|
|
Volume 7, Number 4
October-November-December 1993
Nancy R. Morin and Judith M. Unger, co-editors
FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA NEWS
IN PRINT!!!!!
We are delighted to announce the publication of: Flora of North America north of Mexico, Volume 1, Introduction, (contains chapters on the physical setting of North America, paleofloristics, paleovegetation, and paleoclimates; contemporary vegetation and floristics; humankind and the flora; and classification systems used in Flora of North America). 1993. 378 pp., 73 photographs and 94 line drawings. ISBN 0-19-505713-9. AND Volume 2, Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms. 1993. 480 pp., 607 distribution maps and 65 plates of line drawings.
A handbound copy of each volume was ceremonially presented to George Engelmann (played by M. R. Crosby) at the Missouri Botanical Garden's annual Systematics Symposium on 9 October. Those copies were available for viewing during the symposium and were ultimately given personally to Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt by the convening editor.
The list price of each volume is $75, but the special offer of $60 per volume is still in effect. To order write Oxford University Press (OUP), Biological Sciences Marketing Department, 200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016, or call 1-800/451-7556. All authors get a 40% discount for their volume, but orders must be placed using special order form (call the Organizational Center at 314/577-9550 for a copy) mailed to Mr. Peter Titus at the above address. Authors outside the U.S. should also follow this procedure.
Canadians who are not authors are encouraged to order through OUP, Toronto branch, 70 Windford Dr., Toronto, ON M3C 1J9, tel: 800/387-8020416/441-2941, ask for order department or FAX: 416/441-0345.
FNA volumes can also be purchased through the Missouri Botanical Garden Scientific Publications, by phone at 314/577-9534, FAX at 314/577-9594, or mail at Department Eleven, Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, Missouri 63166-0299, USA; $75. (for US shipments add $2 for one book and $.75 for each additional book; for non-US shipments, add $3 for one book and $.75 for each additional book; add $1 invoicing fee if payment is not enclosed). Payment can be by check or charge card (Mastercard, Visa).
The Organizational Center is not selling the FNA Volumes. Please order them through OUP-New York or Toronto or MBG-Scientific Publications.
Proper citation for FNA is: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico. 2+ vols. Oxford University Press, New York.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Flora of North America (FNA) project is a cooperative program to produce a Flora of the plants of North America north of Mexico. The FNA Newsletter is published quarterly 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.
******************************************************************
Report from Editorial Committee Meeting
The fall Editorial Committee meeting was held at Missouri Botanical Garden on Sunday and Monday, 10--11 October 1993. On Sunday, the group met at the Garden's Shaw Arboretum. Funding, particularly the proposal submitted for the 15 October deadline to National Science Foundation, was discussed in detail. Prepublication, handbound copies of Volumes 1 and 2 were duly admired. Staff reported on efforts required in the final stages, working closely with people at Oxford University Press.
Discussion then turned to preparation of volume 3 and subsequent volumes. Two things are urgently needed to improve efficiency in the editing process for both books and database. First, to plan illustration plates, organize the bibliographic database, respond to the many requests for information received, and a multitude of other operational reasons, FNA needs to have--as soon as possible and for all families--the lists of taxa that will be accepted by authors, preferably showing the order in which taxa will be treated and with synonymy given, especially for commonly used names that will not be accepted by the author. FNA will seek funding for a temporary position to work with authors on this. Second, FNA needs to "complete" and distribute, as soon as possible, a character and character state list as a tool for authors using DELTA or other description-generating programs. Such lists would be starting points (not restrictive!) for authors. Alan Whittemore and Debbie Kama are working with taxon editors to develop these lists.
Treatments of all genera and species in the 32 families of volume 3, Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae, had been received and were being edited; diskettes will be submitted to Oxford University Press early in 1994. For all monocotyledonous plants except Poaceae (volume 11), treatments are being edited and revised; submission to Oxford University Press is anticipated in late 1994. Twenty nine (29) genera in four families have been received for Caryophyllidae (volume 4). Eighteen authors have submitted treatments on 102 genera and 358 species in 12 families for other subclasses. A total of 402 authors treating 1460 genera in 278 families had accepted invitations to contribute treatments to vascular plants.
Rahmona Thompson pointed out that names accepted in Hitchcock and Chase should be accounted for in the treatments of Poaceae. Those names do not presently appear in the list of accepted names sent from the Organizational Center to authors, but they will be incorporated as soon as possible. For the Bryophyte volume, Bill Buck will coordinate preparation of Introductory Chapters (similar to those in volume 1). He will extend invitations to potential authors for the ten or so proposed chapters.
Editorial committee members and staff participated in a full week-long workshop on DELTA (Descriptive Language for Taxonomy) conducted by Michael Dallwitz, CSIRO Division of Entomology, Canberra, Australia. Participants experimented with developing character lists and producing descriptions and interactive keys using their own taxonomic groups.
Organizational Center Notes
New Staff: Gina Otterson is the new Secretary in the FNA office. She previously worked as a secretary for an architectural/engineering firm in downtown St. Louis. Born and raised in southern California, she has lived in Mexico for 2 1/2 years, lived in the Washington DC area, where she met her husband she now has a two year old daughter. She is a Biology major at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and is especially interested in wetland studies.
Manuscripts Received 15 August through 15 December 1993
Volume 3
John Wiersema: Cabombaceae, Nelumbonaceae, and
Volume 11
Elias Landolt: Lemnaceae
Robert Haynes: Najadaceae
Eric Hagsater: Encyclia
Bill Crins: Carex Sect. Acrocystis
Fred Utech: Clintonia, Convallaria, Prosartes, Streptopus,
Volume 4
James Matthews: Portulaca
Claud Lefebvre: Armeria
Alert: Any outstanding manuscripts for Volume 11 should be sent to the appropriate taxon editor and the Organizational Center immediately. We are ready to begin more concentrated work on that volume. All volume 3 manuscripts have been received, and text, illustrations, and maps are being put in final form and sent out for regional review.
Information Wanted: The Organizational Center is requesting reprints of articles relevant to FNA, both for taxa already treated so the database can be updated, and for groups yet to come so we can be certain that authors are aware of recent publications and to help us identify new potential authors and reviewers. Please send them to Nancy Morin at the Organizational Center. We would also like to receive articles presenting and/or reviewing the FNA volumes. Organizational Center address: P. O. Box 299, St. Louis, Missouri 63166.
Tips To Authors: nomenclature questions should be sent to Dr. John McNeill at the Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ont. M5S 2C6 Canada (tel. 416/586-5639, fax 416/586-8044, email rom!john@zoo.toronto.edu); bibliographic questions should be sent to Dr. Bob Kiger, Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213 USA (tel. 412/268-2434, email rk2y+@andrew.cmu.edu).
Gazetteers For Canada - Researchers who use specimens from Canada will benefit from access to gazetteers for Canadian place names. Geographic names are listed alphabetically; alternative names are cross referenced. Each name is followed by a map reference number which locates the site on the topographic map grid. The map reference number is followed by latitude and longitude. A foldout map of the province or territory, showing population centers, national parks, major roads, waterways, and latitude and longitude, is attached to the inside of the back cover of each gazetteer. The reverse side of each map illustrates the area's grid of 1:50,000 topographic maps. Gazetteers are available for the following provinces and territories at the prices (US$) indicated: Alberta, 1988 ($31.85); Newfoundland, 1983 ($19.50); Northwest Territories, 1980 ($9.10); Ontario, 1988 ($32.50); Prince Edward Island, 1990 ($12.95); Saskatchewan, 1985 ($10.40); and Yukon, 1988 ($20.80). Canada: Geographic Names and the United Nations, 1987, describes the development of an international system for geographic names. All books in this series have paper covers. Most are also available on microfiche. Order from: Canada Communication Group, Publishing Division, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0S9 Canada. Nominal shipping charges apply. For supplements and gazetteers for British Columbia 1985 ($37.50), Manitoba 1981, New Brunswick 1972, and Nova Scotia 1977, apply to E.M.R., CDA Map Office, 615 Booth St., Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E9 Canada.
NEWS FROM HERBARIA
The Field Museum's Timothy C. Plowman Economic Botany Collection has now been inventoried, organized within plant families, and partially computerized. Listings of these holdings can be obtained on several fields (e.g., taxa, geographic area, type of product). In 1988 this facility was named in honor of the late Dr. Timothy C. Plowman, who was instrumental in its development. The collection of over 12,000 specimens had its origin in the World Columbian Exposition of 1893, and was enriched by gifts from the national exhibits of British Guiana, the Philippines, Japan, Brazil, Burma, and India. Specimens also were acquired from the Paris Exposition (1901), the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904), and the Panama-Pacific Exposition (1915), as well as numerous Field Museum sponsored expeditions. The collection has been enhanced recently by the acquisition of more than 1200 pharmaceutical specimens from the College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois, Chicago.
Our intention is to make these specimens accessible for study by systematists, ethnobotanists, anthropologists, and to encourage their use in comparative studies in economic botany and plant product identification. Specimens include plant products and artifacts, as well as medicinal barks and roots that often do not appear on herbarium specimens and are rarely represented in systematic collections. There are also excellent examples of plant fibers and articles made from them, in some cases showing all stages of the weaving process. Obscure cultivars of both common and unusual cultivated grains and legumes enhance the economic and systematic importance of this collection. The families Erythroxylaceae and Solanaceae are especially well documented. A resource center adjacent to the Economic Botany collection houses Dr. Plowman's extensive reprints on economically and socially important plant groups.
Direct inquiries to Chair, Botany Department, Field Museum of Natural History, Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60605-2496. 312/922-9410, fax 312/427-7269.
* * * * * * *
Dieter Wilken, formerly at Colorado State University, has been appointed Director of Research at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. He will be responsible for administering the Department of Research and will continue his work on demographic aspects of hybridization, systematic studies in Polemoniaceae, and floristics.
Thomas Elias, former director of the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, accepted the position of Director of the National Arboretum, effective 1 December 1993.
William McKinley Klein, Jr., former director of Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, has accepted the position of Director of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, effective 1 January 1994.
CELEBRATING WILDFLOWERS
WILDFLOWER WEEK, MAY 23-29, 1994
National forests and grasslands are truly America's wildflower gardens. These areas provide habitats for approximately 10,000 native plant species and are the major refuge for 94 threatened and endangered plants and another 1,600 sensitive plant species requiring extra management attention.
Growing segments of the public are becoming keenly interested in the vital role native plants play in biodiversity management. Aesthetic appreciation of plants and traditional nature study is also increasing. Demographic trends toward a more urban, educated, and environmentally aware public suggest the need for agency outreach. The United States Forest Service has one of the nation's leading botanical work forces which, in cooperation with other agency staff, can help deliver an important new program.
In 1992 the Forest Service launched Celebrating Wildflowers - Wildflower Week, an annual event that emphasizes the importance of plant resources and serves as a platform for year-round programs to feature the important role that national forests and grasslands play in providing diverse habitats for much of America's flora. Celebrating Wildflowers promotes the importance of conservation and management of native plants and their habitats by emphasizing their aesthetic, recreational, biological, medicinal and economic values.
Initial efforts have been tremendously successful, with several hundred events taking place with the assistance and participation of many partnership groups. Various organizations such as the Garden Club of America, native plant societies, and civic groups participated and contributed to the success of the first two years.
Celebrating Wildflowers has been successful through the combined efforts of various Forest Service staffs. The program relies on participation by botanists, nature interpreters, and managers working in wildlife and fisheries, range, timber, recreation, watershed and soil, and conservation education.
Additional participation during 1994 is expected by other federal agencies. The Bureau of Land Management is expected to be a full partner. Combined, the 191 million acres of Forest Service land and the 270 million of acres managed by the BLM represent 20% of the nation's landmass.
Enhanced partnership participation and funding would help this program fulfill its mission to increase public participation in conservation education and management programs.
CELEBRATING WILDFLOWERS - WILDFLOWER WEEK, MAY 23-29, 1994, kick-off events will highlight activities which will take place all season long. To learn what you or your organization or society can do to participate this year, write: Elizabeth Lye, National Endangered Plants Program, U.S. Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington, D.C., 20090, Phone: 202/205-0850.
PUBLICATIONS
The Vascular Flora of Pennsylvania: Annotated Checklist and Atlas, by Ann Fowler Rhoads and William McKinley Klein, Jr. 1993. Volume 207, Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society, P.O. Box 40098, Philadelphia, PA 19106. 636 pages. ISBN 0-87168-207-4. $50. Hardcover.
This gorgeous atlas and checklist is the first published product of the Pennsylvania Flora Database, an ongoing project involving computerization of specimen data. It is a large, sturdily bound volume whose appearance is greatly enhanced by Janet E. Klein's exquisite watercolors appearing on the cover, title page, and headings for major groups.
The book contains a brief introduction to Pennsylvania's geography, geology and vegetation, including several maps. It also contains lists of excluded species, recent additions to the flora, and species spreading in the state, as well as a statistical summary and a diagrammatic guide. The volume concludes with a bibliography organized by plant family, and an index. Readers who want more detailed information on the database project than is provided in the atlas and checklist may want to consult an earlier paper by Dr. Rhoads in the Proceedings of the Fifteenth Annual Natural Areas Conference (Bull. New York state Mus. 471: 125-128, 1990).
The majority of the volume consists of a checklist and maps for 4418 taxa known to occur in the state. The arrangement of families is phylogenetic within each major group: the pteridophyte and conifer familial circumscriptions follow those used by Flora of North America, volume 2, with minor differences (in sequence and in Adiantaceae vs. Pteridaceae); the monocots and dicots follow Cronquist's (1981) classification. This nonalphabetical arrangement may send inexperienced users scurrying for the index.
For each taxon, the entry contains accepted name, brief synonymy, common name(s), lifeform and habitat(s). The maps are accompanied by information on the federal and state conservation status of each taxon, wetland code in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service classification system, and an indication of whether the taxon is introduced or native in the flora. Sadly, the printed data on the federal conservation status of various species has already become outdated following the much-delayed publication of a new Federal Register on candidate taxa of plants, which affects the status of several species in the state. Curiously, the new Federal Register lists two taxa as C2 candidates, Cirsium hillii and Rubus whartoniae, that are indicated as growing in Pennsylvania, but which are unaccounted for in the present volume. The dynamic nature of the database supporting the present volume makes such updates relatively painless.
The distributional maps are simple and clear, and are based on actual or inferred latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates for each voucher specimen. Some of the maps graphically illustrate distributional patterns that may be correlated with particular vegetation types or geological features by comparing them with the base maps in the volume's introduction. Common taxa often result in maps for which significant portions of the state are blackened by overlapping dots, indicating a well-populated database.
Atlas and checklist should be of interest to a variety of users, including taxonomists, biogeographers, and conservationists, and will undoubtedly stimulate further research on Pennsylvania's flora. Botanists in other states contemplating similar projects will want to cite this volume as an outstanding example of the potential for useful information from specimen databases. --reviewed by G. Yatskievych (MO).
* * * * * * *
Rare Vascular Plants in the Canadian Arctic, by Cheryl McJannet, George Argus, Silvia Edlund and Jacques Cayouette, Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa (1993). 79 pages. This publication is the latest to emerge from the Canadian Rare Plants Project, which is supported by the Research Division of the Canadian Museum of Nature. It was compiled to identify the rare vascular plants of the Canadian Arctic as part of the Canadian contribution to the International Circumpolar Agreement on the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna.
This annotated list treats 236 rare vascular plant taxa in the Canadian Arctic, which encompasses northern portions of the Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, Quebec, Ontario, and Labrador. The limits of the Canadian Arctic are defined and the criteria used to determine a taxon's rarity are included. For each taxon a comment is included on phytogeography, occurrence in the Canadian Arctic, and the rare status in other parts of Canada. A distribution map showing known occurrences in the Canadian Arctic is included for each species.
The rare arctic taxa included in this publication represent a unique part of Canadian biodiversity and their recognition is an important step toward characterization and representation of Arctic ecosystems.
This publication is available in English from: Direct Mail, Canadian Museum of Nature, P.O. Box 3443, Station "D", Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6P4, Canada. Or call toll free at 1-800-263-4433. Price in Canada: $14.92 (including postage, handling and GST).
* * * * * * *
Atlas of Tennessee Vascular Plants. Volume 1, Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Angiosperms: monocots, by E. W. Chester, B. E. Wofford, R. Kral, H. R. DeSelm, and A. M. Evans. This atlas contains county distribution maps of 906 taxa of pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and monocots. Maps are followed by an index including pertinent synonyms. 1993. Misc. Publ. No. 9. The Center for Field Biology, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tennessee. $7.00. Available from: Publications Manager, The Center for Field Biology, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN 37044. Checks payable to Austin Peay State University.
* * * * * * *
Dr. David W. Hall, has written Illustrated Plants of Florida and the Coastal Plain. The 431-page book features pen and ink illustrations of more than 1200 common plants found in Florida and the Southern coastal plain. The book describes and illustrates the wildflowers of Florida and the Southeastern coastal plain from Lake Okeechobee in peninsular Florida northward. Most common shrub and herbaceous plants are included, but grasses, rushes, and trees are excluded. Plants are arranged alphabetically by family, with the description alongside for easy identification. Each entry describes the vegetative parts and flowers, habitat, range, season, and frequency. Two indexes and a glossary of plant terms are included for reference. ISBN: 0-929895-40-1, 448 pages, 1200 illustrations, 6" x 9" paper, index, references, $19.95. Published by Maupin House, P.O. Box 90148, Gainesville, Florida 32607; Tel 800-524-0634 or fax 904/373-5588.
* * * * * * *
Biological Pollution: The Control and Impact of Invasive Exotic Species, edited by Bill N. McKnight, features 21 presentations given at a meeting of the Indiana Academy of Science (IAS) on this subject. Biology and control of a variety of organisms, from multiflora rose to earthworms, are covered. 260 pp., cloth with dust jacket, $24 for IAS members, $30 to non-members; include $2.50 for postage and handling for first copy, $1 for each additional copy. To order write Bill N. McKnight, IAS Publications, 1102 North Butler Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana 46219. 317/352-1970.
MEETINGS
ASC/SPNHC JOINT MEETING - The Association of Systematics Collections and the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections will have a joint meeting at the Missouri Botanical Garden May 11-15, 1994.
The theme for the Meeting is "Collections Planning and Policies." The meeting will include a joint workshop, a public policy review, SPNHC technical sessions, and a training workshop. Program information and registration materials will be sent to members and included in upcoming issues of both the ASC Newsletter and the SPNHC Newsletter. For further information contact ASC, 730 11th Street, NW, Second Floor, Washington, DC 20001, (202)347-2850.
SUPPORT FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
The Award Committee of the Lawrence Memorial Fund invites nominations for the 1994 Lawrence Memorial Award. Honoring the memory of Dr. George H. M. Lawrence, founding Director of the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, the Award ($1,000) is given biennially to support travel for doctoral dissertation research in systematic botany or horticulture, or the history of the plant sciences, including literature and exploration. Major professors are urged to nominate outstanding doctoral students who have achieved official candidacy for their degrees and will be conducting pertinent dissertation research that would benefit significantly from travel enabled by the Award. The Committee will not entertain direct applications. A student who wishes to be considered should arrange for nomination by his/her major professor; this may take the form of a letter that covers supporting materials prepared by the nominee. Supporting materials should describe briefly but clearly the candidate's program of research and how it would be significantly enhanced by travel that the Award would support. Letters of nomination and supporting materials, including seconding letters, should be received by the Committee no later than 1 May 1994 and should be directed to: Dr. R. W. Kiger, Hunt Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213-3890 USA.
The Rocky Mountain Herbarium, University of Wyoming, seeks a student interested in pursuing an M.S. degree in broad-scale floristics. The successful applicant is expected to be an energetic, highly motivated individual capable of working alone for extended periods of time. A member of the staff will spend 3 to 4 weeks each summer assisting with collecting. Beginning in spring of 1994, the Bureau of Land Management will fund the fieldwork, provide housing, and provide space for the processing of specimens. The study area is the upper Green River Basin (the non-forested portion of Sublette County and adjacent portions of Lincoln and Sweetwater counties). The recipient must compete successfully for a teaching assistantship in the Department of Botany. Reprints are available upon request of "The Rocky Mountain Herbarium, Associated Floristic Inventory, and the Flora of the Rocky Mountains Project" (by R. L. Hartman, 1992, J. Idaho Acad. Sci. 28 (2): 22-43). This document provides details on previous floristic studies in Wyoming and adjacent states. For more information, contact Ronald L. Hartman, Rocky Mountain Herbarium, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071-3165. 307/766-2236.
The Smithsonian Institution offers Fellowships in Evolutionary and Systematic Botany through its Office of Fellowships and Grants and the Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History. Graduate Student Fellowships (10 weeks), Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships (one year), and Senior Postdoctoral Fellowships (three months to one year) are available. Fellowships include stipend, round-trip transportation to the Smithsonian Institution, and limited research funds. Fellowship proposals for research in systematics and systematics-related fields, e.g., phylogeny, biogeography, and reproductive biology, are encouraged. All proposals must be sponsored by a Department of Botany curator.
The Botany Department has 20 curators with diverse research interests. National Museum of Natural History programs include: Biological Diversity of the Guyanas, Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems, Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems, and Biodiversity of Latin America (BIOLAT). Smithsonian facilities are: the U. S. National Herbarium, with more than four million specimens, Laboratory of Molecular Systematics (with emphasis on nucleic acid studies), enzyme electrophoresis, cytology, functional morphology, plant anatomy and palynology labs, greenhouses, SEM, and TEM.
The deadline for applications is 15 January 1994, but early contact with a sponsoring curator is highly recommended. For information write to: Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, 202/357-2534, or FAX 202/786-2563.
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
The University of New Mexico Department of Biology is seeking applicants for a full-time tenure track position as Assistant Professor, to begin 15 August 1994, in one of the two following areas: (1) plant morphology/development, seeking candidates who are asking questions in plant evolution or ecology using techniques from structural botany and/or plant development, (2) phylogenetic reconstruction, seeking candidates who are studying the theoretical basis of phylogenetic reconstruction using molecular and/or other kinds of data, and the application of phylogenetic reconstructions to basic questions in systematics, evolution, biogeography, or adaptation. Minimum requirement is a Ph.D. in related field. Preferred characteristics include postdoctoral experience, potential for developing a vigorous, independent, research program as reflected in publications and other scholarly activities, and commitment to teaching at the beginning undergraduate through graduate levels. Send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, at least three letters of reference, representative reprints, and statements of current and future research and teaching interests to: Chair, Ecology/Evolution Search Committee Department of Biology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-1091. 505/277-3411; fax 505/277-0304.*
Phipps Conservatory, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania seeks an Executive Director. This is a unique opportunity to direct and develop the facility and programs of this historic landmark as it moves into its second century as a recently privatized institution. This outstanding building devoted to plants, the sixth largest conservatory in the U.S., is located in Schenley Park, adjacent to the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, The Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation, The Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and other civic and cultural organizations. Successful candidates probably will have these qualifications: Ph.D. or Masters in plant sciences; strong leadership skills; experience in operations, administration, and financial management of conservatories and gardens. Responsibilities will include management and development of facilities, staff, budget and programs; strategic planning and public relations. Position now open; review of applications begins 15 January 1994. Send résumés and professional references to: Chairman, Search Committee, Phipps Conservatory, P.O. Box 81038, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15217. Tel.(412) 361-0661.*
The New York Botanical Garden's Institute of Economic Botany announces two positions for field botanists, one Ph.D.-level and one B.Sc.-level, with background in plant taxonomy and field experience within the United States. Duties are to collect, identify, and voucher a broad range of plant taxa from the United States and its territories and possessions. Extensive travel is required. Successful applicants will participate in a study that assesses the potential utility of plant extracts in pharmaceutical products, as part of a collaborative project with scientists from Pfizer Inc. The Institute of Economic Botany carries out basic and applied research on the relationship between people and plants. Please send curriculum vitae and names of three references to: Personnel Department-FB, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York 10458-5126. FAX 718/220-6504.*
The Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory of the USDA\Agricultural Research Service anticipates funding a two-year position for a taxonomic botanist to work on a revision of Agricultural Handbook 505: A Checklist of names for 3,000 Vascular Plants of Economic Importance. Duties will consist primarily of researching scientific and common names for economic plants, both in the literature and via consultations with other taxonomic botanists, and working with computer databases. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in botany or a closely related area with a strong traditional background in vascular plant systematics. The successful applicant must have a working knowledge of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, familiarity with current and historical botanical literature on a global scale, and experience working with large botanical databases. Some knowledge of botanical Latin and reading proficiency in other languages is desirable. The ability to work closely with others as part of a team is essential. Only those who meet the stated qualifications need inquire. Salary will approximate the GS-11 level. Direct inquiries and/or curriculum vitae to: Dr. John Wiersema, USDA/ARS, Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory, Room 304, Building 011A, BARC-West, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350. 301/504-9181 FAX: 301/504/5810 E-mail: sbmljw@sol.ars-grin.gov.*
The Nature Conservancy seeks a masters-level candidate for the position of Botanical Information Manager at the Conservancy's Headquarters Office in Arlington, Virginia (near Washington D. C.). Major responsibilities include maintenance of the Conservancy's central botanical databases, reconciliation of alternative taxonomic classifications, and review of species status information. Candidates should have an advanced degree in systematic botany, or equivalent experience, extensive familiarity with North American floristic literature, and at least a year's experience with large multifile database systems. Demonstrated ability to work independently and on team projects, give attention to details, and follow established procedures is required. Familiarity with work of Heritage Programs is desirable. For further information, contact Larry E. Morse, Chief Botanist, The Nature Conservancy, 1815 N. Lynn St., Arlington, Virginia 22209, or call 703/841-5361.
*An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
FNA ITEMS FOR SALE - The Volume 1 shirt has a likeness of Asa Gray, holding a plant press in his lap. Gray began his North American Flora about 150 years ago. The Volume 2 shirt has an assortment of pine cones taken from the Pinus illustrations in Volume 2. A different shirt design is planned for each volume. What a collector's item!
The two designs, each printed in black, on three shirt colors, sizes L and XL are available. The Asa shirt comes in natural (wheat), deep pink (fuchsia), and light blue. The pine cone shirt comes in ash, light pink, and deep (not quite royal) blue. Cost is $10 each with $2 shipping and handling for shirts and mugs, prepaid please.
Other FNA ITEMS for sale include:
| green coffee mugs | $7 |
| cloisonne lapel pins | $5 |
| wheat or white rectangular buttons with habit of Floerkea | $1 |
Copyright © 2000 Flora of North America Association. All rights reserved.
Please contact our Webmaster for comments on this site. |
