Who Shall Be the Keeper of the Names?

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources , Plant Legal News and Issues

Two centuries after Linnaeus developed his binomial classification system that brought order to the naming of species, there is still no universally accepted central authority for registering the names of life forms on earth. One and a half to two million species have been described and named. New discoveries are being made regularly. Internationally accepted rules for describing a species have been established by agencies such as the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) and the International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT). Whatever name and description meeting these standards is published first, is the name that is accepted for the organism. Names can be published virtually anywhere. An officially accepted central registry of species names would be a welcome boon for biologists.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 11:47 AM | Comments (1)

Native Seeds/SEARCH

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources , Plant Conservation , Plants, Food and Medicine

"Ancient seeds for modern needs," is the motto of Native Seeds/SEARCH, a non-profit organization based in Tucson, Arizona. Since 1983 the group has been collecting seeds of food plants used by the native cultures in the arid region of the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico, sometimes referred to as the Chile Pepper Nation (see NPR link). Their mission has led them not only to conserve the rare crops adapted to arid lands, but also to preserve cultural traditions by distributing crops back to Native American communities.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 4:18 PM | Comments (2)

Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources , Plants, Food and Medicine , Sources of Botanical News

Since its founding in 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has worked to promote food security and end hunger. FAO provides resources and expertise to member countries to aid research and development of agricultural and food systems. The organization serves as a neutral international forum for nations to discuss policy and negotiate agreements. A wealth of books, reports, newsletters and other digital media have been produced to meet the needs of these efforts.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 12:59 PM | Comments (2)

World Grass Species Database

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has developed a comprehensive database with descriptions of grass species (10,800 of them) and another for synonomy with over 60, 000 names. The linked databases can be used to look up descriptions, identify grasses or to assist in key construction. Professional taxonomists and amateur enthusiasts alike will find the extensive database to be a useful resource. Users can browse the species index to find description pages, which are also accessible from the Synonomy Database. Additional software can be installed to enable more refined and interactive searches of the data.

Links:

• World Grass Species - Descriptions - Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew


• World Grass Species - Synonyms - Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)

Plant Ontology Consortium

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources

The Plant Ontology Consortium (POC) is a collaboration of plant scientists, with the goal of developing a common vocabulary to describe structure and development across plant taxa, and to arrange the terminology into hierarchical structures (ontologies) that define the concepts and organize them by their relationship to one another. Initially working on Arabidosis, maize and rice, the group will expand its focus to other plant groups in coming years.

The common vocabulary defined by the POC will enable researchers to conduct uniform querries across databases participating in the project, enabling funtionality between databases.

Link: Plant Ontology the website of the Plant Ontology Consortium

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)

Trees to Know in Oregon

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources

Oregon State University Extension Service has released a new expanded, full-colour edition of its popular book, Trees to Know in Oregon. The 152-page guide describes the state's forest and landscape trees with identifying features and anecdotes that are entertaining as well as informative. According to the book Oregon is home to 50 national champions, which are featured in a section on record-breaking trees.

Link: New Edition of Popular OSU Book Introduces Trees to Know in Oregon from Medford News

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 4:21 PM | Comments (0)

The Invasive Plant Council of British Columbia

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources , Invasive Plants

Invasive species can quickly spread through new areas, causing ecological damage and threatening rare native plants or animals. Dealing with aggressive species costs the province millions of dollars annually. The Invasive Plant Council of British Columbia (IPCBC) was recently formed to help coordinate a strategy for the management of invasive species. Based on the Invasive Plant Strategy, a plan developed by a diverse group representing all levels of government, agriculture, industry and community, the IPCBC hopes to bring all parties together in the fight against invasive species.

Link: The Invasive Plant Council of British Columbia the IPCBC website

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 5:40 PM | Comments (2)

The Science of Gardening

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources , Plant Relationships , Plants, Food and Medicine

In a recent issue of the Christian Science Monitor, writer Jim Regan reviews the latest addition in the Accidental Scientist series from the Exploratorium, the website of the Museum of Science in San Francisco. Even if, like Mr. Regan, you are not a gardener, you will enjoy the friendly perspective in which the photos, videos and interactive displays are presented.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 4:07 PM | Comments (0)

Will the PhyloCode Replace Taxonomic Nomenclature?

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources

The Linnaean system of taxonomy, which classifies species by similarities of form and other traits, has served botanists for two and a half centuries. Molecular genetics now enable scientists to more accurately determine the descent of a species from its ancestors. A new nomenclature system, PhyloCode has been created to classify species based on their evolutionary history or phylogeny.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 5:38 PM | Comments (2)

Yahoo! Pick of the Day

Category(-ies): Botanical Art , Botanical Resources

Once a day, Yahoo! editors pick one web site out of millions on the web as noteworthy.

On June 10, they picked UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research's Botany Photo of the Day: Yahoo! Picks - June 10, 2005 - Botany Photo of the Day.

While Botany Photo of the Day is a venture with participants from staff and researchers (read more about Botany PotD), it also owes much credit to two people: Tim Bray, who seeded the idea in a technology lunch we had at the garden; and Dr. Quentin Cronk, the garden's director, who has fostered a garden that allows seeds of ideas to grow.

If you agree with Yahoo! and think we're doing some noteworthy activities at UBC Botanical Garden, please consider reading Dr. Cronk's letter on the importance of plants and the role of botanical gardens.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:50 AM

Oregon Flora Project Atlas

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources

Kudos to the people behind the Oregon Flora Project Atlas! They've developed a web site with a tool that maps specimen location data from the Oregon State University Herbarium onto maps of Oregon.

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Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:31 PM

New Invasives Spread Rapidly in Canada

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources , Invasive Plants , Sources of Botanical News

Recent assessments of invasive plants in Canada have given top rankings to plants that were not mentioned or were low on assessments made just twelve years ago. The rapid spread of the new invaders was a concern at the 2004 Canadian Botanical Association's second symposium on invasive alien plants in Canada. The quick expansion of the plants is an indication of the need for coordinated environmental monitoring programs and early detection of invaders.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 1:02 PM

New Library of Plant Genes Created

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have released a unique library that allows researchers to make complex comparisons of genes and species. “Named Phytome, the unique library is a compilation of voluminous genetic data on 39 plant species. The list includes almost all the world's most valuable crops, among them rice, wheat, corn and potatoes.” (UNC)

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 1:25 PM

Garry Oak Bibliography

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources , Plant Conservation

Interest in Quercus garryana has grown as Garry oak forest habitats decline. To accommodate this recent increase in interest, the USDA Forest Service has compiled a bibliography for publications on Quercus garryana and other geographically associated and botanically related oaks.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 1:53 PM

Economic Botany at the Field Museum

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources , Herbaria , Plants, Food and Medicine

The Field Museum in Chicago has had an interest in the study of how people use plants, since it's founding. Its economic botany collection is one of the most comprehensive in the world. The collection includes over 12,000 specimens of raw materials and finished products of plant origin, such as: gums, resins, food crops, spices, medicinal plants, fibers, woods and many other useful plant products.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 1:56 PM

Seed Lists of the Nineteenth Century

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources , Herbaria

It is customary for botanical gardens to prepare seed lists for exchange. Lists from the 19th century often included descriptions and notes. Printed in limited quantities, remaining seed lists are rare and no library has a complete set. The National Herbarium of the Netherlands has created a database of the lists and associated descriptions.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 4:15 PM

Plants of Washington Image Collection

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources , Herbaria

The WTU Herbarium at the University of Washington’s Burke Museum has created a website that features an image database of the plants of Washington state. WTU’s Plants of Washington Image Collection contains over 5700 photos of plants found in the state, organized by family, genus, scientific name, and common name.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 1:22 PM

The Human Flower Project

Category(-ies): Botanical Art , Botanical Resources , Sources of Botanical News

Flowers play an important role in the lives of people. They are prominent in art and cultural rituals; when words are inadequate, flowers help communicate feelings. Julie Ardery has created a website that tracks human involvement with flowers: the Human Flower Project.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 4:12 PM

The People Behind the FNA

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources , Herbaria , Plant Explorers

Botanists from around the world are working on a massive project to record the vegetative history of North America (north of Mexico) and Greenland. They are examining two centuries of floristic literature and herbarium specimens, and supplementing the results with modern-day field work. The conclusion will be thirty volumes of descriptive and biological information on the over twenty thousand native and naturalized plants of the continental region.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 4:44 PM

Phragmites Database Completed

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources , Invasive Plants

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has developed a database on the distribution of native and alien races of common reed, Phragmites australis in Canada. The database is accessible through the Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility (CBIF) web portal, a resource for biodiversity study with a network of information on geographically-referenced specimens.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 10:33 AM

Respecting the Knowledge of Healers

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources , Plant Conservation , Plant Legal News and Issues , Plants, Food and Medicine

The elders of the Haida Nation, like other indigenous peoples, have a wealth of knowledge about the plants in their environment. This knowledge has been passed down through generations, usually in oral form to specialists within the group. The benefit to the community is their incentive for preserving and administering the knowledge of healing plants.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 11:12 AM

Trees are Good

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources , Plants in the Landscape

Billed as the “the largest and most influential arboricultural organization in the world”, the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) has created a website to provide quality information about arboriculture to the general public: Trees are Good.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 11:59 AM

Sydney Parkinson and the Endeavour Expedition

Category(-ies): Botanical Art , Botanical Resources , Plant Explorers

The Natural History Museum of London, England has produced an excellent website devoted to the artwork of Sydney Parkinson. On a voyage of the HMS Endeavour (1768-1771) captained by James Cook and accompanied by Sir Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, Sydney Parkinson illustrated 674 outline drawings and completed 269 paintings. Unfortunately, Parkinson died at sea during the voyage home, and his unpainted outline drawings were later completed by others.

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Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 7:13 PM

Looking for images of plants?

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources

Even though the number of digital photographs in the UBC Botanical Garden photo gallery is growing, the number of images is small compared to these two resources:

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Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:20 AM