Island, Trematon Mtn. 49 deg. 28' 12" N. 124 deg. 16' 48" W. Elev. 300 m Adolf Ceska & Oldriska Ceska, AC # 2559, June 14, 1989 (identified by G.L. Nesom) _Galium parisiense_ L. s.str. V 80560 Oregon, Douglas Co.; 8.7 miles east of Canyonville on Highway 42, along Umpqua River. J.M. Gillett & R.L. Taylor # 11179, June 14, 1962 (identified by G.L. Nesom) Acknowledgements Thanks to G.L. Nesom and B.L. Lipscomb for identification of the Royal British Columbia Museum (V) specimens and for the permission to use and paraphraze their unpublished article. References Ceska, A & Ceska O. 1998. _Galium parisiense_ - new species for British Columbia & Canada. _BEN_ (_Botanical Electronic News_) # 184 - February 19, 1998 Lipscomb, B.L. & G.L. Nesom. 2007. _Galium anglicum_ (Rubiaceae) new for Texas and notes on the taxonomy of the _G. parisiense/divaricatum_ complex. _J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas_ 1(2) [in press] ________________________________________________________________ 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/ ________________________________________________________________