[BEN-L]BEN # 414
Adolf & Oluna Ceska
aceska at telus.net
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:02:30 -0700
BBBBB EEEEEE NN N ISSN 1188-603X
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BBBBB EEEEE NN N N BOTANICAL
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No. 414 September 23, 2009
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aceska@telus.net Victoria, B.C.
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Dr. A. Ceska, P.O.Box 8546, Victoria, B.C. Canada V8W 3S2
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THE CONSORTIUM OF PACIFIC NORTHWEST HERBARIA
From: Ben Legler, University of Washington Herbarium, Seattle, WA
blegler@u.washington.edu
The Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria =
(http://www.pnwherbaria.org/ )
was created in 2007 to bring together regional herbaria and provide an
online portal to the wealth of existing and emerging information about =
the
flora of Pacific Northwest North America. Our definition of the region
includes both U.S. states and Canadian provinces: Alaska, Yukon =
Territory,
British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. All types of
herbarium specimen collections are represented by the Consortium =
including
vascular plants, bryophytes, liverworts, hornworts, algae, lichens, and
fungi.
Over 3.3 million specimens are managed by the region's 53 herbaria.
Providing online access to these specimens is a primary function of the
Consortium web site. Currently, 643,000 specimen records from four =
herbaria
can be accessed through our web site and, with the pending addition of =
data
from the University of British Columbia Herbarium, the total number of
specimen records available will soon increase to an incredible =
1,087,000.
By combining data from multiple herbaria in this way the Consortium web =
site
provides truly comprehensive information about the distributions of =
species
within the Pacific Northwest region as well as an efficient way for
researchers to to browse and acquire relevant data that currently reside =
in
disparate locations. Specimen data made available through the web site =
will
be of use to academic researchers, land managers, conservation =
biologists,
ecologists, amateur botanists, educational institutions, and other =
public
and private organizations and businesses.
Table 1. Summary of collections currently served through the Consortium =
web
site, broken down by herbarium and organismal group.
Table 1. Summary of collections currently served through the Consortium =
web
site, broken down by herbarium and organismal group.
NY OSC UAM
UBC* WTU Total
Algae 0 0 0
70,774 0 70,774
Bryophytes** 56,402 0 0 168,076
5,732 230,210
Fungi 3,339 39,953 0
17,123 3,604 64,019
Lichens 240 5,197 0 40,234 8,471
54,142
Vascular Plants 23,045 149,130 175,034 147,668 172,997 667,874
Total 83,026 194,280 175,034 443,875 190,804
1,087,019
* UBC data is currently being uploaded. Herbarium acronyms are NY (New =
York
Botanical Garden), OSC (Oregon State University), UAM (University of =
Alaska
Fairbanks), UBC (University of British Columbia), and WTU (University of
Washington, also known by UWBM).
** Includes liverworts and hornworts.
* UBC data is currently being uploaded. Herbarium acronyms are NY (New =
York
Botanical Garden), OSC (Oregon State University), UAM (University of =
Alaska
Fairbanks), UBC (University of British Columbia), and WTU (University of
Washington, also known by UWBM).
** Includes liverworts and hornworts.
These specimen records can be accessed through a fully featured search
portal at http://www.pnwherbaria.org/portal/search.php. Integrated into =
the
search results is an interactive map display that shows a graphical
depiction of the distribution of a set of specimens or any species. =
Users
can zoom in to this map allowing, in many cases, visual clarification of =
the
exact collection locations of individual specimens. Search results can =
also
be downloaded in several formats for local use such as importing into =
Excel
or GIS software, printing, or viewing in Google Earth.
In addition to specimen data, the Consortium web site provides links to
relevant botanical resources hosted by regional herbaria. These include
checklists, flora projects, online image collections, atlases, and
individual herbarium databases. Also provided is an index of regional
herbaria with contact information and summaries of each herbarium's
holdings.
In July of 2009 the University of Washington Herbarium (WTU) submitted a
collaborative grant proposal to NSF requesting funding to further =
develop
the Consortium web site and integrate many additional specimen =
collections
from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Partners in this grant are =
the
Oregon State University Herbarium (OSC), the Stillinger Herbarium at the
University of Idaho (ID), and the Montana State University Herbarium =
(MONT).
If funded, this grant will enable several significant additions:
=95 Databasing of an additional 500,000 specimen records from ID, MONT,
OSC, WTU, and many smaller herbaria.
=95 Imaging about 300,000 of these specimens, with the images made
available online.
=95 Integrating the collections of several large herbaria whose specimen
data is not already served through the web site (e.g., WS, MONTU).
=95 Developing tools to allow smaller regional herbaria to database
their collections and make them available through the web site with =
minimal
costs and infrastructure requirements.
=95 Adding new features to the web site and expanding the functionality
of the search interface.=20
Together, these additions will bring the total number of specimen =
records
served through the web site to nearly 1.8 million!
The PNW Herbaria Portal web site is managed by staff at the University =
of
Washington Herbarium. For further information contact David Giblin
(Herbarium Manager, dgiblin@u.washington.edu ) or Ben Legler at the =
email
above.
UNIQUE BOTANICAL FICTION
From: Tod F. Stuessy, Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany,=20
University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, A-1030 Vienna, Austria.
Lammers, Thomas G. 2009. Augustus Green in the Lair of the Pye-a-Saw.
Published by the author, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Paper, 64 pages.
=20
As Tom Lammers is a former student of mine, I couldn't resist obtaining =
a
copy of this small book, simply out of curiosity. What--Lammers writing
fiction? This I just had to see for myself. =20
What I did find out is that Lammers does, indeed, have a real talent for
spinning an intriguing yarn and keeping the reader engaged with it. I
started this small book on an airplane flight back to Vienna, but not =
having
finished it by the time I arrived, I found I just had to keep reading to
find out what happened next in the story! This is the mark of a
well-written book.
The story begins with a Professor Sheldon Wright finding an old book in =
the
attic of his building on the Cranmoor college campus. It results that =
this
is the journal of Augustus Green in the Iowa territory (U.S.A.) in 1799, =
who
was collecting plants in the region. As Professor Wright begins to read
this journal, it serves as our story line, and in the process we learn =
about
plant collecting, indigenous peoples of the region, Spanish bureaucracy,
Indian languages, etc. I was a bit amazed at the breath of this =
historical
information, and so, asking Lammers about it, he answered: "Yes, all of =
the
details are true, except for those that aren't!" To that perspective we
have the topc from the title, the Pye-a-Saw, which really grabs your
attention. This is a---whoops, better not to let it out and spoil the
story. I suggest that you get a copy and read it for yourself--it will
provide a very nice evening's entertainment. To obtain a copy, write =
Tom
Lammers at tlammers@new.rr.com=20
BOOK REVIEW: MUSHROOMS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST=20
From: Michael W. Beug [excerpt from a review in =AC_The Mycophile_, =
summer
2009]
Trudell, Steve & Joe Ammirati. 2009. _Mushrooms of the Pacific =
Northwest_.:
Timber Press, Portland, OR. 349 p. with more than 450 species and over =
500
colour photographs. ISBN-13: 978-0-88192-935-5 [soft cover], Price: =
US$27.95
To order a book over the phone, you can call 1-800-827-5622
This beautiful field guide to mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest is well
written with excellent photography and the taxonomic issues are up to =
date.
The book is small enough (6=94x 8.5=94x 7/8=94) to fit in a day pack and =
sturdy
enough to take into the field. Steve Trudell, an affiliate professor in =
the
College of Forest Resources at the University of Washington, is an award
winning photographer who has been studying mushrooms and mushroom =
ecology
for over 30 years. Joe Ammirati is professor of biology and teaches =
mycology
and botany at the University of Washington.=20
In a section titled =93Preliminaries=94, the authors tell the reader =
what
mushrooms are, how to hunt for mushrooms and collect them safely. They
discuss mushroom ecology and mushroom toxicology. This section is =
followed
by a discussion of how to identify mushrooms and how to use the book. =
These
sections are useful to beginners. =20
Individuals unfamiliar with mushrooms can start the identification =
process
with the picture key to mushroom types inside the front cover of =
Mushrooms
of the Pacific Northwest. For individuals with some experience with
mushrooms, the starting point is the written key to morphological groups =
on
page 38 which leads the reader to the various color coded sections of =
the
book. Each section begins with a key the genera included in that group.
There are no keys to species, which in my view makes sense since there =
are
probably over 5,000 species in the Pacific Northwest, far more than =
could be
keyed out in any affordable field guide.=20
In the part of the book dealing with the mushrooms, each section begins =
with
a discussion of the general physical features of the mushrooms in the =
genus
covered followed by a description of our current understanding of the
evolutionary relationships of the mushrooms in that section to other =
major
groups of fungi. The descriptions of species do not follow the usual =
pattern
of giving the dimensions, features and color of the cap, then gills, =
then
stalk, etc. but instead follow a discussion format that I feel gives the
readers a good sense of what to look for in each species described. They
also give the most recent older name for species that have recently been
renamed, discuss when a species or even a group of mushrooms needs more
study before a name or names can be accurately applied, and anticipate =
some
name changes that we can expect to see soon. Good edible species and
seriously poisonous species are discussed in considerably more detail =
than
the other mushrooms.
I was surprised at the number of species included that were new to me. =
All
of my favorite groups of edibles were included as were all of the =
poisonous
mushrooms that I worry about people accidentally picking. The =
photographs,
almost all by Steve Trudell were excellent educational images, generally
showing the critical features needed for identification, though in some
cases the small size of the images made it hard to discern an important
feature though the images were the same size as those found in most =
recent
field guides. I would also have liked to see 500 or 600 pages devoted to =
PNW
mushrooms so that the authors could have squeezed in more species. =
However,
given the limitations of space and budget, I think that the authors did =
a
great job in picking what to illustrate while still giving the reader a
sense of what is out there that could not be described in just one book.
[excerpt from a review by Michael W. Beug in The _Mycophile_, summer =
2009]
FASCINATING TREATMENT OF THE MUSHROOM GENUS _PHAEOCOLLYBIA_
From: Ian Gibson [ig@islandnet.com]
Lorelei L. Norvell and Ronald L. Exeter. 2009. _Phaeocollybia of Pacific
Northwest North America_. US Department of Interior, Bureau of Land
Management, Salem Oregon. 229 p. Price: US$71.
To order this publication, call 503-375-5646.
This is one of the most beautifully laid out and illustrated mushroom =
books
ever produced. It will remain the main information source on this genus =
in
the Pacific Northwest for many years to come. The macroscopic and
microscopic keys have spent years in development and testing. The =
species
descriptions bring together Norvell=92s accounts scattered through the =
journal
literature and her own assessments of species described by others in =
less
detail.
The Pacific Northwest is a particularly rich area for Phaeocollybia. Its =
25
species are mostly endemic and constitute almost a third of the =
world=92s
species. Phaeocollybia has a reputation for favouring old growth =
forests,
making it a focus of conservation efforts and research. Norvell and =
Exeter
collaborated on research showing that while clear-cutting and heavy =
thinning
appear to affect phaeocollybia fruiting adversely, moderate thinning =
(e.g.
leaving 200-300 trees per hectare) does not appear to do so.
Ron Exeter and Lorelei Norvell continue the standard of artistic and
scientific excellence that they achieved (with Efr=E9n C=E1zares) in =
Ramaria of
the Pacific Northwestern United States, another publication by the same
Bureau of Land Management office.
Introductory chapters include accounts of distribution and ecology, =
biology
and development, taxonomy, and identifying characteristics. After the =
well
organized macroscopic and microscopic keys to Pacific Northwest
Phaeocollybia, there are detailed descriptions of each of the 25 =
species.
The descriptions contain full macroscopic and microscopic details, and =
are
well illustrated with photographs, drawings, and charts distinguishing =
close
species. At the end is a bibliography and glossary. All the sections =
have
color-coded page edges.
A glance at the curriculum vitae of Lorelei Norvell shows why she =
brought so
many talents to the making of this publication. Her PhD dissertation is =
on
Phaeocollybia and she is the current editor of Mycotaxon. Contributions =
to
mycology are protean. In addition, she has an MA in Slavic languages and =
a
secondary education teacher=92s certificate, and in her fine art days =
she
owned a leaded glass studio. It is not clear whether she was helped by =
being
President of the Chamber Music Society of Oregon.
Norvell=92s wide-ranging curiosity is evident in her digging =
explorations of
the long pseudorhizas that extend into the soil from Phaeocollybia
fruitbodies. She describes the development of the fruitbodies from under =
the
ground and the different forms of pseudorhizas. Particularly notable is =
her
discovery of universal veil remnants not previously documented for the
genus. (A sesquipedalian might say that she established phaeocollybian
monovelangiocarpy.) There is a glossary.
Ron Exeter is one of those photographers who always make you want to =
look at
his next photograph. The care and creativity that he applies to his
photographs is also evident in his scientific work. Norvell and Scott
Redhead also contributed many fine photographs.
The authors thank many other people including Joe Ammirati and Scott =
Redhead
both as mentors and =93our reviewers dedicated to removing errors, =
hyphens,
and whimsy from these pages=94. Fortunately they were not completely
successful in their last task. The last sentence concerns O2, a =
particularly
rich research transect for Phaeocollybia, =93The authors have designated =
Oz as
an official phaeocollybian Garden of Eden.=94 The last illustration =
shows a
cat with the label =93Senior Systems Administrator=94.
[Wasn't it Lorelei who lured the Rhine sailors to their death? - AC, BEN
Editor]
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