Subject: BEN # 134

From: [email-masked] (Adolf Ceska)
Date: 30 Apr 1996 08:33:34 -0700

BBBBB    EEEEEE   NN   N             ISSN 1188-603X
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BBBBB    EEEEE    NN N N             BOTANICAL
BB   B   EE       NN  NN             ELECTRONIC
BBBBB    EEEEEE   NN   N             NEWS

No. 134                              April 30, 1996

[email-masked]        Victoria, B.C.
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 Dr. A. Ceska, P.O.Box 8546, Victoria, B.C. Canada V8W 3S2
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MOSS IDENTIFICATION WORKSHOP - UTAH - MAY 17 & 18, 1996
From: Mary Barkworth <[email-masked]>

The  Intermountain  Herbarium  and Department of Biology at Utah
State University are sponsoring a workshop on  moss  identifica-
tion. The workshop will be lead by Dr. Alma Hanson, Botanist for
the  Payette  National  Forest,  who  has  been  involved with a
floristic study of mosses for some time. The workshop will start
at 1 p.m. on Friday May 17 and extend to Saturday, May 18, at  5
p.m.

The  cost  of  $60 [U.S.] ($50 if received before April 30) will
include a barbecue on Friday, lunch on Saturday, and field  trip
on  Saturday.  The  goal of the workshop is to help participants
learn how to identify mosses and to recognize a  few  genera  in
the  field.  It will be geared to field botanists who can recog-
nize a moss as a moss but may have forgotten most of  what  they
ever knew about moss structures.

For   more   information,   email   me   (Mary   Barkworth)   at
[email-masked]. To enroll, send your name, address,  daytime
telephone  number,  Email  address  (if  you  have one), and the
enrollment fee to Dr. Mary E. Barkworth, Department of  Biology,
Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322-5305.

SYMPOSIUM ON VERNAL POOL ECOSYSTEMS - SACRAMENTO, CA JUNE 19-21
From: ECOLOG-L discussion list

Conference  on  the  Ecology,  Conservation,  and  Management of
Vernal Pool Ecosystems
June 19-21, 1996 at the Hilton Hotel in Sacramento, California

The four sessions include:  (1)  Vernal  Pool  Distribution  and
Characteristics;  (2) Ecology, Systematics, Status and Trends of
Vernal Pool Plants, Animals, and  Ecosystems;  (3)  Conservation
and  Management of Vernal Pools: and (4) Vernal Pool Regulatory,
Planning, and  Policy  Issues.  The  40+  invited  speakers  and
panelists   include  scientists,  managers,  and  planners  from
universities, state and  federal  agencies,  local  governments,
environmental consulting firms, and conservation organizations.

Fees  range  from $100 (early registration by student members of
the sponsoring organizations) to $200 (late registration by non-
students, non-members of sponsoring organizations). Fees include
registration materials, lunches and refreshment breaks.

For registration and further information contact:
   Mr. William Hull, Executive Secretary
   Western Section of The Wildlife Society
   P.O. Box 21638
   Oakland, CA 94620-1638
   (510) 465-4962 or fax (510) 465-1138

STATUS OF NON-NATIVE AQUATIC PLANTS IN WASHINGTON STATE
From: Jenifer Parsons - Washington Department of Ecology
      <[email-masked]>

Many different aquatic plants have been introduced to freshwater
lakes and rivers in the northwest over the last century. Some of
them have apparently  naturalized,  and  do  not  cause  obvious
problems. Others plants have a tendency to dominate native plant
communities,   often   growing  in  dense,  nearly  monospecific
colonies. They can cause drastic changes to aquatic  ecosystems,
as  well  as  headaches  for  resource managers and recreational
boaters and swimmers. A brief listing of  these  plants  is  in-
cluded  here  (plants with an * are illegal to sell or transport
in Washington):

* Myriophyllum spicatum - Eurasian  watermilfoil.  It  has  been
growing  in Lake Meridian, near Seattle, at least since 1965. In
the early 1970's it was introduced to the  Okanogan  River  from
Lake  Osoyos,  and  from  there spread rapidly down the Columbia
River. It was also discovered in  Lake  Washington  in  the  mid
1970's.  Currently  we have identified it in 60 lakes throughout
the state as well as the Pend Oreille River, the Columbia  River
and  the  Okanogan River. It is usually spread by boat trailers,
and each year we find new sights  where  it  has  become  estab-
lished.

*  Egeria densa - Brazilian elodea or anacharis. It is native to
South America, and has been sold for many years as  an  aquarium
plant.  It  was first discovered in the United States in 1893 at
Long Island (New York). In Washington it has been in Long  Lake,
Kitsap County since at least the early 1970's. Currently we know
of  its  existence in 13 western Washington lakes. Because these
lakes are widely distributed it is thought that  each  introduc-
tion resulted from a separate aquarium release.

*  Hydrilla  verticillata. Native to Europe, Asia and Australia.
It is considered the worst aquatic nuisance plant in other parts
of the U.S.A. where it  has  become  established.  Two  distinct
forms of Hydrilla exist, a monoecious form (both male and female
flowers on the same plant) and a dioecious form (male and female
flowers on separate plants). The monoecious form of Hydrilla was
discovered  in Washington last year in Pipe Lake, near Bellevue.
We are attempting to eradicate this plant.

* Myriophyllum aquaticum - parrot feather milfoil. It is  native
to  South  America,  and  was imported as a plant for ornamental
ponds. It has been established  in  the  sloughs  of  the  lower
Columbia  River since at least the early 1980's. Recently it was
discovered  distributed  throughout  the  Chehalis  River   from
Centralia  to the mouth at Gray's Harbor. It also has been found
in two small private lakes  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the
state.

Cabomba  caroliniana - native to the southeastern United States,
also a popular aquarium plant. It is established in  sloughs  of
the  lower  Columbia  River, and also causes problems in several
coastal lakes of Oregon.

Nymphaea odorata - fragrant water-lily. Is native to the eastern
United States and was  introduced  in  Washington  in  the  late
1800's.  It  has  become  widespread, and its many horticultural
varieties are often planted in  lakes.  This  plant  has  become
quite  dense in some lakes with extensive shallow areas, and has
proved difficult to control.

There are also several other exotic plants with a  more  limited
distribution in Washington. However, they appear to be replacing
native  plant communities where they are established, and may be
a cause for future concern. These are: Ludwigia  uruguayensis  -
water  primrose.  There  is  some  debate about the name of this
plant, and whether in fact it is a non-native. It appears to  be
limited  to sloughs of the lower Columbia River, where it is the
dominant plant in a community  composed  of  several  non-native
plants   (Egeria  densa,  Myriophyllum  aquaticum,  Myriophyllum
spicatum and Cabomba caroliniana). Nymphoides peltata - floating
heart. Native to Eurasia and established in the  Spokane  Reser-
voir  (Long  Lake),  near  Spokane.  It is forming dense mats of
floating leaves in shallow areas of this  reservoir.  Sagittaria
graminea  -  grass-leaved  arrowhead.  Native  to  eastern North
America. In Washington it is  known  only  from  Lake  Roesiger,
where  it  has become the dominate submersed plant in many areas
of the lake. This plant has caused problem  where  it  has  been
introduced  in  Australia.  Utricularia  inflata  - Big floating
bladderwort. Native to southern and eastern  North  America.  It
has  been  introduced  to  several western Washington lakes, and
occasionally grows to nuisance proportions.

Each of these plants was  originally  introduced  to  the  state
through  the  aquarium  or ornamental plant trade. People either
intentionally planted them in ponds  and  lakes,  or  they  were
inadvertently  introduced  when unwanted pet fish were discarded
into lakes (there are some HUGE goldfish out there). The Depart-
ment of Ecology is currently working on educational materials to
be distributed through  aquarium  stores  and  nurseries  asking
people  not  to release any plants or animals they purchase into
the environment. Also, we are  trying  to  promote  the  use  of
native plants for such hobbies.

ERYTHRONIUM GRANDIFLORUM HOTLINE: 1-800-595-0686

Dawn  Loewen is a University of Victoria student who started her
M.Sc. work on ecology,  ethnobotany  and  variation  of  Glacier
Lily,  Erythronium  grandiflorum  [BEN  127]. Please, send her a
message, if you know interesting stands of this plant,  or  any-
thing  else that could help her in her work. Her address is Dawn
Loewen <[email-masked]> and you can call her at
"Erythronium grandiflorum hotline" toll number: 1-800-595-0686

NEW EDITIONS OF THE COLORADO FLORAS

Weber, W.A. & R.C. Wittman. 1996. Colorado Flora: Eastern Slope.
   Revised Edition. University of Colorado Press,  Boulder,  CO.
   496 p., 102 fig., ISBN 0-87081-3867-0 [alk.paper]
Weber, W.A. & R.C. Wittman. 1996. Colorado Flora: Western Slope.
   Revised  Edition.  University of Colorado Press, Boulder, CO.
   523 p., 64 color  plates,  107  fig.,  ISBN  0-877-81-388-9
   [alk.paper].

These  updated  guides, intended both for the student and scien-
tist, offer a complete, authoritative reference to the plants of
Colorado. Both volumes discuss plant geography, special  botani-
cal  features  of  the  mountain ranges, basins, and plains, and
explain basic terminology. Interesting anecdotes  and  introduc-
tions  are given for each plant family, and hints on recognizing
the largest families are provided as well. Each volume  includes
a complete glossary, derivations of scientific names, indices to
common  and  scientific  names,  and  hundreds of illustrations.
These two volumes have been regarded as the most complete guides
available and are essential to readers interested in  Colorado's
plant life.

Wiliam  A.  Weber  is  professor emeritus with a half century of
experience in Colorado, and former curator of the University  of
Colorado  Museum  Herbarium.  He is recognized as the preeminent
authority on the flora of  Colorado,  and  his  earlier  volume,
Rocky  Mountain  Flora,  has been in print since 1953. Ronald C.
Wittmann is a physicist with the National Institute of Standards
and Technology, and co-author with William Weber of the  Catalog
of the Flora of Colorado.

Order  from University Press of Colorado, P.O.Box 849, Niwot, CO
80544. Toll-free number  1-800-268-6044.  $US29.95  per  volume,
shipping $3.00 for first book, $1.00 for each additional.

DEVELOPING A VIRTUAL HERBARIUM AS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
From: Mary E. Barkworth and Stephen W. Clyde. Utah State Univer-
   sity, Logan, Utah 84322-5305. <[email-masked]>

Two  primary  roles  of herbaria are a) providing reliably iden-
tified specimens against which to check  new  specimens  and  b)
providing  verifiable  distributional  data for individual taxa.
Herbaria could serve these roles more effectively by collaborat-
ing in the development of a "Virtual Herbarium". "Specimens"  in
the  Virtual  Herbarium  would be a linked set of image and text
files designed to show the diagnostic features of a  taxon.  The
images  would  be  documented  by  standard herbarium specimens.
"Visitors" to the Virtual Herbarium would be able  to  find  out
which  features  are considered most important in distinguishing
one species from  another  by  reading  the  text  material  and
clarify  their  understanding of this material by looking at the
images. The textual material in the Virtual Herbarium  need  not
be  restricted  to morphological information but, because we see
identification as a primary role of the  Virtual  Herbarium,  we
would emphasize such information during the initial development.

Distributional   data  would  be  obtained  from  a  distributed
database system that, on request, would  draw  information  from
the databases of the collaborating herbaria. Herbaria would have
the  option  of  maintaining their database on a local server or
the central server. Similarly,  they  could  combine  their  own
database  structure  with a tool that makes it accessible to the
central system or adopt a database developed  as  part  of  this
project.  Our  goal  is  to make it feasible for ALL herbaria to
participate in development of the Virtual Herbarium, from  those
that  exist  primarily  because of someone's dedication to those
that have several staff members.

An essential element of the Virtual Herbarium  will  be  a  data
model that informs visitors of differences in the interpretation
and  application  of  scientific  names.  To  make  this a truly
beneficial element, we propose that it should include access  to
information  as  to  why  different  names are applied to a par-
ticular taxon - or a particular name  is  applied  to  different
groups  of plants. Such a feature would eliminate some (not all)
of the nomenclatural differences that  currently  exist  between
herbaria and help both taxonomists and non-taxonomists cope with
the confusion associated with changes in nomenclature.

Development  of  a  Virtual Herbarium offers numerous advantages
that real herbaria cannot offer. These include  easy  access  to
information  about  a wide range of species and related informa-
tion. The distributional data could be presented in the form  of
distribution  maps  and/or checklists and would be linked to its
source, enabling researchers to  determine  which  specimens  it
would  be  particularly  worthwhile  to borrow. It would also be
easy to highlight data from  an  individual  herbarium,  thereby
highlighting  its contribution and (we hope) making it easier to
justify continued or increased investment in its development. We
would emphasize that the Virtual  Herbarium  would  not  replace
real  herbaria  and  real  specimens; information in the Virtual
Herbarium would have to  be  documented  by  specimens  in  real
herbaria  if it is to have the credibility needed to justify the
expense of its development.

Various approaches could  be  used  in  developing  the  Virtual
Herbarium.  We  strongly  advocate a collaborative approach, one
that  would  involve  frequent  discussion  among  participating
herbaria.  These discussions should also include representatives
of those who use herbaria. The annual meetings of the  Northwest
Science  Society would be an appropriate venue for such meetings
if, as we suggested in the proposal that  we  submitted  to  the
National  Science  Foundation,  we  start the development of the
Virtual Herbarium in northwestern North America.

We would be delighted to receive comments from anyone interested
in this concept of a Virtual Herbarium.  They  could  either  be
sent  to me (Mary Barkworth, [email-masked]) or shared with
others via  the  Herb-L  (Intermountain  and  Pacific  Northwest
Herbarium Discussion) <[email-masked]>.

CURRENT STATUS THE SMASCH PROJECT - ONLINE
From: Thomas Duncan <[email-masked]>
    originally posted on TAXACOM <[email-masked]>

The  SMASCH  Project,  funded by the National Science Foundation
(NSF), is developing a database  of  text  data  and  images  of
specimens  that  document the distribution and classification of
the plants of California. The project began in  1992.  By  1999,
the  SMASCH  database at the University and Jepson Herbaria will
contain records for approximately 300,000 accessions.

In February 1996, NSF conducted  a  site  visit  to  the  SMASCH
Project.  As  a result the MIP and the SMASCH Project are under-
taking a redesign of our home page, preparing  SMASCH  for  dis-
tribution  through  the WWW by July 31, 1996, and beginning data
entry for the next year of the project (80,000 accession records
will be entered during the  next  twelve  months).  The  current
status  of  our  activities  toward  these goals is contained in
"What's New" at "http://ucjeps.herb.berkeley.edu/smasch/".

ETHNOBIOLOGY E-MAIL DISCUSSION LIST
From: Dana Lepofsky <[email-masked]>

A new email group has been set up  to  facilitate  communication
between  ethnobiologists.  If  you would like to participate you
may subscribe by sending the following message

   subscribe ethno-bio

to the list processor at  Simon  Fraser  University  (Vancouver,
B.C.)
 
   [email-masked]

The ethno-bio list is intended to encourage discussion about the
use  of  plants and animals by native peoples worldwide. To send
mail to the list, use the address

   [email-masked]

To send mail about the list (such  as  your  membership  in  the
list), use the address

   [email-masked]

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Also archived at   http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/
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