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Volume 5, Numbers 1 and 2
January-April 1991
Nancy R. Morin and Judith M. Unger, co-editors
FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA NEWS
Organizational Center News
THANK YOU to all who responded to our request for newsletter comments in our last newsletter. We received almost 100 responses from our approximately 1600 mailing. The responses were very positive and encouraging. We will be using those comments as support to continue the newsletter. Responses came from almost every state, most Canadian provinces, and six other countries including England, Germany, Australia, and the Soviet Union.
The most frequent comment was that for those of you at small institutions, either educational or governmental, this newsletter may be your main or only source of information on what is happening in North American plant taxonomy/ systematics, and that you especially appreciate the publication notices. Some of you asked why the Flora of North America Newsletter was not merged with Herbarium News, which Nancy Morin edits. Herbarium News is mailed to about 600 paid subscribers, mostly directly associated with herbaria, and it includes herbarium-related information worldwide. FNA Newsletter is sent at no charge to over 1600 individuals and institutions, not only to all FNA authors and reviewers at all types of public and private institutions and organizations, but also to many native plant societies, conservation organizations, and resource management agencies, and to anyone who requests to be put on the mailing list. Usually one article from each Herbarium News is incorporated into the next FNA Newsletter if the information pertains to something in North America.
Your responses are very much appreciated and your suggestions will be helpful. Thank you again for responding.
The new position of assistant scientific editor at the FNA Organizational Center is still open. Responsibilities include: 1) editing to assure scientific consistency and comparability of treatments, 2) writing treatments for which no specialist is available, 3) acting as liaison between taxon editor and scientific illustrator, and 4) providing information to editors and other project participants as needed. The successful candidate will be a regular employee of Missouri Botanical Garden. Interested candidates should send C.V. and names and addresses of three references to: Human Resources Department, Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, Missouri, 63166-0299, immediately. AA/EOE
Work is proceeding on the distribution maps. Warren Lamboy, FNA database manager, has given over 400 original maps to illustrators in the computer graphics unit of the Washington University Medical School, St. Louis. The authors' distribution maps are transferred there to the computerized base map. Completed maps are reviewed by the FNA office and then returned to the Washington University illustrators, who, after making final changes, print them on an imagesetter. This high quality output can be used directly by Oxford University Press, publisher of the Flora of North America. Authors will have an opportunity to review maps before they are sent to OUP.
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The Flora of North America (FNA) project is a cooperative program to produce a Flora of the vascular plants of North America north of Mexico. The FNA Newsletter is published bimonthly by the Flora of North America Association to communicate news about the FNA project and other topics of interest to North American floristic researchers. Readers are invited to send appropriate news items to: FNA Newsletter, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166, U.S.A.
Bryophytes added to Flora of North America!!!
Muscologists and hepaticologists from the U.S. and Canada met at Missouri Botanical Garden 22--24 March to lay the foundation for adding bryophytes to FNA. This meeting is a result of discussions that Dale Vitt (University of Alberta, Edmonton) and Marshall Crosby (Missouri Botanical Garden) began last summer. The idea was further elaborated and discussed at the year-end meeting of the American Bryological and Lichenological Society at Wakulla Springs, Florida. There are about 1800 species of bryophytes in North America, about 1300 mosses and 500 liverworts, and treating them in the FNA format should take about 5 to 6 years. Bryophytes will be Volume 12, and the cumulative index and bibliography will be in Volume 13. Those attending the meeting were: Bill Buck (New York Botanical Garden), Diana Horton (University of Iowa), Norton Miller (New York State Museum), Barbara Murray (University of Alaska), Bill Reese (University of Southwest Louisiana), Barbara Thiers (New York Botanical Garden), Dale Vitt, and Marshall Crosby. Ray Stotler (Southern Illinois University) and John Engel (Field Museum) also participated in the planning, but were not able to attend the meeting. --Marshall Crosby (MO)
FNA Coffee Mugs and T-Shirts
Coffee mugs and T-shirts with the FNA logo and the words "Flora of North America," both in forest green on white, are available from Judy Unger at FNA-Central. The shirts are 100% cotton and available in men's S, M, L, and XL. The cost for the mugs and the T-shirts is $5 each. If you're in St. Louis, stop by and pick them up. If you would like us to mail them, add $2 each for postage and handling, all prepaid please. The shirts would be great for field work this summer.
Editorial Committee News
Luc Brouillet and Ted Barkley spent a few weeks in late January at FNA-Central editing introductory chapter manuscripts. Ted Barkley, Luc Brouillet, Rich Spellenberg, and David Whetstone were back again for various length of time during March to finish work on those manuscripts for Volume 1. Most chapters have been reviewed and revised by authors. Final manuscripts should be ready for OUP soon.
Fern and gymnosperm manuscripts that have been technically and scientifically edited are being sent out to regional reviewers. After regional review is completed, Alan Smith and Herb Wagner are expected to come to St. Louis for final editing of pteridophytes.
John McNeill, a member of the FNA Editorial Committee, has been appointed the seventh Director of the Royal Ontario Museum, Ontario, Canada, after a comprehensive six-month international search. McNeill joined the ROM as Associate Director, Curatorial in November 1989. He most recently served as the ROM's Acting Director. ROM's directorships are five year appointments, and McNeill's term begins immediately.
Status of the Introductory Chapters for Volume 1
Introductory chapters to be published in Flora of North America Volume 1 have been written mostly by specialists in the various fields that are covered. The list of chapters, author(s) name, and status as of the end of March 1991 are provided below. The chapters were edited under the leadership of Luc Brouillet, assisted by Ted Barkley and Rich Spellenberg. Many people contributed to the editing process, but a few deserve special mention: Helen Jeude, who serves as our ever cheerful technical editor (and whatever-else-needs- to-be-done person); Bob Kiger who sees to it that all things bibliographical are in order and follow FNA standards; Sara Jenkins, who is coordinating the details of the illustrations and maps, including being liaison with the graphics office of the Washington University Medical School, and is also helping with some rewriting; and Warren Lamboy who provided the basemap.
The core introductory chapters will include full-page maps, many original, representing physiographic regions, climatic zones, soil orders, floristic regions, and vegetation of North America, all drawn on the same base map and at the same scale. Additional maps and illustrations will accompany the various chapters.
The status of the chapters is as follows:
Editing and revision completed for:
Michael G. Barbour and Norman L. Christensen: Vegetation
Manuscripts in review
Charles B. Heiser, Jr.: Ethnobotany and Economic Botany of the North
Manuscripts in progress:
Luc Brouillet and R. David Whetstone: Physiography, Geology and
Taxonomic Manuscripts Received at the Organizational Center December 1990 - March 1991 (Some may have been in editors' hands earlier.)
Volume 1:
Michael Windham: Astrolepis and Cheilanthes
Clif Nauman: Dennstaedtia
Joe Beitel and Herb Wagner: Lycopodiaceae
Florence and Herb Wagner: Botrychium
Herb Wagner: Cheiroglossa and Ophioglossum
Ivan Valdespino: Selaginellaceae
Frank Watson: Sequoia, Sequoiadendron and Taxodium
Jim Eckenwalder: Cupressus
Richard Wunderlin: Callitris
Dennis Stevenson: Ephedra
Robert Adams: Juniperus
David Michener: Chamaecyparis
Kenton Chambers: Thuja
David Whetstone: Ginkgoaceae
ALL PTERIDOPHYTE MANUSCRIPTS ARE IN; ALL GYMNOSPERM MANUSCRIPTS ARE IN!
Volume 2:
Sue Sherman-Broyles: Ulmus
Volume 10:
Bruce Ford: Carex sect. Squarrosae
Bill Crins: Carex sect. Ceratocystis
Alfred Schuyler: Scirpus
Charles Horn: Pontederiaceae
Thomas Ranker: Camassia
Request for Information
Information and collections of three rare species of the Pontederiaceae are requested. These species are all introductions into North America.
Eichhornia azurea has been reported in the literature as occurring in Texas and Florida, yet no extant specimens are known to verify its true identity. This is of some concern because there is a closely related species, E. heterosperma, with which it may be confused, especially with vegetative material. Are specimens or populations present?
Eichhornia paniculata was listed by Small in his 1913 edition of the Flora of the Southeastern US (published as Piaropus paniculata). He listed the species as occurring in ditches of peninsular Florida. No specimens have ever been found. Are any specimens extant?
Monochoria vaginalis has been documented from the rice fields of Butte Co., California. This is based on two collections, one in 1957, the other in 1976. No specimens of the species are known since 1976. Is the species still present in California?
Please forward any information to Charles Horn, Biology Department, Newberry College, Newberry, South Carolina 29108, phone: 803/321-5257.
AmeriFlora '92
As part of the 1992 commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's first voyage to the Americas, Columbus, Ohio, will host the international floral and garden exhibit AmeriFlora. The exhibit begins on April 3 with a 17-day indoor display. An outdoor festival follows, 20 April to 12 October. Flora of North America has space assigned for both displays. We would like to celebrate the appreciation of our North American flora by having a display featuring: (1) posters, T-shirts, greeting cards, etc., produced by native plant societies; and (2) living plants that are beautiful or interesting from throughout the flora area. We need help with this. Organizations interested in participating in any way-- providing plants or display items, or able to help at the exhibit--please call Judy Unger at FNA, 1-800-627-3378.
Plants and Help in New Mexico
Scientists from the radioactive Waste Isolation Pilot Plant project, located in southeastern New Mexico, have expressed an interest in interaction with other parts of the scientific and educational community. It is involved with a consortium of regional universities to aid students at all levels with research projects. The project also wishes to assist any educational endeavor through its educational outreach programs. The WIPP project is located in the transition zone between the Great Plains and the Chihuahuan Desert. Much of the area is occupied by shin oak (Quercus havardii) and arid grassland. Individuals who have specific needs for collected material field trips can contact Mr. Larry Madl or Mr. Rijk Morawe, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Waste Isolation Division, P. O. Box 2078, Carlsbad, New Mexico 88221.
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Publications Received at the FNA Organizational Center that might be of interest to some of our readers include:
Cyperaceae Newsletter 8 (1-1991), edited by P. Goetghebeur (State University of Gent, Belgium) and D. Simpson (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Great Britain), contains research information on who is doing what, requests and exchanges, and two notulae. There is a voluntary contribution of US$8 or £5 Sterling for a subscription, but they cannot cash checks made out in US dollars. Cyperaceae will be in Volume 10 of Flora of North America, which will be the third volume to be published.
Manual of North American Grasses Newsletter 4, December 1990 (sponsored by the Agricultural Research Service, USDA), edited by Mary E. Barkworth and Kathleen Capels, Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322-5305, includes a request for anyone who would like to prepare a treatment of one or more of thirty orphan genera. Poaceae will be Volume 11 of Flora of North America and the fourth volume to be published.
Diversity, A News Journal for the International Plant Genetic Resources Community, Volume 6, Nos. 3 & 4, 1990. This is a quarterly journal published by Genetic Resources Communications Systems, Inc., a non-profit corporation based in Washington, D.C. The publication is committed to serving the plant genetic resources community and has established itself as both a respected and authoritative national and international journal.
Minnesota County Biological Survey, Report No. 31, 1990, published by the state's Department of Natural Resources, presents work on that state's attempt to identify locations of Minnesota's rare natural ecosystems, their component natural communities, and rare plant and animal species.
NEWS FROM HERBARIA
Herbarium, Botanical Museum, University of Copenhagen (C): Bent Fredskild, Keeper of the Greenland herbarium in Copenhagen, in a letter responding to newsletter comments, mentioned that they have received very few requests so far for specimens from Greenland from authors covering taxa with more northern distributions. Of the ca. 500 Greenland species of higher plants, they have approximately 120,000 collections. They would like borrowers to inform them as to how many sheets are wanted, because they have on the average more than 200 sheets of each species. The Greenland Botanical Survey was founded in 1962 as part of the Botanical Museum, University of Copenhagen. Every summer since then they have succeeded in sending a small group of scientists (also students in the first two decades) to collect plants, mainly higher plants, at different places in Greenland. The major part of the country can now be considered well sampled, and only in southeast Greenland are there fairly large "white spots."
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The herbarium from Strathclyde University, which contains much material from North America, is now managed by the Department of Natural History of the Glasgow Museum. Collections of note include those of J. Scouler (1804-1871) and Douglas, who did pioneering work in the New World. --from E.G. Hancock, Keeper, Department of Natural History, Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries, Glasgow, G3 8AG Scotland.
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Herbaria of New Mexico, compiled by Carolyn Dodson, is an excellent listing of herbaria in this state. It includes mailing address, name of curator or contact, number of specimens, and region or taxonomic groups. Many of these herbaria are too small to be included in Index Herbariorum, so this may be the only source of this information. The paper appeared in Madroño 37:311-313, 1991. Dodson's address is General Library, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131.
INFORMATION RESOURCES
BIOSIS has established a new Research Section in the Research and Development Department to provide a structured approach to BIOSIS' continued commitment to meet the information and research needs of the life science community. One of its primary responsibilities is to monitor and explore technologies relevant to the information industry, and to determine their potential application at BIOSIS. For further information contact Sarah Syen, Section Chief, Research, BIOSIS, Research and Development Department, 2100 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1399; 215/587-4934.
Also from BIOSIS, DIALOG users can now access TOXLINE, the National Library of Medicine's online reference file that provides vital research information on the pharmacological, physiological, biochemical, and toxicological effects of drugs and other chemicals. TOXLINE is a compendium of current and retrospective reference materials from more than a dozen scientific literature sources, including BIOSIS, the National Library of Medicine, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Technical Information Service, the Association of Hospital Pharmacists, and others. Each organization sponsors a TOXLINE subfile covering research on a specific aspect of drug and chemical impact on living systems. For more information on TOXLINE on DIALOG and/or the BIOSIS subfile, contact the BIOSIS Marketing Section at the same address as above or call 1-800-523-4806. To obtain a DIALOG password and pricing information, contact Dialog Information Services, Inc. at 1-800-3-DIALOG.
PUBLICATIONS
Novon is a new journal for botanical nomenclature from the Missouri Botanical Garden. In 1991, MBG will begin publishing a journal devoted to the establishment of new nomenclatural entities and new taxonomic synonymy. "Novon" is a made-up word meaning any nomenclatural entity at its first publication. Novon will include descriptions and names of new taxa, new combinations of existing names, and new names. Although the format of articles will be concise and stereotyped, ample space will be provided to discuss the taxonomic and/or nomenclatural justification for proposed nova. Taxonomic coverage will be restricted to vascular plants and bryophytes. The journal will be automatically distributed quarterly to all who receive the Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Initially, Novon will not be available as a separate subscription or exchange. Beginning in 1991, the editorial policy of the Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden will be changed to exclude articles devoted to nova.
Novon will provide a means to publish nova rapidly. To speed typesetting, authors should submit manuscripts as two printed copies and on diskette. Authors are also requested to submit xerographic copies of basionyms for new combinations and replaced names for new names. Detailed instructions for authors are available from the editorial office of Novon, Department 11, Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, Missouri 63166. Each manuscript will be reviewed for nomenclatural correctness under the current edition of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, for the preexistence of any proposed new nomenclature, and for scientific merit.
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The Medicinal Flora of Native North America: An Analysis, by Daniel E. Moerman, has been published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 31(1991), 1-42. This paper reports on an analysis of North American plants used medicinally by Native North Americans. The analysis shows that the medicinal species used by Native North Americans are distributed in a highly non-random fashion across subclasses and families as well as across groups defined in terms of growth habit and life pattern. Reprints are available from the author at the Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan.
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The Genus Utricularia--A Taxonomic Monograph (1989), by Peter Taylor, Kew Bulletin Additional Series 14: i-xi, 1-724. To North American botanists who are familiar with the bladderworts as a small group of aquatic, carnivorous plants, this gigantic monograph may be quite a revelation. It contains a thorough treatment of the 214 species in the world, which include floating aquatics (including some that live in bromeliad tanks!), rheophytes, lithophytes, epiphytes, and terrestrial taxa, none of which possesses true cotyledons, roots, or normal leaves. A lengthy introductory chapter summarizes the plants' morphology, reproduction, and ecology, and discusses the sectional classification and species concepts (no infraspecific taxa are recognized). Each species is rather fully described (based, in part, on extensive liquid-preserved collections assembled by the author), with complete synonymy and a beautiful plate of line drawings. Although the length of the work precludes citation of specimens, a synopsis of each species' distribution by country and state (watch for numerous inconsistencies and incorrect spellings of place names) is included, as well as a summary table for all of the species by major regions of the world. Four simple and effective keys are provided for different areas of the world. The key to the Americas, including Greenland, the Caribbean, Galapagos, and Hawaii, allows determination from among 93 species, 18 of which occur within the FNA region. Lengthy, often anecdotal justifications for species limits and nomenclature help the reader to understand the often complex synonymy, and 12 pages of bibliography (including a few references not cited in the text) provide ample review of the literature on the genus. North American botanists should be aware that the treatment includes taxonomic changes affecting some long-standing names. For example, U. vulgaris is restricted to the Old World, and the widespread species usually referred to that name in North America is segregated as U. macrorhiza LeConte.
This monograph is an amazing piece of research, based on the author's 40 years of field and herbarium studies. Even with its flimsy binding, it is well worth the £40 price tag. 6" x 9 1/2" (paperbound), ISBN 0-11-250046-3. Order from HMSO Books (P9D) St. Crispin's, Duke St., Norwich NR3 1PD, England. --G. Yatskievych (MO).
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Vascular Flora of the Southeastern United States. Vol. 3, Part 2. Leguminosae (Fabaceae) by D. Isely. 1990. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. 258 pp. $37.00. This book has the following components: a brief description of the physiographic and floristic provinces of the United States and introduction, pp. x-xvii; a conventional textual floristic treatment, pp. 1-209; Appendix 1, selected bibliographies, including general references to Leguminosae, floristic treatments of Leguminosae of the United States (except the southeastern U.S.), and references to cultivated species, pp. 210-215; Appendix 2, systematics of the Leguminosae, including historical accounting of legume classification and classification of the Legumes in the southeastern United States, pp. 217-227; glossary, pp. 231-238; literature cited, pp. 239-246; and an index, pp. 247-258. --from information provided by the author.
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Volume 21 of Jeffersonia, a newsletter of Virginia Botany, has been completed and is available to those interested in the Flora of Virginia. Manuscripts are accepted that deal with any aspect of Virginia botany including historical, taxonomic, ecological, bibliographical, and biographical studies. Articles or information relating to plant conservation are also welcomed. All manuscripts, correspondence, and requests for back issues should be sent to: Dr. L. Michael Hill, Biology Department, Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, Virginia 22812-1599.
Flora of New Brunswick by Harold R. Hinds. 1986. Primrose Press, c/o Mr. H.R. Hinds, Biology Department, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, xxvi + 886 pp., illus. $30. Harold R. Hinds has produced a very compact, soft covered vascular flora of New Brunswick. The cover has an illustration of Canada's rare Pedicularis furbishae, one of Dr. C. Mary Young's illustrations, others of which are included in the illustrated glossary. The book exceeds the original objective by including 206 pages of appendix with plant illustrations by Carol Bayley, and distribution maps. The introduction includes notes on how to use the book, location of New Brunswick, physiography, glacial history, climate and a history of plant collecting, followed by acknowledgments. All taxa are keyed with numbered unindented keys and for each, the common name, frequency, habitat, general range, and notes are included. The main text (424 pages) is followed by a page of "references cited", a nicely illustrated glossary (8 pages), and a 26-page index. The distribution maps, slightly larger than postage stamp size, represent 1032 taxa (mostly species). Many widely distributed species are not mapped nor are a number of rare species that have been found only a few times. The appendix of distribution maps includes 85 pages, and the preceding appendix of illustrations (also slightly larger than postage stamp size) includes 122 pages and 1437 taxa.
Even a comprehensive work, like Flora of New Brunswick, is not devoid of errors or opportunities for improvement. A listing of corrections is available (from Hinds). Indented dichotomous keys would have been easier to use, and the placement of the index at the very end would also have improved utility. A map identifying major geographical features and towns was not included. The stated purpose of Flora of New Brunswick is "to provide a means of identifying all of the vascular plants growing without cultivation in New Brunswick." It succeeds excellently. Information is readily obtained from the text because of the use of boldface and subheadings. The keys are easy to use, sometimes in conjunction with the well-illustrated glossary, and some keys incorporate novel character combinations and represent improvements over existing keys. The illustrations are generally very good and very useful, and the distribution maps are clear and accurate. It is a very substantial contribution to North American systematics and to the flora of Canada, and it is very, very reasonably priced considering its content. --excerpted from a review by Robin Day and Paul Catling in the 16 July 1990 edition of The Canadian Field-Naturalist.
A Checklist of the Flora of Ontario, by J.K. Morton and Joan M. Venn, is the first published comprehensive inventory of the vascular plants of the Province of Ontario. It lists all the species, subspecies, and named hybrids that are known to occur in the province, assigning each to its currently accepted scientific name. Synonyms are also included when they have appeared in the literature referring to Ontario collections or to the occurrence of a plant in the province. The list contains over 7000 entries relating to the 1930 native and 958 alien species that are recognized as occurring in the province growing outside of cultivation. References are given, where appropriate, to recent records and justify many of the taxonomic and nomenclatural decisions contained in the checklist. The checklist is available in "perfect" binding with soft cover for library and bookshelf use and plastic ring binder for herbarium and desk-top use (indicate preference with order). To order mail $20 plus $2 for postage and handling, with checks/money orders payable to University of Waterloo, to Biology Series, Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario. Canada N2L 3G1.
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The Nova Scotia Museum is currently working with Dr. A.E. Roland on the third edition of The Flora of Nova Scotia. Dr. Roland produced the first comprehensive flora of the province in 1944-45. A second edition by A.E. Roland and E.C. Smith appeared in 1969, and it is hoped that the third edition will be available within the next two years. New illustrations have been prepared by Dr. Roland for the work, which has been reorganized according to Cronquist.
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Rare Vascular Plants in Canada - Our Natural Heritage by George W. Argus (an FNA Editorial Committee member) and Kathleen M. Pryer. Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa. 191 pp + maps. 1990. This publication on the status of rare vascular plants in Canada is the culmination of 17 years of research supported and encouraged by the Rare and Endangered Plants Project of the Canadian Museum of Nature. It is based largely on previously published rare plants lists, but additions and deletions have been made. This annotated list treats 1010 rare Canadian species, comprising 25-30% of the Canadian flora. Documentation for treating each species rare in Canada is given. In addition, each species is placed in an international context by its Nature Conservancy rank, given at global, national, and subnational levels, and its Canadian conservation priority. A range map for each species, plotted at the province, territory, and state levels, indicates its general North American range. In addition to the main annotated list sublists are arranged by family, province and territory, and priority class, and a list of rare Canadian endemics. This publication is available, in English or in French from: The Museum Boutique, Canadian Museum of Nature, P.O. Box 3443, Sta. `D', Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 6P4. Canada: $16.96 (Can) incl. postage, handling, and GST. U.S.A.: $18.95 (Can) incl. postage, handling.
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Annual Review of Pteridological Research, Vol. 3. (1989), compiled by C.K. Rohrbach and R.C. Moran. Missouri Botanical Garden. St. Louis. 72 pp. 1991. The goal of the Annual Review of Pteridological Research (ARPR) is to provide researchers with a list of publications in pteridology for the previous calendar year and to facilitate communication by providing lists of researchers' names, addresses, phone numbers, FAX numbers, and current interests and projects. The 1989 volume of the ARPR has three parts: 1) a bibliography of 706 literature citations, 2) a compilation of brief reports on the research interests and current projects of 305 pteridologists from all over the world, 107 of whom are students, and 3) a directory of respondents. To purchase the 1989 ARPR or to subscribe to the 1990 ARPR, send $10.00 with your name and address to the International Association of Pteridologists, c/o Dean Whittier, Department of General Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235.
CONSERVATION NEWS
A new species of Viola from the Guadalupe Mountains, Trans-Pecos Texas, was discovered by Park Ranger Brent Wauer in March 1987, because he noticed some yellow flowers on the side of a cliff where he knew no such plant was supposed to be growing. Even after further searching, these 35 individual plants were the only ones with vibrant yellow flowers that could be found growing in the crevices on a limestone formation on the east rim of the mountains. The 86,000-acre Guadalupe Mountains National Park is near the Texas-New Mexico line and about 100 miles east of El Paso. This odd-ball violet appears to be a sturdy survivor of the area's ancient rain forest, most other species of which disappeared at least 8000 years ago.
Viola guadalupensis was described and named in an article by A. Michael Powell and Brent Wauer, Sida 14(1):1-6, 1990, and is an immediate candidate for endangered status. The new species has 13 mm diameter flowers on 15--30 cm stems, with lanceolate to ovate- or oblong-lanceolate leaves, glabrous or with a few short hairs, especially along veins, abaxially. Viola guadalupensis is also distinguished by its habitat, in the pores of limestone. The new species is related to V. vallicola and V. nuttallii of northern New Mexico and western United States, and is also similar to V. painteri of northern Mexico.
NEWS AND NOTES
The New York Flora Association of the New York State Museum Institute recently sent FNA a copy of their August newsletter. The organization is off to a fine start with over 260 members who are listed with complete addresses in that particular issue. For further information, contact The New York Flora Association, 3132 CEC, Albany, NY 12230.
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Dr. Edward E. Schilling became Editor-in-Chief for Systematic Botany on January 1, 1991. New manuscripts should now be sent to Dr. Schilling, Department of Botany , University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1100. Phone: 615/974-2256. Manuscripts that were received through December, already in review or being revised, will continue to be handled by Dr. James Hardin, the previous editor.
DEATHS
Joe Beitel, 1952-1991, Horticultural Taxonomist at the New York Botanical Garden, died 22 February in New York City of brain cancer. He had been ill for several months. Joe studied for a Ph.D. at the University of Michigan under W. H. Wagner, Jr., and accumulated materials for a dissertation on North American Lycopodium. He was widely known in horticultural circles as well as for his expertise in identifying North American pteridophytes and for coauthoring with Dr. John Mickel the Pteridophyte Flora of Oaxaca, Mexico. Joe was the author of Lycopodiaceae for Flora of North America, Volume 1. Herb Wagner helped him to finish the treatment.
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
Undergraduate Internships for Flora of North America: Flora of North America hopes to receive supplemental funding from the National Science Foundation to support two undergraduate interns in 1991. Interns would be stationed at either University of Oklahoma or Kansas State University, Manhattan. Interested undergraduates who have had courses in basic botany and plant taxonomy should send a résumé and name and telephone number of their undergraduate advisor to Flora of North America, Missouri Botanical Garden, P. O. Box 299, St. Louis, Missouri 63166. We should learn within the next month whether funding will be available. Candidates will be notified about their acceptance by 1 June. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
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Assistant Collections Program Manager for the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. The National Museum of Natural History seeks a highly responsible candidate to work under the direction of the Assistant Director for Collections in the management and operations of the Collections Program. Applicants should show evidence of well-developed communication, analytical, and organization skills; the ability to work independently; information management skills and computer literacy; and have extensive knowledge in at least one of the following: collections management, conservation, collections-based research, or administrative and legal aspects of managing natural history collections. Education in one of the following sciences is desired: biology, anthropology, geology. Duties include, but are not limited to, providing policy, program and issue analyses of matters that have bearing on the work of the Collections Program; participation in the research, development and organization of projects; technical support in the implementation of projects; day-to-day support to the Assistant Director; and general program administration. Starting salary range: GS-11 to GM-13 ($31,116-44,348) depending on qualifications. To apply: send Form SF-171 (Application for Federal Employment) together with examples of your work experience and education as it relates to the requirements listed above no later than close of business April 15, 1991 to: Smithsonian Institution, Office of Human Services, Branch 2 (MPA 90-2319), P.O. Box 23293, Washington, D.C. 20026-3762. For further information please call Joanna Lange (202) 287-3100 ext. 227.
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