THE JEPSON GLOBE A Newsletter from the Friends of The Jepson Herbarium VOLUME 18 NUMBERS 1 and 2 September 2007 News from the Collections: An update from the Consor- The Charterhouse Herbar- tium of California Herbaria ium by Sula Vanderplank Following my arrival as new Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden Administrative Curator in March 2006 (see Globe vol. 17 no. 1) came another The Consortium of California British arrival, the permanent loan of a Herbaria was developed to serve as a Charterhouse School Herbarium from gateway to information from Califor- Godalming in Surrey, England (with the nia vascular plant specimens that are interesting Index Herbariorum acronym housed in herbaria throughout the state. of GOD). This small herbarium (around Currently, ~860,000 specimens from 8,000 specimens) of bound volumes and twelve collections (CHSC, DAV, IRVC, folders dates back to the late eighteenth PGM, RSA-POM, SBBG, SD, SJSU, century and includes specimens from Anna Larsen, 2007 UC-JEPS, UCR, UCSB, and UCSC), all over the British Isles and also col- Welcome! are all searchable through a single lections from Europe, the Middle East, Anna Larsen interface http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/ South Africa, and east coast United New Education Coordinator consortium/. Four more collections States. The collections are particularly (OBI, HSC, CDA, and CAS-DS) will significant because they document the by Staci Markos be joining in the near future. The par- flora of Greater London during a time In July 2007, Anna Larsen joined ticipating institutions cooperate under of great expansion and many specimens the staff of the Jepson Herbarium as the guidelines of a memorandum of un- represent species no longer found in Coordinator of Public Programs. Anna derstanding, and participation as a data London and surrounding counties. The will have many responsibilities but the provider to the Consortium database is collection also contains seven fascicles primary component of her new position open to California herbaria that meet of the Flora of the Neighborhood of will be to develop and implement the Godalming or the “Surrey Folios” by 2008 workshop season. The full sched- Continued on page 8. John Drew Salmon (1802—1859), ule will be available this fall and from which served as the basis for James the classes that she has planned so far, ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Brewer’s Flora of Surrey (1863), one I can see that 2008 will be an exciting Weekend Workshops in Review of the first British floras that established workshop season! the format that is now familiar in British Many of you may have met Anna Awards and Honors local floras. when she served as Interim Coordinator New Flora Project Staff Highlights from the collections in 2005. When I asked her what she en- include poet botanist William Gardin- joyed most about that position she said TJM2 treatments ready for review er’s Illustrations of British Botany (see “I love the people, the places we go, the Thank you to recent donors image, p. 8). This bound collection plants we get to see and I love the sense includes an immaculate presentation of of community.” When the position of Graduation algae, lichens, bryophytes, and vascular full-time coordinator became available Announcements & Volunteer Opp. plants. this summer, Anna was eager to apply. Continued on page 8. Continued on page 7. Awards and Honors Received Lawrence R. Heckard Fund of The Jepson Herbarium BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA MERIT AWARD Each year, the Heckard Fund Com- The Botanical Society of America Merit Award is the highest honor the Soci- mittee awards research grants to UC ety bestows. The award was instigated at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Berkeley faculty, students, and staff the Botanical Society in 1956. At the 2007 national meetings in Chicago, the to continue research on the systemat- Botanical Society of America presented its prestigious Merit Award to Bruce ics of California’s vascular plants. Baldwin, Curator of the Jepson Herbarium and Professor of Integrative Biolo- Ten grants, totalling $37,461, were gy. awarded in 2007. Below is the list of successful applicants. “Dr. Bruce Baldwin is recognized for his contributions in plant systematics. Beginning in graduate school, Dr. Baldwin studied one of the icons of island Ackerly, David, Digitization of Baker biogeography, the Hawaiian Silversword Alliance. His dissertation work using seed data (for Ecological Flora) chloroplast DNA was one of the pioneers on island plant groups and confirmed that this morphologically diverse group represented a single colonization event Baldwin, Bruce, Tarweed systemat- from ancestors in North America. Baldwin reconfirmed these results using ics nuclear genes, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. His development of Bolmgren, Kjell , Rhamnus/Frangula ITS for plant phylogenetic study is perhaps his most widely recognized con- comparative ecology tribution. Less well-known outside of California is that Dr. Baldwin has made Driscoll, Heather & Chelsea Specht, major contributions to plant floristics, through his efforts editing the Jepson Californian Allium systematics Desert Manual and the 2nd edition of the Jepson Manual of California plants. For his many contributions to the systematics of Asteraceae, Hawaiian plant Barbara Ertter, Potentilleae floristic biogeography and evolution, and advances in molecular systematics, the BSA treatments is pleased to recognize Dr. Bruce Baldwin with its highest award.” Moore, Abigail Grindelia systemat- Bruce is also President-elect for the American Society of ics Plant Taxonomists. Park, Michael, Collinsia systemat- STUDENT AWARDS ics The American Society of Plant Taxonomists has selected Shuldman, Michael, Comparative Abby Moore as recipient of a Graduate Student Research ecology of woody California Award for her population genetic study of the genus endemics Grindelia (Compositae). Simms, Ellen, Phylogenetic and population studies in Lupinus Eric Harris was First Runner-up for the A.J. Sharp award at the American Bryological Stuart, Stephanie, Comparative and Lichenological Society (ABLS) meeting studies of cold adaptation in in Xalapa Mexico, given for the best student Sierran plants presentation. His presentation was: “Bryo- phytes used in traditional Chinese medicine.” Lawrence R. Heckard, Curator of the Jepson Herbarium from 1968 to 1991, significantly increased our knowledge of Scrophulariaceae, es- pecially the Castillejieae. A generous bequest by Dr. Heckard established the Lawrence R. Heckard Endowment Left: Eric in the alpine zone (~14,000 ft.) Fund of the Jepson Herbarium. Each on the Cofre de Perote volcano in Vera- year, the Heckard Fund provides cruz, Mexico. valuable resources for researchers. Photo by Brent Mishler. 2 Valerie Rob New faces in the Jepson Herbarium Edith Summers, Scott Simono, Editorial Assistant Administrative Assistant Scott comes to California via Edith became interested in North Carolina, where he grew up and botany while she was an undergradu- formed his attachment to native plants ate student at University of Michigan. in the forests of the Piedmont hills and Soon after graduation, she joined the Rob Preston, Contributing Au- Appalachian Mountains. He originally Peace Corps, something she had wanted thor Rob joined the Jepson attended the University of North Car- to do since she first heard about it as a Flora project in October, 2006, to serve olina, Chapel Hill, but left to roam the kid. Her post was in Niger where she as contributing author for groups that do south, learning to cook and apprenticing worked in an arid-land reforestation not currently have a recognized expert. as a decorative painter and restorer in the project. Rob brings to the project a unique blend process. She was fascinated by the of field knowledge, identification and He moved to California in 1995, flora and fauna there, some wonderful, writing skills, familiarity with many working as a decorative painter in San some not so pleasant. The bird life was regions of California, and experience Francisco. Collecting orchids, exploring amazing — weaver finches building with rigors of academic publishing. the parks and gardens of his new home, giant communal nests right outside Rob is a native of Northern and hiking the forests and coastal prai- the house, several kinds of sunbirds, California where he grew up spending ries of Mount Tamalpais, he realized rollers, hoepoos, and many more. A much time exploring the fields and his first love was botany. In 2001, he hedgehog visiting her house was de- woods near his home. Summer vaca- returned to school to get a BS in Botany lightful — after all, they are supposed tion camping trips to various remote at San Francisco State University, study- to eat scorpions, but the giant rats locations in the north state, such as a ing with Bob Patterson and Gretchen were sometimes unwelcome guests; week at the summit of Ball Mountain, LeBuhn on projects like the molecular however the neighbors were happy to in Siskiyou County, where his grand- systematics of Linanthus dichotomus come and catch them, because they mother was a fire lookout for the Forest and the ecology of montane meadows were supposed to be good eating. Giant Service, also fostered a deep appreci- in the northern Sierra Nevada. cockroaches were more unwelcome ation for nature. After high school, he In 2005, Scott left CA to pursue a than the rats, because they could fly, served three years in the U. S. Army Ph.D. in Molecular Plant Systematics but not very well, so they often as not as a Chemical Laboratory Specialist at Cornell University and the New York ended up in her skirt when they tried to working in a chemistry lab in Denver, Botanical Garden, only to return a year fly away from her. Colorado. That experience convinced later to the flora and landscapes of Cal- Since then Edith lived in New- him that any future career for him in ifornia. Reconnecting with friends and foundland, where she married Chris science had to have a strong field com- the beauty of California, he hopes to Meacham, and Georgia, where they ponent.