- While better known in some circles as "Agriculture
Handbook 654," it is important to note that Silvics of North America (1990)
supersedes Silvics of Forest Trees of the United States (1965), aka "Agriculture
Handbook 271." This new edition, online and available in print, builds on the old
foundation, describing the biology of 200 coniferous and hardwood trees of the United
States and Puerto Rico, and a few important species of Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Ten years in the making, its articles were researched and written by Forest Service,
university, and cooperating scientists. The online Table of Contents for each of the two
volumes, I Conifers and II Hardwoods, is a hotlinked species list. Included for each
species is a general description, range map, a description of topography, soils and
associated vegetation, a detailed life history, genetics with regards to known varieties,
and a list of references. Look around for other silvicultural goodies like natural
resource fact sheets, pest alerts, and how to prune trees, all on this site published by
Northeastern Area, S&PF, USDA Forest Service, St. Paul, MN.(****)LF
-
November 29, 1999- A
Tenerife Photo-Essay
- Botanists have never had it so good as in these days of the
internet- it's becoming easier and easier to tour the world's flora and glean information
about plants from the comfort of home. A Tenerife Photo-Essay offers a good deal
of information about typical plants and communities of the Canary Islands, both in the
text and with artistic photo representations of the flora up close and in the landscape.
The page design is very coolly done, and one can eagerly anticipate the upcoming
completion of the two features "Tenerife and the Archipelago: An Overview of the
Natural History with consideration of the acclimatized flora" and "About some
typical Canarian genus and species." Site (in French and English) by Pierre Mercan,
Tenerife, Canary Islands.(****)LF
November
24, 1999- A Field Guide to the Mangroves of Queensland
- Twenty-two of the most commonly occurring mangrove forest
plants of Queensland are presented in the AIMS 1993 "A Field Guide to the Mangroves
of Queensland" by Catherine Lovelock with illustrations by Steve Clarke. Intended to
enhance appreciation for the coastal environment while helping people identify the array
of plants, seeds, and fruits found there, the Guide introduces the mangrove environment
and its significance before proceeding to the species list. The style is typically field
guide, not too complicated, making this a good link for discussion of plant adaptations
for geography, ecology, and marine biology resources. (A list of more technical references
is supplied at the end for mangrove maniacs). Site by the Australian Institute of Marine
Science, Townsville MC, Queensland, Australia.(****)LF
November
23, 1999- Allelopathy Research at the University of Savoie
- Allelopathy Research at the University of Savoie centers on the inhibition of spruce (Picea abies L. Karsten)
seedling germination in alpine forests, by phenolic compounds produced by the fern Athyrium
filix-femina L. Roth, present in the forest humus component. Summaries of some of the
experiments are provided on this website, with a super page on "What is
Allelopathy?" that makes an excellent introduction to the subject. Allelopathy
experiments performed with leachates and seedlings are ideal for students needing an
uncomplicated, yet impressive project. Start here with the list of Servers, Bibliography
and list of Papers which can be ordered from this site by François Pellissier, University
of Savoie, Chambéry, France.(****)LF
November
22, 1999- Botany 1050- Introduction to Botany
- Just as the author notes in a lab handout, "there may be
as many scientific methods as scientists," so let there be as many Introductions to
Botany as there are students of plants! This course is online with a great set of Lecture
Notes and just about everything else needed to get started in botany- Plant
Photographs, Genetic Code and "Code Cracker," Measures Converter, EvolveIT
Simulation, Geologic Time Scale, a Fruit Key and supporting resources. Site by Steven J.
Wolf, California State University, Stanislaus.(****)LF
November 19, 1999-
California Wildflowers
- This site offers a field guide to a selected 125 species of
California wildflowers, apart from the huge 7,500 images collection of the more
conspicuous "Manzanita Project" on the UC Berkeley server. Flowers can be viewed
by selecting "Color," "Latin Name," "Common Name,"
"Family," or by geographical location. The latter mode utilizes an awesome
clickable color coded map of California's floristic regions. Photography is excellent and
each entry bears botanical notes on the plant and its distribution in the state. Site by
the California Academy of Sciences, with photographs by Frank Almeda, Curator of
Botany, and Roy Eisenhardt, a former Academy Director; San Francisco, CA.(****)LF
November
18, 1999- Botany in The Library of Congress Vatican Exhibit
- Renaissance botany was highly concerned with illustration and
compilation of herbals, and the Vatican Library is a repository for many of the works one
hears so much about. Available now in perpetuity on the world wide web, in what the
authors call a "hypermedia interface" to The Library of Congress Vatican
Exhibit of 1993, is an exhibit of objects (herbals) and descriptions of the works of
Pliny, Theophrastus, Galen et al. Also covered are works in medicine and biology- overall
quite a useful who's who of old writers. Site by Frans van Hoesel with Marc Andreessen,
University of Illinois, Urbana.(****)LF
November 17, 1999-
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk
- In March 1999, The PIER Project updated its listings and
descriptions of plant species threatening Pacific island ecosystems, particularly in
Micronesia and American Samoa. The list is tabulated in several useful ways which
botanists can use for comparison with similar floras and ecosystems. The tables are
organized according to the level of threat perceived and the status of threatening plants
elsewhere. Most everything on the lists is a common "alien" plant in South
Florida, for example, and it is a curious feeling to think of weeds here posing a threat
on the other side of the world. The lists include worse-than-Latin local names for a
species, like "mahsrihsrihk," in addition to English and a few French common
names. (But half a point must be deducted for spelling on the Latin in several cases).
Site by Philip Thomas (webmaster) of the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk Project (HEAR), with
editor Jim Space, Sun Lakes, Arizona. (***1/2)LF
November
16, 1999- Georgia Endangered Plant Stewardship Network
- One of the most elegant "Introduction to Pitcherplants
and Pitcherplant Bogs" on the internet is published as part of the State Botanical
Garden of Georgia pages to enhance awareness of Georgia's endangered plant species and
ecosystems. A good description is given of Georgia's bogs- Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and
Mountain. And since the idea of carnivory in plants never fails to spark interest in gory
young imaginations, high school biology teachers will appreciate the full instructions for
building a classroom (or home) pitcherplant bog. Don't miss this beautiful layout and site
design by Jeff Walker for The State Botanical Garden of Georgia and the Georgia Plant
Conservation Alliance, Athens, Georgia. (****)LF
November 15, 1999-
The Basic Principles of Genetics
- Mendelian genetics has never looked better than in this
tutorial for the biological anthropologist.It dovetails with a complete set of others to
introduce heredity and evolution with a human focus, with lots of plant-y tidbits, like
Mendel and the peas and Linnaean classification to punctuate the curriculum. These pages
have professionally-edited textbook polish and contain some real link-list enhancers for
botany, and horticulture as well as genetics courses. Kind of like Cliff Notes,
many are bound to find the great illustrations and clean, non-hardcore text of these web
pages perfect for getting a grip on fundamentals! Site by Dennis O'Neil, Palomar College,
San Marcos, California.(****)LF
