Celebrating the NMNH Centennial - see page 9
Department of Botany & the U.S. National Herbarium The Plant Press
New Series - Vol. 13 - No. 2 April-June 2010 Botany Profile The History of the US National Herbarium By Conrad V. Morton† and William L. Stern† Editor’s note: In honor of the 100th Smithsonian plant collections, together and elsewhere.4 A great many botanical birthday of the National Museum of with those gathered during government- papers resulting from these expeditions Natural History, this issue of The Plant sponsored expeditions to the new West, were published in the reports of the U.S. Press looks back on the history of the were turned over to Asa Gray, a Regent of Railroad Surveys. The Smithsonian U.S. National Herbarium. We lead this the Smithsonian Institution and Professor Institution itself published several impor- issue with a reprint of C.V. Morton and of Botany at Harvard University, and John tant monographs dealing with plants W.L. Stern’s 1966 article “The United Torrey, Professor of Botany at Columbia from these explorations, namely, Asa States National Herbarium,” from Plant College. The assembled botanical collec- Gray’s “Plantae Wrightianae Texano- Science Bulletin 12(2): 1-4 (a publica- tions were in the actual custody of Torrey neo-mexicanae” (1853-1854), John tion of the Botanical Society of America, and were kept at Columbia College in Torrey’s “Plantae Frémontianae” (1854), Inc.). Footnotes from the original appear New York City.2 and especially Professor William Henry as “CVM”, in addition to footnotes for The Smithsonian assisted with all the Harvey’s “Nereis Boreali-Americana,” clarification by Alan Whittemore (AW) U.S. Government exploring expeditions,3 the first general account of our marine and Gary Krupnick (GK). An updated among others those of Emory, Whipple, algae and still a fundamental reference history that will clarify these points fur- King, Gunnison, Pole, Stevens, Hayden, work. ther is being prepared by Laurence Dorr and Powell. Especially noteworthy were In 1868, only a few years before his and Alan Whittemore. the botanical collections of Charles Wright death, Torrey decided that he could no undertaken in conjunction with the U.S. longer retain custody of the herbarium. he United States National Her- North Pacific Exploring Expedition under In the absence of suitable quarters and barium dates back almost to the the command of Ringgold and Rodgers staff in the Smithsonian building in Tfoundation of the Smithsonian which provided plant specimens from the Washington, D.C., the first Secretary, Institution in 1846. Collections of plants Bering Straits, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Joseph Henry, made arrangements that resulting from various early government the Smithsonian collections be deposited expeditions were first deposited in the ent places were often combined under one number, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute, named originally in with a label that only said Texas-New Mexico. Asa which had been amassing a working col- Gray suggested the collecting area to Wright; Gray 1840 as the National Institution for the lection of herbarium specimens for the Promotion of Science. Later these plants was also the one who made up the sets, arranged their sale, and forwarded the money to Wright. See use of its personnel.5 were turned over to the newly founded Susan McKelvey, Botanical Exploration of the Smithsonian. Of particular interest Trans-Mississippi West 1790-1850 for details of 4 Some of these explorations are described in S.F. among these were the large collections of Wright’s 1848-1849 trip. Smithsonian’s only connec- Baird. 1855. Report on American explorations in the years 1853 and 1854. Appendix to the [Ninth the U.S. South Pacific Exploring Expedi- tion with this expedition was that Gray published the final account in a Smithsonian series.AW Annual] Report of the Regents of the Smithsonian tion, under the command of Lt. Charles 2 Torrey had some Smithsonian material on loan, in Institution. Beverley Tucker, Senate Printer. Wash- Wilkes, U.S.N., which formed the real addition to the many expedition specimens that had ington, D.C. CVM basis for a national herbarium. The earli- been given to him and were then in his personal her- 5 The Smithsonian material was never in Torrey’s custody. Torrey borrowed some specimens from est expeditions sponsored in part by the barium (now at NY). The materials Gray worked on (for instance, Wright’s collections and the collections the Smithsonian; the institution paid him to mount Smithsonian Institution itself included the from Commodore Perry’s Japan expedition) were in herbarium specimens from 1860 to 1869, but the explorations of Charles Wright in Texas the “actual custody” of Gray and are now at GH. AW bulk of expedition material that Torrey worked on and New Mexico in 1848.1 The early 3 These expeditions were under the Departments of was in his private herbarium, which was sold to the Navy and War. The collectors were employees of Columbia College (this material is now at NY). 1 Charles Wright supported himself by the sale these departments, and the reports were prepared by Those expedition collections that were sent to of the herbarium material he collected. In order to independent scientists, often in exchange for receiv- Smithsonian in the 1850s were stored in the Castle make up large enough sets, specimens from differ- ing the specimens for their personal herbaria. AW Continued on page 16 Travel Pedro Acevedo traveled to Salvador Heliconias and hummingbirds. University, and to meet with Peter Schertz, Da Bahia, Brazil (1/29 – 2/19) to par- Paul Peterson and Robert Soreng curator of ancient art at the Virginia ticipate in an expedition to inventory and traveled to St. Louis, Missouri (2/7 – 2/12) Museum of Fine Arts; and to Ballston, collect local floras in Brazil. to do research at the Missouri Botanical Virginia (3/27) to deliver a paper entitled John Boggan traveled to Morristown, Garden herbarium and to learn the new “Digitizing Renaissance Herbals” at the New Jersey (3/18 – 3/19) and Manhattan, TROPICOS botanical information system. Capital Science 2010 conference. New York (3/19 – 3/21) to give talks on Rusty Russell traveled to St. Louis, Laurence Skog traveled to Sarasota, the genera Gloxinia and Seemannia and Missouri (2/22 – 2/25) to participate in a Florida (2/25 – 2/22) to work in the their relatives (Gesneriaceae) to the Frelin- workshop at the Missouri Botanical Gar- herbarium at the Marie Selby Botanical ghuysen Arboretum and Greater New York den to plan for a national effort to digitize Garden, and to confer with colleagues chapters of the Gesneriaceae Society. all herbarium holdings in North America, about the World Gesneriad Conference to W. John Kress traveled throughout entitled “United States Virtual Herbar- be held October 2010 at the Garden. Costa Rica (2/23 – 3/4) to conduct field ium”; to Redlands, California (3/7 – 3/10) Warren Wagner traveled to Honolulu, work on Heliconia taxonomy and to as an invited participant in the Mapping Hawaii (3/10 – 4/6) as an invited speaker deliver the keynote address at the Orga- for Conservation Organizations Workshop, at the National Tropical Garden Board, nization for Tropical Studies Symposium involving conservation organizations using to serve as facilitator for an international honoring Luis Diego Gómez; to Boston, GIS technology; and to the San Jacinto NTBG Science review, and to conduct Massachusetts (3/10 – 3/11) and Ports- Mountains, California (3/19 – 3/28) for research for the completion of the flora of mouth, New Hampshire (3/11 – 3/12) to continuing fieldwork on the application the Marquesas Islands at NTBG and the present the books The Weeping Goldsmith of herbarium specimen data to studies of Bishop Museum. and Botanica Magnifica; to Chicago, floristic changes in the region. Jun Wen traveled to Raleigh, North Illinois (3/19 – 2/20) to present the books Alain Touwaide and Emanuela Carolina (3/22 – 3/24) to visit the North and give a lecture at the Chicago Botanic Appetiti traveled to Richmond, Virginia Carolina State University Genomics Labo- Garden; to Los Angeles, California (3/20 (3/9 – 3/10) where Touwaide delivered a ratory for training in the next-generation – 3/21) also to present the books and give public lecture “Why Does Medicine of the sequencing, and to give a seminar on the a lecture at the Huntington Library; and to Past Matter? Ancient Remedies for the 21st evolution of intercontinental disjunct Dominica (3/22 – 3/28) to do research on Century” at the Virginia Commonwealth plants to the Department of Plant Biology.
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New Series - Vol. 13 - No. 2 Mike Martin, Johns Hopkins University; Botany, China; Astilbe (Saxifragaceae) Ambrosia (Compositae) (1/1/09-6/30/10). and Aruncus (Rosaceae) (1/1-4/30). Chair of Botany Warren L. Wagner Zhumei Ren, Shanxi University, China; Jimmy Triplett, University of Missouri; ([email protected]) Gallnut aphid/host plant coevolution based North American Arundinaria, and Asian on DNA sequences (2/1/09-1/31/10). Pleioblaastus, Sasa, and Sasamorpha EDITORIAL STAFF bamboos (Poaceae) (1/1-12/31). Pingting Chen, Central China Agri- Editor cultural University; Vitaceae (3/1/09- Jianying Xiang, Kunming Institute of Gary Krupnick 2/28/10). Botany, China; Dryopteris (1/1-12/31). ([email protected]) Qing Liu, South China Botanic Garden, Eleanor Moran, University of Virginia; News Contacts Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guang- Plant conservation internship (1/4-1/15). MaryAnn Apicelli, Robert Faden, Ellen zhou; Chloridoideae (Poaceae) (7/4/09- Farr, Shirley Maina, Rusty Russell, Alice Jim Cohen, Cornell University; Borag- 7/4/10). Tangerini, and Elizabeth Zimmer inaceae (1/14). Dana Gadeken, University of Mary The Plant Press is a quarterly publication pro- Todd Lee and 12 students, Elon Univer- vided free of charge. To receive notification of Washington; Plant conservation internship when new pdf issues are posted to the web, please sity; Herbarium tour (1/19). subscribe to the listserve by sending a message (12/14/09-1/8/10). to [email protected] containing only the Amanda Saville, North Carolina State following in the body of the text: SUBSCRIBE Marie Balboa, University of North PLANTPRESS-NEWS Firstname Lastname. University; Dichanthelium (Poaceae) Carolina Chapel Hill; Plant conservation Replace “Firstname Lastname” with your name. (1/19-1/20). internship (12/21/09-1/8/10). If you would like to be added to the hard-copy mailing list, please contact Dr. Gary Krupnick at: John Skvarla, University of Oklahoma; Siddharth Rajagopalan, University of Department of Botany, Smithsonian Institution, Compositae (1/20-1/26). PO Box 37012, NMNH MRC-166, Washington, Virginia; Plant conservation internship DC 20013-7012, or by E-mail: krupnickg@ si.edu. (12/21/09-1/15/10). Wesley Knapp, Maryland Natural Heri- tage Program and Delaware State Univer- Web site: http://botany.si.edu/ Weidong Zhu, Kunming Institute of
Page 2 Centennial Celebration arlier this year we gathered for a group picture the online launch in October 1993 of the Botanical Chair and an informal departmental celebration of Type Specimen Register represents the first elec- Ethe Museum’s centennial. Published together tronic resource for the National Museum of Natural With in the last issue of Plant Press with a few historical History. Since then there has been an ever increas- snapshots, this most recent photo clearly reflects the ing wealth of resources added to the Department’s significant growth in numbers that the Department of internet outreach and research including floras rang- A Botany has experienced since the Museum of Natural ing from the local Washington-Baltimore area to the History first opened its doors to the public in 1910 Pacific Islands and Caribbean, several sites on spe- despite a downward trend in staff during past 20 years. cialty plant families, a diverse site on the Biological View At the time of the museum’s opening, the Smithsonian Diversity of the Guiana Shield, large collections of had a small, but distinguished botany staff of four cura- botanical illustrations, and an even larger and easier tors aided by six honorary assistant curators from the to use Type Register. Warren U.S. Department of Agriculture. Some of these Botany milestones will be part of In the ensuing years, the department has contin- the framework for an exciting new NMNH web- L. ued to expand not only in size, but also in the scope site that will explain the major milestones in the Wagner and nature of the research undertaken. The physical museum’s history. Botanist Emeritus Stan Shetler, record of this expansion is clearly preserved within the who served as Deputy Director of NMNH, will be collections housed in the National Herbarium and the interviewed soon for an oral history component of thousands of published research papers, monographs, the centennial exhibition scheduled to open in late and books. Although the U.S. National Herbarium was May (see page 9). Stan had curatorial responsibili- established in 1848 to house collections from early ties in the Department of Botany from 1962 to 1984 expeditions within the United States, it has now grown before moving on to serve as the Associate Direc- to just under 5,000,000 specimens. The feature article tor and then Deputy Director of NMNH until 1995. in this issue, “The History of the US National Her- When he returned to the Department in 1996 as an barium,” a reprint of an article written in 1966 by two Emeritus Curator he developed along with Sylvia Botany curators, Conrad Morton and William Stern, Orli the valuable and widely used Washington-Bal- captures the importance of this herbarium while noting timore flora website and dealt with identifying and the dedicated individuals that have contributed to its distributing many collections from temperate and current stature as being among the largest collections in arctic northern hemisphere. We have also invited a the world. number of botanists with special connections to the This year the Museum celebrates its 100th birthday U.S. National Herbarium to the centennial opening with a special exhibition featuring archival and modern reception on June 9th. We look forward to their visits photographs highlighting many facets of the building, and the upcoming celebration and hope to share its people, collections, research, and exhibitions over more news over the coming months of the Depart- the past century. As shown in the timeline on page 11, ment’s involvement in the centennial celebrations. the Department of Botany has achieved an impressive number of milestones and has been a leading contribu- tor to the museum over the past 100+ years. Of these, sity; Juncus (Juncaceae) and Rhynchop- Research Fellowship recipient, Sao Paulo, Alexander Clark, Georgetown Univer- sora (Cyperaceae) (1/21). Brazil; Wood collection (2/19). sity, and Tenzin Khando, Virginia Tech; Plant conservation internship (3/8-3/12). James Estes, University of Oklahoma; Claudio Nicoletti de Fraga, Jardim Artemesia (Compositae) (1/21-1/22). Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Dil- Margaret Cychosz, Butler University, leniaceae (2/23-2/26). Jacob Jones, Jackson State Community Kimberly Winter and 10 students, The College, Brittney Powers, Millersville Graduate School, District of Columbia; Mariana Saavedra, Jardim Botânico do University, and JoAnna Roman, Uni- Herbarium tour (1/30). Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Asteraceae (2/23- versity of Notre Dame; Map internship 2/26). Shi-Jin Li, South China Botanical (3/8-3/12). Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Divye Bokdia, Owen Ellis, Sarah Hegge, Samantha Bradbeer, Johns Hopkins Uni- Guangzhou; Dalbergia (Leguminosae) University of Michigan; Map internship versity, and Mara Dauphin, Yale Univer- (2/16-2/28). (3/1-3/5). sity; Map internship (3/15-3/19). Paul Berry, University of Michigan; Saroopa Samaradivakara, Genetech Karla Jamir, Huntley Meadows Park; Euphorbiaceae (2/17-2/19). Research Institute, Sri Lanka; Plant DNA Examining herbarium cases (3/15). barcoding (3/1-4/30). Henrique Oliveira, Smithsonian Artist Continued on page 5
Page 3 Hydnoraceae. The Hydnoraceae are a hol- Staff oparasitic Piperalean lineage comprising only two genera, Hydnora in Africa and Research & tbe Arabian Peninsula and Prosopanche in Activities Central and South America. Bolin recently completed his dissertation on the ecology and molecular systematics of Hydnora On 24 February, John Boggan gave a at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, talk, “Growing Hardy Palms and Other Virginia. His dissertation was supported Adventures in Zone Pushing,” for the by a student Fulbright appointment to Smithsonian Horticulture Divisions’ win- Namibia where he conducted fieldwork ter In-Service Training series. and taught at the University of Namibia. During his fellowship at the Smithsonian, On 18 February, Alain Touwaide pre- st Bolin will pursue a coevolutionary study sented “Hippocrates’ Legacy in the 21 of Hydnora and their Euphorbia hosts Century Revisiting Ancient Greek Medical using molecular phylogenetic approaches. region. Subsequently, she worked as an Knowledge” at the Embassy of Greece. In a tandem study he will investigate the Education Coordinator/Biologist for NPS On 27 March Alain Touwaide and presumably reduced Hydnora plastome. at the Gateway National Recreation Area, Emanuela Appetiti attended Capital Sci- In addition to laboratory work, Bolin will engaging citizen scientists and promot- ence 2010, a conference organized by the conduct fieldwork in Brunei Darussalam ing environmental stewardship while also Washington Academy of Sciences and the with Kushan U. Tennakoon (University of providing support services for research- National Science Foundation, in Ballston, Brunei Darussalam) to generate a checklist ers and resource managers in the Jamaica Virginia. They delivered a paper, “Digi- of aerial hemiparasites and in the Sultanate Bay Unit. In partnership with research tizing Renaissance Herbals. The PLANT of Oman with Lytton J. Musselman (Old faculty at Queens College, CUNY, she Program,” about the website they are Dominion University) to collect the furtive successfully coordinated the first volun- creating in collaboration with the Smithso- and poorly known Arabian Hydnora. teer-focused, all-taxa BioBlitz of the Bay. nian Institution Libraries on Renaissance Most recently, as a Biological Technician herbals illustrations. In January, Nancy R. Khan joined the in the Forest Ecology Lab at the Smith- Department as a Museum Specialist sonian Environmental Research Center assigned to work with Warren Wag- Awards & in Edgewater, Maryland, Khan provided ner on the Flora of the Pacific Islands technical guidance and field leadership for Grants and the Onagraceae family. A native of the HSBC Climate Partnership, an initia- Florida, Khan has lived in Philadelphia, Alice Tangerini won an award for her tive developed in conjunction with the Pennsylvania for the past 20 years and educational exhibit at a recent plant show Smithsonian’s Center for Tropical Forest received her master’s degree in Environ- put on by the National Capital Area Chap- Science to study the impact of climate mental Science from the University of ter of the Gesneriad Society on March change on forest function and diversity in Pennsylvania in 2005 with a concentra- 13-14 at the National Arboretum in Wash- a temperate forest. ington, DC. Her entry, “Botanical Illustra- tion in Natural Resource Management. tion from Start to Finish,” won first prize Through a year-long joint internship with Jimmy Triplett is a post-doctoral fellow in the Educational Display category and the Morris Arboretum and the Academy working with Jun Wen and Paul Peter- received high marks for its presentation of of Natural Sciences she gained valu- son. He completed his Ph.D. at Iowa State the process of drawing a gesneriad begin- able experience in field botany, research University, where he studied the system- ning with a herbarium specimen through methods, and herbarium curation. Fol- atics of temperate bamboos. He recently the final drawing in ink and publication in lowing this, she served as the Director of a botanical journal. The display had five the Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers, panels showing the specimen, photocopy, an active community-based ecological preliminary and final pencil sketches, and restoration organization that works in the final ink drawing with the publication partnership with the City of Philadelphia’s (see page 20). It was given a blue ribbon Fairmount Park Commission. Pursuit of and even though it was the only one in its her interests in field botany and forest class, Tangerini was assured that ribbons ecology led Khan to join the National were not given out unless the entry war- Park Service’s Inventorying and Monitor- ranted the award. ing Program as a seasonal crew leader for the Vegetation Team at the Center for Urban Ecology in Washington, DC. New Faces Over a 3 month period she visited over 100 research plots in Maryland, Virginia, Jay Bolin is a post-doctoral fellow and West Virginia, further increasing her working with Kenneth Wurdack on the knowledge of the flora of the Mid-Atlantic molecular systematics and evolution of the Page 4 completed a post-doctoral project on the keys to genera and species within each species of Phaeophyceae. The systematic phylogeny of Panicum with Toby Kellogg phylum of macroalgae. The keys utilize account includes a guide to identification at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, a double numbering system that enables of the taxa with keys and descriptions. and is currently conducting research on the the user to work a key backwards as well Also given are basionym, type locality, reticulate evolution, polyploidy, and bio- as forwards. A specimen can be “picture- synonyms, relevant taxonomic studies, geography of the Arundinaria clade of the keyed” initially, then positively identified habitat, and distribution for each species. temperate bamboos (including Pleioblas- by using the dichotomous keys and the Four new sections and one new species tus, Pseudosasa, Sasa, and Sasamorpha). photomicrographs. are described; five new combinations are Triplett has conducted field work in China, made. A pdf of this publication can be Japan, and the United States. downloaded at www.scholarlypress.si.edu. To request a print copy, email SISP at On-line Guide to [email protected]. Print copies of this publication are free upon request, while Marine Algae of supplies last. Limit five (5) copies. Panama From Smithsonianscience.org Visitors Continued from page 3 A new online identification guide to more than 120 marine algae of the Pacific Adam Nguyen, Virginia Commonwealth Panama has been developed by Diane University; Plant conservation internship and Mark Littler in conjunction with the (3/15-3/19). bioinformatics office at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Athanasious Moulakis, American Uni- Plocamium violaceum (Photo by Diane The guide is designed to make it easy versity in Afghanistan, Kabul; Afghan Littler) for non-specialists to accurately identify medical traditions (3/18). seaweed species around Panama’s offshore Marine Algae of Rolf Kinne, Max Planck Institute, Dort- islands from Las Perlas in the Bay of mund, Germany; Plant molecular biology Panama to the Gulf of Chiriqui. More than the Northern Gulf and archaeology (3/19). 158 stunning underwater photographs and 445 photomicrographs showcase the major of California Henderson Andrew, New York Botanical seaweeds. The treatment also documents A taxonomic study of green and brown Garden; Palmae (3/22). 87 new records of marine macroalgae benthic marine algae in the Gulf of Cali- Meghan Kane, California State Uni- for Panama and 32 new records for the fornia is presented in “Marine algae of the versity, Sacramento, and Tegan Kehoe, Eastern Pacific Ocean. The database can Northern Gulf of California: Chlorophyta Brandeis University; Map internship be accessed at http://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/ and Phaeophyceae” by James N. Norris (3/29-4/2). pacificalgae/. in Smithsonian Contributions to Botany “We have seen rapid degradation 94: 1-286; February 2010. The treatment Frank Farruggia, University of Utah; of reefs worldwide. It is of paramount covers 4 classes, 7 orders, 13 families, 20 Solanum (Solanaceae) (3/30-4/2). importance scientists–from geologists genera, and 63 species of Chlorophyta and to chemists–and for school kids, tourist 9 orders, 15 families, 26 genera, and 70 Addendum guides and conservationists to understand the local reef environment and its founda- “Are You Experienced? Interning in Bot- tion species,” say the Littlers. “Our guide any” Plant Press 13(1): 1, 16-18; 2010. celebrates the beauty of some of the most Botany students may also find intern- attractive inhabitants of Panama’s under- ships offered through the Minority Awards sea realm and provides an indispensable, Program
Page 5 Focus on Research Associates Putting Too Fine a Point On It: Eduardo Garcia-Milagros By Vicki A. Funk Eduardo Garcia-Milagros was born and love for, botany he decided to contact out a novel way to use the map overlays in in Almacelles, Spain in 1975, the same Rusty Russell, the Collections Manager. Google Earth to view the locations of the year the dictator Franco died, which At first he volunteered just a few hours a specimens collected, thus providing more Eduardo considers a lucky sign. He week; with the help of Deborah Bell he accuracy to the localities. received his B.S. in Biology (special- learned how the U.S. National Herbarium Funk gave a talk that included some of izing in Botany) from the Universidad was arranged and how to sort and file this material at the annual meeting of the of Murcia in 2000. While at the Univer- specimens. Association for Tropical Biology and Con- sity, he worked as a student intern in the During the summer of 2007 Garcia- servation in Suriname in January 2009. Department of Vegetal Physiology isolat- Milagros met Mauricio Diazgranados who Together Garcia-Milagros and Funk also ing plant pathogens (bacteria and fungi). at that time was working for Vicki Funk wrote a paper on the subject that is now After graduation he accepted a job as the with a Latino Initiatives Program fellow- submitted for publication. manager of food safety in a fish farming ship. Garcia-Milagros began helping Diaz- After finishing the types project, company. By the time he had worked there granados with his data-basing, barcoding, Garcia-Milagros moved on to phase two. for four years his wife, Maria Jiménez- and geo-referencing label information of For a number of years the Biological Movilla, received her Ph.D. and together herbarium specimens of subtribe Espeletii- Diversity of the Guiana Shield (BDG) they decided it was time for a change. His nae (Compositae). Garcia-Milagros then program was able to fund resident collec- wife received a postdoctoral fellowship at discovered Google Earth and proposed its tors in Guyana. This phase involved using the National Institutes of Health, he quit use for a better geo-referencing process Google Earth to map all the expeditions his job, and both landed in DC on 2 March as well as for displaying the distributions. that BDG had sponsored
“Food For Thought: 21st Century Perspectives on Plants and People” In collaboration with the United States Botanic Garden Supported by the Cuatrecasas Family Foundation People are dependent upon plants for food, clothing, medicine, fuel and other necessities of life. Humans and plants have interacted for as long as humans have existed, but our relationship is not static. Since the advent of agriculture we have exerted evolutionary pressure on plants that are of importance to us. Indigenous and industrialized societies have interacted with plants in their environments and influenced not only crop plants, but also cultural landscapes. The Smithsonian Botanical Symposium, hosted by the Departments of Botany and Anthropology, will examine the 21st century transformation of the study of interactions between plants and people. The invited speakers will cover a wide range of topics: from the role molecular biology now has in elucidating crop domestication to the ways in which peoples across myriad ecosystems interact with specific plants and landscapes. The Botanical Symposium is one of many activities planned to celebrate the Centennial of the National Museum of Natural History. Symposium participants are invited to visit the new David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins, which is dedicated to the understanding of human origins. This major exhibition opening in March 2010 is based on decades of cutting-edge research by Smithsonian scientists, and it tells the epic story of human evolution and how this occurred over the course of six million years in response to a changing world. Theobroma cacao L. from Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen in Naturgetreuen Information and registration at http://botany.si.edu/sbs/ Abbildungen mit Kurz Erläuterndem Texte. Fax: 202-786-2563 – e-mail: [email protected] 1887. Gera-Untermhaus, Germany. Registration is now open
Herbarium, is next, but it may be some- April, Eduardo, Maria, and their daughter barium that can take up to two and a half time before it is scheduled. The final phase are returning to Spain where Maria has hours. Depending on the group, more or is to scan one sheet of each species found an Assistant Professor position at Univer- less detail about the areas visited is given, on the Guiana Shield and create a virtual sidad of Murcia. Eduardo hopes to find and questions are always encouraged. herbarium, which is only at the ‘dreaming’ work using his knowledge of plant data The tours generally cover collection and stage. and his well honed Google Earth skills. storage methods, history of the collection, Along the way Garcia-Milagros has We wish them well and thank Eduardo for and emphasize the value of systematics not only expanded the original project to all his hard work for the BDG program. collections and the importance of plants in include a visual tour of the BDG program everyday life. now featured on Google Earth
Chen, J., H. Sun, J. Wen and Y. Yang. Hister, C.A.L., D.H. Laughinghouse, Touwaide, A. 2010. Aphrodisiacs, pp. 2010. Molecular phylogeny of Salix L. C.B. da Silva, T.S. do Canto-Dorow and 125-127. In E. Fantham and M. Gagarin, (Salicaceae) inferred from three chloro- S.B. Tedesco. 2009. Evaluation of the eds. Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient plast datasets and its systematic implica- antiproliferative effect of infusions and Greece and Rome, Vol. 1. Oxford Univer- tions. Taxon 59(1): 29-37. essential oil of Aloysia gratissima. Pak. J. sity Press, Oxford. Biol. Sci. 12(24): 1581-1584. De Santo, N.G., G. Bellinghieri, A. Touwaide, A. 2010. Botany, pp. 20-22. In Touwaide, S.G. Massry, V. Savica and G. Littler, M.M., D.S. Littler and B.L. E. Fantham and M. Gagarin, eds. Oxford Eknoyan. 2009. History of Nephrology: Brooks. 2010. The effects of nitrogen and Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and a process confronted with changing times phosphorus enrichment on algal com- Rome, Vol. 1. Oxford University Press, and of those who practiced it. J. Nephrol. munity development: artificial mini-reefs Oxford. 22: S1-2. on the Belize Barrier Reef sedimentary Touwaide, A. 2010. Pharmacology, pp. lagoon. Harmful Algae 9(3): 255-263. Figueiredo, E., M. Soares, G. Seibert, G.F. 239-241. In E. Fantham and M. Gagarin, Smith and R.B. Faden. 2009. The botany Liu, A., W.J. Kress and D. Li. 2010. Phy- eds. Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient of the Cunene-Zambezi Expedition with logenetic analyses of the banana family Greece and Rome, Vol. 1. Oxford Univer- notes on Hugo Baum (1867-1950). Botha- (Musaceae) based on nuclear ribosomal sity Press, Oxford. lia 39(2): 185-211. (ITS) and chloroplast (trnL-F) evidence. Triplett, J., K.A. Oltrogge and L.G. Taxon 59(1): 20-28. Harbaugh-Reynaud, D., M. Nepokroeff, Clark. 2010. Phylogenetic relationships R.K. Rabeler, J. McNeill, E.A. Zimmer Nie, Z.L., J. Wen and H. Sun. 2009. AFLP and natural hybridization among the North and W.L. Wagner. 2010. A new lineage- analysis of Phryma (Phrymaceae) disjunct American woody bamboos (Poaceae: based tribal classification of the family between eastern Asia and eastern North Bambusoideae: Arundinaria). Am. J. Bot. Caryophyllaceae. Int. J. Plant Sci. 171(2): America. Acta Bot. Yunnan. 31: 289-295. 97(3): 471-492. 185-198. Page 8 NMNH Centennial – Special Issue Celebrating 100 building to modern DNA and genomic designed as an in-house publication. By research. The photographs capture the the end of the original run, 275 copies of Years at the incredible diversity of science research each issue were being printed and distrib- and education at the Museum. uted (8 to libraries, 77 to subscribers, and National Museum Visitors will be able to explore our the remaining 190 to Smithsonian staff, of Natural History history and share a voice in contributing to interns, fellows and volunteers). our vision for the century ahead as we help After a 2-year absence, the newsletter Giant fossil sloths, microscopic pol- solve the problems of global warming, returned as a new series in a new format, lens in amber, fragile pottery sherds, habitat loss, and changing societies. with the aim of reaching a broader audi- and ancient meteorites—for 100 years The photographic exhibition is made ence outside the Museum. Our current dis- the Smithsonian’s National Museum of possible by The Windland Smith Rice tribution reaches 740 avid readers (includ- Natural History has provided a home for Nature’s Best Photography Fund. ing 26 libraries and 588 subscribers) and objects like these, along with the curators, countless others who read the newsletter research labs, storage areas, and exhibi- The Plant Press: on the web. tions necessary to study and display them. To celebrate the museum’s centen- Since our doors first opened in 1910, A Look Back nial, we present here a small selection of the Museum has inspired curiosity and In 1973, the Department of Botany special moments captured in the original learning about the natural world and our decided to institute a weekly newsletter to run of The Plant Press: place in it. Building upon our extensive inform staff about events and news. The collections, we have been at the forefront Plant Press recorded visitors; staff travel; 1(1): 1 of scientific exploration and research, as room and telephone number changes; February 20, 1973 well as groundbreaking public exhibitions recipes; seminar announcements; stories Following the example of other her- and education. from the field; library acquisitions; births, baria, we thought we would try a weekly On 29 May 2010, the temporary photo- marriages, and deaths; jokes, poems, quiz- newsletter. Anyone having news or views, graphic exhibition “Celebrating 100 Years zes, and comics; grants and awards; and please submit by the end of the day on at the National Museum of Natural His- various other events and points of interest Friday or first thing Monday. We would tory” opens, allowing visitors to explore to Department staff. The initial run of The also appreciate suggestions for changes in the Museum’s history through documen- Plant Press lasted 23 years (1973 – 1995) format or content. tary photographs of important milestones and produced 1,284 pages spread across Between Feb. 12 and March 3 an – from laying the cornerstone for the 795 issues. The newsletter was originally important international conference on endangered species (both plants and animals) is being held at the State Depart- ment. Over 60 countries are represented. The object is to negotiate an international convention for the protection of endan- gered species that enter international trade (or are imported and exported between countries for any purpose). Howard Irwin (alternate Tom Elias), New York Botanical Garden, and Ray Fosberg are the botani- cal members of the U.S. delegation. 1(2): 1 February 26, 1973 As one of the two Smithsonian rep- resentatives (the other is Martin Moyni- han of STRI) on the board of the OTS (Organization for Tropical Studies), Tom Soderstrom attended the annual meet- ing in Turrialba, Costa Rica (January 12-14). Using funds from his Smithsonian Research Award he went on to Panama to collect with Bob Dressler (STRI) and Dimitri Sucre and Pedro Braga, the latter On May 11, 1909, workers set the final stone on the National Museum of Natural two from the Jardim Botanico in Rio de History building. Construction of the museum began in 1904, and the granite struc- Janeiro. From there he went to Colombia ture was completed in 1911. The background of this photo shows the first Smithso- to revisit a locality where Neurolepis, an nian Institution building, known as “the Castle.” Continued on page 12 Page 9 United States National Herbarium — Centennial Milestones 1840. First plant collections are deposited in the National Institution for the Promotion 1904. Construction begins for the new of Science. U.S. National Museum building.
March 17, 1910. The National Museum building opens to the public.
1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920
1868. Smithsonian plant collections are transferred to the U.S. Department of 1911. In its first full year, Agriculture. the National Museum 1890. Publication of the welcomes some 151,112 Contributions from the U.S. 1846. Congress establishes visitors. National Herbarium begins. the Smithsonian Institution.
1896. Legal custody of the National Herbarium is officially transferred to the Smithsonian; collection totals 250,000 plant specimens.
Page 10 United States National Herbarium — Centennial Milestones
1979. The Botanical Museum in Berlin honors USNH with the Willdenow Medal in gratitude for the contribution of duplicate collections to rebuild their collections of the herbarium after it was completely destroyed during an air raid and subsequent fire in 1943.
1983. The Department of Botany becomes the first systematics collection in the world 1960. Wood collection is transferred to use barcode technology as a means to to USNH from the Museum of managing digital specimen records. History and Technology. 1994. The Department of Botany is a 1965. The West Wing of leader in the Natural History Gopher NMNH is completed; server (the first internet application plant collections move in which organized text files could from SI Castle to NMNH. be brought from servers all over the Foundation of marine world to a viewer’s computer). herbarium. 1996. The Department of 1966. Collection Botany launches the first climbs to 3 million NMNH intranet webpage plant specimens. with information for staff 1956. NMNH surpasses one on resources, visitors million visitors for the first and publications. Public time (1,007,578). internet page soon follows.
1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
1954. The Index Nominum Genericorum (ING), a 1999. The herbarium begins collaborative project with the International Association compactorization. The first two for Plant Taxonomy, is initiated as a compilation of bays, representing one-tenth of generic names published for all organisms covered by the the herbarium, is completed, thus International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. beginning the enhanced use of musuem storage space. 1928. Collection climbs to 1971. The Type Specimen one million plant specimens. Register project begins. This 2000. First high-definition digital represents one of the earliest image of type specimen in the U.S. natural history databases in National Herbarium is produced. the world, and the only one Today more than 200,000 digital to verify the type status of images, half of which are types, are each specimen. managed in Botany.
1973. First issue of The Plant 2001. The first Smithsonian Press is published conveying Botanical Symposium, titled information about the NMNH “Linnaean Classification in the Department of Botany to an 21st Century,” is convened. audience primarily within the Museum. 2009. Type Register passes the milestone of 100,000 records. All types are verified, digitally imaged, 1974. In accordance with Section 12 of the and available online. Endangered Species Act of 1973, Report on Endangered and Threatened Plant Species of the April 15, 2010. The U.S. United States is presented by the Smithsonian National Herbarium collection Institution to the U.S. Congress. contains 4,879,839 specimens.
Page 11 A Look Back and visited Florida State University, where search for well-organized storage systems Continued from page 9 she is an adjunct professor, for three days. and innovations in specimen retrieval. On her way back, she stopped at Austin This study is necessary in order to plan Andean bamboo flowered and died four and spent a relaxing two days working in in the greatest possible detail the first years ago. He found the same population the herbarium and talking to faculty mem- building of the Museum Support Facility. of seedlings, some two meters tall and bers and students. The trip was paid in part Some of the numerous facilities visited doubtless three or four years old, but many by the Department; she financed the rest, are the following: The Field Museum, the seedling at different stages, suggesting except for the side trips. Chicago Historical Society, International delayed germination over a rather long Harvester Company, the L.A. County period of time. A stipend from Mr. Ripley 2(6): 1 museum, BioQuip Products, a Sears, Roe- (from the Fluid Research Fund) allowed February 4, 1974 buck & Co. warehousing facility in Los him to go on to the state of Rio Grande Jose Cuatrecasas attended the annual Angeles, the Calif. Academy of Sciences, do Sul, Brazil, to observe Merostachys meeting of the O.F.N. Jan. 18 and 19 the Steinhart Aquarium, and Hewlett multiramea, a bamboo now coming into (Organization for Flora Neotropica) sup- Packard in Paulo Alto, Calif. The two flower throughout southern Brazil after ported in part by UNESCO, at Mossoro, most impressive facilities visited were the 30-32 years. He and Cleo Calderon spent Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Only B. Chicago Historical Society, where three three months collecting in eastern Brazil Maguire and G. Prance from New York different types of compactors are currently last year on a grant from the National Botanical Garden and Alicia Lourteig in use and the massive, fully automated Geographic Society, Cleo in Bahia and from Paris, besides a group of Brazilian Sears, Roebuck & Co. building which Tom in the southern states. At that time members of the Organization attended. can fill up to 300,000 orders in a working Tom found a couple of clums of this Main topics of discussion were problems day. The knowledge obtained here will Merostchys in flower and upon question- of the Flora Neotropica publication and help us in planning a Support Facility (in ing the local inhabitants found that the matters related to regional promotion of Silver Hill) which will take full advantage last time flowers had been seen was in the botanical studies in neotropical countries. of every modern technique to improve early 1940’s. Checking the literature and The long time spent in traveling left no the accessibility and the conditions of our specimens upon return, he noted that this space for field work; nevertheless, it was collections. year or next would be the proper time for possible to visit extensive and beautiful flowering, if indeed this cycle were a real stands of the “carnauba” palm (Coperncia 3(16): 1 thing. The population which he studied certifera, wax-palm) which, along with April 28, 1975 in May of last year is now completely in areas of scrubby restinga and patches of Ray Fosberg returned recently from flower and other populations throughout succulent Cactaceae, is characteristic of a trip to the Pacific, spending two weeks the state are coming into flower and will the eastern plains of Brazil in the states of in the Phoenix Islands and ten days in probably be at their maximum flowering Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte and Per- Hawaii. In company with David Stoddart next fall. Since this phenomenon has never naubuco. A new crop for the region which of Cambridge University and Roger Clapp been studied over a long period of time, he proves to be profitable is the acaju tree, of the Bird and Mammal Laboratory, U.S. marked localities throughout the state and which is being officially promoted. The colleagues in Rio Grande do Sul are going next meeting (Jan. 1975) of the O.F.N. to continue collecting and making obser- will take place at the Smithsonian Tropical vations of this phenomenon. He plans to Research Institute in Panama. check the next flowering upon retirement. 2(38): 1 1(18): 1 September 23, 1974 June 11, 1973 The Type Register Project is proud to Beryl Simpson had returned from her announce the last week type specimen three month’s trip to Arizona where she number 25,000 was processed. The speci- was working on the breeding biology of men, Eugenia clavellata Merr., a member the dominant desert perennials (excluding of the Myrtaceae family that bears the cacti). Due to the heavy spring rains, the U.S. National Herbarium Number 850930. flowering in the southwest was the most It was collected by T.E. Borden in the spectacular of any year since about 1920. Philippines some time at the turn of the While there, the University of Arizona century, and first described in the Philip- made her a visiting professor and provided pine Journal of Science 1:104, in 1906. her with a lab and faculty privileges. The This means that approximately 5/13 of the favorable weather combined with the 64,000 type specimens have been pro- hospitality of the university allowed her to cessed. gather most of the data necessary for the North American part of the study on the 2(46): 2 November 18, 1974 convergence of breeding systems in desert Francis Raymond Fosberg (courtesy of Dieter Wasshausen recently spent scrub communities. She also went to a the Hunt Institute for Botanical Docu- 10 days touring museums and industry in four-day meeting of the IBP in San Diego mentation, Carnegie Mellon University) Page 12 Fish and Wildlife Service, he resurveyed 3(32):1-2 ing the authors, references to handwrit- the sites occupied by the Air Force missile August 18, 1975 ing samples, etc. Indices are now being range personnel, examined in detail in For Stan Shetler, the Botanical prepared and the introduction sections 1973 to assess the environmental impact Congress provided the third occasion in written. Volume one should be available of the operation. They found that their about ten years to visit parts of the Soviet in November. Dan Nicolson, Ellen Farr, recommendations made in 1973 had been Union. The first visit, in 1964, resulted Polly Prichard, Norman Jaffee, and followed and that, except for the physi- in his book on the Komarov Botanical Dick Cowan recently served as a small cal clearing of the ground, the impact on Institute (1967). The second visit, when working group to develop the standard Hull and Enderbury Islands was minimal, he was accompanied by his wife, came citation-forms for book titles and author as such things go. Large parts of Canton immediately after the 11th Congress in names. Research Associate Frans Stafleu Island, on the other hand, had been drasti- Seattle and took him to Moscow as well is the senior author with Dick Cowan cally altered, as would be expected from as Leningrad. This latest visit provided assisting in a variety of ways. the presence of several hundred people. the first opportunity to get out into the The three were able to complete their provinces beyond the Leningrad-Moscow 4(35): 1 survey of the plants, birds, vegetation and tourist axis. Although much still looks the August 30, 1976 geomorphology of all eight of the Phoenix same in Leningrad and Moscow, many The Greenhouse is ours! Today we Islands, this time reaching remote Gard- difference also could be noticed. The aver- assumed beneficial occupancy of the ner and McKean Islands, missed in 1973. age citizen clearly seems to have more to Greenhouse. Bob Read has moved in test The Air Force gave them every desirable buy these days, and there also is a more plants from his greenhouses: ferns, aroids, cooperation, with helicopter transport to relaxed and normal reaction to foreigners bromeliads, palms, marants, velloziads, all the islands and logistic support that was and their various quirks, such as wanting orchids and pandanus. These will be used all that could be asked for, and an excel- to be free to do as they please. Consider- to test the lighting, watering, temperature, lent and very versatile helper assigned ing all the dire predictions in advance, etc., for the next few weeks by which from the base personnel, a Mr. Melvin Stan was pleasantly surprised to see how time the benches should arrive. The rest Smith, former botany student of Prof. A.B. competently the hosts were able to run of botany research plants will be brought Massey at V.P.I. in Blacksburg. the Congress. The post-Congress field from Bob’s greenhouses at the end of the The time in Hawaii was divided trip to Mount Kazbek, the second-highest test period. between a little field work on the islands peak in the main Caucasus, was success- 6(2): 1 of Maui and Hawaii, some work in the ful in every respect. This is not to endorse January 9, 1978 Bishop Museum herbarium, and a meeting the miserable French-type toilets (as his Mason Hale leaves in a week for to formulate a U.S. program participating Danish roommate dubbed them) that they Guatemala and Honduras. This trip will in the UNESCO Man in The Biosphere had to endure at the mountain hotel in complete a three year program on remov- (MAB) Theme 7, Rational Management Kazbegi. ing lichen growths form Mayan archeo- and Utilization of Island Ecosystems. Their Georgian hosts went out of their logical ruins. The local workers have been This meeting was a follow-up of the work way to make the trip highly botanical and trained in the spraying techniques, and shop held last October under Smithsonian interesting as a tour in its own right. Plant responsibility for further treatments will sponsorship at Roland Center. Substantial presses were provided to all interested col- progress was made, but there is still much lectors. Stan found the area, as anticipated, to be done before a viable comprehensive to be something of a mecca for Cam- proposal can be submitted to NSF. Dr. Bill panula and saw plants of several species Hart, special assistant to Dr. Kier, was also everywhere. A dozen species were col- present at this meeting. lected. The Georgian botanists are drying the specimens for everyone and arranging 3(26): 1 to have them sent to the respective collec- July 7, 1975 tors in due course. On July 1 the Department of the Interior published in the Federal Reg- 4(7): 1 ister a Notice of Review of the status February 16, 1976 of the plants listed in the Smithsonian’s The body of the text for the second Report on Endangered and Threatened edition of TAXONOMIC LITERATURE Plant Species of the U.S. -- the first step (TL-2) went to the printers 16 February. towards eventual official listing of them It covers 2223 books, by authors with as endangered or threatened. Also, on July names A to G, in great detail, including a 1 the Convention on International Trade standard citation-form for authors’ names, in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and standard abbreviations of the short titles Flora came into effect; as of that date all of the books, a description of each book native cacti and orchids shipped abroad (pages, figures, publisher, etc.) references will require an import permit on the to biographies/bibliographies of each Mason Hale receiving end. author included, generic names honor- Continued on page 14
Page 13 A Look Back hosts for future national meetings, much to ning in 1937 when he met the well-known Continued from page 13 Alice’s relief. pteridologist Edgar T. Wherry, Mr. Darling has collected ferns in many parts of the be assumed by the institutes of anthropol- 7(44): 1 country, including Alaska and the Florida ogy in these countries. Mason will be December 10, 1979 keys. He has concentrated on finding rare accompanied by his photographer, Julie The Index Nominum Genericorum was ferns, and on the species and many hybrids Gould, and Dr. Paul Zahl of the National published November 30, 1979. (Details of the genus Asplenium (Spleenworts). He Geographic, who hopes to get some pic- will be given in the next issue.) is the author of several papers on ferns. tures for an article on lichens now being prepared for the Geographic magazine. All 7(45): 1 12(50): 1 expenses on this trip are being paid by the December 17, 1979 October 15, 1984 National Geographic Society. Ellen Farr traveled to Utrecht for The 1984 Panama Palm Expedition, the publication of the Index Nominum to study a newly discovered species of 6(14): 1 Genericorum and returned with one of the the genus Pholidostachys and to gather April 10, 1978 advance copies which can be seen in the additional information on several other The Orchid Collection, under the ING office. The book will be available in poorly understood palms and bromeliads, auspices of the Botany Department and January and the February issue of Taxon was counted successful, this, in spite of the Horticultural Services and maintained will give details. Ellen’s husband, David, fire and flood wrought upon the travelers. by the latter at the Soldier’s Home, has also made the trip and spent several days The only thing lacking was pestilence. just expanded tremendously with the at the Rijksherbarium in Leiden. Mild Considerable loss of sleep resulted from, anonymous gift of over 500 new plants. weather made the weekend’s sightseeing first, a fire in the hotel whereBob Read The mostly wild-collected plants include in Amsterdam very enjoyable and also and Betsy Watson were staying (an air approximately 400 species of plants, brought out mushrooms, making the trip conditioner caused the fire with consid- some of which are probably not even botanically interesting as well. erable smoke and disagreeable smell), represented in out herbarium yet. Bob and second, a flood caused by the tank Read plans to photograph each species 9(43): 1 in the bathroom overflowing all night as it blooms and then prepare herbarium November 30, 1981 (discovered when Bob made an early specimens when possible without destroy- Elbert L. Little, Jr. was the recipient visit, stepping in 4” of water in the dark). ing the plants. of the 1981 Distinguished Service Award of the American Forestry Association for Apart from these small inconveniences, 7(27): 1 distinguished service to conservation of the collecting weather and conditions August 6, 1979 America’s natural resources. Presentation were superb. They got sunburned walking On July 25, Alice Tangerini left for was made at the annual meeting in Santa along the trails of the rain and cloud forest Pittsburgh to conduct the First National Fe, New Mexico on Oct. 13. The Okla- areas. Roads were dry and passable to the Meeting of the Guild of Natural Science homa Forestry Association at its annual Illustrators which was held at the Hunt meeting on Oct. 24 gave him a plaque for Institute for Botanical Documentation 51 years of service to forestry in Okla- from July 26 to 29. The idea for holding a homa. meeting had been suggested to her a year Then he had a month of field work in earlier by Bob Kiger, Director of the Hunt southeastern Oklahoma to finish a 51-year Institute. As chairman for the meeting, history of selected pine-oak forest areas. Alice worked closely with Jim White and Dr. Little re-examined and photographed had additional help from several Smith- 30 areas that he had first studied and sonian illustrators, among them Candy photographed in 1930. These forests of Feller and Elaine Hodges. The meeting shortleaf and loblolly pines are much included 2 workshop sessions (Friday and more productive now, owing to continu- Sunday) where eight people gave demon- ous fire protection and intensive forest strations of their special techniques and management. He made some additional Saturday was set aside for slide shows on collections to revise his earlier publication “Fantastic Voyage into Drawing Sur- on the trees and shrubs of that region. His faces” and “A History of Botanical Art”, revision of Forest Trees of Oklahoma with as well as a movie on painting birds in new maps and keys has recently been pub- Trinidad presented by the guest speaker, lished by the Oklahoma Forestry Division. Don Eckleberry. There was also a panel discussion on “Pricing and Ethics.” An 10(30): 1 exhibit of Guild work in the Hunt Pent- July 26, 1982 house provided the occasion for a wine Mr. Thomas Darling, Jr., of Fairfax and cheese opening. About 70 illustrators County, Virginia, has donated his herbar- attended, from all over the United States, ium of 678 mostly North American ferns and some members even offered to be to the U.S. National Herbarium. Begin- Robert W. Read Page 14 highest elevations. Bob and Betsy knew a dozen or so species are having any center for numerous plantings of bam- how Balboa must have felt when he stood appreciable success. However, the heavily boo throughout the zoo, including indoor on the Continental Divide above El Copé wooded slopes adjoining the volcano and cages. and could clearly see both the Atlantic and recent block lava flows made for great Many bamboo varieties will also Pacific coasts. And, this was supposed to collecting. Rusty noted a high epiphytism be included in the new tropical exhibit. be the rainy season. and cauliflory. Rick Hider, zoo horticulturist, is hop- Sylvia Churgin, who is now Librarian ing to establish the zoo as a center where at STRI, went on a collecting trip to Cerro 17(3): 3 bamboo researchers can come to study and Jefe with Bob and Betsy. She reports that February 10, 1989 observe living specimens. her cats are fine and that she is really A garden created mainly of bamboo If all goes well, the garden should open enjoying herself so far. will be featured at the New York Flower in the spring. Anyone interested in more Show 4 March through 12 March, 1989. information, or providing a helping hand 14(30): 1 Robert Lester of Robert Lester Associ- should contact Mary Sangrey. November 3, 1986 ates “Springhill” will enter a display of Most of you have probably been aware bamboo and other related plants. There 18(12): 2 of the team working in the Library on bar- will be bamboos from around the world November 21, 1990 coding books, a preliminary step necessary featured in the garden. The Royal Bank of Canada has made to automating the Library’s circulation Bamboo in the Landscape will be dedi- a generous donation to the WWF-Canada system. This phase includes Library of cated to Dr. Thomas Soderstrom and Dr. to establish a Tropical research center in Congress classed monographs; no seri- Floyd McClure of the Smithsonian Insti- Guyana. WWF is collaborating with the als or any Dewey-classed volumes are tution who inspired Mr. Lester to further Smithsonian Institution and the Univ. of being handled at this time. Now the time his studies and growing of these plants at Guyana in the development of a Center has come to work on books in partons’ his farm in Pennsylvania. for the Study of Biological Diversity to be offices. The team will be making visits Plans are also underway to create a located in Georgetown, Guyana. Dr. Vicki to your offices in the very near future to Soderstrom Memorial Bamboo Garden Funk, Dir. Biological Diversity of the work on the books, either in the office or at the National Zoo. The site has been Guianas, and Jane MacKnight, WWF-US on the herbarium cases outside. Would selected and Oehme, Van Sweden, & will travel to Georgetown, Guyana 11-21 you please cooperate by putting the L.-C. Associates have volunteered to do the Nov. to present the building plans for the cataloged monographs charged to you in design. Several sketches have already been Center. The proposed Center for the Study one place in your office. If you no longer presented and the most likely candidate of Biological Diversity will be composed need to retain one, please turn it in to the is posted on the wall outside room W409. of 6 buildings for botany, mammology, Library and it will be taken care of there The garden will serve as an information and invertebrate collections, offices, a after it is discharged. Ruth Schallert will classroom/lecture hall and a library. try to warn you in advance of the actual The goals of the Center will be to work date of the team’s arrival and they will try with the government of Guyana to make to disrupt you as little as possible. Thank recommendations for protected areas and for your help. sustainable use of the rain forests as well as to survey the country’s flora and fauna. 16(17): 1 August 8, 1988 19(9): 1 Vicki Funk, Bill Melson, Rusty Rus- August 22, 1991 sell and a group from Earth Watch have The first International Melastomata- returned after surveying the geology and ceae symposium will be hosted by the flora of Arenal Volcano in northwestern Dept. of Botany, NMNH 26-27 August, Costa Rica. (One week before they left, 1991 to foster exchange of information two Americans climbed near the top, on melastomes across lines of individual despite warnings by the locals, and one disciplines and geographical areas. Invited person was killed by a blow to the head and contributed papers and a poster ses- from a rock, spewed out during an erup- sion will address character evolution in tion.) the family, relationships between major Rusty reports about 200 numbers col- groups (or within large genera), phyto- lected, dominated by Araceae and Zingib- geography, and melastome/animal interac- erales families. The collecting was accen- tions. Participants presenting talks at the tuated by 11 inches of rain in 12 days and symposium include Susanne S. Renner, 4-5 thundering eruptions of the volcano Maria Pingen, Margaret E. Collinson, each day! The west slope of the volcano Frank Almeda, Tsan I. Chuang, Helmy is apparently receiving a very high acid Mentink, Pieter Baas, George Crem- rainfall as a result of the numerous erup- ers, Walter S. Judd, James D. Skean, Jr., tions and the plants are having difficulty in re-establishing themselves. Only about Thomas R. Soderstrom Continued on page 16 Page 15 A Look Back University of California at Berkeley who biggest impact on the expedition. This Continued from page 15 discussed the California Serpentine Flora; small alga is the implicated producer of Richard Wunderlin from the University of the toxin which causes ciguatera. Herbivo- South Florida, Tampa who discussed the rous fish incorporate the toxin by grazing Lake Wales Ridge of Florida; Marshall C. G. toxicus, and then it works its way up Johnson of Austin, Texas who discussed the food chain, becoming most concen- the Edwards Plateau endemics of Texas; trated in large predatory fish. In Mark, and Richard Felger from the University Diane and Barrett’s case, they ate a Two of Arizona, Tucscon who talked about the Spot Red Snapper, Lutjanus bohar, given Apachean Floristic Province in the United to them by villagers at the research site. States/Mexico Borderlands. This was the first record of ciguatoxic fish ever to be harvested from the Great Astro- 19(11): 1 labe Reef of Fiji although the villagers November 20, 1991 reported that they commonly eat the Two Paul Peterson recently returned Spot Red Snapper – perhaps no longer as from an extended trip to Mexico and the many of the villagers were also poisoned. Southwestern U.S. The trip began back in Although it wasn’t their intention to be late July by launching an organizational part of this scientific discovery, a lesson meeting in San Antonio for the Grasses was learned. Relates Barrett: “I guess of the New World Project with fellow the old adage, when in Rome, do as the editors, Gerrit Davidse (Mo), Tarciso Romans do, isn’t always a failsafe guide- Filgueiras (IBGE), Emmet Judziewica line to follow when traveling.” (WISC), and Fernando Uloaga (SI). All 30 agrostologists, 14 from Latin America, Profile who attended this meeting, thought the Continued from page 1 John J. Wurdack idea was grand and pledged their support Some years later the noted paleo- Thomas Morley, Chuang, J.F. Maxwell, for this international cooperative flora. botanist Lester F. Ward began gathering Jacinto C. Regalado, M.P. Nayar, Henri Following the planning meeting Paul another collection of plants in the U.S. Jacques-Felix, Angela B. Martins, Otto gave a lecture at the AIBS meetings on National Museum6 for use in comparing Huber, and John J. Wurdack. Frank Tal- the phylogenetic analysis of chloroplast living plants with fossil materials for the bot and Stan Shetler will welcome sym- DNA restriction site variation in the Era- purpose of identification of the latter and posium participants. Contact Susanne S. gostideae, and participated in two others also because of his interest in the local Renner for further information - (202)357- papers with co-authors: Carol Annable, Washington area flora. It is of interest 2542 office at the Smithsonian or FAX Alan Christensen, Melvin Duvall, Paul to note in this connection that in 1881 (202)786-2563. Hatersley and Ed Terrell. After a 15 day the Smithsonian Institution published backpacking trip in the High Sierra of Ward’s “Guide to the flora of Washington 19(10): 1-2 California, a far-ranging collecting trip and vicinity.” Ward was given the title September 27, 1991 through New Mexico, western Texas, of Honorary Curator of Recent Plants at A workshop on United States Centers and Mexico yielded over 750 numbers of the Smithsonian Institution and later was of Plant Diversity was held Sept. 12 & 13, grasses. Carol Annable, Socorro Gonzalez, named Honorary Associate in Paleobotany, 1991 at the Woodrow Wilson International (ANSM, Saltillo, Coahuila) were able to a position he held until his death in 1913. Center for Scholars, Smithsonian Institu- free themselves from mundane activities Spencer F. Baird, the second Secretary tion, sponsored by Robert DeFilipps and to enjoy portions of this trip. of the Smithsonian Institution, was con- Shirley Maina on behalf of the IUCN cerned about maintaining two herbaria in Plant Conservation Office. The workshop 21(9): 5 was held to determine the richest sites of September 1, 1993 but never curated. Concern was raised by Torrey botanical diversity worthy of conserva- Mark, Diane, and Barrett spent six and others that the collections were unusable in their unmounted state and were being damaged by insects. tion and protection measures in the United weeks in Fiji and the Cook Islands collect- It was concern over the need for an active curator in States, to be written up for a book on ing marine plants. Although bitten by a Washington that led to the deal whereby the uncurat- worldwide sites of similar importance. moray eel (Diane), stung by wasps (Mark), ed materials in the Castle were transferred to USDA Speakers included Steve Davis from the infected with Fiji flu (Diane and Barrett), and combined with the USDA herbarium (the former Patent Office herbarium), with the understanding that IUCN Plant Conservation Office in Eng- and poisoned by a ciguatoxic fish (Mark, USDA would hire a curator. USDA hired C.C. Parry land; David Wagner from the University Diane, and Barrett), the expedition was to curate the combined herbarium. Parry’s work was of Oregon at Eugene who discussed the extremely successful. Over 700 specimens not satisfactory and he was fired after less than three Klamath-Siskiyou region; Tim Messick were collected and 4,500 photographs years and replaced by George Vasey, who curated the National Herbarium for 22 years and bears most from Davis, California who discussed the taken of the credit for molding it into a well-organized and California Floristic Province; Mark Skin- Although they report that many of the well-curated major herbarium. AW ner from the California Native Plant Soci- larger algae were of great interest, the 6 The U.S. National Museum is that branch of the ety, Sacramento who talked about Califor- small single-celled dinoflagellateGambi - Smithsonian Institution comprising the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of History and nia Vernal Pools; Niall McCarten from the erdiscus toxicus appears to have had the Technology. CVM Page 16 Washington. Because of this and his per- Museum in its early years, notably Joseph Custodian of Algae, 1898-1951), G.T. sonal desire to establish a great museum H. Painter, a promising young botanist Moore (Honorary Custodian of Lower in the Capital, he made arrangements for appointed as Aid in 1904. Painter drowned Algae, 1902-1904), David G. Fairchild returning to the Smithsonian the plant col- while swimming in the Potomac River at (Honorary Custodian of Lower Fungi, lections that had been turned over to the Plummer’s Island in 1908. Others, who 1898-1953), and Bernhard E. Fernow Department of Agriculture by Secretary subsequently made their names elsewhere, (Honorary Custodian of the Section of Henry and also to bring along the assem- were LeRoy Abrams (Assistant Curator, Forestry, which was subsequently trans- bled Agriculture specimens.7 Thus was 1905-1906), E.O. Wooton (Assistant Cura- ferred from the Division of Plants). Many formed the U.S. National Herbarium,8 a tor, 1910), and Homer D. House (Assistant prominent botanists of Agriculture spent joint project of the U.S. National Museum, Curator, 1905). Also to be mentioned is most of their time in the herbarium, among under the Smithsonian Institution, and the the talented botanical artist F.A. Walpole them William Edwin Safford (specialist U.S. Department of Agriculture. Freder- who was with the herbarium for a number on Annonaceae and on useful plants in ick Vernon Coville, Chief Botanist of the of years and died in 1904; many of Wal- general), Ivar Tidestrom (authority on Department of Agriculture, was appointed pole’s beautiful paintings and drawings are the flora of Utah and Nevada), Thomas Honorary Curator of the National Herbar- still maintained by the Museum. Associ- Kearney (authority on the flora of Arizona ium, March 28, 1893. He retained this post ated with the herbarium was the controver- and on cotton and other economic plants), until his death in 1937. In 1894, Joseph sial figure of E.S. Steele, highly regarded and Sydney F. Blake (the world authority Nelson Rose was made Assistant Cura- as the botanical editor of the Contributions on the Compositae).13 tor of the National Herbarium and thus from the U.S. National Herbarium,11 but Paul Carpenter Standley was appointed became the first, full-time, professional debatable as an authority on the taxonomy Assistant Curator in 1909 and remained botanist associated with the Smithsonian of Rubus, Liatris, and other “difficult” in Washington until 1928. Standley was Institution.9 The next year, C.L. Pollard groups of plants. the most prolific botanist ever associated was appointed Assistant Curator and In the early part of the century two with the National Herbarium. He was also served in this capacity until 1903. At the prominent taxonomists were associated an energetic curator, and the growth of the time of the union which finally took place with the herbarium. The distinguished herbarium and development of early poli- July 1, 1896, the National Herbarium con- authority on North American plants, cies were largely influenced by Standley tained an estimated 250,000 specimens. Edward L. Greene, resigned his posi- and Maxon. At the time of Standley’s In 1899 William Ralph Maxon was tion as Professor of Botany at Catholic departure to accept another post in 1928 appointed Aid in the Division of Plants; he University and became an Honorary the herbarium numbered about 1,000,000 subsequently became its first Curator fol- Associate in Botany at the Smithsonian in specimens. Several large private herbaria lowing Coville’s death in 1937.10 Maxon 1904. At this time he was working on his had been received, notably those of was chiefly responsible for building up the monumental “The Landmarks of Botanical John Donnell Smith, Charles Mohr, Otto National Herbarium to its present position History,” the first volume of which was Buchtien, S. Venturi, and the Biltmore among the herbaria of the world. Several published by the Smithsonian Institution Herbarium.14 Sheets in these herbaria were other botanists were associated with the in 1909; since Greene’s death in 1915 the mostly identified by distinctive embossed manuscript of the second volume has lain stamps. Another notable accession was the 7 The transfer was made due to widespread concern unpublished, but consideration is now Willey Herbarium of lichens. in the scientific community that the Agriculture 12 Museum building where the collection had been being given to publishing it. Captain Following the retirement of Maxon moved in 1881 was a serious fire hazard, and that the John Donnell Smith was appointed an in 1946, Ellsworth P. Killip was made herbarium was in danger of being lost if it was not Honorary Associate in 1905, a position Curator. Shortly thereafter, on the recom- moved to a fireproof building. The herbarium was that he retained until his death in 1928. He mendation of a committee of distinguished physically moved to the Castle in 1894, and officially transferred to the Smithsonian Institution on 1 July was an authority on the flora of Central botanists, the former Division of Plants of 1896. At this time, all herbarium employees were America and gave his extensive herbarium the Department of Biology in the Smithso- moved from USDA to Smithsonian except Coville, and library, which contained a fine collec- nian’s Museum of Natural History became who remained a USDA employee, although he tion of books on classical botany, to the the Department of Botany with four divi- continued as curator of the National Herbarium and editor of the Contibutions until his death in 1937. AW Institution during his lifetime. sions: Phanerogams, Grasses, Ferns, and 8 The U.S. National Herbarium is a quasi-official A close cooperation with the U.S. organization previously administered by the Division Department of Agriculture has continued 13 Kearney worked primarily on cotton culture, and Blake primarily did determinations in the Economic of Plants and now by the Department of Botany of from the beginning. Several botanists did the Smithsonian Institution. It was established in Botany Herbarium. Both of them used the National 1894 as the name for the joint plant collections of curatorial work on the collections, among Herbarium regularly, but neither “spent most of their the U.S. National Museum and the Department of them Orator Fuller Cook (Honorary Assis- time” away from their primary jobs. The three USDA Agriculture. CVM tant Curator of Cryptogamic Collections, scientists who did spend most of their time in the National Herbarium, Hitchcock, Chase, and Swallen, 9 Coville was Curator, not Honorary, from 1893 1898-1948), Walter T. Swingle (Honorary until his death in 1937. Rose was with USDA from are not mentioned in this paragraph. AW 1888 through 1896, then transferred to the Smithso- 14 Most of the Biltmore Herbarium was destroyed in 11 Coville was editor from the inception of the nian when the herbarium did in 1896. AW the flood that destroyed much of Asheville in 1916. series in 1890 until 1936; Maxon took over with the 10 Maxon was the fourth Curator of the U.S. Na- The specimens they recovered were turned over to next issue, in 1939. No issue of the journal mentions tional Herbarium (following C.C. Parry, 1869-1871; the Smithsonian when they decided not to start the Steele. AW George Vasey, 1872-1893; and F.V. Coville, 1893- Biltmore Herbarium anew – about a quarter of the 12 The second volume of Greene’s “Landmarks 1937), and the second curator since it was transferred collection (25,000 of 100,000 sheets). AW of Botanical History” was published by the Hunt to the Smithsonian in 1896. AW Institute in 1983. AW Continued on page 18 Page 17 Profile the Archie F. Wilson Memorial Collection engaging in his own chosen research and Continued from page 17 of Woods and the Harley H. Bartlett wood publication, each member of the curato- collections from Indonesia, the Philip- rial staff is expected to care for a part of Cryptogams. The formerly independent pines, Mexico, British Honduras, and the collections, carry out public service, Section of Diatoms, established in 1912 Guatemala. cooperate with the botanical community, with Albert Mann as Honorary Custodian, In 1965 an active program of research pursue a program of exploration for plants was united with the Division of Cryp- in the algae was initiated, and to that end in the field, develop a museum exhibits togams, bringing along with it Mann’s the marine herbarium of the Beaudette program, and serve on intramural commit- magnificent diatom collection. Following Foundation was immediately secured. tees and advisory groups. the retirement of Killip in 1950, Jason R. Presently William L. Stern is Chairman According to latest figures16 plant Swallen was appointed Head Curator of of the Department of Botany, which has specimens in the Department of Botany the department. grown from a staff of five in 1946 to the number well over 3,000,000 divided Little attention had been paid to fungi present staff of 16 professional botanists. among the divisions about as follows: in the early years, but in 1928 Curtis G. There are also resident five appointed Phanerogams, 2,000,000; Ferns, 240,000; Lloyd donated his extensive mycological Research Associates who carry on their Grasses, 400,000; Cryptogams, 500,000; collections. In order to make them avail- botanical activities in quarters provided and Plant Anatomy, 45,000. The segre- able to working mycologists, they were by the department. They are considered gated Type Herbarium contains about transferred to the U.S. Department of part of the professional staff, although 60,000 specimens: 42,000 phanerogams, Agriculture, and John A. Stevenson was they are not paid by the Institution nor do 10,000 grasses, 3,500 ferns, and 4,500 appointed Honorary Curator. Later all the they have regular curatorial assignments. cryptogams. These collections are housed general fungus collections of the Smith- Several Honorary Curators, connected in well over 2,000 storage cases. sonian were lent to Agriculture to form with the National Fungus Collections, From its beginnings the U.S. Depart- the National Fungus Collections,15 headed are responsible for maintaining liaison ment of Agriculture has had a special now by Chester R. Benjamin. The John A. between this organization and the Smith- interest in grasses and other forage plants. Stevenson Mycological Library, one of the sonian Department of Botany and for car- Under the leadership of the eminent most complete specialized collections in ing for the department’s fungus holdings. agrostologist George Vasey, a large grass the United States, is kept with the National As presently constituted, the Depart- collection was assembled which was Fungus Collections but is owned by the ment of Botany is one of seven depart- increased by his successors Frederick Smithsonian Institution. ments which comprise the Museum Lamson-Scribner and Albert S. Hitchcock. In 1960 the wood collections of the of Natural History of the Smithsonian In recognition of the size and importance Division of Agriculture and Wood Prod- Institution. Botany is divided into the five of the grass collections which ultimately ucts of the Museum of History and Tech- divisions mentioned above, four being came to the Smithsonian, the Division of nology were transferred to the Department set up along taxonomic lines, and Plant Plants formally set up a Section of Grasses of Botany. These collections formed the Anatomy. Each division is headed by a on October 10, 1912, with Professor basis for a Division of Woods, the name Curator-in-Charge and is staffed by Cura- Hitchcock as Custodian. After the death of of which was changed to Division of Plant tors and Associate Curators. Herbarium- Hitchcock in 1935 Dr. Agnes Chase was Anatomy in 1963. The division maintains wide services are provided through the appointed Honorary Custodian, a position 15 See Chester R. Benjamin. 1963. The National office of the Custodian of the Herbarium, she held actively until very near her death Fungus Collections. Plant Science Bulletin 9: 1-6. a branch of the chairman’s office. Besides in 1963. During the reorganization of the CVM Division of Plants in 1946 a separate Divi- sion of Grasses was established with Jason R. Swallen as Curator. The grass collec- tions are the finest in the United States and rank with the best in the world. They are supplemented by the Hitchcock-Chase Agrostological Library, a magnificent collection of books and papers on grasses built up through the personal efforts and expenditures of Albert S. Hitchcock and Agnes Chase through many years. This library is maintained as a unit and has a small bequest for its support. Many of the results of research under- taken in connection with the specimens in
16 As of 15 April 2010, plant specimens in the Department of Botany number 4,879,839. The segregated Type Herbarium contains about 101,000 specimens: 86,372 phanerogams, 10,793 grasses, Construction of the West Wing of the National Museum of Natural History (future 4,548 ferns, 504 fern allies, 2,106 cryptogams, 4,577 home of the US National Herbarium) in ther early 1960s. algae, 338 diatoms, and 2,971 lichen. GK Page 18 350,000 specimens have been so treated. Well over a quarter-million herbarium specimens have been sent from the U.S. National Herbarium on exchange to insti- tutions throughout the world since 1949. For many years the department has supported activities leading to the prepara- tion of an index to the species of grasses. George Vasey began this compilation sometime prior to 1900, and it has been continued over the years by Frederick Lamson-Scribner, Elmer D. Merrill, F.T. Hubbard, Cornelia D. Niles, and finally by Agnes Chase. Through the diligent work of Mrs. Chase, the compiled “Index to Grass Species” in three volumes was pub- lished by the G.K. Hall Company in 1962, one year before Mrs. Chase died. The production of the Index Nominum Genericorum, a project of the International In 1965, the US National Herbarium moved into the 4th and 5th floors of the West Association for Plant Taxonomy, has Wing of the National Museum of Natural History. recently been transferred from Utrecht, the U.S. National Herbarium have been Greene, Henri Pittier, Nathaniel L. Britton, Netherlands, to the United States. Finan printed in the Contributions from the U.S. Frederick Lamson-Scribner, Elmer D. ced by a grant from the National Science National Herbarium, which were at first Merrill, Agnes Chase, William E. Safford, Foundation, the continuing project is published by the Department of Agricul- John Donnell Smith, Sydney F. Blake, housed in the Department of Botany of the ture beginning on July 16, 1890. Agricul- Wilson Popenoe, William Trelease, Albert Smithsonian Institution where facilities ture continued to publish the Contributions C. Smith, and William R. Taylor. The have been made available for a staff of through the seventh volume, until July 1, Contributions have 32 completed volumes botanical bibliographers headed by Ida K. 1902, when the U.S. National Museum and six additional under way.17 Langman. assumed the responsibility for publication Space is regularly provided in the The U.S. National Herbarium was pursuant to an act of Congress. Through- U.S. National Herbarium for six to eight located on the third floor and in the towers out the years many important papers have investigators attached to the New Crops of the original Smithsonian building until been published in the Contributions, Research Branch, Agricultural Research recently. The Division of Plant Anatomy among them the “Botany of Western Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. had occupied quarters in the adjacent Texas,” by John M. Coulter; “Plant Life Facilities are also made available, on a Arts and Industries building, the old of Alabama,” by Charles Mohr; “Flora more or less regular basis, for botanists National Museum building. In the spring of Washington,” by C.V. Piper; “Flora of from the Forest Service, the National of 1965, the Department of Botany and New Mexico,” by E.O. Wooten and P.C. Arboretum, and the National Park Ser- the assembled collections were moved Standley; “Trees and Shrubs of Mexico,” vice who come to consult our specimens, to the new west wing of the Museum by P.C. Standley (recently reprinted); use our library, and confer with our of Natural History. The fourth and fifth “Flora of the District of Columbia and staff. Throughout the existence of the floors of this wing now occupied by the Vicinity,” by A.S. Hitchcock and P.C. U.S. National Herbarium facilities have department comprise 50,000 square feet Standley; “Flora of Utah and Nevada,” by been afforded in Washington to visiting of air-conditioned specimen storage space I. Tidestrom; and “Flora of the Panama botanists for purposes of study and com- surrounded by 60 rooms used for offices, Canal Zone,” by P.C. Standley. In addi- parison. The guest register indicates that laboratories, and libraries. The department tion to these floristic treatments, the over 4,000 visits were made to the U.S. maintains a well-equipped microtechnical Contributions have included monographs National Herbarium by botanists since laboratory and laboratory for the study of in all major plant groups and papers on 1930. Of these, almost 800 were from grass anatomy, as well as a photographic subjects other than traditional taxonomy, foreign nations, some botanists coming to darkroom and department conference and as for instance, ethnobotany, genetics, the United States for the express purpose seminar room. Paleobotanical laboratories ecology, plant anatomy, linguistics, plant of studying our collections. Specimens and equipment are obtainable for use on geography, and bibliography. Among the are also made available to the botanical an adjacent floor of the same wing through notable contributors, in addition to those community on loan, and since 1949 over arrangements in effect with the Division of already mentioned, are George Vasey, Paleobotany, a unit of the Department of 17 The October – December 2004 issue of The Plant Alexander W. Evans, Edwin B. Bartram, Press (Vol. 7, No. 4), provides a detailed account Paleobiology. Study areas are available for Joseph N. Rose, Per A. Rydberg, Albert of the history of the Contributions from the U.S. visiting scientists and graduate students S. Hitchcock, Frederick V. Coville, Orator National Herbarium. The Contributions have 56 and botanists are encouraged to make use F. Cook, William R. Maxon, Edward L. completed volumes, and the Smithsonian Contribu- of the herbarium and library. tions to Botany have 94 completed volumes. GK Page 19 Art by Alice Tangerini
Kohleria hypertrichosa J.L. Clark & L.E. Skog The illustration of Kohleria hypertrichosa was drawn for publication as a new species of Gesneriaceae collected in the Carchi Province of northwestern Ecuador by John L. Clark and Richard Dunn in 1996. Originally it was thought to be a very wooly Capanea but the key character placing it in Kohleria was a fruit that dehisced by a single longitudinal slit from apex to base. The new Kohleria was published by John L. Clark and Laurence E. Skog in the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 2(1): 19-23. 2008. When the National Capital Area Chapter of the Gesneriad Society held a flower show at the National Arboretum in March 12-13, 2010, Skog suggested to Tangerini to make an exhibit of the drawing process of a Gesneriad and enter it as an Educational display. Tangerini’s display, “A Botanical Illustration from Start to Finish,” was given a blue ribbon.
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