Scott's Botanical Links--April 2001

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Past links:

April 30, 2001 - Earth Day 2001

The Earth Day 2001 site features a carefully assembled history of Earth Day references with numerous Internet Resources for Earth Day. Links include a particularly impressive collection of U.S. National Environmental sites and sites from New York State, Erie County and the City of Buffalo. Links include SUNY-Buffalo's Love Canal online exhibit. Compiled by librarians, this is a well-constructed and easy to use link site by the Science and Engineering Library at SUNY-Buffalo. (***1/2) -SR

April 27, 2001 - Michigan Wildflowers 2000

This site from 2000, and its companion site from 1999, display multiple digital images of over 150 local plants. Although these are listed by common name, the scientific name is available on the linked page. The images are high quality, 640 X 640 pixel images, and there are frequently as many as four for each species. A link at the top of each page provides the largest images. A very nice local site by by Charles Peirce, CC-CHS Biology Project, Carson City-Crystal High School. (***1/2) -SR

April 26, 2001 - MERLOT: Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching

MERLOT collects online resources in numerous disciplines and subjects them to peer review within a framework of evaluation standards and ratings. Sites and reviews can be accessed free, but participation in reviews and nominations requires membership (free for individuals but substantial cost for large institutions). Botany is currently poorly represented (25 entries), with only a few reviews. I urge all botany educators to join and help improve this potentially very useful site. (***) -SR

April 25, 2001 - International Aroid Society

The International Aroid Society has an excellent site on aroids (=Araceae; best known for their distinctive spadix and spathe). The site presents people and techniques in growing, breeding and pollinating aroids, as well as sites on the Araceae, plant images, horticulture, relevant links, an identification site and references. This is the site to bookmark on aroids. (****) -SR

April 24, 2001 - Some Malvaceae in Brazil

This nice image gallery features many of the more prominent Malvaceae of Brazil, with notes provided in English and Portuguese. The site includes the more familiar Hibiscus, Abutilon, and Pavonia, including such other Malvaceae as cotton and okra! Pages link to thumbnail images; the site is provided in JavaScript and non-JavaScript versions. As many as three separate web pages may appear simultaneously, but navigating between them is not difficult once the icons are understood. Well organized and constructed pages by Marcos Capelini. (***) -SR

April 23, 2001 - Explore with Maps

The "Explore with Maps" section is one of the most interesting parts of Maps.Com. Featured are world, national, city and local maps, dynamic maps, world & USA factbooks, weather maps, time zone maps, and even map games. Most useful to USA botanists may be the topographic maps, which are searchable by latitude & longitude and by named locations. Wallpaper and screensavers for your computer are also provided, in addition to more mundane directional maps for travelers! Site by Magellan Geographix, now Maps.Com. (****) -SR

April 20, 2001 - Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas

"Weeds Gone Wild" is a project of the Plant Conservation Alliance's Alien Plant Working Group, providing information on the serious threat and impacts of invasive alien (exotic, non-native) plants to the native flora, fauna, and natural ecosystems of the United States. On the site are: an action agenda, calendar, fact sheets (currently 42), plant lists and information & background on the problem. The site has much information and even a PDF calendar. Site by PCA-APWG. (***1/2) -SR

April 19, 2001 - The Magic of Growing Native Australian Plants

This site provides countless tips, tricks and devices that aid in growing plants native to Australia. Among the more important observations is that phosphates will likely kill your Australian plants, given their adaptation to impoverishment. Full growing tips on seed germination, cuttings, establishing a root system, hardening cuttings, grafting and information on specific plants are given. This is a very well illustrated and organized guide and web site by the Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants (ASGAP). (****) -SR

April 18, 2001 - Hand Pollination of Amorphophallus paeoniifolius

Amorphophallus paeoniifolius is an aroid with a memorably large spadix and a hefty tuber (29 kg in the plant shown). This page provides 13 thumbnail images that link to detailed information on pollinating the plant -- an important task since it is usually monocarpic (flowering once and dying). This page is an informative and entertaining one about getting seed from plants in the genus that produce among the largest flowers in angiosperms. Site by Scott Hyndman, provided by the International Aroid Society. (***1/2) -SR

April 17, 2001 - Invasive Plant Council of New York State

This site provides information about non-native plants that threaten to change native ecosystems in New York. Featured topics include the "Top 20" threats, a newsletter, information about membership, research projects on intervention and restoration, federal policy (a summary of laws on noxious weeds), a meeting calendar and web links to similar sites. The plant descriptions in the "Top 20" describe the plants, the threat that they presents and means to aid in their elimination. Site by IPCNY. (***) -SR

April 16, 2001 - The McIntosh Apple Development Poster

The McIntosh Apple Development Poster is a product of the effort of the Botanical Society of America's Education Committee, which is developing curricular materials for K-14 education. Class exercises concerning apple development, cultivation, flower stucture & function, and fruit structure & function are available, with more to be produced later. The site also has an online version of the poster. Paper versions are also available from the BSA. (****) -SR

April 13, 2001 - DesertUSA

This overly commercial site, has some useful information about Animals & Wildlife, Plants & Wildflowers, Desert Life, People & Cultures, Wildflower Reports, Minerals & Geology, Parks of the Desert, Fascinating Facts, QuickTime VR and a Message Board. The Plants & Wildflowers section has links to over 20 essays on desert plants and over 100 plant images with detailed information on the species range, habitat, flowers, fruit and a description. There are some misstatements in the essays, but are mostly accurate. (***1/2) -SR

April 11, 2001 - North American Native Plant Society

North American Native Plant Society is a Canadian organization promoting native plants. The site includes information about NANPS, featured plants, plant rescues, upcoming events, associations (state and province native plant societies), plant sources, seed exchanges ($0.50 for multiple packets; note: ferns have spores, not seeds as they claim!), a photo album, publications and a message board. An earnest, if not always accurate wildflower site by NANPS. (***) -SR

April 10, 2001 - Megasporogenesis & Megagametogenesis in Lilium

A one-page site on embryo sac formation in lily. This illustrates many of this unusual variation on tetrasporic development found in a number of Liliaceae. The site includes 13 low magnification and 17 higher magnification images. These illustrate paraffin sections of meiosis, megaspore differentiation, embryo sac formation and double fertilization. The narrative is designed as a reference site for sexual reproduction in flowering plants designed for general botany and more advanced courses. (Images are imperfect as they were video captures) -SR

April 9, 2001 - Microsporogenesis & Microgametogenesis in Lilium

This one-page site details the events of pollen formation in the bicellular pollen of lily. Narratives are provided for low magnification and higher magnification images of paraffin sections during meiosis, microspore and pollen maturation. The 200 by 150 pixel thumbnails are linked to 640 by 480 pixel light micrographs. This is a reference site for sexual reproduction in flowering plants designed for general botany and more advanced courses. (I don't rate my own sites!) -SR

April 6, 2001 - Sites for Teachers

Sites for Teachers is an advertising-paid robotically controlled site providing a database of links for K-12 teachers. Although these are not refereed for content, shared teaching resources are difficult to find and there are some excellent sites for selective viewers. The ranks are based on visitor referrals -- perhaps not the best way to pick even free resources, but "you can't fool all of the people all of the time..." (unrated) -SR

April 5, 2001 - Mesquite: A modular system for evolutionary analysis

Mesquite is JAVA-based software available on a number of platforms that can generate many of the most popular analytical tools for phylogenetic analysis. Background information, an explanation of the program's capabilities and introductory tips are available to install the software, which can be downloaded from links on the homepage. This program provides a wealth of graphical interfaces for phylogenetic analysis, by W. Maddison and D. Maddison, University of Arizona. (***1/2) -SR

April 4, 2001 - The Bacteriophage Ecology Group

The Bacteriophage Ecology Group: Home of Phage Ecology and Evolutionary Biology includes the recent BEG News, the BEG mission statement, a synopsis of the subfields of BEG, membership information, members' publications, a bibliography, web links (to lots of phage pages), meetings, providers, phage images, phage jobs and an index. This is a nice gateway to bacterial viruses by BEG. Illustrations are imaginative and illuminating, but most of the information is off site. (***1/2) -SR

April 3, 2001 - Flora Accounts Online

This online flora site features the "Flora of China" (Volumes: 4, 15, 16, 17, 18, 24; coordinated by Anthony Brach), "Flora of North America" (Volumes: 2, 3, 22; coordinated by Hong Song) and the "Moss Flora of China" (Volume 1; coordinated by Si He). This still developing site promises to deliver authoritative data for each of these significant flora projects. In addition to species, genus and family data, there are dichotomous keys, indexes to plant groups, a search engine, and detailed FAQs (frequently asked question sheets). This is an important reference site deserving a bookmark. Site hosted by Harvard and managed by Hong Song at the Missouri Botanical Garden. (****) -SR

April 2, 2001 - April Fool's Strikes Scott's Botanical Links

Scott's Botanical Link of the Day is hit by the Pig Latin virus. This virulent hoax strikes all of these educational sites with a case of Pig Latin. Masquerading as an international language with adherents including several famous politicians (such as Anday AyleQuay), this reduces education sites to disuse. Truly this is a desparate price to pay for such a cheap stunt. (****)

Past, past links (by date):

2006: January

2005: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

2003: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

2002: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

2001: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

2000: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

1999: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

1998: January*, February*, March*, April*, May*, June*, July, August, September, October, November, December   (*Leigh's links)

1997: January, February, March, April, May, June, September*, October*, November*, December*    (*Leigh's links)

1996: February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Or search by: Subject Index

http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/bot-linx/apr01.shtml