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NEWS FROM HERBARIA AND COLLECTIONS
The Catalina Island Conservancy Herbarium (CATA) - call for institutional exchanges
Catalina Island is one of the eight California Channel Islands, located approximately 35 km southwest of Los Angeles. At 194 km2, 88% of which is managed by the non-profit land trust Catalina Island Conservancy, Catalina is the third largest Channel Island and is the second tallest with an elevation of 639 meters. Mediterranean in climate, at least 8 defined plant communities (and up to 16) have been identified on the island, from coastal marsh, to island woodlands, to open grasslands. Over 400 species of plants are native to the island and nearly 200 non-native plants have become naturalized or are invasive on the island. The staff of the Catalina Island Conservancy Herbarium (CATA) is responsible for cataloging the plant diversity of Catalina Island as part of a long term, integrated plant management and conservation program. In addition to documenting the unique and varied plants of the island, CATA staff is interested in building the herbarium as a research and education tool. Herbaria specializing in plants of the California Floristic Province as well as herbaria with Mediterranean climate floras are encouraged to enter into reciprocal exchanges with CATA. For more information about CATA please see our listing at Index Herbariorum, http://sweetgum.nybg.org/ih/herbarium.php?irn=158628. For additional information on the Conservancy and Catalina Island or to establish an exchange, please contact the curator, John R. Clark, Ph.D., at herbarium@catalinaconservancy.org, 310.510.9544, PO Box 2739, Avalon, CA 90704, USA. [Posted 19 April 2011]
Donation of the Graham Palynological Collection to the Smithsonian Institution
Carlos Jaramillo, jaramilloc@si.edu
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama is proud to announce that it has received the donation of the best collection of neotropical pollen in the world, the Graham Palynological Collection, thanks to the generosity of Alan Graham, Professor Emeritus at the Kent State University and current curator at the Missouri Botanical Gardens.
This collection began as part of an early palynology laboratory set up in the herbarium of the University of Texas in 1954, and expanded with original preparations, and also with exchanges with numerous laboratories throughout the world. It comprises over 25,000 pollen slides of modern taxa, mostly from the neotropics, thousands of pollen slides from Dr. Graham’s work on the geological history of the forests of Central America, as well as pollen residues and an impressive collection of literature (over 16,000 reprints related primarily to the biology and geology of the New World with emphasis on Latin America). The modern reference component has the added virtue that all the original preparations can be referenced to a specific herbarium collection, allowing scientists to verify the identification of fossil material and specimens used in taxonomic studies.
CAS in New Facility
We are finally ready to receive loan returns, exchange shipments and all other mail at our new facility. Please note our new address: California Academy of Sciences, Department of Botany, 55 Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118. If you have questions, please contact Debra Trock <dtrock@calacademy.org>.
BRIT Moving
The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) is moving to new facilities on 1 June 2008. This will cause disruption to visitor services and access to the herbarium (BRIT-SMU-VDB collections) and library, so please contact us before arranging any visits between 15 April and 31 July 2008. We ask that loan requests, or shipment of any transactions to BRIT be delayed until August 2008. Our new address starting JUNE 1st will be: Botanical Research Institute of Texas, 500 E 4th Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102-4025. BRIT e-mail addresses and phone/fax numbers will not change. Thank you for your patience during this time. [Posted 11 April 2008]
Collections and types of Myrtaceae at GREE transferred to BISH
The contents of 3 cabinets of Myrtaceae deposited by Dr. Neil Snow at the herbarium of the University of Northern Colorado (GREE) from 1998-2007 have been transferred permanently to the Bishop Museum (BISH), including type specimens. The specimens are currently being processed at BISH and may be unavailable for loan a several months. [Posted 15 February 2008]
ALSO SEE THE ASPT LIST OF HERBARIA WEBSITES!