This issue of BEN is dedicated to the memory of ROY LEWIS TAYLOR who died in Nanaimo, British Columbia on May 2, 2013 http://bomi.ou.edu/ben/471/ben471.pdf

ROY LEWIS TAYLOR (1932-2013)

Born in Olds, Alberta, April 12th 1932, died in Nanaimo, BC, May 2nd 2013 Educated at Sir George Williams, McGill and Berkeley, Roy worked as a taxonomist, cytologist and field botanist at the Department of Agriculture, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa. He was involved in the first major floral study of the Queen Charlotte Islands (now Haida Gwaii) from 1957-1965, culminating in the 2 volume Flora of the Queen Charlotte Islands (1968).

He was head of the Department of Agriculture taxonomy and economic botany section from 1965 to 1968 and was director of the Botanical Garden and Professor of Botany and of Plant Science at the University of British Columbia from 1968 to 1985. His major research interest was in the development of BC's cytological flora and he was an author, co-author or editor of over 150 publications. Roy had the ability to surround himself with the right staff for the job recognizing their strongest attributes, and pretty soon would come up with a new idea for a project, encourage that particular staff member to run with it, he would back them with support all the way, and of course the project flourished. He was a great advocate for public outreach, in particular, to the horticultural community in BC. He established the Friends of the Garden whose efforts have generally raised the caliber and expertise that is expected of garden volunteer groups worldwide. He pioneered horticulture therapy in collaboration with the GF Strong Centre in Vancouver. He and the FOGS presented a major art exhibition Plantae Occidentalis reflecting 200 years of Botanical Art in British Columbia which opened at the UBC's Museum of Anthropology, subsequently travelling across Canada and into the USA.

His first PhD student at UBC, Nancy Turner, is well known as one of the world's finest ethnobotanists, and she has continued Roy's commitment to the native flora and to BC's First Nations. Roy started UBC's Friends of the Garden (FOGS). He moved to become Director of the Chicago Botanical Garden and President of the Chicago Horticultural Society from 1985 to 1994, and then to the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden, Claremont, California (1994 – 1999). He also served as professor and chair of the graduate botany program for Claremont Graduate University. At both Gardens, he continued his efforts to strengthen the volunteer support through Friends organizations that have become so effective in the support of Botanical Gardens. He was a founding member of the Canadian Botanical Association/Association Botanique du Canada (1964); the Association of Professional Biologists of British Columbia. He was an active supporter of the American Association of Botanical Artists.

Over his career, Taylor built an internationally-renowned reputation for directing botanical gardens and this was recognized in 1987 when he was appointed as a founding director of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, an organization working to ensure the worldwide conservation of threatened plants. He received many awards and honours, including the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977, membership honoris causa in the Linnean Society of London (1978), and two Honorary DSc degrees, from UBC and Vancouver Island University, that both recognized him as the 'doyen of North American university botanical gardens'. He retired to Lantzville, Vancouver Island in 1999, and remained active with Milner Gardens in Qualicum Beach. The garden that Roy and Janet built at their home in Lantzville, BC is yet another example of his concern for native flora.

TRIBUTE TO ROY LEWIS TAYLOR

Roy Taylor was born in Olds, Alberta, April 12th 1932. He always wanted to teach and did teach in a one-room school in rural Alberta and in Calgary. While in Calgary, he was involved with the YMCA which sent him to Montreal, where he obtained his B.Sc. at Sir George Williams (now Concordia) University. He studied one year at McGill, then went to the University of California Berkeley, where he received his Ph.D. in Botany. In the summers between academic years, he was an assistant on botanical surveys for Canada Agricultural field studies in western Canada, primarily in British Columbia.

After completing his graduate studies in 1962, he returned to Canada to work as a Research Officer in the Taxonomy and Economic Botany Section of Canada Agriculture, ultimately becoming Chief of the Section (1965-1968). During this time, he co-authored the first major floristic study of the Queen Charlotte Islands (now Haida Gwaii) culminating in the two volume Flora of the Queen Charlotte Islands (1968).

In 1968, Roy was appointed Director of the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden. This provided the opportunity to establish a new garden for University and to serve as both a Professor of Botany and of Plant Science (1968-1985). His research interest was in developing BC's cytological flora. During his time he authored, co-authored, or edited over 150 publications.

Roy had the ability to surround himself with the right staff for the job recognizing their strongest attributes, and could find a new idea for a project, encourage that particular staff member to run with it, and then provide support all the way; and, of course, the project flourished. He was a great advocate for public outreach to the community and in particular to the horticultural community. He established the Friends of the Garden (FOGs) whose efforts have raised the caliber and expertise expected of garden volunteer groups worldwide. He pioneered horticulture therapy in collaboration with the GF Strong Centre in Vancouver. He and the FOGs presented two major art exhibitions, both of which traveled across the U.S. and Canada. The first, Plantae Occidentalis: Reflecting 200 years of Botanical Art in British Columbia (1979), opened at the UBC Museum of Anthropology. The second exhibition was Cloud Flowers: East and West (1981). During his time at UBC, he was instrumental in establishing the Plant Introduction Program (PSIBG) to acquaint and widen the pallet of plants available to amateur and professional gardeners.

Roy was a member of the original Flora North America Project based in the U.S. This initiated a comprehensive inventory of the vascular plants of British Columbia, resulting in publication of one of the first computer-based database studies of plants, Vascular Plants of British Columbia: A Descriptive Resource Inventory (1977).

His first Ph.D. student at UBC, Nancy Turner, is well known as one of the world's finest ethnobotanists, and she has continued Roy's commitment to the native flora and to BC's First Nations.

In 1985, Roy was appointed President of the Chicago Horticultural Society and Director of the Chicago Botanic Garden, where he again introduced a plant introduction program similar to PSIBG (termed Chicagoland Grows). During this period, the CBG opened 10 new Garden elements, created a Research Center and added 60 more acres to the garden (1985-1994).

In 1994, he became Director of the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden, Claremont, California (1994-1999). He also served as Professor and Chair of the Botany Graduate Program at Claremont Graduate University. As he had at UBC, Roy continued his efforts to strengthen the volunteer support through organizations that have become so effective in the support of botanic gardens and are now an important part of the American Public Garden Association (previously the American Association of Arboreta & Botanic Gardens), of which he was President and an Honorary Life Member. He was a founding member of the Canadian Botanical Association/Association Botanique du Canada (1964) and the Association of Professional Biologists of British Columbia. He served on the Accreditation Commission of the American Association of Museum (1980-1991), serving as Chair for six years, and helped establish the guidelines for the Ethics Commission. He maintained his interest in botanical art as a collector and a member and Board Director of the American Society of Botanical Artists.

Over his career, Roy built an internationally renowned reputation for directing botanical gardens. This was recognized in 1987 when he was appointed as a founding director of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, an organization working to ensure the worldwide conservation of threatened plants.

He retired to Lantzville in 1999, and was active with Milner Gardens and Woodland (Qualicum Beach) as a Director and Chairman of the MGW Society (2000-2012), the Elizabeth Carey Miller Botanic Garden Board (Seattle, WA), and the Bloedel Reserve (Bainbridge Island, WA), as a Director and President of the Board. During this retirement time, Roy served as an Associate Editor for Pacific Horticulture, contributed to the present Flora of North America and the Flora of the San Juan Basin of the Four Corners (Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico) (in press). He was unable to complete publication of the flora of the Ilgachuz Mountains in central British Columbia.

The garden that Roy and Janet built at their home in Lantzville is yet another example of his love and appreciation of plants and concern for native flora. There was a private celebration of Roy's spirit and life in the garden he created.

ROY WAS THE BEST GRADUATE SUPERVISOR ANYONE COULD EVER ASK FOR

In 1969, having recently graduated from the University of Victoria with a Biology degree, specializing in ethnobotany (with Marc Bell as my supervisor), I found myself with my new husband Bob, living in Vancouver, and looking for a job while Bob commenced his masters degree at UBC. I tried first applying to Eaton's as a sales clerk, but was turned down. "Too educated. You should try looking for a job at UBC." I had met Dr. Katherine (Kay) Beamish, who then headed UBC's Herbarium, so my next stop was to try for a job in the herbarium there, since I had already worked for four summers at the UVIC Herbarium. Unfortunately – or what turned out to be fortunately – for me, no herbarium job was to be had. But Kay was very kind and said, "You should go and see Dr. Roy Taylor at the Botanical Garden; he might have a job for you." So, I made an appointment and went to see Roy. I was surprised at how young he was, for a Director. He said there was no job, but there would be one in September if I didn't mind waiting (that was just before Christmas). I said I would like that and went home. Sometime that evening I made a decision; I went back to see Roy the next day and asked him if he would consider supervising me as a graduate student instead of as an employee. That was one of the most fortuitous decisions I ever made (other than saying, "I do" to Bob). Roy agreed and together we decided that I should study the botany of the Haida, since he had coauthored Flora of the Queen Charlotte Islands (with James Calder and with Gerry A. Mulligan), and knew the flora of these islands (now Haida Gwaii), as well as having many friends there. He gave me a copy of their Flora (2 volumes) and helped me set up my graduate program, with a stellar advisory team: Roy as supervisor, Gilbert Hughes, Wilf Schofield from the Botany Department as committee members, and Wilson Duff from Anthropology to help me with the anthropological side of my research. Roy was the best graduate supervisor anyone could ever ask for. He was always there, willing to support, to talk over problems, make suggestions, challenge and advise. I believe I was Roy's first graduate student, and I felt like I had been adopted by an entire family at the UBC Botanical Garden – Sylvia Taylor, Morag Brown, John Neil, Chris Brayshaw, David Tarrant, Ken Wilson and all of the other garden staff and associates. I could see the amazing leadership role that Roy had; he had a vision of what the garden could be and started to build on it, overseeing the construction of the Nitobe Memorial Garden, and initiating many of the other gardens that can be enjoyed today, as well as the teaching and research programs, and the journal Davidsonia – a Journal of Botanical Garden Science, now edited by Iain E. P. Taylor. As any graduate student, I had my share of worries and crises, but always, Roy was there, with his calm, good natured personality, and his quiet sense of humour, to make sure I was able to complete the journey I had started with him. He encouraged me to write, and although he was not himself an ethnobotanist, he was very interested in the field. He introduced me to Peter Raven, who was at that time working closely with Brent Berlin in the area of "ethnoscience" or folk classification systems. He also encouraged me to invite my distant mentor, Dr. Richard Evans Schultes, known as the "Father of Ethnobotany," to visit UBC as a graduate students' choice. Many years later, when I was lucky enough to become a teacher and professor myself, and to have my own graduate students to help, I tried to model my relationship with graduate students after Roy's, and to give them the same kind of support that he gave to me. I have to add that all of us were thrilled when Roy and Janet (Stein) Taylor married, and together, they have left a positive botanical legacy that will not soon be forgotten. Thank you, Roy, for all your gifts to so many of us.

ERIGERON PACALIS BJÖRK, A NEW SPECIES FROM THE PEACE RIVER GRASSLANDS, BRITISH COLUMBIA

Björk, C. R. 2013. Erigeron pacalis (Asteraceae), a New Species from Western Canadian Boreal Grasslands. Novon: A Journal for Botanical Nomenclature 22(3): 271-275.

Abstract. Erigeron pacalis Björk (Asteraceae) is a new species found only in the Peace River Grasslands of northeastern British Columbia, Canada. Its characteristics (short stature, leathery leaves, vestiture of mixed glandular and nonglandular hairs, and white rays) distinguish it from E. glabellus Nutt. and E. asper Nutt., the latter of which has appeared only in synonymy under E. glabellus according to most recent authors, but which shows consistent distinctions that merit its resurrection from synonymy.

CAREX ORESTERA ZIKA (CYPERACEAE), A NEW SEDGE FROM THE MOUNTAINS OF CALIFORNIA

Zika, P. F. 2012. Carex orestera (Cyperaceae), a new sedge from the mountains of California. Novon: A Journal for Botanical Nomenclature 22(1): 118-124.

Carex orestera Zika (Cyperaceae) is described from western North America and is endemic to five counties in central and southern California in the Sierra Nevada range and the adjacent White Mountains. The taxon is a vicariant species to Carex albonigra Mack. that is separable from it by having more lanceolate to oblong scales with a conspicuous pale midvein and relatively narrower perigynia. The new species is assigned to Carex sect. Racemosae G. Don (syn. Carex sect. Atratae C. Chr.), and a sectional key is provided for these sedges in California. In the past, Californian specimens of Carex orestera have been identified as Carex albonigra. Carex albonigra, however, "ìs essentially a plant of Rocky Mountains, approaching no closer than the San Francisco Mountains of Cococino County, Arizona, 600 km to the east of the White Mountains.

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