| BEN |
| BOTANICAL ELECTRONIC NEWS |
|---|
| ISSN 1188-603X |
| No. 371 January 30, 2007 | aceska@telus.net | Victoria, B.C. |
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John Guy Trelawny was born in Roorkee, India in 1919 and enthusiastically pursued adventure throughout his life. Raised in Devon, the Isle of Jura, Scotland and Phillimore Gardens, London, educated at Bradfield School and Sandhurst College, John served with the British Eighth Army in the Second World War in Iraq, leading Assyrian levy troops, before entering the Italian campaign where he was seriously wounded, lost his leg, and spent two years as a prisoner of war.
I met John in 1961, when I began working in the old plant pathology lab at what was then the Dominion Experimental Farm on East Saanich Road, in Victoria, British Columbia. We worked together for two years in plant physiology, and John published two papers on thegermination of seeds of Bells of Ireland (Molucella laevis), and of seeds of the western dogwood. He was a wonderful person to work with - bright, cheerful, energetic and enthusiastic. At the same time, John was working on his B.Sc. in Botany at Victoria College (later University of Victoria - UVIC), when he was only able to take one course a year. To complete a full year at this rate would have taken five years. John soon became impatient with this situation and, after I left the Experimental Farm to go to UVic, John soon left the civil service to go to UVIC full time. John was an excellent student, and graduated with his B.Sc. in 1967.
After graduation John worked at the federal forestry lab on Burnside Road for a couple of years in plant pathology, and then returned to UVIC to qualify as a high school teacher. John taught a good many diverse subjects at Edward Milne High School, including French.
In the early 1970s, John joined the Biology Department at UVIC as Senior Lab Instructor in Botany. He taught his students with dedication and enthusiasm, and when they arrived in my third and fourth courses, they were well trained, enthusiastic themselves and raring to go. As well as his teaching duties, John was successfully able to undertake a number of other projects. He edited and revised Dr. Lewis Clark's extensive book on the wild flowers of BC and adjacent regions. Also, from this work John, on his own, prepared and wrote a series of field guides on wild flowers growing in the various regions of BC. After, two extensive trips to the Yukon, John wrote a highly successful field guide on the wild flowers of the Yukon. This book has gone into several editions. John carried out two plant-collecting trips to southeastern Turkey for Edinburgh University, for UBC and for the University of Alberta. For some years John organized and led a series of popular garden tours to Britain, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand. John certainly didn't waste his time between May and September!
In 1986 John retired from UVIC. Before this, John and Ruth had long since returned to Deep Cove. However, John always maintained his connection with UVic. He was an enthusiastic member of the committee that was advising and managing the development of the Finnerty Gardens, and he was responsible for the addition of many rare and attractive plants to this garden.
John spent his later years working on a history of the Assyrian people.
John was happiest showing friends and visitors his beautiful and ever-expanding garden, which featured rare shrubs and trees from many parts of the world. His commitment to learning culminated in the award of an honorary doctorate from the University of Victoria in 1992. John died on December 1, 2006 and is buried in Deep Cove, Sidney, BC.
Ernest Peter (Ernie) McNaughton passed away peacefully in Vernon, B.C., on January 11, 2007, at the age of 93 years. He was born on April 28, 1913 near Rivers, Manitoba, as the youngest of seven children and spent his younger years living and working in Manitoba and Saskatchewan before moving to Lacombe, Alberta, to continue school.
After completing high school he continued working in Lacombe as a linotype operator until he married Belva (nee Johnstone) in May of 1937. They moved to Oshawa, Ontario, where he worked as a linotype operator, attended college and raised a family. This period was interrupted by two years of service as a medic in the Canadian Army.
In 1947 the family moved to Lacombe, Alberta, where Ernie completed his bachelor's degree in 1949. They then moved to B.C. and settled in Vernon, British Columbia.
Ernie worked as a linotype operator for the Vernon News until retiring in the late 1960s. He now had time to work for causes he believed in, starting with Amnesty International and continuing with the Humanist Association of Canada, the New Democratic Party, and the North Okanagan Naturalist Club. He also began a study of plants that eventually made him one of the most knowledgeable amateur botanists in British Columbia.
His education in Botany was assisted by his friendship and collaboration with noted Ontario botanist Wilfred Botham. The two frequently made major trips to meet and study areas of both Ontario and British Columbia. Between these trips, and after Wilfred became unable to continue them, Ernie developed a similar partnership with Malcolm Martin. For many years Malcolm and Ernie traveled and hiked extensively throughout BC searching for rare plants and more accurate botanical knowledge. In recent years Ernie proofread a number of botanical books, including the comprehensive series Illustrated Flora of British Columbia edited by George W. Douglas, Del Meidinger and Jim Pojar.
BEN # 309 was dedicated to Ernie McNaughton: http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben309.html
Calamagrostis is a genus of temperate grasses with approximately 100 species (if the closely related genus Deyeuxia is excluded) distributed in North America, Europe and Asia. Twenty of the 25 North American species have ranges that include western North America. Habitats range from wet meadows, e.g. the widely distributed C. canadensis (Michx.)Beauv.- bluejoint reedgrass, to more xeric conditions, e.g., C. montanensis (Scribn.) Scribn. - plains reedgrass. Among the useful characters to distinguish among species are the lengths of the callus hairs and awns, whether or not the awns are bent or straight and exserted from, or included within, the glumes and whether the growth habit is cespitose versus rhizomatous.
In the course of preparing a taxonomic treatment of Calamagrostis for the Flora of North America project, we came across herbarium specimens collected from Washington and Oregon that did not match the description of any taxa treated by Hitchcock et al. (1969). Many of the sheets had been annotated variously as C. purpurascens R.Br., C. sesquiflora (Trin.) Tzvelev or C. vaseyi Beal. These sheets were distinct from both C. purpurascens and C. sesquiflora, so we began to apply the name C. vaseyi, a name that had been used by the writers of some of the early floras from the Pacific Northwest. This name had first been used by Beal (1896). In attempting to apply this name however we encountered three nomenclatural problems. First, the specimen held that the Smithsonian, which has been attributed as the holotype for C. vaseyi, is in fact C. purpurascens. Second, Beal, in his description of C. vaseyi did not specify a particular sheet deposited at a particular herbarium. Third, Beal's original description matches C. rubescens quite well for nearly all characters.
In order to resolve the nomenclatural problems and to clarify the uniqueness of these plants we have published the name Calamagrostis tacomensis K.L. Marr and R.J. Hebda, with a specimen collected by W. N. Suksdorf in 1886 serving as the holotype. This species occurs in the Olympic and Cascade Mountains of Washington and the Steens Mountains of southeast Oregon in moist to dry, often rocky or well drained habitats from 490-2170 m. It appears to be most closely related to C. foliosa Kearney, a species that is restricted to northern California. Because suitable habitat may occur northwards into British Columbia, further locations may remain to be discovered.
Geographical distribution (Marr et al. in press)
Not in the key:
In August 2005, Paula Bartemucci and Patrick Williston
discovered two populations of Drosera linearis (slender-
leaved sundew) in the vicinity of Moose Lake, Mount Robson
Provincial Park, British Columbia. The plants were found
growing on peat in calcareous (marl) wetlands that featured
the following associated species: Carex livida, Lobelia
kalmii, Tofieldia pusilla, Triantha glutinosa,
Trichophorum caespitosum. Triglochin maritima,
Utricularia intermedia, U. macrorhiza, and U. minor.
Each population supported more than 50 plants and included
young germinants and mature, seed-bearing plants. One
population (P. Williston #5036) is located at Lat. 52 deg.
52'41" N, Long. 118 deg. 41'55" W, and the second (#5038) at
Lat. 52 deg. 53'08"N, Long. 118 deg. 43'11"W. Specimens have
been prepared and will be submitted to the University of
British Columbia herbarium (UBC) and the Royal British Columbia
Museum herbarium (V).
Drosera linearis appears in the Illustrated Flora of British
Columbia in Appendix I - Excluded Species (Douglas et al.
1999; Vol. 3 page 392). It was excluded from the flora
because herbarium specimens showing a British Columbia location
could not be found. There are at least two British Columbia
reports of Drosera linearis that precede our discovery.
The first reference was made by Boivin (1966-1967); however,
the location specifics are not known. The second record was by
Will MacKenzie, Richard Simms and Jen Moran (B.C. Ministry of
Forests, Research Branch), who, in 1995, noted a population
of Drosera linearis in a calcareous wetland along the Akie
River, south of Fort Ware in the Rocky Mountain Trench (Will
MacKenzie pers. comm. 2005-2007).
Drosera linearis is restricted to northern North America. It
is found across Canada and in five US states bordering Canada
(NatureServe 2006). Though considered rare throughout, it is
generally more common in the central portion of its range
(Ontario) and becomes increasingly scarce to the west. Drosera
linearis is known from fewer than 20 populations in Alberta
where it is ranked S2 (Kershaw et al. 2001). The Rocky
Mountains of British Columbia represent the western-most
extent of the global range. More populations of Drosera
linearis may await discovery in calcareous wetlands of eastern
British Columbia, particularly where mountain passes allow this
species to disperse west across the Rocky Mountains.
British Columbia may support as many as four native species
and one sterile hybrid of Drosera, insectivorous plants
commonly known as sundews: D. rotundifolia, D. anglica, D.
linearis, D. intermedia and D. x obovata. Drosera
rotundifolia and Drosera anglica are common and widespread.
Drosera intermedia is known from a single collection from
Bella Bella (RICHARDSON 26 MAY 1874), housed in the McGill
herbarium (MTMG) and identified by Boivin (Paul Catling pers
comm. 2007). The seeds and stipules of this specimen should
be re-examined to verify that it does not belong in D.
anglica.
Drosera x obovata was recently reported from the Pacific
Northwest (from California to British Columbia)by Hawkeye
Rondeau (Kartesz & Meacham 1999); it represents a sterile
cross between D. rotundifolia (2n=20) and D. anglica
(2n=40) (Fernald 1950; Hickman 1993).
Drosera species are distinguished based upon leaf-shape,
seed characteristics and the attachment of the stipules. The
following key is adapted from Gray's Manual of Botany
(Fernald 1950), the Flora of Alberta (Moss 1983) and the
Drosera Plant Crib (Culham 1997):
Many thanks to Paul Catling and Will MacKenzie for their
contributions to this article.
Claytonia (Portulacaceae) comprises of 27 species, including
14 subspecies. The range extends from the Altai Region of
Mongolia to the islands of Bering Sea and south to Alaska,
Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and the southern limits
of Guatemala. Examination of 50,000 herbarium collections and
numerous wild populations, as well as chromosomal, phytochemical,
and greenhouse studies revealed the extent of interspecific and
infraspecific variation. Most species are fully illustrated and
all are mapped. One new species (C. ozarkensis) and two new
combinations (C. multiscapa subsp. czukczorum and subsp.
pacifica) are proposed. Claytonia multiscapa subsp.
pacifica was originally described from Vancouver Island and
Olympic Mountains by John McNeill as C. lanceolata var.
pacifica.
The key below is taken from Marr and Hebda (2006) and includes
only those species of Calamagrostis in the Pacific Northwest,
with long, bent, exerted awns.
1a. Blades densely hairy on the adaxial surfaces; awns 4.5-
9 mm .......................... C. purpurascens R.Br.
1b. Blades glabrous, scabrous or sparsely hairy on the
adaxial surfaces; awns 5-17 mm. ...................... 2
2a. Panicles open, (2)3.5-6.5(8) cm wide when pressed, branches
usually with spikelets confined to the distal 1/2 of the
branches; awns 10-16 mm long ....... C. howellii Vasey
2b. Panicles usually contracted, 1-3 cm wide when pressed or,
if open, the branches usually bearing spikelets-to the
base; awns 5-17 mm long. ............................. 3
3a. Awns 12-14(17) mm long ............... C. foliosa Kearney
3b. Awns (5.4)7-11(13) mm long .............................. 4
4a. Glume apices long-acuminate and usually twisted at the
tips; glume keels scabrous for most of their length ....
........................ C. sesquiflora (Trin.)Tzvelev
4b. Glume apices usually acute, if acuminate, the tips not
twisted; glume keels smooth or scabrous only on the
distal 1/2 ...... C. tacomensis K.L. Marr & R.J. Hebda
Literature Cited
NOTES ON DROSERA IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
From: Patrick Williston and Paula Bartemucci
[pwilliston@bulkley.net]
1a. Leaf-blades nearly round or broader than long .............
............................... Drosera rotundifolia L.
1b. Leaf-blades much longer than broad ...................... 2
2a. Leaves linear; flowers 1-4; seeds 0.5-0.8 mm long; calyx
segments obtuse with glandular teeth on the margin .....
............................. Drosera linearis Goldie
2b. Leaves narrowly obovate to elongate-spatulate; flowers 1-
20; seeds 1.0-1.5 mm long or seeds undeveloped; calyx
segments acute or obtuse either without or with single
glands on the margin ................................. 3
3a. Lamina length (3-)4-6 x width; inflorescence with swollen
capsules; seeds reticulate and dark brown; stipules
attached except at the tips .... Drosera anglica Huds.
3b. Lamina length 2-3 x width; inflorescence with swollen or
narrow capsules; seeds either papillose and dark brown
or undeveloped and pale brown; stipules nearly free or
attached ............................................. 4
4a. Capsules swollen; seeds dark brown to black and papillose;
stipules nearly free to base of the petiole ............
............................. Drosera intermedia Heyne
4b. Capsules narrow; seeds undeveloped, linear and straw
coloured; stipules attached except at the tips .........
..................... Drosera x obovata Mert. & Koch
Acknowledgements
Literature Cited
BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT: CLAYTONIA (PORTULACACEAE) MONOGRAPH
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