Friends of the

Herbarium 121,335 The Chico State California State University, Chico

Volume 25 Number 1

May 2019 Newsletter

Friends of the Herbarium Present the Arcles in this Newsleer: Disnguished Service Award

Page 1— Disnguished Service At the annual meeng on Award October 27,2018, the Friends Page 2— Annual Meeng of the Chico State Herbarium Report presented Cindy Wiener with their 2018 Disnguished Ser- Page 3— 2018 Herbarium vice Award. This Award is in Accessions recognion of Cindy’s many Page 4— Slime Molds years of volunteer service to Page 5— Upcoming Workshops the Chico State Herbarium. Since 2007, Cindy has been Page 6— Highlights from present volunteering in the Recent Workshops herbarium almost every Fri- Page 9— Monarch and – day. Her many contribuons Milkweed—Book to the Herbarium include the Review databasing of almost 7800 specimens, the training of Cindy Wiener receives the 2018 Disnguished Service Page 11 –FOH Membership most of the new student Award from Friends of the Herbarium. From le is Informaon trainees and other volunteers Herbarium Curator Lawrence Janeway, Cindy Wiener, that have passed through the and Friends of the Herbarium board member Emily Page 12—Fall 2018 Nave Doe. (Photo by Barbara Castro) Plant Photo Event herbarium, and numerous Results other curatorial and public relaons acvies. Friends of the Herbarium board member Emily Doe had this to say: “In

my experience, Cindy has prey much always been a regular fixture with the Herbarium. It really wouldn’t be the same place without her there! Sev- en years ago, when I was first introduced to the Herbarium as a student assistant, Cindy played a major role in training and mentoring me. Her pa- ence and love for the legacy of the Herbarium were inspiring and made the Herbarium feel like a second home. Throughout my various levels of involvement, Cindy has always been there to help however needed. She has passed on her skills and knowledge to numerous students, volunteers, and herbarium users. Thank you, Cindy!”

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Friends of the Herbarium Annual Meeng Fall 2018

The Special Presentaon at the Annual Meeng of the Friends of the Chi- co State Herbarium on October 27, 2018 was by Jennifer Jewell on Leverag- ing Our Human Impulse to Garden in the Service of Plants. Jennifer started the presentaon by asking us when we first became The Friends of the Chico State Herbarium, aware of plants in our lives and what influence did they have on us. This California State University, Chico, was sparked a very in-depth discussion of the influence of plants in our lives. formed to help maintain the high quality Culvang Place: conversaons on natural history and the human im- of work known to be associated with the pulse to garden has been the radio program Jennifer has been involved with Herbarium. The primary purpose of the group is to provide community support for on North State Public Radio. Jennifer says that the program ranges from the Herbarium. This includes raising funds homegrown environmentalism and horculture, to social jusce and spiritu- for items that are not covered under the ality, and the biodiversity of life. University budget, in parcular the cura- Jennifer is also wring a book, The Earth in Her Hands: 75 Extraordinary tor’s posion. Scienfic and academic pur- Women Living and Working with Plants. The mission is to acknowledge the suits as well as community outreach are legacy of women who have made important contribuons to these areas of the focus of the group. The Friends also experse and to celebrate the many ways in which women’s work in this offer low cost workshops and classes on field has come to the fore in the 21st century. Jennifer is focusing on 75 various botanical topics. women who are doing current and innovave work that represent larger The Friends of the Herbarium operates issues or shis in our world in all things horcultural. under the auspices of the Research Foun- Jennifer talked about how there is and can be a direct correlaon be- daon at the California State University, tween your impulse to garden and your deepest concerns in this world. And Chico, and as such enjoys non-profit status and has access to the use of University that the one can and should be the bridge to help with the other. There is a classrooms and equipment. garden for amplifying strengths and bringing them to bear and the people Memberships are renewed on January 1 of and places and concerns in the world. Jennifer said that every one of her each year. guests on the radio show demonstrates this truth and every woman in her book expands on that. - by Linnea Hanson BOARD OF DIRECTORS Linnea Hanson Elena Gregg Rob Schlising Tom Griggs John Whilesey Tim Hanson Erin Goschalk Fisher Emily Doe Rob Irwin

NEWSLETTER CO-EDITORS Colleen Haield, Herbarium Director Lawrence Janeway, Herbarium Curator

Newsleer Volume 25 Number 1 The Newsleer is published two mes per year by the Friends of the Herbari- um, California State University, Chico. Subscripon is free with membership. Submissions on herbarium-related top- Jennifer Jewell, host of Culvang Place: conver- ics are welcome. saons on the natural history and human impulse to garden. (Photo by John Whilesey)

Friends of the Chico State Herbarium May 2019 3

Chico State Herbarium Accessions during 2018

Twenty years ago Vern Oswald started the annual tradion in this newsleer of summarizing all of the collecons accessioned into The Chico State Herbarium during the preceding year by county and collector. Here is the summary for 2018. The total number of accessions for 2018 was 1618 specimens. We connue to owe a HUGE debt of gratude to our volunteer mounng specialist and plant collector extraordi- naire, Lowell Ahart. Aside from a few exchange sheets that came to the herbarium already mounted, and the bryo- phytes and lichens, which are accessioned into the collecon in folded paper packets rather than mounted, Lowell has mounted almost all of the specimens accessioned into the herbarium in 2018. In fact, Lowell has mounted al- most all of the specimens accessioned into the herbarium each year since 1995! For 2018, this means that Lowell prepared almost 1500 beaufully mounted specimens that were accessioned into the collecon during the year (and many more that haven’t been accessioned yet), all as a volunteer! Thank you once again, Lowell, for your connuing contribuon of countless hours of invaluable me and service to further the goals of The Chico State Herbarium and northern California botany. All new incoming specimens are databased before they are filed. The databasing during the past year (and filing) has been done by our wonderful volunteers Cindy Weiner, Nancy Groshong, Mari Moore, and Tara Godinez; and by students Anna Burns, Jess Coronel, Simone Burdick, Toni Rose, and Joe Lomeli. Also, thanks also to all of the collectors, as shown below, for their me spent collecng, idenfying, and making labels for all of the specimens that they contributed to the herbarium. A tremendous amount of me goes into this process and I know that most, if not all, of this me is volunteer me on the part of the collectors. The following table summarizes the plant specimens accessioned into The Chico State Herbarium during 2018, based on plant group, local collectors, and county. - by Lawrence Janeway, Herbarium Curator

2018

LOCAL TOTAL GRAND TOTAL: 1618 COLLECTORS CALIFORNIA: 1373 – more than 10 collections – – top 10 counties – Mosses 115 Lowell Ahart 463 Bue 291 Liverworts 3 Lawrence Janeway 334 Nevada 203 Club mosses 1 Rob Schlising 125 Plumas 137 Ferns 2 Barbara Castro 112 Shasta 101 Flowering plants 1497 Robert Banchero 30 Trinity 96 David Isle 17 Lassen 93 Julie Kierstead Nelson 16 Tehama 63 Yuba 49 San Bernardino 44 Los Angeles 43

Friends of the Chico State Herbarium May 2019 4

two classes are What About Those cellular slime CSU Chico Slime Molds? molds and pro- By Josephine Guardino and John Dies tosteloids. Plas- modial slime Previous Friends of the Herbarium newsleer arcles molds spend have highlighted the amazing collecon of “Myxomycetes” much of their slime molds housed in the Chico State University Herbari- lives as haploid um (April, 2016 and December, 2011). Between two for- single-celled mer CSUC biology teachers (the late Dr. Donald Kowalski organisms, each cell alone and and Dr. Dwayne Curs), 10,398 specimens were collected Wolf’s Milk ( terrestre) and donated to the CSU Chico Herbarium, 8,912 and 1,486 acvely roving (Photo by John Dies) specimens, respecvely. This collecon represents 13 fam- the landscape in ilies (of 14 known), 54 genera (of 62 known) and ~358 spe- search of food items, including bacteria, fungi, fungal cies (of ~900 known), mostly from California (7,639), , yeast, even other slime molds! If condions are Washington (1,355) and Oregon (596). This enre collec- relavely dry, the cells are “myxamoeboid,” flowing and on was databased and georeferenced by our beloved and oozing over the substrate like any other . In sorely missed herbarium volunteer, the late Susan Bazell. moister sengs, the cells have defined shape, and The collecon has been recognized as the most significant equipped with two flagella (some have one) are able to in existence for Northern California taxa, and it’s been sug- swim as “myxoflagellates” through the watery medium. As gested that sll-undescribed might be included! condions change, a cell can switch from one form to the But what are “Slime Molds” and why should we care? other, and back again. If it gets too dry, the cells secrete a The answers are surprising. For one, we don’t really know protecve wall and enter a dormant cyst stage. “what they are”! More precisely, their placement in the Individual haploid cells can reproduce asexually via sim- biological world is uncertain and subject to current study. ple . When two haploid cells meet however, Once considered a Sub- of Fungi, slime molds are things can get “a lile strange”. The two cells merge and now classified as the polyphylec mycetozoan group in the the two nuclei fuse to form a single diploid zygote cell. The phylum , which is placed by some in kingdom nuclei then begin repeated divisions without further cellu- Prosta, and by others in kingdom Protozoa. Other re- lar division, the cell consumes food items via , searchers yet consider them members of an “unranked and grows, and grows. This is the mulnucleate plasmodi- supergroup” in Eukaryota! The CSU Chico collec- um stage of the slime-mold life cycle. One on represents one of three recognized classes of slime large single-celled has been measured at 5.5 mold, the Myxogastria, previously known as Myxomy- square-meters in area and another weighed in at 40 cetes. pounds! The organism now “flows” over the landscape Myxogastria are “plasmodial slime molds”. The other with singular effort. There is no escape for some from the growing, flowing plasmodial blob as it encapsulates food items and hapless prey with spreading, reaching pseudo- pods, incorporang “other into self.” During adverse mes, the plasmodium can harden into a scleroum, entering a resng state. Under condions of starvaon and diminishing habitat suitability, the stressed- out plasmodium ends its search for food, becomes aract- ed to light and seeks drier ground where it forms a fruing body, called an aethalium. Within, meioc divisions pro- duce haploid spores which are finally released into the air to start the cycle over again. The fruing bodies and spores possess characteriscs used in species idenfica- on; these are what are mostly housed in the 10,398 lile Pretzel slime (Hemitrichia serpula ) (Continued on page 6) (Photo by Dr. Amadez Trnkoczy)

Friends of the Chico State Herbarium May 2019 5 Friends of the Herbarium Upcoming Workshops

Understanding Riparian Ecology from the Perspecve of Flowing Water Led by Tom Griggs, Michael Rogner and Stefan Lorenzato Wednesday, May 8, 2019 9:00 AM—4:00 PM This is a field workshop where parcipants will examine river flow processes along the middle Sacramento River and implicaons for riparian vegetaon composion and structure Physical river processes drive riparian ecology. Flooding and flow- ing water determine how sediment will be moved through the water- shed and how it is distributed across the floodplain, with riparian veg- etaon responding to the different growing condions provided by the sediment paerns. Flow velocity shapes the plants as they grow and creates the characterisc vegetaon structures that we associate with riparian areas. By the end of the workshop Parcipants will have a greater understanding of: 1. Sediment size classes and how they are distributed across the flood plain. 2. All riparian plant species, both nave and invasive, will be idenfied. 3. How individual wildlife species ulize vegetaon structure. 4. The importance of vegetaon structure as it affects and directs flood flows across the floodplain.

Introducon to Willow Idenficaon Saturday, May 11, 2019 9:00 AM—5:00 PM Led by John Bair Chico State Herbarium California is home to over one quarter of the esmated 120 willow species growing in North America. Coonwoods and willows are the most common riparian hardwood species in California and yet many of us have lile idea of how to tell them apart. Species idenficaon is oen neglected because willows are thought to frequently hybridize, which is further compounded by only having vegetave material dur- ing field visits when we think we need flowers to make a posive idenficaon. The focus will be on the leaf, stem, and other vegeta- ve growth characteriscs that are useful in making idenficaon while also emphasizing the regional distribuons of the different spe- cies.

Other Workshops for Summer and Early Fall:

Bee Idenficaon workshop led by Rob Irwin

Maintenance of Nave Plant Gardens led by John Whilesey

Friends of the Chico State Herbarium May 2019 6

(Continued from Slime Molds page 4) mold beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Why else labeled and databased cardboard boxes in the Chico Her- would the brightly-colored yellow sep- barium collecon. ca be fondly referred to as scrambled eggs by some but Because of their odd characteriscs and with molecu- dog vomit by others? lar evidence, slime molds are considered one of evolu- If what they are, what they do and what we call them on’s “early aempts” at mulcellular life, arising a full aren’t interesng enough, what we’re “learning from billion years ago, well before animals, plants or even fun- them” is more mind-bending. If two minds are beer than gi. They closely followed bacteria out of the primordial one in figuring out problems, then the many-headed yel- soup in the rise to terrestrial life. But what do they do low-slime ( polycephalon) is beer yet. This spe- now? cies is easily grown in controlled lab condions with oat- Most oen found on rong wood and leaves they may meal flakes providing an appealing food source. When appear just another “fungal decomposer” Not!. Indeed, this species’ plasmodium is placed at a point on a petri they are also known from animal dung. Others are known dish with oatmeal flakes strategically placed at various from soil surfaces and melng snowbanks; some are locaons on the dish, plasmodial margins inially spread aquac. Unlike fungi however, slime molds deliberately uniformly across the dish exploring the micro- travel, acvely seeking their food and prey items. They environment. As the plasmodium travels across the petri are also consumed, thus providing a crucial link between dish, it leaves chemical cues that mark where it’s been. decomposers, the bacteria and fungi they consume, and Interesngly, it also “remembers” if a parcular marked organisms higher up in the food web. In addion to other search-path for food was fruiul or not. When nearing an slime molds and some fungi, plasmodial slime molds are oatmeal flake, the flow of in the plasmodium known to be fed on by , small like changes. It moves back and forth rhythmically, a moon and , beetles from at least 8 families, and referred to as shule- streaming. Within a brief amount flies from at least 3. Spores of some species have been of me through such moon, plasmodial threads form an shown to be spread by birds. A few species cause disease interconnected network of pathways extending between in plants. Slime molds are found on all connents and the different food sources, with each thread marking the many are circumboreal. They are most prevalent in tem- shortest, most efficient routes between and among mor- perate regions where they like cool, moist and shady hab- sels. itats. They are also found in deserts and sub-Arcc re- This behavior is not only fascinang to those interest- gions. ed in basic biology, amoeboid movement and cell moli- Based on common names given to the most ubiquitous ty, it has also sparked research in other unrelated fields of slime molds you would think they were culinary delights. science. Invesgators are studying the behavior of slime Why the slimy looking organisms inspire appezing molds to glean informaon with very modern and useful names such as tapioca slime ( maxima), carnival applicaons. With the aracon of food used as cue, plas- candy slime ( denudata), chocolate tube slime modial slime molds are able to navigate through complex (Stemons splendens), and pretzel slime (Hemitrichia ser- mazes because they “know” where they’ve been and pula) might be some inside joke. But apparently slime “remember” successful search pathways. Taking these observaons to the next level, research- ers used petri dishes with oatmeal laid out in posion of several major cies. The many-headed slime mold formed filamentous networks resembling current major highway systems there. To further test slime mold abilies, salt and light have been used as a bio-mimic for obstacles such as rivers, steep terrain, and even nuclear detona- ons in “oatmeal-mapped landscapes.” Again, and again the slime mold finds the shortest, most efficient path- ways. Slime mold analysis have subsequently been used to inform transportaon system planning throughout the Scrambled eggs or Dog Vomit? (Fuligo sepca) world! (Photo by Amadej Trnkoczy) (Continued on page 11)

Friends of the Chico State Herbarium May 2019 7 Highlights from Recent Workshops Botanical Illustraon—February 2, 2019 Introducon to Bryophytes by Elena Gregg February 22- 23, 2019 The Friends hosted a very well aended “Botanical Illus- by Rob Irwin traon” taught by Joan Keesey at the Chico State Herbarium. Joan, a Ben Carter, director of the Sharsmith Herbarium and renowned botanical Assistant Professor of Biology at San Jose State University, illustrator, with dec- brought aendees closer to appreciang the bryophytes ades of beauful, that surround us. Bryophytes include liverworts, mosses amazing, published and hornworts. Ben arrived with trays of mosses, liver- illustraons, recently worts, and hornworts that we would likely see in North- moved to Chico. In the ern California. class she provided a Fremontodendron californicum, Following introducons, we dove into the bryophyte wonderful summary of Joan Keesey hps://joankeesey.com life cycle, natural history, evoluonary relaonships, and the long and invaluable morphology. In California we have 150 species of liver- history of botanical illustraon, brought many books and worts, 300 hornworts, and about 650 species of mosses. publicaons for examples, and brought a large assort- Globally, mosses outnumber the combined number of ment of unique plant materials for students to choose from to draw. Using graphite pencils, and special drawing paper, we learned many techniques, all of which concen- trated on accurate botanical depicon of fall seeds, pods, and leaves. The herbarium was a perfect locaon for the class with the wonderful microscope lights on the work- benches, which were fabulous for illuminang the objects selected for drawing. Clearly, it takes a great deal of pa- ence and pracce, for botanist or art student, to develop the skills to realiscally depict a three-dimensional plant part in one dimension. Quite honestly, this class was truly a terrific place to start with Joan’s exceponal teaching Ben Carter and workshop parcipants for the Bryophyte Idenfi- skills and experse. caon workshop (Photo by Rob Irwin)

fern and gymnosperm species. We spent the aernoon walking around campus look- ing for bryophytes on trees, sidewalks, bare soil, and on masonry. Aer the wet winter there was no shortage of interesng specimens to be found. Ben explained that mosses occupy microhabitats in a sense much different from vascular plants. For instance, a moss species may find suitable microhabitats on the base of an oak tree in California and on rock inside a shaded canyon in Indone- sia. In this sense, geography appears less important than the edaphic characters in a site for bryophytes to estab- lish. Moss spores are very tough by virtue of sporopollen- Workshop parcipants displaying their own draw- in, an extremely tough polymer, rendering moss spores ings created during the workshop. (Photo by resistant to environmental stress such as desiccaon and Elena Gregg) (Continued on page 8)

Friends of the Chico State Herbarium May 2019 8 Highlights from Recent Workshops Connued (Bryophyte Workshop Continued from page 7) pung names to these mysteries. Classroom samples, just UV radiaon. This helps spores survive in harsh condions handed to you, never seem as emoonally rewarding as such as being swept along in the jet stream at high al- naming your own discoveries. tude. The park walk almost didn’t take place. Due to the On Sunday we worked as a group idenfying several weather forecast Tom was considering passing on it but at bryophytes using the California Moss eFlora (hp:// the last second changed his mind. It was a good call, for ucjeps.berkeley.edu/CA_moss_eflora/). Both stereo mi- the class gained a touch of adventure and bonding versus croscopes and compound a potenal negave mood event. The group got back to light microscopes were the shelter of the classroom having caught only the begin- used to observe external ning p of a torrenal rain/hailstorm. morphological and cellular As is oen the case the demographics of the parci- characteriscs useful in pants ranged from students to rerees, usually with as- keying. I found myself mar- sorted botanical backgrounds, and sprinkled with a few veling at the intricate beau- folks having more curiosity than biological background. ty of these ny plants. There is always an interest about who traveled the far- Watching one species rap- thest. Carpinteria, near Santa Barbara, won this year. That idly hydrate from a shriv- gentleman said he got up at midnight in to catch the eled mass to a robust plant 9:00 class. Google Maps says that is nearly a 500 mile with reproducve struc- drive. tures in seconds under a Dendroalsia abiena. Perhaps this scope was shocking to be- will be California’s first state moss hold. The ability of bryo- (Photo by Rob Irwin) phytes to desiccate and rehydrate is an astounding evoluonary feat and key to their survival. Ben proved an excellent instructor and his enthusiasm was infecous. For those workshop aendees new to bry- ophytes, this workshop was an eye-opener. I, for one, will never again neglect my hand-lens in the rainy season.

A good poron [or most] of the lichen class, in Bidwell Park. Tom Idenfying Lichens to Carlberg 4th from le. (Photo by Robert Fischer)”. March 23, 2019 by Robert Fisher The 10th annual FOH Lichen Workshop took place Satur- day on March 23rd. Once again our educator was Tom Carl- Be on the Lookout!! berg, out of Arcata. The goal was to develop skills enough to key local macro-lichens to genus. This is tougher than it We are working with an anonymous sounds since one is faced with the massive learning curve donor for an of a specialized language and morphology. Three hours into Tom’s careful PowerPoint presentaon and eyes were Herbarium Endowment Drive beginning to glaze. What broke the overload was a pleas- to help support the great things the ant walk along a lichen-rich Upper Bidwell Park trail. Here Herbarium does promong plant the slides and words got a real-world face. Another gi of diversity in California that outdoor walk was being able to choose your own un- known lichens and then spending the laer half of the day

Friends of the Chico State Herbarium May 2019 9 Monarchs and Milkweed by Dr. Anurag Agrawal reviewed by John Whilesey

The monarch buerfly is the most capvang and icon- ic buerfly in North America. Its size, dramac coloriza- on, its romanc story of thousand mile migraons ending with spectacular colonies of them draped in trees in Mexi- co and Southern California makes it our most recognized buerfly. Reading Monarchs and Milkweeds, another layer of this remarkable story is revealed. While many people connect that milkweeds are important to the monarchs, Dr. Agrawal describes in depth the ‘toxic’ relaonship be- tween them. Early on in its evoluon the monarch’s fate became ed to that of the milkweed – plants in the genus Asclepias - when it ‘chose’ milkweeds as its larval host plant. As we learn in the book, the milkweed does all it can do to dis- courage this relaonship. As the author points out several mes, there is apparently no benefit for the milkweed in this relaonship, the monarch plays lile role in the polli- naon of the milkweed. While the buerflies can be seen nectaring on the flowers, they are inefficient at transfer- the best they can. ring pollen, which in milkweed is bundled in packets called It was fascinang to read that from day one when the pollinia. Honey bees, bumble bees, other large nave bees caterpillar hatches from the egg –”it’s all out war” accord- and some wasps are more efficient as milkweed pollina- ing to Agrawal. Most don’t make it past the first day. First, tors. To the milkweed, the monarch is a pest, pure and they must cut down the trichomes (hairs) to access the simple. leaf ssue. Then, if their approach is wrong, the first bite Dr. Agrawal, A professor in the Dept. of Ecology and can inundate them with a river of white, viscous latex, Evoluonary Biology and the Dept. of Entomology at Cor- which is poisonous of course. Apparently they need to nell University, spends much of the book describing the tread very cauously that first day. They are able to re- moves and countermoves in this coevoluonary relaon- duce the flow of latex if they cut the smaller tributary ship. His metaphor, which he uses over and over (and veins first. This gives them a chance, an opening, to begin over), is that of an arms race, a bale, an evoluonary war devouring the leaves. and makes the point that it is not a mutually beneficial The survival of the caterpillar is also dependent on the relaonship – but one where the milkweed is threatened female buerfly laying her eggs on plants that give the by the monarch and takes drasc measures to insure its larvae the best chance of survival. While it is unclear how survival. “Milkweeds are connually evolving to be beer- monarchs test the leaf for levels of cardenolides, one defended fortresses, and the monarch buerflies are pow- study showed they laid eggs on plants with intermediate erful enemies developing strategies to break down the levels – not too high a concentraon and not too low. I’ve plants’ barriers,” the author writes. watched female monarchs in my garden landing on vari- Cardenolides are the toxic steroid produced by the ous milkweeds for a brief me, then moving on to another milkweeds that is central to the milkweed/monarch rela- unl finally selecng a plant on which to oviposit. onship. The monarch has evolved a number ways to deal They always seem to choose plants that are not the with the cardenolides produced by milkweeds, including robust plants in flower, but the recently emerged stems. A sequestering them in their ssues, which in turn makes recommendaon Dr. Agawal makes is to cut down some the monarch unpalatable to predators of the caterpillar of the taller milkweed stems in your garden to encourage and adult buerfly. Much of the book is spent on this sub- (Continued on page 10) stance and how the monarchs have evolved to handle it

Friends of the Chico State Herbarium May 2019 10

(Continued from page 9) young growth, which is preferred as larval plants by the female monarch. Nature is one giant complex relaonship – with so many connecons that are rarely as evident as the milk- weed-monarch relaonship. Shining the lens of coevolu- on on this parcular relaonship makes us more aware of the complexies in all others. While I would have pre- ferred maybe baseball analogies – hiers adjusng to pitchers – over the author’s military metaphors, that is a minor complaint. He does a superb job of exposing and detailing this fascinang relaonship between milkweeds and monarchs.

The life cycle of a monarch - from luminescent egg to mulcolor caterpillar to a magical chrysalis, transformed into a majesc buerfly. Each stage a thing of beauty. And all takes place on milkweed. (Photos by John Whilesey)

Friends of the Chico State Herbarium May 2019 11

(Slime Molds Continued from page 6) and survive adverse environmental condions over geo- Although slime molds clearly lack neurons, studies logic me have real world implicaons as we further de- demonstrate slime molds are modifying their behavior velop computer, navigaonal, and communicaon net- from repeated encounters with adverse condions. Some works, and modify the environment we inhabit. refer to this as a form of habituaon, the simplest repre- We wonder what inspired Dr. Kowalski and Dr. Curs sentaon of “learning.” Others even consider the phe- as they traveled the natural landscape in search of the nomenon as “primive cognion.” But not only do slime elusive, colorful, oddly shaped myxogastria which they so molds acquire cellular memory, they are also able to caringly collected, idenfied, and described. Each lile transfer that informaon from cell to cell. If a nucleus box now curated in the Chico State Herbarium has its own from a pre-condioned plasmodium is transferred into a story and sll-unimagined lessons (the spores are sll previously uncondioned plasmodium, the laer re- alive!), all available to researchers and students willing to sponds as if it has previously interacted with and “learned learn from the brainless slime mold. from” the smuli. Few key sources: So, slime molds are obviously smart. Appropriately Microfungi Collecons Consorum (www.microfungi.org) The Plasmodium Consorum—Hampshire College one instuon, Hampshire College, has designated the (www.sites.hampshire.edu/gallery/the-plasmodium-symposium) many-headed slime mold as its first vising non-human Slime mold (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slime_mold scholar, equipped with its own office and with designated vising hours. This unconvenonal scholar “advises” re- searchers and students under auspice of the Plasmodium

Consorum. This collaborave project is a formal think tank developed by philosopher and arst, Jonathon Keats. In this experiment of modern thinking and problem solv- ing, slime mold analysis is used by interdisciplinary teams Two species of Myxomycetes to enhance and expand the way humans perceive and that were featured in earlier interact with the universe in which we live. Their innate Newsleer arcles. ability to solve complex mazes, form intricate linkages, (Photo by Lawrence Janeway)

Yes, I Would Like to Join/Renew/Contribute!  Student ...... $20 Name ______ Individual ...... $35 Organizaon ______ Sustaining ...... $100  Lifeme ...... $1,000 Address ______ Jim Jokerst Award ...... $______ Annual Fund ...... $______ Endowment ………………………...... $______City ______State ______Zip Code ______Total $______Phone ______ This is a membership renewal for 2019 E-mail ______

Please make your check payable to: CSU University Foundaon (include membership or donaon on the memo line). The CSU University Foundaon is a 501c(3) non-profit organizaon. Mail to: Chico State Herbarium, c/o Biological Sciences Dept., California State University—Chico, Chico, CA 95929-0515

Friends of the Chico State Herbarium May 2019 12 Fall Nave Plant Photo Contest—Results 8TH ANNUAL CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT PHOTO CONTEST

The past fall, the Friends of the Chico State Herbarium hosted our 8th annual California Nave Plant Photo Contest. We tried a new, online entry format this year and received a wide variety of entries from throughout the state. The diverse entries highlighted some of California’s incredible flora and the photos made a beauful public display at our Annual Meeng in October. With all the excellent photos, it was difficult for the board members to choose a winner, but in the end, Moe Donnelly’s photo of Darlingtonia californica (boom le) received the grand prize of a compli- mentary Friends of the Chico State Herbarium workshop. Gary O'Neill’s photo of Seaside Daisy (boom) and Ma Berry’s photo of a Silver Bush Lupine Forest (boom right) received Honorable Men- on awards. Thanks to all who entered photos and watch for our next California Na- ve Plant Photo Contest this coming fall! -by Tim Hanson

Friends of the Chico State Herbarium California State University, Chico Chico, CA 95929-0515