2022-v68-3

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Issue: 2022-v68-3

IN THIS ISSUE...

FALL 2022 VOLUME 68 NUMBER 3

PLANT SCIENCE

BULLETIN

A PUBLICATION OF THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

Developing a Self- and

Community-Care Practice,

by Sarah Sims....p. 172

Advice from the Careers in Botany Luncheon,

collected by Student Reps Eli Hartung and

Ioana Anghel...p. 215

Examining the Contributions of John Henry

Reisner, by Song Shi and Lee B. Kass.... p. 186

Plants, Science,

and the

Endangered

Species Act

Presidential Address at Botany 2022

by Dr. Vivian Negrón-Ortiz

Fall 2022 Volume 68 Number 3

FROM the EDITOR

Greetings,

In this issue of Plant Science Bulletin, you will find various summaries and

recaps from Botany 2022. This includes the excellent address by Vivian

Negrón-Ortiz, “Plants, Science, and the Endangered Species Act”. The address

of the President-elect is one of my favorite features of PSB, as it records the

diverse array of issues and topics that BSA leaders have chosen to bring before

the entire Society. As far as I can tell, PSB began regularly publishing the

address of the President-elect in 2003. In the 1950s and ‘60s, the address of

the “retiring” president was typically published. The first presidential address I

can find in the archives was published in PSB’s first year of publication. “Plant

Idioblasts: Remarkable Examples of Cell Specialization,” by Adriance S. Foster,

is included in the winter 1955 issue. I invite you to browse through the PSB

archives (https://botany.org/psbarchive/view/issues/lct/user/) to enjoy all

these contributions.

Sincerely,

156

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SOCIETY NEWS

Plants, Science, and the Endangered Species Act - Address of the President Elect .............................157

Botanical Society of America’s Award Winners (Part 2) ..........................................................................................165

Gifts to the BSA Endowment Support Student Research .....................................................................................171

Nurturing Botanists: Developing a Self- and Community-Care Practice:

A Botany360 Recap............................................................................................................................................................172

Botany 2022 in Your Words and Pictures.........................................................................................................................180

ARTICLES

John Henry Reisner (1888-1965): Contributions to Agricultural Improvement Efforts

In China and the Development of The College of Agriculture and Forestry

at University of Nanking ....................................................................................................................................................186

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

BSA Spotlight Series....................................................................................................................................................................205

Thank You, Teressa Alexander! .............................................................................................................................................206

Did You Know? ................................................................................................................................................................................206

Botany360 Continues to Grow................................................................................................................................................207

New BSA Award! Graduate Student Dissertation Award in Comparative Plant Biology.......................207

It’s Renewal Season!.....................................................................................................................................................................208

SCIENCE EDUCATION

PlantingScience Welcomes the 2022-2023 Master Plant Science Team.....................................................211

PlantingScience’s Fall 2022 Session is Underway!.....................................................................................................212

Digging Deeper {F2} is Recruiting Teachers! .................................................................................................................212

Life Discovery Conference 2023...........................................................................................................................................213

STUDENT SECTION

Botany 2022 Review.....................................................................................................................................................................215

Advice from the Careers in Botany Luncheon ..............................................................................................................218

Heard at the

Planting the Seeds of Science Communication Workshop........................................................219

Papers to Read for Future Leaders ......................................................................................................................................220

ANNOUNCEMENTS

In memoriam - Jon Giddens (1986 - 2021).....................................................................................................................221

BOOK REVIEWS..............................................................................................................................................223

Logo designed by Johanne Stogran

Background image credit: Xiao-Xue Mo and Lian-Bin Tao

www.botanyconference.org

157

SOCIETY NEWS

[Editor’s Note: Dr. Vivian Negrón-Ortiz spoke

at Botany 2022 for the Presidential Address.]

The topic for this address is a subject that I

have devoted time and effort to for the past

15 years. For this address, I do not intend

to explain technical details, but rather give

a general overview of how plants have been

treated under the Endangered Species Act

(ESA) of 1973, as amended, with some new

information collected from several interviews

with various leaders of the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service (FWS).

It is evident that science for the ESA is

an essential starting point for preventing

the extinction of many species, and that

combined with policies and full partnership,

it can help solve many conservation problems.

Conservation is complex and can be defined

in multiple ways, but it is the persistence of

Plants, Science, and the

Endangered Species Act

a species, plants in particular, in their native

habitat that we strive to maintain—and this is

of importance for the current and foreseeable

future. To illustrate how science is used under

the ESA, I’m going to present an example from

my own research.

In the early 1990s I was invited to collaborate

on a research project to investigate why seed

set is very low or non-existent in an extremely

rare cactus geographically restricted to the

Florida Keys. This rare species, Consolea

corallicola Small (Opuntioideae), is a tree-

like cactus about 2 m tall, with a dense

cluster of branches near at the top of the stem

and bearing bright red flowers. Only one

population of 13 caged plants was left in the

wild in 1995, one population discovered in

1919 was extirpated, and a second population

consisting of a few adult plants was found in

2001 (https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/candidate/

assessments/2011/r4/Q3HT_P01.pdf). To

answer the seed set question, I did hand

pollination experiments with the 13 caged

plants, involving 173 manipulated and control

flowers, resulting in the production of a

single fruit by agamospermy. Pollen grains

were observed germinating on the stigma of

abscised ovaries, but tubes failed to enter and

fertilize the ovules (Negrón-Ortiz, 1998).

By Dr. Vivian Negrón-Ortiz

President of the Botanical Society of America

PSB 68 (3) 2022

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Given that this information didn’t answer the

question, we embarked on a research project

involving all nine species in this genus,

geographically restricted to the Caribbean

region. Direct observations of individual

plants in the field, dissection of flowers at

anthesis, and embryological studies revealed

that most species in this genus are composed

of females, males, and, in a few species, fruiting

males (Strittmatter et al., 2002; Negrón-

Ortiz, 2007). We then carried out similar

investigations on C. corallicola; our results

showed that this species is composed of males

and fruiting males. We inferred there are no

females remaining in the population (Negrón-

Ortiz and Strittmatter, 2004); therefore, C.

corallicola is a functional extinct species.

This information along with other research

studies conducted between the 1990s to

early 2000s were integral components to help

inform the final listing rule of 2013. Listing,

the process by which a species is determined

to meet the ESA definition of endangered

or threatened, requires a thorough scientific

evaluation and public review before a final

decision is made. While research studies on C.

corallicola were conducted, multiple internal

documents were simultaneously generated

(https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/4356) to

assess the status of the species since 1985

(50 FR 39526), when the species was first

recognized as a candidate species. Therefore,

listing is a multi-faceted process.

The ESA approaches its 50th anniversary in

2023. This law, written mostly by a group of

lawyers and scientists and enacted with little

controversy, is considered the most powerful

environmental legislation for saving species

from extinction. It has evolved over the last

49 years by defining many phrases and words,

but it remains a source of legal interpretations.

Many stakeholders and scientists are not

content with ESA’s performance, based on

the limited number of species delisted to date

(Greenwald et al., 2019). Of the total 1638

domestic species listed as of 2021 (941 plants,

451 vertebrates, 276 invertebrates; Figure 1),

only 4% (N = 69 species: 48 vertebrates, 1

Figure 1. Number of species by taxonomic group and listing status.

PSB 68 (3) 2022

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invertebrate, 20 plants) have been removed

from the list due to recovery, which is the goal

of the ESA.

But using this metric solely to evaluate the

ESA success is not effective, since delisting is

only one purpose of the ESA. The recovery

process takes on average 24-40 years (years

for: birds, 40; fishes, 31; mammals, 24; plants,

27; reptiles, 30) if we have all the ‘means’

and a suit of partners working continuously

on a species. Preventing extinction to keep

endangered species stable, however, provides a

better measure of the effectiveness of the ESA.

Although the ESA doesn’t have a definition for

‘extinction’, and rates of extinction are difficult

to quantify, determination of whether a species

is extinct is based on analyses including

detectability of the species, adequacy of

survey efforts, and time since last detection.

With these three criteria, only 11 species (all

Figure 2. Average recovery spending per species by taxonomic group and listing status. The

error bars represent the standard error of the mean.

animals) have been determined as extinct

after listing (https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/). One

main impediment to delisting plant species is

the limited funding (Figure 2) available for the

implementation of recovery actions of species

at risk of extinction (Figure 1). An additional

concern is the steady decline of personnel

dedicated to the conservation of threatened

and endangered species due to the “trend in

agencies to hire generalists or persons with a

degree in biology or ecology and expect them

to cover all taxonomic groups” (L. Smith, 2022

interview).

The first four plants were listed under the

ESA in 1977 (Figure 3). These four species

(endemics to the San Clemente Island,

CA) were listed as threatened [Acmispon

dendroideus var. traskiae (Fabaceae) and

Castilleja grisea (Scrophulariaceae)] and

endangered [Delphinium variegatum

PSB 68 (3) 2022

160

ssp. Kinkiense (Ranunculaceae) and

Malacothamnus clementinus (Malvaceae)],

and successfully recovered 44 years post-

listing, in 2021. Since 1994, plants are the

taxonomic group most listed, comprising 58%

of all federally listed species to date (Figure

1). Federal expenditures, however, are not

commensurate (Figure 2; Negrón-Ortiz, 2014)

and most funding is allocated to vertebrates.

This pattern is not likely to change, as an FWS

leader expressed when I interviewed him in

2022, “Funding is not equal across species,

and will not be equal, ever!”

Federally listed plants are represented by

394 genera and 941 species within 118

families (Figure 4). About 59% of these

genera are represented by one species, while

only 2% of the genera (Astragalus, Cyanaea,

Cyrtandra, Euphorbia, Melicope, Phyllostegia,

Pritchardia, and Schiedea) include ≥11

species with the Hawaiian endemics

Cyanaea (Campanulaceae) and Schiedea

(Caryophyllaceae) possessing the most listed

(51 and 28 species, respectively). Overall,

more than 80% of the listed plants have an

endangered status (Figure 3). Many are found

in the Pacific (49%), Pacific Southwest (20%),

Figure 3. Number of species listed per year and listing status.

and Southeast regions (18%); and belong to

the Asteraceae (11%), Campanulaceae (9%),

Fabaceae (6%), and Lamiaceae (5%) (Figure

4). Of the 271 listed plants within these

four families, 155 are found in the Pacific

(particularly the Campanulaceae), 227 are

listed as endangered, and 165 possess high

degree of threats. The recovery potential of 110

of species with high threats is low, suggesting

that these species are vulnerable to extirpation

and possibly extinction.

Federally listed plants are primarily protected

on public lands. The only public land

managed by FWS are the National Wildlife

Refuges (NWRs), where about a third of

all the listed species occur in 444 of the 568

NWRs (Defenders of Wildlife, 2020). While

23,086 native plant species have been reported

in 396 NWRs, only 207 are federally listed

and documented in 93 NWRs. The species

requiring federal protection may increase

in the near future, since more than 2000 are

currently assessed by NatureServe as critically

imperiled (G1) and imperiled (G2)—thus,

NWRs remain important for preserving

biodiversity. The numbers of species projected

to require federal protection are greatest

PSB 68 (3) 2022

161

Figure 4. Families with ≥10 listed plant species. Most families (94) possess < 10 listed plant spe-

cies, totaling 265.
in Hawaii, California, and the Southeast.

Although there are other federal, state, and

local areas home for many of our threatened

and endangered species, unfortunately, most

of our plants are located on privately owned

lands where they do not receive protections

under the ESA.

KEY MILESTONES FROM

1973 TO PRESENT

I am going to switch gears and rely on the

interviews and discussions with 10 FWS

leaders and botanists nationwide to document

key milestones within three timelines about 20

years apart that marked significant decisions

for species protection, science, and policies

under the ESA.

1973 to 1995

• The listing process was solely per-

formed at the FWS headquarters

(HQ) from 1973 to 1985, and then it

was transferred to the regions until

1992 when it finally was delegated to

the field offices.

• Gail Baker, Bruce MacBryde, John

Fay, and LaVerne Smith were the only

FWS botanists hired between 1975 to

1978. They were stationed at HQ and

worked nationwide on a proposed

rule to list several hundreds of plants

(Baker’s recollection is 800 plant spe-

cies). They gathered information on

these plants by contacting state offices

to inquire about their plant conser-

vation efforts and providing funding

agreements to botanists around the

country to inform listing on specific

plants.

• Science

The immediate actions for these

plants were surveys and uncov-

ering new locations, as basic sci-

ence was scarce or lacking.

Research was transferred in 1993

to the National Biological Ser-

vice, now U.S. Geological Science

(Wagner, 1999).

• The driver in the 1980s was to list spe-

cies “just to be on the safe side,” (J.

Herrington, 2022 interview), and it

was done with minimal data.

PSB 68 (3) 2022

162

• A total of 509 plants were listed within

22 years, of which 80% were assessed

as endangered (Figure 3).

1996 to 2015

• The external drivers during this period

were trust and partnership. Research

was no longer an action to be imple-

mented by the FWS staff; thus, trusting

was crucial as partners had the task to

collaborate on research projects and

get the best available information for

the recovery process.

• The internal driver during much of

this period was the high volume of

lawsuits and their consequences.

0 Lawsuits. Between 2005 and 2015,

the FWS received about 141 suits,

involving 1441 species, to take

actions within deadlines under

Section 4 of ESA. In addition, two

mega-petitions (formal requests

to list species under the ESA)

were received: one in 2007 to list

674 species in the Southwest and

Mountain-Prairie regions and the

other in 2010 to list 404 species

in the Southeast region (GAO,

2017).

0 Consequences. Re-assigning

FWS staff to work on those litiga-

tions delayed the recovery work

but conversely, as G. Carmody

(2022 interview) stated, “Certain

things were done in a way that

they would not have been done

otherwise.” She also stated that

“funding was redirected to com-

pensate lawyers’ salary and to es-

tablish agreements to get the new

workload done.”

• The overall driver between 2000 and

2009 was “more listing, but not recov-

ery” (J. Herrington, 2022 interview),

although no plants were listed from

2005 to 2008 (Figure 3).

• Science

0 Population viability analyses be-

came the ideal approach to esti-

mate the probability of extinction

of populations or species and was

frequently used as a framework

for recovery.

0 Basic science continued to be

scarce for most listed plants and

for all species in general, and the

structured decision-making ap-

proach (Runge et al., 2020) was

used to explicitly address am-

biguity or uncertainty due to

knowledge gap.

0 A key issue that marked this peri-

od was listing of the polar bear in

2008 (L. Smith, 2022). It triggered

the importance of addressing the

long-term projection of species

vulnerability and extinction risk

under climate change scenarios

(i.e., forecasting).

0 Management was considered

more active and less idealistic as

“we don’t have the luxury to go

as we did in the past” (L. Smith,

2022 interview).

• A total of 378 plants were listed within

these 20 years, with 83% of them clas-

sified as endangered (Figure 3).

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163

2016 to the present and future

• Science and Policy decisions

0 Greater scientific understanding

of species’ viability is anticipated

to improve because an analytical

framework called Species Status

Assessment (Smith et al,. 2018)

is in place to inform decision-

making including processes such

as listing and recovery.

0 Better baseline data and research

on survival, reproduction, and

other vital rates are expected

through collaboration with ex-

perts outside FWS, as well as an

improved assessment of the cur-

rent and future trajectory of the

species.

0 Greater technical participation

by experts outside of the FWS is

also anticipated to help us inte-

grate and apply the best available

data to inform decisions, by char-

acterizing uncertainty and filling

data gaps.

Significant scientific advances had been made

in understanding the biology and ecological

needs of many of listed plant species during

the 49 years of the ESA implementation, yet

basic science remains scarce. Three areas of

research (population genetics, reproductive

and seed ecology, and demographic modeling)

have considerably contributed to guide efforts

to protect populations and prevent extinction

of endangered and threatened species. But

many questions remain to be answered, and

the following collective themes emerged

through discussions with FWS botanists:

What is the life history profile for each

species? Are they able to adapt to changing

environmental conditions and catastrophic

events? How should a “population” be defined?

What constitutes a plant vs. a clone? What

are the types of soil seed bank? What are the

longevity of ex-situ seeds? What are the overall

patterns of in-situ seedling recruitment? Is

low recruitment sufficient to maintain stable

populations? What solutions are needed to

conserve species at risk from climate change?

Overall, the reality is that many of our species

are not improving, current threats are and

will be exacerbating species endangerment,

and science alone will not lead to prevention

of many species’ extinctions—but it may help

slow down extinction.

In closing, I would like to finish with several

quotes that have specific meanings at certain

time periods within the 49 years of the

ESA implementation. A common phrase

constantly being said by botanists since the

inception of the ESA to present days is, “Do

not forget the plants”—a reminder to the

FWS leadership that plants are also listed

and need to be included in documents such

as strategies, during public speaking, and

outreach media. The phrase “The past was a

predictor of the future, but not now” refers to

how we cannot go back to how species and

habitat were previously managed because

changes and degradation are happening faster

due to the consequences of climate change,

and the past management data will not help

restore current lands. “Science will prevail”

was a quote commonly verbalized during

the polar bear listing process and certain

key periods (1980s and 2000s) associated

with presidential administrations. Finally,

Mrs. Gail Baker said during a 1976 interview

with a National Public Radio reporter, “It’s

not love that makes the world go round, it’s

photosynthesis.” A few days later, she received

a message from a college student in Boston

praising her story and quote!

PSB 68 (3) 2022

164

TERRITORIAL

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to acknowledge the traditional territory

and ancestral lands of many indigenous

people (https://native-land.ca/). My work area

occurs across the NW Florida home of the

traditional and ancestral lands of the Mvskoke

(Muscogee/Creek) and Apalachees, and since

this year the conference was in Anchorage,

Alaska, I would like to pay my respect to

Elders both past, present, and future.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to acknowledge 10 participants

representing FWS leadership and botanists

across the nation for their contribution during

interviews: Gail Baker (former FWS botanist,

1976-1977, HQ), Sean Blomquist (former

Supervisor, Branch of SSA Science Support,

HQ), Tara D. Callaway (Washington State

Plant Recovery Coordinator, Washington

State), Gail Carmody (former Field Supervisor,

NW Florida), Craig Hansen (Listing

Coordinator, Region 6, CO), Jay Herrington

(former Field Supervisor, N Florida), Mark

Madison (Historian, National Conservation

Training Center, WV), Erin Rivenbark

(Listing Biologist, Region 4, Atlanta, GA),

LaVerne Smith (former FWS botanist, 1978-

1983, HQ), Lauren Weisenberger (Plant

Recovery Coordinator, Honolulu, HI), and

Marion (Scott) Wiggers (botanist,

Mississippi

Field Office, MS)

. Specifically, I was thrilled

to interview Gail Baker and LaVerne Smith,

who were part of the beginning the ESA

implementation. My appreciation is also

extended to 10 other FWS staff members

for providing many plant images that were

featured in this talk at Botany 2022.

REFERENCES

Greenwald N., K. F. Suckling, B. Hartl, and L.

A. Mehrhoff. 2019. Extinction and the U.S. En-

dangered Species Act. PeerJ 7: e6803. https://doi.

org/10.7717/peerj.6803
Negrón-Ortiz, V. 2014. Pattern of expenditures for

plant conservation under the Endangered Species

Act. Biological Conservation 171: 36-43. https://

doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2014.01.018
Negrón-Ortiz, V. 2007. Chromosome numbers,

nuclear DNA content, and polyploidy in Consolea

(Cactaceae), an endemic cactus of the Caribbean

Islands. American Journal of Botany 94: 1360-

1370.
Negrón-Ortiz, V., and L. Strittmatter. 2004. Em-

bryology of floral dimorphism and gender system

of Consolea corallicola (Cactaceae), a rare spe-

cies of the Florida Keys. Haseltonia 10: 1-10.
Negrón-Ortiz, V. 1998. Reproductive biology of

a rare cactus, Opuntia spinosissima (Cactaceae),

in the Florida Keys: why is seed set very low?

Sexual Plant Reproduction 11: 208-212.
Runge, M. C., S. J. Converse, J. E. Lyons, and

D. R. Smith. 2020. Structured Decision Making:

Case studies in natural resource management.

Johns Hopkins University Press.
Smith, D. R, N. L. Allan, C. P. McGowan, J. A.

Szymanski, S. R. Oetker, and H. M. Bell. 2018.

Development of a Species Status Assessment Pro-

cess for decisions under the U.S. Endangered Spe-

cies Act. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Manage-

ment 9: 302-320.
Strittmatter, L. I., V. Negrón-Ortiz, and R. J. Hick-

ey. 2002. Subdioecy in Consolea spinosissima

(Cactaceae): breeding system and embryological

studies. American Journal of Botany 89: 1373-1387.
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).

2017. Environmental litigation: Information on

Endangered Species Act deadline suits. Website:

https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-17-304.pdf.
Wagner, F. H. 1999. Whatever happened to the

National Biological Survey? BioScience 49: 219–

222.

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Botanical Society of America’s

Award Winners (Part 2)

AWARDS FOR ESTABLISHED SCIENTISTS

GIVEN BY THE SECTIONS

MARGARET MENZEL AWARD

(Genetics Section)

The Margaret Menzel Award is presented by the Genetics Section for the outstanding paper

presented in the contributed papers sessions of the annual meetings.

Caroline Dowling, University College Dublin, For the Presentation: It’s Been a Long Day:

Uncovering the genetic control of flowering in Cannabis sativa. Co-authors: Jiaqi Shi, Susanne

Schilling, Rainer Melzer

SAMUEL NOEL POSTLETHWAIT AWARD

(Teaching Section)

The Samuel Noel Postlethwait Award is given for outstanding service to the BSA Teaching Section.

Dr. Melanie DeVore, Georgia College & State University

MICHAEL CICHAN PALEOBOTANICAL

RESEARCH GRANT

(Paleobotanical Section)

The Award is to provide funds for those who have completed a PhD and are currently in a post-

doctoral position or non-tenure track position.

Nareerat Boonchai, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida. For

the paper titled: “Insights into the Wyoming’s Blue Forest: Filling a knowledge gap

in diversity of Eocene woody vegetation, paleoenvironment, and paleoclimate.”

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Andres Elgorriaga, University of Kansas. For the paper titled: “Reconstructing ginkgoalean

macroevolutionary patterns through time within a phylogenetic context.”

AWARDS FOR STUDENTS

DONALD R. KAPLAN AWARD IN

COMPARATIVE MORPHOLOGY

This award was created to promote research in plant comparative morphology, the Kaplan family

has established an endowed fund, administered through the Botanical Society of America, to

support the Ph.D. research of graduate students in this area.

Yesenia Madrigal Bedoya, University of Antioquia (Colombia). For the Proposal: A mor-

pho-anatomical characterization of the vegetative-to-reproductive meristematic transition in

terrestrial and epiphytic neotropical orchids

THE BSA GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH AWARD

INCLUDING THE J. S. KARLING AWARD

The BSA Graduate Student Research Awards support graduate student research and are made on the

basis of research proposals and letters of recommendations. Withing the award group is the Karling

Graduate Student Research Award. This award was instituted by the Society in 1997 with funds

derived through a generous gift from the estate of the eminent mycologist, John Sidney Karling (1897-

1994), and supports and promotes graduate student research in the botanical sciences.

THE J. S. KARLING

GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH AWARD

Jessie Pelosi, University of Florida. For the Proposal: Beyond the genome: methylomics of the

alternation of generations

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AWARDS FOR STUDENTS GIVEN BY THE SECTIONS

STUDENT PRESENTATION AND POSTER AWARDS

ECOLOGICAL SECTION

STUDENT PRESENTATION AWARD

Michael Peyton, University of Wisconsin – Madison. For the Presentation: An investigating

into the role of functional traits and spatial scale in Hawaiian understory responses to pig

disturbance. Co-author: Sara Hotchkiss

ECOLOGICAL SECTION POSTER AWARDS

Blaire Kleiman, Florida International University. For the Presentation: How weeds affect

insects in mango, Mangifera indica, cultivation of South Florida.

DEVELOPMENTAL & STRUCTURAL POSTER AWARD

(Best Student Poster)

Deanna Neupert, Miami University. For the Poster: The evolution of structural novelty: A

morphological analysis of development in Mimulus and its implication for plant architecture

and reproduction. Co-authors: Robert Baker, Rich Moore, Jonathan Bauer

ISABEL COOKSON AWARD

(Paleobotanical Section)

Established in 1976, the Isabel Cookson Award recognizes the best student paper presented in the

Paleobotanical Section.

Kelly Pfeiler, University of Kansas. For the Presentation: Anatomically preserved

cheirolepidiaceous pollen cones of western North America. Co-authors: Brian Atkinson, Kelly

Matsunaga

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168

KATHERINE ESAU AWARD

(DEVELOPMENTAL AND STRUCTURAL SECTION)

This award was established in 1985 with a gift from Dr. Esau and is augmented by ongoing

contributions from Section members. It is given to the graduate student who presents the

outstanding paper in developmental and structural botany at the annual meeting.

Heather Phillips, Cornell University. For the Presentation: To fuse or not to fuse: Investigating

the evolution and development of floral fusion in the Zingiberales. Co-authors: Jacob Landis,

Chelsea Specht

LI-COR PRIZE

(PHYSIOLOGICAL SECTION)

Each year, the Physiological Section presents the Li-COR prize to acknowledge the best presentation

made by any student, regardless of subdiscipline, at the annual meeting. The Li-COR prize is

presented annually at the BSA Banquet.

Best Student Oral Presentations

Claudia Garnica Diaz, University of Florida. For the Presentation: Intra-canopy leaf

variation in deciduous oaks (genus Quercus): from leaf construction to energy return. Co-

Authors: Siddarth Machado, Raiza Castillo-Argaez, Nicholas Ash Smith, Daniel J. Johnson,

Grace Patricia John

Ana Flores, University of Hawaii at Manoa. For the Presentation: Trait variation as plants

grow up: simultaneous effects of ontogeny and phenotypic plasticity. Co-author: Kasey Barton

Best Student Poster

Jordyn Regier, Pepperdine University. For the Presentation: Substrate type affects the drying

speed and desiccation tolerance of fern gametophytes. Co-Authors: Mayra Hernandez, Camille

Kilayko Sicangco, Stephen Davis, Helen Holmlund

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MAYNARD MOSELEY AWARD

(Developmental & Structural and Paleobotanical Sections)

The Maynard F. Moseley Award was established in 1995 to honor a career of dedicated teaching,

scholarship, and service to the furtherance of the botanical sciences. Dr. Moseley, known to his

students as “Dr. Mo”, died Jan. 16, 2003 in Santa Barbara, CA, where he had been a professor

since 1949. He was widely recognized for his enthusiasm for and dedication to teaching and his

students, as well as for his research using floral and wood anatomy to understand the systematics

and evolution of angiosperm taxa, especially waterlilies. (PSB, Spring, 2003). The award is given

to the best student paper, presented in either the Paleobotanical or Developmental and Structural

sessions, that advances our understanding of plant structure in an evolutionary context.

Keana Tang, University of Kansas. For the Presentation: Crown group Lauraceae in the Late

Cretaceous: new evidence from fossil flowers. Co-Authors: Kelly Matsunaga, Brian Atkinson

PHYSIOLOGICAL SECTION

STUDENT PRESENTATION AND POSTER AWARDS

Best Student Oral Presentation

Maria Cristina Rengifo Faiffer, Michigan Technological University. For the

Presentation: Phenotypic plasticity of Syntrichia caninervis in novel climates. Co-

authors: Matthew Bowker, Anita Antoninka

Best Student Poster

Marissa Ochoa, University of California, Los Angeles. For the Presentation: How does stomatal

anatomy influence leaf conductance from minimum to maximum? Causal relationships

and meta-analysis. Co-authors: Lawren Sack, Thomas N. Buckley, Christian Henry, Camila

Medeiros, Ruihua Pan, Grace Patricia John

PSB 68 (3) 2022

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PHYTOCHEMICAL SECTION

PRESENTATION AWARDS

Best Presentation

Gordon Younkin, Cornell University. For the Presentation: Comparative transcriptomics of 48

Erysimum species guides discovery of cardiac glycoside biosynthetic genes. Co-authors: Martin

Alani, Mahdieh Mirzaei, Georg Jander

Best Presentation Honorable Mention

Luis Santiago-Rosario, Louisiana State University. For the Presentation: Contrasts among

cationic phytochemical landscapes in the southern United States. Co-author: Kyle Harms

Best Poster

Gemma Takahashi, University of California, Irvine. For the Poster: Differential expression,

genome annotation, and enzyme discovery in Drosera capensis. Co-authors: Omar Akbari,

Ulysses Castelan, Mark Hadadian, Jonathan Le, Jessica Kelz, Elizabeth Diessner, Elliott Einstein,

Megha Unhelkar, Ashley Kwok, Marc Sprague-Piercy, Sofiya Woodcock, Allison Pineda, Pauniz

Shabakesaz, David Einstein, Alexandra Garabedian, Aden Alemayhu, Jose Uribe, Rachel

Martin, Carter Butts

Best Poster Honorable Mention

Anna Ferraro, High Point University. For the Poster: Characterizing plant biochemical

responses to pathogenic stress: a spotlight on red leaf spots. Co-authors: Maggie Salley, Bailey

McCormick, Andrew Wommack, Nicole Michelle Hughes

In 2021, the Botanical Society of America

(BSA) revised its strategic plan, updating

the mission, goals, and areas of impact

for the Society. A gift or planned financial

commitment to the BSA will enable the

Society to achieve its goals as outlined in the

updated strategic plan and to achieve long-

term sustainability for BSA. Support for

diverse student inclusion and participation

emerged as a priority for the continued work

of the Society. Among other areas of focus

outlined in the strategic plan, making student

participation and success a key priority will

ensure the overall long-term sustainability

and global impact of the BSA.

In 2021, the Society received a large and

generous gift from an anonymous donor to

endow a new Graduate Student Research

Award in Comparative Plant Biology. The

first research award for $10,000 from this

fund will be offered in 2023. This award

significantly increases the support that the

Society can provide to graduate students

Jennifer Cruse-Sanders

BSA Director at Large for Development

Gifts to the BSA Endowment

Support Student Research

in plant biology. The Society also offers the

prestigious Kaplan Dissertation Award in

Comparative Morphology, in its third year of

funding, which provides a $10,000 research

award annually.

You, too, can help by making a donation of any

amount to BSA or consider giving a legacy gift

to BSA. The intent of the Botanical Society of

America’s Legacy Society is to ensure a vibrant

BSA for tomorrow’s botanists, and to assist all

members in providing wisely planned giving

options. All that is asked is that you remember

the BSA as a component in your legacy gifts—

no minimum amount. We hope this allows all

BSA members to play a meaningful part in the

Society’s future.

Giving a legacy gift to the BSA is simple:

https://crm.botany.org/civicrm/profile/

create?gid=46&reset=1. To contact us with

your questions, e-mail bsa-manager@botany.

org.

PSB 68 (3) 2022

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The mental health crisis in this country, and

its implications for students and workers, has

been well documented. Burnout, work-life

balance, and self-care are terms and topics

that are now commonly used by many, and

the botanical community is no exception.

But these very serious issues are at times

misunderstood or dismissed as overexposed,

temporary, or self-indulgent. And self-care

has been irresponsibly commercialized and

offered as a simple panacea to structural

problems. So, what are the nuances of good

mental health in the workplace? What are

the specific challenges to and opportunities

for self- and community-care in the

botanical community? In August 2022, the

BSA offered a free Botany360 webinar—

“Nurturing Botanists: Developing a Self- and

Community-Care Practice”—to explore these

questions.

As the BSA Diversity Equity Inclusion and

Outreach Programs Coordinator, I provided

participants with information, ideas, and

concrete skills to help them build a practice

of care for themselves and others in their

communities, universities, and workplaces.

The workshop interrogated some of the

harmful approaches to mental health and

instead offered a more nuanced and trauma-

informed view of when, how, and why to

develop a self- and community-care practice.

I’d like to offer a recap of that workshop here

in the Plant Science Bulletin so that more of

our botanical community can take steps to

better care for ourselves and one another.

WHAT IS YOUR

PROFESSIONAL QUALITY

OF LIFE?

Before jumping into self- and community-

care practices, the workshop explored

mental health challenges in the workplace

and introduced the Professional Quality of

Life measure as a way to deconstruct and

understand our complex feelings about and

relationship with our work.

The Professional Quality of Life measure, or

ProQOL, is a self-assessment tool that has

been used for over 15 years to help individuals

understand their level of work satisfaction,

fatigue, and burnout. Historically, it was

Nurturing Botanists:

Developing a Self- and Community-

Care Practice: A Botany360 Recap

By Sarah Sims

BSA Diversity Equity Inclusion and

Outreach Programs Coordinator

PSB 68 (3) 2022

173

primarily used in the “helping professions,”

but many different types of workplaces and

workers are now using the tool to understand

the complexities around what makes us feel

good and bad in our careers and what we can

do about it. The ProQOL determines your

professional quality of life as a balance of the

compassion satisfaction and the compassion

fatigue you feel. (Note: To learn more about

how the the ProQOL defines and measures

professional quality of life, or to take your own

self-assessment, visit https://proqol.org/.)

Compassion satisfaction is the pleasure you

derive from doing your work or that you get

from external sources at your workplace. The

specifics of what makes you feel satisfied at and

with your work will be different for everyone

depending on personality, identities, approach

to work, etc. Here are some of the factors that

our colleagues in botany said make them feel

a sense of compassion satisfaction:

• Workplace flexibility
• Seeing our students and colleagues

have successes

• Having a sense that you and your col-

leagues are working together toward a

common goal

• Having peers who share some of your

marginalized identities

• Having lab mates or co-workers who

you can vent to and who in turn will

listen to you

Do any of these ring true for you? What makes

you feel satisfied with your work?

Compassion fatigue is exhaustion, emotional

distress, frustration, anger, or apathy resulting

from caring a lot about your work and having

negative feelings about your workplace. It can

also be influenced by traumatic experiences you

PSB 68 (3) 2022

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might have either at work or in your personal

life. Compassion fatigue, if unchecked, can

turn into burnout. Burnout can show up as

complete mental and/or physical exhaustion,

a cynical detachment from your work, or a

reduced sense of self-efficacy (https://hbr.

org/2021/04/your-burnout-is-unique-your-

recovery-will-be-too). Like compassion

satisfaction, what makes you feel fatigued or

burnt out is also individual. Here’s what some

in the botanical community struggle with:

• Unrealistic and increasing workloads

and high focus on productivity

• The pressure to give free or underval-

ued labor

• Unsupportive leaders and/or institutions
• Issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Monotony of work and/or recurring

problems with no solutions

• Feeling under-appreciated

Have you ever experienced burnout? What

makes you feel compassion fatigue at work?

We often think about burnout specifically

as a state of mind that might lead us to drop

out of school, quit our job, or find a new

profession entirely. These impacts on our

careers are certainly true, but perhaps a more

insidious consequence of burnout is what it

does to our bodies and long-term health if

unchecked for too long. Our bodies react in

automatic ways to stress, releasing adrenaline

and other hormones that can cause changes to

blood sugars, heart rates, and blood flow. A

short-term change helps us get safely through

a stressful or even dangerous situation. But

when this is happening all the time, it can

lead to heart conditions, metabolic diseases,

sleep disorders, harmful coping mechanisms,

and more. Thus, the very essential need for

self- and community-care: it’s not just about

keeping us at our jobs and satisfied with our

jobs—it’s about preserving our health!

SELF-CARE:

IT’S MORE NUANCED

THAN YOU THINK!

There are a lot of harmful myths about self-

care, and one of the biggest ones is that it is all

on you. Unfortunately, self-care is often used

as a catch-all term for what is (or should be)

a layered approach to supportive care, which

starts with self-soothing or self-regulation,

then self-care, followed by community-care,

and all of which would (in a perfect world)

be enveloped by comprehensive and inclusive

structural care.

PSB 68 (3) 2022

175

SELF-SOOTHING/SELF-

REGULATION: DO IT NOW!

Self-soothing or self-regulation are reactive

activities that are easy for you to engage

in and provide distraction and/or comfort

during a stressful time. The key phrase in the

previous sentence is “easy for you.” Often,

self-care and self-soothing are confused or

used interchangeably. As we’ll discuss further

below, a self-care practice that you’ve taken

time and intention to cultivate and get better

at over time can become one of your go-to self-

soothing techniques—but it doesn’t always

automatically start that way. Consider this:

have you ever been in a stressful situation, and

someone tells you, “Let’s just take a break to

meditate”? You try, but the stress doesn’t go

away, and then your stress increases because

you become acutely aware that you don’t know

what you’re doing or that you aren’t doing it

right. And now you are more stressed that you

wasted time unsuccessfully trying to destress.

Well, meditation wasn’t the right self-soothing

technique for you, but something else is!

Let’s dig a little deeper into the science of how

self-soothing works. A good self-soothing

technique is one that makes you feel calm. How

does that work? Let’s take a look at the other

term used for self-soothing: self-regulation.

When we are stressed, we are dysregulated.

Dysregulation happens in our bodies. Those

stress hormones, mentioned above, make our

muscles tense up, or our heart rate increase,

or our breathing to become irregular. You

likely know what stress or dysregulation looks

like in your body. So, to re-regulate (or self-

soothe), you need to provide your body with

the opposite of the dysregulation symptom

you are experiencing. If you feel yourself

getting hot and sweaty, enjoying a favorite iced

drink may be your go-to. If you experience

the stress as body aches, maybe a brisk walk or

a session at the boxing gym is what you need.

Because dysregulation is unique to you, self-

regulation techniques also need to be unique

to you.

Personalization—got it! But why does it

need to be easy? When you’re dysregulated,

your body reacts, but so does your brain.

Specifically, as you become more stressed, key

executive functions of your brain, such as your

ability to plan ahead, follow multiple complex

steps, and even language, become harder

to access. On the flip side, you begin to rely

more on your limbic system where emotions,

memories, and habits live, and your brainstem

and cerebellum, which is the autopilot section

of your brain where your fight–flight or freeze

responses live. This means that if a regulation

technique is new or highly complicated, you

likely won’t be able to perform it successfully.

TRY IT!

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 SENSORY

GROUNDING

During the workshop, a couple of self-

regulation techniques were explained

and practiced. Here’s one that you can do

anywhere and in any amount of time: find a

comfortable place to sit or stand in any type

of environment. Take a few deep breaths.

Look around and name five things you can

concretely see. Take some more deep breaths.

Physically use your hand to touch four things

and name how they feel. More deep breaths.

Name three things you can hear; closing your

eyes may help. More deep breaths. You may

need to really concentrate this time: name two

things you can smell. A final deep breath. Now

name one emotion you have.

PSB 68 (3) 2022

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So, why does this work? Oftentimes when we

are dysregulated, we lose an attachment to our

body; in other words, we become overtaken

by our thoughts or feelings. A great way to

reconnect with our bodies and break that

dysregulatory cycle is to focus on our senses.

Also, if you practice this technique and are

currently living without certain disabilities,

you’ll notice that it starts with the easier to

access sense—sight—and then progressively

asks you to pay close attention. You’ll recall

from above that when we are dysregulated,

our higher-level thinking skills begin to go

offline—so the simpler the task, the easier it

is to soothe yourself. This technique slowly

reintroduces your executive functions. Next

time you’re feeling stressed, give it a try!

SELF-CARE:

PLAN AND PRACTICE

Self-care is really about cultivating your future

well-being. As opposed to self-regulation,

which you would engage in when you start to

feel dysregulated, you really need to practice

self-care when you already feel calm (and when

you have full access to all of those executive

functions of your brain). It is proactive and

intentional. While self-regulation involves

activities that purely make you feel soothed,

calm, and good, self-care should encompass a

more holistic definition of good health. Self-

soothing often focuses only on your physical,

mental, and emotional well-being. With

self-care, we want to expand that to include

financial, spiritual, social, occupational,

environmental, and intellectual health.

This inevitably means that self-care requires

some level of commitment. This might

mean creatively carving out time to practice

something new. Or, and perhaps more difficult

for some, it might mean figuring out how to

say “no” and stick to your boundaries. It might

mean trusting others to fill in for you at work

or at home so that you have more time for self-

care. It might mean leaning into a new practice

that seems hard or awkward at first. For the

botanical community, and specifically those

in academia, we might need to interrogate

the implicit and explicit pressures within

our discipline to adhere to scientific, rational

thinking and reject anything that might

incorporate intuition, emotion, or reflective

thinking. This attitude can be at odds with our

need to prioritize self-care.

STRUCTURAL CARE

(A GOAL TO ADVOCATE

FOR) AND COMMUNITY-

CARE (WORKING

TOGETHER TO CREATE

WORKAROUNDS)

Finally, we turn to structural and community-

care. Structural care consists of systems

that support our holistic health and make

it possible for individuals to engage in

meaningful self-care. These are things like

comprehensive universal healthcare, efficient

and accessible public transportation, a living

wage, paid family leave, etc. They might be

mandated by governments or provided by a

place of employment. In short, structural care

is all the things that would make life just a bit

easier.

PSB 68 (3) 2022

177

But we know that structural care is not a

universal reality, so cue community-care.

Community-care is what we develop together

in our various communities to provide relief

and support when the systems we operate

within fail to do so. These can be highly

structured, such as worker-owned co-ops

or student unions. They can be small and

informal, such as childcare collectives, or buy-

nothing groups on social media. They can be

as simple as the relationships you form with

others who share your identities, perspectives,

or needs.

Within the workplace setting specifically,

communities of care build a culture that

normalizes conversations about mental health

and the prioritization of self-care. This means

actively rejecting language and practices

that stigmatize attention to mental health

and supporting DEI (diversity, equity, and

inclusion) values and ethical behavior more

broadly (https://bit.ly/3zkWYOu and https://

bit.ly/3N6aWcE). Workplace communities

of care establish practices that honor and

support each other’s self-care preferences

and provide opportunities for colleagues to

engage in self-care. So what could a botanical

community of care look like? First, workshop

participants identified some of the barriers we

face, including:

• Workloads prohibiting us from taking

the time to intentionally build these

supports or even think about them

• Being out of practice interacting with

our colleagues in a meaningful way af-

ter so long in pandemic isolation

• A lack of trust in the larger system to

allow communities of care to take place

• Lack of inclusivity within the botani-

cal community

What barriers to creating a community of care

do you face in your lab, at your university,

or in your place of employment? Identifying

the barriers can be a good first step to

brainstorming workarounds where care and

connection are perhaps the most needed.

Despite the barriers, some supportive

community practices are already taking place

in pockets across our discipline:

• Normalizing the sharing of pronouns

and visual symbols on labs, class-

rooms, and offices that indicate wel-

come and inclusivity

• Regular social gatherings for labs or

departments

• Conferences and unions providing

childcare

• “Pause” days for mental health
• Open acknowledgement of the need to

give and receive grace

Many of these community-care practices are

small, but like plants, they can and will grow

if cultivated. Who is in your communities?

Where is care needed the most? What can you

do to start or contribute to a community of

care at your school or workplace?

PSB 68 (3) 2022

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“Art and the Botanical Sciences:

Past, Present, and Future”

The Plant Science Bulletin (PSB) is organizing

a special issue titled “Art and the Botanical

Sciences: Past, Present, and Future.”

Artistic expression has served a critical role in

botanical science since its inception, but the

accepted formats and perceived value of botanical

art have shifted over time. Many contemporary

botanists are engaging with art and creativity

as a means of being better scientists, improving

their scientific communication, and exploring

experiences and lenses beyond the traditional

academic scope.

This special issue will include a collection of

articles and visual media that (1) celebrate

and critically re-examine the historical role

of art in botany, (2) showcase the complex

(and sometimes challenging) experiences of

contemporary artist–scientists who seek to

bridge the gap between disciplines, and (3)

present visions for the future integrations of

art and the botanical sciences.

We are interested in compiling a wide variety

of submissions, spanning diverse topics and

formats, including essays, illustrations, comics,

and project showcases. We are committed to a

frank examination of the past, present, and future

state of art in the botanical sciences. As such, we

welcome submissions that reflect all aspects of

the author’s experience unifying art and science:

what works, what doesn’t, and what could change.

Our scope for this special issue is broad, including:

• Historical art-science intersections
• Recent botanical sci-art initiatives
• Artist and scientist perspectives on the in-

terplay between the disciplines

• Future directions of sci-art integration
• Art as an avenue for self-actualization

0 Feeding the mind and spirit
0 Forging connections to the world

and our study systems

How to submit: Authors interested in

contributing to this special issue should email a

proposal consisting of a tentative title, proposed

author list, and a 200–300-word abstract to the

special issue editors at sciartcollective@gmail.

com.

The deadline for proposal submission is

February 1, 2023. Proposals will be reviewed by

the Editor and the special issue editors. Authors

will be notified by March 1st as to whether their

proposal was accepted.

The Botanical Society of America and its

publications are committed to inclusive science

that reflects disciplinary, human, and geographic

diversity. Proposal submissions from students

and other early-career researchers are particularly

encouraged.

Authors whose proposals are accepted should

submit their contribution by May 1. The target

date for publication of the special issue is Fall

2023.

Any questions may be sent to the special issue

editors at sciartcollective@gmail.com.

Special Issue Editors:

• Nicolette Sipperly, Stonybrook University
• Patricia Chan, University of Wisconsin-

Madison

• Kasey Pham, University of Florida
• Rosemary Glos, University of Michigan

PLANT SCIENCE BULLETIN

SPECIAL ISSUE CALL FOR PAPERS

PSB 68 (3) 2022

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PSB 68 (3) 2022

180

One of the undergrads told me, after

presenting her poster, that she had never

felt so confident in herself as a botanist.

The diversity of attendees was fantastic,

and the meeting truly felt like a place

where our identities as humans were being

celebrated, and everyone was encouraged

to share who they are as people. I've never

felt that so strongly at Botany before, and

it was transformative.

Botany 2022 was a challenging undertaking! An amazing venue - Anchorage, Alaska!

Our first in-person conference in our changing world!

Our first venture into a hybrid conference and not without complications.

All of you enjoyed the time spent with your colleagues IRL!!

BOTANY 2022

IN YOUR WORDS AND PICTURES!

It was great to be back in person. I know

that behind the scenes things were

somewhat chaotic and I want to thank

the BSA staff for their patience and

professional conduct. Also, thank you to

Melanie Link-Perez.

I love these conferences, I love the environment, how friendly it is to students, and I will continue

going as I am able. I have been critical of these hybrid models, but Botany will always be my #1

conference and I do appreciate all the effort that has gone into organizing this hybrid meeting.

I appreciate all your effort! Thank you for all you do!

Botany is always a pleasure to attend.

PSB 68 (3) 2022

181

The networking opportunities were phenomenal and overall I had a great experience. As

a graduate student, the conference was an unparalleled opportunity for me. However, the

technical glitches in both live and virtual presentations, separation of talks and events across

two buildings not particularly close to one another, was disappointing.

Compliments on a great meeting! And thank

you for opening up another field trip on Sunday!

Thank you! I think everyone would have

preferred all events at one location, but the walk

was a great way to connect and get some fresh air.

The meeting was a huge success for me in terms

of networking and balancing the Alaskan site

and the friendly BSA Staff.

This is my go-to conference

and it is the best!!!!

PSB 68 (3) 2022

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I had an amazing time meeting

new people and it made me

excited to continue in research!

I loved the opportunity to

volunteer because I got to see

how the conference was run and

make new friends.

This was my first in-person conference and I

had a wonderful time!

Thank you very much for the great

conference!

I am very appreciative of the hard work

everyone did. There were a few flaws here

and there: many cancellations (which you

presumably had no control over), but,

overall, this conference was very, very good.

I’m quite glad I attended, and look forward to

Boise next year.

Botany is one of my favorite

meetings. I think it is always well

organized, and I appreciate all of

the ongoing efforts to promote

inclusivity and belonging.

PSB 68 (3) 2022

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Join us in Boise, Idaho, July 22-26, 2023

for Scientific Talks - Posters -

Special Lectures - Networking - Symposia and Colloquia - Receptions - Exhibits

Support Our Conference Exhibitors & Sponsors

PSB 68 (3) 2022

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Botany 2023 will be presented by these Scientific Societies:

PSB 68 (3) 2022

185

BOTANY IN ACTION!

Each year, the Botany conference sponsors a service project in the city that the conference is

held—a form of corporate responsibility and an opportunity to give back to our hosts.

This past year in Anchorage, a group of volunteers went to the Taku Lake Park on Sunday

morning and helped the U.S. Forest Service to rid the park of the invasive offender: Prunus

padus, Bird Cherry!

Consider joining us in Boise for Botany 2023's Botany in Action! You get a t-shirt, breakfast,

lunch, and a feeling of doing something good! Watch the conference website and social media

for more information!

186

SPECIAL FEATURE

ABSTRACT

John H. Reisner came to the Republic of China in 1914

with a graduate education in the field of agriculture

and helped establish the College of Agriculture at the

University of Nanking. Applying his personal knowledge

and ability, Reisner made positive contributions to the

preliminary formation and development of China’s

modern higher education in agriculture, and promoted

the distribution and extension of advanced western

agricultural science and technology in Republican

China. Our study offers a documented perspective,

adding to previous research that had overlooked these

aspects of Reisner’s early contributions.

John Henry Reisner (1888-1965):

Contributions to Agricultural Improvement Efforts in China

and the Development of the College of Agriculture and

Forestry at University of Nanking

INTRODUCTION

When Chinese intellectuals of the late 19th

century expressed concern for their country’s

perceived deficiencies, they usually believed

that it was the utilitarian power of science and

technology that had made Western countries

more powerful than China. To them, modern

science was a cure-all to promote the country’s

academics, politics, economy, and social lives.

Consequently, science in China was greatly

influenced by Western countries, through two

By Song Shi and Lee B. Kass

Song Shi, College of Foreign Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, No. 1 Weigang,

210095, Nanjing, China.
Lee B. Kass, School of Integrated Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853,

Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506
Corresponding authors: shisong@njau.edu.cn; lbk7@cornell.edu

PSB 68 (3) 2022

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channels (Geng, 2015, p. 11). First, Western-

educated Chinese scholars served their

country and the Chinese people by applying

what they had learned abroad mostly in

America; second, Westerners went to China

to teach or communicate science to their

colleagues and the public. Because agriculture

has always been of the utmost significance to

the Chinese people, and with the food supply

being most critical, agricultural science was

one of the most relevant fields or disciplines

to Chinese concerns at the time.

Among the westerners, John Henry Reisner

is a significant person to Chinese agriculture

and education. Reisner, who had obtained

his undergraduate degree from Yale College

(B.A. 1911), and went on to receive a Master’s

in Agriculture from Cornell (M.S.A. 1915),

made contributions to China’s agricultural

improvement in several respects and in a very

comprehensive way. Yet, he has not gained as

much deserved attention (Chang, 2014, p. 1),

and only a partial history (Stross, 1986, p. 118)

has been reported on Reisner, concentrating

mostly on his missionary and educational

contributions to Chinese Agriculture (Stross,

1986, p. 100). Errors or inconsistencies can

be found in current Chinese literature, which

offers some brief information about Reisner’s

membership in the group of Americans

going to China and working in agriculture in

modern times.

Who was John Henry Reisner? What were

his contributions to China’s agricultural

improvement? The objective of this article is

to reacquaint plant scientists and historians

with the life and work of Reisner. A careful

examination of his achievements and

contributions should provide additional

insights into the difficult evolution of China’s

agricultural science and education.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

John H(enry) Reisner was an agriculturist,

born August 27, 1888, in Fredericksburg,

Virginia (Shavit, 1990, p. 418). Brought up

in a small community in Pennsylvania, he

became well acquainted with farm operations

(Stross, 1986, p. 86; Reisner, 1962, p. 1).

He went to Mercersburg Academy, which

offered preparation for college study, and

graduated in 1907 to attend Yale College

(undergraduate college, founded in 1701, of

Yale University, established 1887; Dana et al.,

1911, p. 273; Yale University, 1920, pp. 150,

733; Anonymous, 1965). He received the

Bachelor of Arts from Yale in 1911 (Dana et

al., 1911, pp. 273, 411; Yale University, 1920,

pp. 150, 733) and in his later years (1950)

received the Honorary Degree of Master of

Arts (Anonymous, 1965) in recognition of

his devotion and contributions to agricultural

mission work. Such efforts included a wide

range of agricultural and rural service

activities carried out by Christian churches,

aiming at promoting these organizations’

participation in the struggle to end poverty

and foster development of rural communities

in developing nations (Holcomb, 1922, pp. 52,

362-363, 560).

Reisner worked with Agricultural Missions,

Inc. from 1931 until his retirement in 1956.

He assumed his duties as Executive Secretary

on July 1, 1931. The group was organized by

Dr. John R. Mott in November, 1930. The

membership of the Board of Directors was

divided equally between representatives of

State Colleges of Agriculture, of Foreign

Missions Boards, and nonprofessionals

interested in agriculture and rural life. Later,

Dr. Edna Noble White, Director of the

Merrill-Palmer School in Detroit, Michigan,

was added to represent Home Economics and

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188

Family Life. Upon retiring, he made several

trips to countries in the developing world,

to study and conduct research on rural life

and agriculture (Anonymous, 1965; Reisner,

Unpublished, p. 4). He was an observer

[consultant] for various church agencies with

the United Nations Food and Agricultural

Organization (FAO) on international

affairs, and he served as a member of the

Advisory Committee to the Director of Food,

Agriculture, and Natural Resources Personnel

of the Technical Cooperation Administration

in the 1950s; thus, he was connected with

the U.S. Technical Cooperation (Point IV)

Program (Reisner, Unpublished, p. 5).

Reisner recalled that after he graduated from

Yale, he was offered a teaching position at the

University of Nanking in the Department of

Biology (Reisner, 1962, p. 1). The University

of Nanking, or Ginlin University (

金陵大学),

was a private university in the city of Nanking

(

南京), China, originally founded in 1888 and

more importantly his published articles

on cotton improvement: “Cotton Seed and

Cotton Improvement in China” (Reisner,

1920), and “Dangers and Control of Cotton

Seed Importation and Distribution in China”

(Reisner, 1921a, pp. 473-474), as found in the

Shanghai-issued English magazine “Millard’s

Review of the Far East.” Both of these early

reports offered very valuable suggestions

and recommendations on China’s cotton

improvement and were published only

months after Griffing and O.F. Cook arrived

at the University of Nanking in 1919 to assist

with the program (Stross, 1986, p. 121).

As early as 1920, Reisner reported, “In the

Egyptian cotton area of Arizona [USA]

recently developed, it is illegal and punishable

by law to plant any other kind of cotton except

Egyptian within the area. Only in this way

can improvements made in raw cotton be

maintained. This is because of the fact that

cotton cross pollinates, and where two plants

of different varieties are grown together,

cross pollination invariably takes place, and

crossing always leads to deterioration … Pure

seeds, of improved strains, produced on seed

farms with capable supervision is the goal

toward which efforts should be directed for

the improvement of the native staple.” He also

pointed out that not enough attention was

being paid to the improvement of the local

varieties, while it seemed as if undue emphasis

was being put upon the importation of foreign

seed, especially from America (Reisner, 1920).

By 1921, he also used the lesson of the United

States to remind Chinese people of the concept

of plant quarantines: “The United States has

suffered keen losses through the introduction

of plant insects and diseases from foreign

countries, and yearly expends large sums

of money in trying to control such insects

and diseases and prevent the introduction

of others” (Stross, 1986, p. 127). “The most

serious danger connected with the importation

of American cotton seed is the introduction of

the Mexican Boll Weevil … No less imminent

are the dangers of distributing the insects

and diseases which now effect [sic] Chinese

cotton. Of these probably the Pink Boll worm

is by far the most important, distributed as it

is over practically the entire cotton growing

area. Club-leaf disease, associated with the

leaf hopper, is an important disease, widely

distributed, for which there is no known

control” (Reisner, 1921a).

Reisner’s suggestion included adequate

provision for controlling all importation and

scientific means for proper fumigation of all

foreign cotton seed, and limitation to one

or two ports of entry for importation with

prohibition on importation by parcel post,

and so forth (Reisner, 1921a). Noteworthy

is that Reisner might be one of the earliest

agriculturalists to introduce the concept

and practice of plant quarantine to China.

According to Shi and Zhang (2002, p. 298),

it was only Tsou Ping-wen (

邹秉文) who

had previously mentioned the idea of disease

prevention in 1916, which was only a few

years before Reisner’s suggestion. They also

reported that after Reisner, Cai Banghua

(

蔡邦华) published an article on the need to

establish a national plant quarantine station in

1922. And later, in 1929, Zhang Jing’ou (

张景

欧) started to build plant quarantine stations

at Guangzhou and Shanghai by order of the

government.

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193

Reading the early articles authored by Reisner,

one senses that he was fully acquainted with

cotton improvement research and had deep

insights into the practical work in China.

This was clearly on the basis of his first-hand

involvement or understanding of cotton

improvement and wide range of knowledge in

several disciplines in the field of agriculture.

Reisner’s earliest commitment and pioneering

contributions to China’s cotton improvement

research may be documented by Griffing

(1920): “The work on cotton improvement by

the writer may be said to have begun when he

accompanied Dr. O.F. Cook of Washington,

D.C., U.S.A., and Prof. J.H. Reisner, of the

University of Nanking, on an expedition of

survey of cotton experiments and cotton

problems throughout East, Central and North

China. The findings of this investigation

have been of inestimable value as a basis for

the further work on cotton which we have

taken up.” Cook was invited by the University

of Nanking to offer guidance on cotton

improvement, and he came to China in 1919

(Li, 2012, p. 136). Griffing then followed

with a successful cotton research project at

University of Nanking (Stross, 1986, p. 123).

China’s economic development during this

time coincided with Reisner’s major work in

agricultural research on food crops and cotton,

reflecting the Chinese peoples’ two basic

necessities for survival, namely adequate food

supply and good quality clothing for warmth.

Residing in China for an agricultural mission,

Reisner actually chose the most effective ways

and means to apply his personal knowledge

and ability, as well as fulfill this mission.

DEVELOPING THE

COLLEGE OF

AGRICULTURE AND

FORESTRY AT

UNIVERSITY OF

NANKING: REISNER AS

DEAN, AND HIS

ACHIEVEMENTS IN HIGHER

AGRICULTURAL

EDUCATION

Originally offered the position of teaching

at the University of Nanking, Reisner taught

courses in agronomy and plant breeding

for several years (Allen, 1982). Reisner’s

achievements in promoting China’s higher

agricultural education, however, may be

considered greater than his classroom

teaching contributions. He was the chief

person responsible for the initial development

of the College of Agriculture and Forestry

at University of Nanking, the establishment

of which marked the beginning of China’s

modern higher agricultural education system,

as it was the first institute in China to offer

a four-year bachelor’s degree in the field of

agriculture (Dong et al., 2014). Historically,

the College of Agriculture and Forestry grew

out of the concern of Joseph Bailie, a teacher

of mathematics at the University of Nanking,

who was the first dean of the College, and

succeeded by Reisner (Reisner, 1962, p. 4;

Stross, 1986, p. 68; Zhang, 2002, p. 294).

Reisner (1962, p. 5) spoke highly of Bailie’s

work in establishing the College, while also

asserting, “He had been Dean of the College

of Agriculture and Forestry but was away

PSB 68 (3) 2022

194

from the College most of the time. Being the

one person on the campus with a degree in

agriculture, the President turned over to me

most of the relationships with the students.”

Reisner arrived just in time to assist with the

instruction of the first class of agriculture

students in the College. “I was the first person

on the faculty with any training in agriculture.

I was supposed to spend a year in language

school but the students soon became restless

and went to the President and asked that in

view of the fact that I was on the campus that I

should provide some technical courses, which

I did to the detriment of my study of the

Chinese language” (Stross, 1986, pp. 67, 86)

When Bailie resigned as Dean of the College

Reisner was appointed to assume his duties

in 1916. Reisner had been very involved in

administration of the College until returning

to America in 1931. During Reisner’s era, the

College of Agriculture and Forestry developed

rapidly. It not only maintained the strongest

faculty but turned out the best-trained

students in China, many of whom became

national leaders in agricultural development,

research, teaching, and administration. The

budget for the year 1916-1917 was 13,458.36

silver dollars and increased to 188,702.04

silver dollars for the year 1930-1931. The

number of students in 1916-1917 was 52 (46

undergraduates and 6 graduates) and stood at

197 in 1930-1931 (163 undergraduates and 34

graduates) (Buck, 1973, p. 11).

Some reasons for the College’s rapid progress,

during Reisner’s administration, include his

idea of applying a land grant college system,

which was “devoted equally to teaching,

research, and extension.” Such idea and

practice was already very successful as a result

of the Morrill Acts (1862, 1890) and Hatch

Act (1887) in America, but was innovative

in China. The nearly equal emphasis on

instruction, research, and extension enlisted

support for the College from both missionary

organizations and government. This approach

to higher agricultural education was later

adopted by other institutions in China,

including the Agricultural Department

of public Nanking Normal College, and

the Agricultural Department of Southeast

University (later National Central University),

among others. Subsequently, this method has

become widely influential in China’s history of

modern education (He, 2011, pp. 42-43).

Another reason for the College’s development is

that Reisner maintained close personal contact

with government, agricultural, and personnel

programs, as well as with Cornell University,

Cornellians, and agricultural missionaries

from the United States. These affiliations

offered significant support and help to the

College’s instruction, research, and extension,

afforded by Reisner’s first-hand understanding

of the many difficulties involved in China’s

agricultural and economic development.

On his first furlough, 1920-1922, he secured

$950,000 for the growth and expansion of the

College (Reisner, Unpublished, p. 2). Other

than financial support, “Many of the students

whom I came to know during my year and

a half at Cornell [1912-1914] later became

professors and heads of departments in the

College and have been my friends throughout

the years. It was during this time, also, that I

met the members of the Department of Plant

Breeding; Dr. Love, especially, with whom I

was to become closely associated in later years

in the development of the Cornell University/

International Education Board/University of

Nanking Crop Improvement Project” (Reisner,

1962, p. 2). Additionally, Reisner decided to

make some changes to the Nanking College of

Agriculture in 1920 and created a department

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of agricultural economics and established

a formal extension program to convey the

College’s work to more farmers in China.

Therefore, he invited fellow Cornellian John

Lossing Buck (1890-1975, Cornell B.S. 1914,

M.A. 1925, The Register, 1924-1925, pp. 145,

136; Ph.D. 1933) to join him in accomplishing

these goals. Buck further embodied the

modern approach to agriculture in China,

expressing it in the courses he taught, and

applying it in research and extension (Allen, 1982).

Due to the advanced scientific ideology and

techniques brought and introduced by those

invited, who contributed American expertise,

the College soon pioneered many aspects of

modern agriculture in China under Reisner’s

leadership. For example, its research studies in

farm management and agricultural economics,

by J.L. Buck, were noteworthy and are still

standard reference materials. Its Price Index

was used by both government and business in

China. Its crop reporting system was in time

transferred to government. It also pioneered

in extension programs and techniques,

in community development programs, in

rural education under J.B. Griffing, in the

improvement of sericulture and in plant

pathology. Moreover, its work in forestry was

for many years the only program of its kind in

China (Reisner, unpublished, p. 1).

Furthermore, another policy initiated and

maintained by Reisner, demonstrating

his ability in management, was to include

a competent Chinese colleague as a Co-

Dean, thus creating a Chinese-American

administration of the College. He voluntarily

resigned as Dean in 1925 with the intention

of bringing in a Chinese administrator, and

he was then elected Co-Dean, which position

he held until his resignation in 1931. Reisner’s

policy proved to be a wise and successful

choice considering China’s domestic position,

and given that local people opposed control

by foreigners at that time. For example, The

Nanking Incident occurred on March 21-

23, 1927, when Chinese Nationalist troops

entered the city as part of their Northern

Expedition military campaign (1926-1928).

Troops particularly targeted the city’s foreign

residents; several were killed or injured and

their property looted. Dr. John Elias Williams

(1871-1927), Vice President of University of

Nanking, was murdered. The Cornell Alumni

News reported on the 1927 lootings in Nanking

(Anonymous, 1927): Cornell Alumni, Mr.

& Mrs. Reisner, Tuan Shin Kuo (Dean of

Agriculture and Forestry), John Lossing

Buck, and John B. Griffing (graduate student

in 1925-1926) had “left the city in safety.”

And Professor Roy G. Wiggans of Cornell

was waiting in Shanghai for word of further

developments to proceed on to Nanking.

REISNER’S PHILOSOPHY

FOR PERMANENT

FAMINE PREVENTION

LEADING TO SINO-U.S.

EARLY COOPERATION IN

CROP INPROVEMENT

Rural Missions or Agricultural Missions

include all efforts to achieve a satisfactory

agriculture and a satisfying life in rural

communities, which was originally a broad

field calling for all valid means for expressing

Christian redemptive concern for people

on the land in concrete ways that they can

understand and accept (Moomaw, 1956). As

an agricultural missionary, Reisner wanted

to help people without “preaching” at them

(Reisner, 1956). Therefore, he set his mission to

study and analyze local agricultural problems,

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and devise and teach practical methods to

improve agriculture (Newberry, 1998).

In 1918, L.H. Bailey, former dean of Cornell’s

College of Agriculture, commented on the

missionaries’ role in China, “It is estimated

that eighty-five percent of the population of

China is agricultural. The missionary who

can aid the people in their farming will have

a double hold” (Bailey, 1918). At that time,

frequent flooding, which often caused famine

conditions, was the worst problem, so that

famine prevention was the most challenging

and a complicated task to be tackled by those

mission stations. Dean Reisner’s predecessor,

Dean Bailie, who previously was involved in

famine relief work in the Hwai River area, was

disturbed by the perennial need for relief in

China. To overcome this problem, he sought

to establish “a college where men could be

trained in both agriculture and forestry; and

thus, make their own contribution to solving

the famine problem” (Allen, 1982). Possibly

influenced by Bailie’s work and ideology,

Reisner came to two convictions early on:

(1) Chinese people must be trained to do the

job (in a modern way) and (2) the job itself

was complex, involving quite a few aspects,

including better seeds, education, flood

control, among others (Reisner, Unpublished,

p. 1). Following on Bailie’s famine relief work,

Reisner further developed his understanding

of China’s need for a famine prevention

concept (Murray, 1921, p. 55).

In his book Reforesting China, Permanent

Famine Prevention versus Famine Relief,

Reisner (1921b) defined famine prevention

as a comprehensive program involving

several factors, including improvements

in agriculture. He reemphasized in Famine

Prevention by Reforestation and Improved

Agriculture (Reisner, 1922, p. 1) that “the

problems involved in the prevention of

famines in China are extremely complicated,

interdependent and strike at the very roots

of China’s present economic and social life

and customs. Many factors are involved.” He

believed that “such statements applied more

particularly to the region north of the Yangtze

River in which floods and famine are most

frequent, but in many cases apply to conditions

in the south as well” (Reisner, 1922, p. 2).

On the basis of such a philosophy, Reisner

began to seek opportunities to make his

unique contribution to China’s situation. He

planned to apply his work in the College and

utilize his personal academic resources and

social relations (Reisner, 1921c)

He tried to

popularize his ideas by instituting a rather

comprehensive program to fulfill agricultural

improvement and permanent famine

prevention. The acceptance of this philosophy

is best illustrated by the earliest large-scale

Sino-U.S. cooperation: the Cornell-Nanking

Crop Improvement Project. Apparently,

the science and the education pursuit took

precedence over the religious mission of

conversion.

The Cornell-Nanking story originated from

another serious famine occurring in the

same general Hwai River area in 1920. U.S.

President Woodrow Wilson responded by

setting up a Committee of One Hundred for

China Famine Relief. The famine relief work

ended sooner than had been anticipated and

the Committee found itself with considerable

unused funds and the problem of how they

could be most wisely and widely used (Stross,

1986, p. 139). At that time, most international

famine relief work groups devoted their efforts

to public works projects beyond emergency

PSB 68 (3) 2022

197

relief—particularly emphasizing river control

projects, represented by the China International

Relief Commission (Li, 2007, p. 302).

China International Famine Relief

Commission was formed in September 1921

and became a permanent relief organization

composed of existing famine relief groups.

It functioned for almost two decades as the

key private voluntary organization of relief

operations. Its directors and constituents

were both Chinese and foreigners, and it had

branches and projects in most of the provinces

in China. It saw itself not as an emergency

relief group but as an organization dedicated

to seeking a “permanent improvement” of

conditions in China.

Just at this time, Reisner submitted a proposal

to the Committee of One Hundred for

China Famine Relief, requesting that some

of the unused funds be used for long-term

famine prevention purposes, especially in the

field of agriculture. His proposal was soon

approved. Thus, the College of Agriculture

at University of Nanking was appropriated

around $750,000 (Love and Reisner, 2012,

p. 3). Reisner’s next step was to design an

effective and comprehensive program, to best

apply his philosophy and fulfill his mission,

and to help alleviate hunger and poverty in

China. In 1924, Co-Dean Reisner proposed

to Dr. H.H. Love, of the Department of Plant

Breeding at Cornell University, a cooperative

institutional arrangement whereby he and two

of his associates would spend one year each

at the College of Agriculture and Forestry in

Nanking to help develop its plant breeding

program and give further training to its

staff (Figure 3) (Stross, 1986, p. 144, see also

Chapter 6; Love and Reisner, 2012, p. 2).

Actually, each professor made a second visit

during a six-year period. Through a series of

summer training courses, practically every

plant breeder in China received training.

Many of these students were further trained

at Cornell. The outstanding practical result

was in better seeds for the farmers. Their

account of these accomplishments, The

Cornell – Nanking Story: the First International

Technical Cooperation Program in Agriculture

by Cornell University, first published in 1963

(Love and Reisner, 1963, reprinted 1964

and 2012), reports the significance of the

program: “Higher yielding strains of wheat,

barley, rice, kaoliang [Sorghum bicolor] and

soybeans, cotton and millet—all of them

important crops in east and north China—

were developed and put into distribution to

farmers. Crop improvement methods were

standardized throughout the area and later

adopted throughout most of China. Detailed

plans for small grain breeding and testing

were prepared and made available in the

Chinese language” (Love and Reisner, 2012,

p. 55). Later, Dr. Love was invited to China

by the Ministry of Agriculture and helped to

establish its National Agricultural Research

Bureau. The contributions accruing to Cornell

were generously acknowledged (Zuidema,

2013, p. 8).

The Cornell-Nanking Story was undoubtedly

a very comprehensive cooperation, involving

education, extension, agricultural research,

and many other practices. Another value

of such cooperation was its creation of an

approach, called “educational assistance.” The

latter brought training for the U.S. Point IV

Program and the widely accepted method of

“Technical Assistance” (Buck, 1973, p. 5; Turk,

1974, p. 13).

At the time of the Cornell-Nanking program,

the term “technical assistance” had not

yet come into the prominence it attained

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198

later. From most viewpoints it means the

development of international understanding

and good will; the transfer of technical

knowledge to a host country; the establishment

of an ongoing program definitely related to a

pressing national need; and the creation of a

reservoir of well-trained nationals capable of

carrying on when the “technicians” departed.

Such a program could be rated as “technical

assistance” at its best, in modern terms,

without the demand of religious conversion.

With the results obtained and in terms of its

low cost, it probably set some kind of a record

(Love and Reisner, 2012, p. 56). We may

also conclude that Reisner’s philosophy and

initiation for permanent famine prevention

led to an innovative project of the later

Point IV Program, and pioneering trial of

the technical assistance programs, which is

still very significant and popular in current

international society.

CONCLUSIONS

Over the centuries, the vast land of China

has resisted changes that successive waves of

foreign reformers sought to force upon its

people. As a foreign innovator, Mr. Reisner had

early realized that the fundamental situation

in China then was not just its government,

its social institutions, or its commercial

development, but also its agriculture, because

those millions of people must be clothed, fed,

and supported, and the standard of living

must certainly rise. Like the first man to walk

on the moon, Reisner never bragged of being

first in his scientific accomplishments, and

he believed that he was only doing his job

(Kalb, 2012). Unlike those who are famously

remembered for being first, Reisner’s new,

unique, and innovative achievements seem

to have been overlooked in many historical

Figure 3. In front of the College of Agriculture, University of Nanking. Front row, the 11

from

the left is Reisner, and the 13

is Dr. Love [date ca. 1925]. (Image used with permission of Plant

Breeding and Genetics, Cornell University.)

PSB 68 (3) 2022

199

accounts. And the difficulties he overcame to

accomplish his goals have not been lauded or

imbedded in most memories. Reisner’s major

interest was in the rural people of China,

and the whole developing world, and in their

aspiration for a better life. His contributions to

agricultural improvement work in China were

creative and pioneering. His long residence

in China proved to be both successful and

influential and are still remembered there to

this day.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Prof. Max Pfefferfor inviting

Song Shi to do research as visiting scholar at

Cornell University and Prof. Ronnie Coffman

for recommending Prof. Lee B. Kass as mentor

to Song Shi; Kass appreciates the invitation to

co-author the manuscript. The authors also

thank staff at International Programs, College

of Agriculture and Life Science (IP CALS),

Cornell University, especially Prof. Coffman

and Ms. Denise M. Percey, for offering a

nice workplace and environment, and much

kind help for Shi’s research. Additionally, the

authors are grateful to Ms. Eileen Keating and

Ms. Elaine Engst, archivists and librarians at

Division of Rare & Manuscript Collections,

Kroch Library, Cornell University, for their

kind help with archival searches. Song Shi

thanks Jesse Reisner Middlemast for sharing

her father’s, J.H. Reisner, Unpublished

“Memorandum,” which had been distributed

to his eight grandchildren on June 4, 1965. We

are grateful to Allan Paul Shatkin, President,

Bright Star Educational Services (Monterey

Park, CA) and Bai Yongbo, President, Be-

There Education Abroad (Hangzhou, China),

for reviews of Chinese names. Finally, the

authors thank Prof. Mark Tauger, West

Virginia University, for his critical comments

and editorial suggestions on early drafts of the

manuscript.

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Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. Ph.D. Disser-

tation, August 2015. https://conservancy.umn.

edu/handle/11299/175439
Griffing, J.B. 1920. Cotton improvement

in China: Introduction of American seed-

-Training Chinese expert workers--Antiquat-

ed methods--Insects and disease--Educating

the farmer. The North - China Herald and

Supreme Court & Consular Gazette, (1870-

1941), 16 Oct: 181.
He, S. Q. 2011. Mei Guo Nong Ke Jiao San

Wei Yi Ti Mu Shi De Yin Ru Ji Qi Ying Xiang

Yan Jiu. Nanjing Agricultural University,

Nanjing, China. [Dissertation]
Holcomb, J. M. Jr. (ed). 1922. History of the

Class of 1911, Yale College, Volume III-De-

cennial record. Knickerbocker Press, New

Rochelle, NY. (Reisner’s photo appears fol-

lowing p. 376). https://babel.hathitrust.org/

cgi/pt?id=njp.32101068034683&view=1up&

seq=9
Jinling Da Xue [University of Nanking].

1924. The Nanking Cook Book: An Enlarge-

ment and Revision of the American Red Cross

Book of Recipes for the Use of Chinese Food-

stuffs. Women’s Auxiliary of the University

of Nanking [Editors], Presbyterian Mission

Press, Shanghai, China.
Kalb, I. 2012. Neil Armstrong shows us

the potent branding power of being the first

to do something. Business Insider 27 Aug

2012. https://www.businessinsider.com/neil-

armstrong-and-the-brand-power-of-being-

first-2012-8

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Li, L. M. 2007. Fighting famine in North Chi-

na. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA.
Li, Y. 2012. Min Guo Shi Qi Chang Jiang San

Jiao Zhou Mian Ye Yan Jiu. Nanjing Agricul-

tural University, Nanjing, China.
Love, H. H., and J. H. Reisner. 1963. The

Cornell-Nanking Story: the First International

Technical Cooperation Program in Agricul-

ture by Cornell University. The Department

of Plant Breeding, New York State College

of Agriculture, Ithaca, NY, USA: 82. https://

babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924073

954210&view=1up&seq=3
[Reprinted in 1964 as Cornell International

Development Bulletin 4]
Love, H. H. and J. H. Reisner. 1964(April).

The Cornell Nanking Story. Cornell Inter-

national Development Bulletin 4. New York

State College of Agriculture, Cornell Univer-

sity, Ithaca, NY. https://archive.org/details/

cornellnankingst00love
Love, H. H. and J. H. Reisner. 2012. The Cor-

nell-Nanking Story: The First International

Technical Cooperation Program in Agriculture

by Cornell University. The Internet-First Uni-

versity Press, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

[e-book]. https://hdl.handle.net/1813/29080
[Reprint of Love and Reisner 1963, with ad-

ditional notes by publisher]
Moomaw, I. C. 1956. I. Why Rural Missions?

In: I. C. Moomaw, J. H. Reisner, R. A. Fel-

ton, F. W. Price. New dimensions in rural

missions, A symposium. Occasional Bulletin

from the Missionary Research Library New

York, NY. http://www.internationalbulletin.

org/issues/1956-00/1956-04-001-moomaw.

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Murphy, R. P. and L. B. Kass. 2011. Evolu-

tion of Plant Breeding at Cornell University: a

Centennial History, 1907-2006. Rev. ed. The

Internet-First University Press, Ithaca, NY.

http://hdl.handle.net/1813/23087
Murray, J. L. 1921. Missionary education

movement of the United States and Canada.

World Friendship, Inc., New York, NY.
Myers, C.H. 1934. Final report of the plant

improvement project, Nanking, China. Col-

lege of Agriculture and Forestry, University

of Nanking, Nanking, China.
Nanking College of Agriculture. 1920. Report

of the College of Agriculture and Forestry,

Nanking University. Millard’s Review of the

Far East (1919-1921), 07 Feb: 491.
Nanking College of Agriculture. 1924. Satis-

factory results in improvement of cotton and

grain: Some statistics. The North - China Her-

ald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette

(1870-1941), Shanghai, 13 Dec: 446.
Newberry, S. P. 1998. The life and achieve-

ments of John H. Reisner Jr., Ph.D. Micros-

copy and Microanalysis 4: 435-440.
Reisner, John Henry. Deceased alumni file

[Grad. 1915], Cornell University Public Af-

fairs Records, Deceased Alumni Files, Coll.

#41-2-877 (in the first batch), Division of

Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell

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Reisner, John Henry. Unpublished. Memoran-

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Reisner, J.H. 1915b. Wheat in New York

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its culture: the varieties grown, their origin,

description, improvement, classification, syn-

onyms and history; its milling and flour quali-

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and statistical data, with additional chapters

on implements of wheat culture, cultural

methods and management, fertilizers and ma-

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and flour, and spring wheat. Cornell Univer-

sity, Ithaca, NY. [Thesis M.S. in Agr. Cornell

University, 1915]
Reisner, J. H. 1916. Master’s degree awarded

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The Register of Cornell University 1915-

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Reisner, J. H. 1920. Cotton seed and cotton

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the Far East (1919-1921), 31 Jan: 442.
Reisner, J. H. 1921a. Dangers and control

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in China. Millard’s Review of the Far East

(1919-1921), 29 January 1921: 473-474

Reisner, J. H. 1921b. Reforesting China, Per-

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NY, 15 pp. https://archive.org/details/refor-

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Reisner, J. H. 1921c. Agricultural education

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Reisner, J. H. 1922. Famine Prevention by

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Zai Ji Jiang Lai, Zhong Guo Zuo Wu Gai Li-

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Zhong Yang Nong Ye Shi Yan Suo, Nanjing,

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Chap. 8 (Cornell student 1924, p. 193); on

T.H..(Z.H.) Shen, Cornell Ph.D. 1928, see

Murphy and Kass, 2011, pp. 46, 120].
Shi, Y. C. and X. Q. Zhang (Eds.). 2002. Chi-

nese Academic Canon in the 20th Century,

Agricultural Science (20 Shi Ji Zhong Guo

Xue Shu Da Dian. Nong Ye Ke Xue). Fujian

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dle/1813/22354

Turk, K. L. 1974. The Cornell-Los Baños story.

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
Yale University. 1920. Alumni Directory of

Yale University (Graduates and Non-grad-

uates). Yale University, New Haven, CT.

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Zhang, X. 2002. Jinling Da Xue Shi. Nanjing

Da Xue Chu Ban She, Nanjing, China.
Zhao, X. Y. 2015. Si Xiang Yu Shi Jian: Nong

Ye Chuan Jiao Shi Yu Zhong Guo Nong Ye

Xian Dai Hua – Yi Jinling Da Xue Nong Xue

Yuan Wei Zhong Xin. Zhong Guo Nong Shi

35:36-48.
Zuidema, L. W. 2013. Cornell University

meets the challenge of world agriculture.

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sity – The Global Dimension. Cornell Asso-

ciation of Professors Emeriti (CAPE), Ithaca,

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dle/1813/11117)

PSB 68 (3) 2022

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205

Amelia Neely

BSA Membership &

Communications

Manager

E-mail: ANeely@

botany.org

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

BSA SPOTLIGHT SERIES

The BSA Spotlight Series (https://botany.org/home/careers-jobs/careers-in-botany/bsa-

spotlight-series.html) highlights early career scientists in the BSA community and shares

both scientific goals and achievements, as well as personal interests of the botanical scientists,

so you can get to know your BSA community better.

Here are the latest Spotlights:

Molly Edwards, Science Communicator, Science IRL Productions

https://botany.org/home/careers-jobs/careers-in-botany/bsa-spotlight-series/molly-ed-

wards.html

Brandon Corder, Graduate Student, University of Wisconsin-Madison

https://botany.org/home/careers-jobs/careers-in-botany/bsa-spotlight-series/brandon-

corder.html
Greg Tooley, Graduate Student, Kansas State University

https://botany.org

/home/careers-jobs/careers-in-botany/bsa-spotlight-series/greg-tooley.htm

Would you like to nominate yourself or another early career scientist to be in the Spotlight Series?

Fill out this form: https://forms.gle/vivajCaCaqQrDL648.

PSB 68 (3) 2022

206

THANK YOU,

TERESSA ALEXANDER!

A big thank you to Teressa Alexander, the

2021-2022 BSA Student Social Media Liaison,

for her amazing work this year supporting

BSA on our social media platforms.

Teressa is now in her 5th year at the University

of the West Indies, Trinidad, where she

is pursuing a Ph.D. in Plant Science. She

continues to study the response of cacao

(Theobroma cacao) to drought stress toward

strategies to buffer the effects of climate change

on the crop in the southern Caribbean. Teressa

will continue to work diligently in science, art,

and outreach. Using science as the foundation,

she has been communicating plant science

mainly through photography and has plans to

produce short films. She is also the co-founder

of STEMNoire, a scientific conference and

wellness retreat for black women in STEM,

and she mentors Caribbean students seeking

direction in STEM careers through the

Cariscolar program and independently.

DID YOU KNOW?

Do you want to know more about what the

BSA has to offer you as a member? Each month

a new BSA resource will be highlighted in the

BSA Membership Matters newsletter in the

“Did You know” section. Below are the three

most recent resources. Visit botany.org

and browse the website to find even more

great information.

• BSA has a brand new Student Mem-

ber Hub (https://botany.org/home/

membership/bsa-student-members.

html)! The 2021-2022 BSA Student

Representatives, Imeña Valdes and Ioana

Anghel, gathered information into one

spot to help student members navigate

and get the most out of being in the BSA

community. If you have ideas to include

on this web page, email them to cur-

rent BSA Student Representatives Ioana

Anghel (studentrep1@botany.org) and Eli

Hartung (elishartung@gmail.com).

• You can access the current BSA Stra-

tegic Plan! Want to know the Society’s

strategic priorities, goals, and strategies?

To access the entire strategic plan, see

https://bit.ly/3gSDfzg. Included is our

new mission statement: To inspire and

promote an inclusive global community

committed to advancing fundamental

knowledge and innovation in the botanical

sciences for the benefit of people and the

environment.

• You can show your support of BSA

with a Zoom background! Virtual meet-

ings seem here to stay, so why not show

off your membership with BSA by using

a free BSA Zoom background? Visit:

https://botany.org/home/membership/

zoom-backgrounds.html. Click on the

photo you would like to use and you will

be led to a hi-resolution photo to right-

click and download. Have some great

ideas for a Zoom background? Email

aneely@botany.org.

PSB 68 (3) 2022

207

BOTANY360

CONTINUES TO GROW

Botany360 is a series of programming that

connects our botanical community during

the 360 days outside of Botany Conferences.

The Botany360 event calendar is a tool to

highlight those events. To access the calendar,

see recordings, register for events, or apply

to have your event included in Botany360,

go to https://botany.org/home/resources/

botany360.html.

Recent and Upcoming Events

• Intro to Reviews and Meta-analysis

(November 7, 2022) - Recording now

available.

Introduction to writing a review article,

including question formulation, quantita-

tive vs. qualitative approaches, systematic

review methods. Available at https://bit.

ly/3U4hk6o.

• Utilizing Botany Conference Content in

Your Teaching

(November 2, 2022) - Recording now

available.

Brought to you by the BSA Teaching Section

Through the pandemic, our annual

Botany conference has changed to al-

low virtual and asynchronous participa-

tion, hosting for a year our online talks

and other materials. Our students,

classrooms, and labs could benefit from

engaging with Botany conference content

throughout the year.

•

Applying to Grad School A Q&A

Session

(September 20, 2022) - Recording now

available.

Brought to you by the BSA Early Career

Professional Development Committee

This event was aimed at providing helpful

information and guidance for students

thinking about applying to graduate

school in plant sciences. Panelists have

a range of experience and come from a

variety of institution types. After brief

introductions and some initial questions

from the host, an open and moderated

Q&A was conducted.

NEW BSA AWARD!

GRADUATE STUDENT

DISSERTATION AWARD

IN COMPARATIVE PLANT

BIOLOGY

We are very excited to share that thanks to an

anonymous donor and long-time BSA member,

the Society has established an endowed fund

to support the PhD research of graduate

students in the area of comparative plant

biology, broadly speaking, from genome

to whole organism. The new award of

up to $10,000 may be used to support

equipment and supplies, travel for research

and to attend meetings, and for summer

support. International students are welcome

to apply. The online portal for applications

will open in a few months, and the deadline for

submissions is February 15. Learn more about

the new award at https://botany.org/home/

awards/awards-for-students/cpd-award.html.

PSB 68 (3) 2022

208

This award joins the other $10,000 BSA

award, the Donald R. Kaplan Dissertation

Award in Comparative Morphology.

The Kaplan comparative morphology

award, established with an endowed fund

by the Kaplan family, promotes research

in plant comparative morphology and

supports the PhD research of graduate

students in this area. For more information

about this award, go to https://botany.

org/home/awards/awards-for-students/

kaplancomparativemorhpology.html.

We want to show our appreciation for

both families for helping us fulfill the

goals in our strategic plan by supporting

students and botanical research. To discuss

the ways in which you can support the

Society through endowed gifts, please

email BSA Executive Director Heather

Cacanindin at

hcacanindin@botany.org.

BSA STUDENT CHAPTER

UPDATES AND EVENT

NOTIFICATIONS

DUE DECEMBER 31, 2022

BSA Student Chapter officers and advisors

were notified of changes to the Student Chapter

program earlier this year. The deadline to make

the updates to chapters, and to turn in two event

forms, is December 31, 2022. Any chapters

that do not have these two things finished

by that deadline will be under consideration

for termination from the program.

To learn more about the changes, see

the New Student Chapter Application at

https://botany.org/home/membership/

student-chapters.html#application.

Would you like to start your own Student

Chapter at your Institution? Visit the page

above and fill out the form to get started.

IT’S RENEWAL SEASON!

Thank you for your current BSA

membership support! BSA provides annual

memberships that run from January to

December of each year. This year there are

slight increases in dues for the Professional

and Retired membership categories—the

first dues increase since 2014, to help cover

increasing costs of doing business

While renewing, you can also renew your

sectional affiliations, donate to the

BSA endowment, award funds, and

section award funds, and purchase gift

memberships. If you are not due to renew

this year, we hope you will consider donating

to BSA and giving gift memberships during

the fourth quarter.

Year-end Giving

BSA is proud to provide over $120,000 in

awards and grants to our members every

year. Most of these are funded directly by the

generosity of our members via donations to

specific award funds. We hope that you will

consider making a donation to our many

funds including student, professional, and

sectional award funding, when you renew

your membership this year. You can also visit

botany.org and click Donate to start

giving right now.

Professional members are given the

opportunity of increasing their annual dues by

$25 in order to support the Graduate Student

Research Award fund. Together with GSRA

donations, over $29,407 in additional funds

PSB 68 (3) 2022

209

were raised for the GSRA in the last fiscal year

and 31 GSRA awards were able to be given in

2022. Thank you to all of our members who

made this possible.

Both the Endowment Fund and the

Unrestricted Fund have very important roles

in the stability and longevity of BSA. We hope

you will consider making donations to these

funds when choosing your year-end donation

plans. Donations to these funds are being used

to move BSA into the future, and to support

our global community like never before.

Want an even more lasting way to support

BSA? Consider joining the Legacy Society.

To learn more about the society see our

latest Legacy Society email at https://

mailchi.mp/botany.org/bsa-legacy-society-

2022-dr1, or visit our Legacy Society

web page at https://botany.org/home/

membership/the-bsa-legacy-society.html.

BSA Gift Memberships

The 2022 Gift Membership Drive has begun!

This year our goal will be 175 gift memberships

from now through December 31, 2022!

BSA Gift Memberships are a great way to

introduce students and developing nations’

colleagues to the BSA community. You can

purchase one-year ($10) or three-year ($30)

gift memberships by visiting: https://botany.

org and choosing “Give a Gift Membership.”

Don’t have anyone specific for whom to

purchase a gift membership? Not a problem!

You can put your own name and email in the

gift membership fields and we will make sure

they get to those students and developing

nations’ colleagues who need financial

assistance. Questions about gift memberships

or other ways to donate? Email Amelia Neely

at aneely@botany.org.

We are giving back! Any gift membership

recipient who starts their membership before

January 31, 2023 will be entered into a drawing

for a free registration for Botany 2023!

PSB 68 (3) 2022

210

FROM THE

PSB

ARCHIVES

60 years ago

“An awareness of the nature and of the urgency, which I feel very keenly, of these problems and

of the taxonomists’ possible roles in their solutions brings with it definite responsibilities. We

must educate and 'sell' to the public, to the politicians, to the statesmen on the world scene, and

even to many of our own colleagues in related sciences, a vigorous program of exploration for,

and conservation of, plant materials today unknown.

“There are other matters in which we have responsibilities, and which need our attention: For

example, the recruitment of young workers to our field, a more adequate use of youngsters and

amateurs in our research programs, the preservation of local natural areas for future educational

and training programs. All of these and others, if properly handled, could furnish us with much

greater opportunities.”

--Sharp, A.J. 1962. Responsibilities and Opportunities of the Taxonomist Today. PSB 8(3): 7-9

50 years ago

“Consider the chemistry of any of the modern herbicides or pesticides. Knowledge of the

compound’s basic molecular structure, its method of synthesis, and most modifications of its

structure is the product of decades of basic organic chemistry — not information gained in

the last few years as the compound became useful. In fact, had it not been for years of basic

research we simply would not have the arsenal of chemicals used in our everyday life. On second

thought, that might be a good argument against basic research.

“Finally it would be fun to speculate on the consequences to present-day plant breeding and

genetics if, back in the mid-1800’s, some Chairman or Dean Friar had walked up to a certain

monk and said “Gregor!, get these damn wrinkled, yellow peas out of here and get on to

something important like growing bigger potatoes!”

. . .The Editor’s comment notwithstanding, it seems to me that there is still a place for any kind of

well-done research, be it immediately relevant or not. [M. Taylor, PSB editor]

--Rickson, Fred R. 1972. To Be Basic is Basic. PSB 18(4):40-41

40 years ago

“Creationism suffered a reversal in Arkansas. Judge Overton, in a landmark decision (Science

19 Feb. 1982), overturned a state law that required creationism be given equal time in the

schools when evolution was taught. The judge’s decision is not binding in other Federal District

Courts but it is certain to be heeded widely. For example, the New York State Commissioner of

Education waited for the decision before declaring that creationism need NOT be given equal

time in New York schools. The creationist ploy of requesting equal time—'fair play'—'is based

on the assumption that there is a science of creationism and that, as such, it is the alternative to

the evolutionary explanation of life on earth. The trial convinced Judge Overton that 'creation

science' is simply a cover for a religious belief, hence something to be barred constitutionally

from the schools.”

--Banks, Harlan P. Creationism: A Call to Arms. 1982. PSB 28(5): 34-35.

211

SCIENCE EDUCATION

By Dr. Catrina Adams,

Education Director

Jennifer Hartley,

Education Programs

Supervisor

PlantingScience Welcomes the

2022-2023

Master Plant Science Team!

The 2022-2023 school year is underway,

and we are looking forward to another great

year with PlantingScience! We’re especially

excited to be working with the BSA-sponsored

members of this year’s Master Plant Science

Team! The following early-career scientists

will be representing BSA in our work with

6th-12th+ classrooms through the spring

semester in 2023!

PSB 68 (3) 2022

212

Israel Borokini

Yanni Chen

Lyanna DeLeon

Ana Flores

Nitin Gaikwad

Waqar Hussain
Devani Jolman

Jacqueline Lemmon

Guadalupe Maldonado Andrade

Allyssa Richards

Juan Diego Rojas-Gutierrez

Cierra Sullivan

Jessica Szetela

Shan Wong

PLANTINGSCIENCE’S

FALL 2022 SESSION IS

UNDERWAY!

Our Fall 2022 session began in mid-September.

This session includes seven middle schools,

seven high schools, and two undergraduate

biology classes. This session is smaller than

previous fall sessions, as we are gearing up

for our Digging Deeper {F

} research session

coming up in 2023. However, all together

they comprise 118 teams of students that are

working on plant science themes under the

guidance of our wonderful scientist mentors!

DIGGING DEEPER {F

} IS

RECRUITING TEACHERS!

Recruiting is now underway for the

PlantingScience Digging Deeper {F

}

initiative. This study will replicate the research

conducted in 2016 and 2017 on the impacts that

scientist mentors have on student outcomes,

including their understanding of the concepts

studied and their perceptions of scientists

and science careers. That research, which was

published in the Journal of Research in Science

Teaching, demonstrated significant positive

shifts in both areas. The current initiative will

repeat the earlier format, but also explore the

impacts of teacher professional development

conducted remotely.

PSB 68 (3) 2022

213

Please consider sharing this opportunity with

high school teachers in your network. Selected

applicants will receive stipends, professional

development, classroom materials, and

curriculum resources. The application link

can be found on the PlantingScience.org

homepage.

LIFE DISCOVERY

CONFERENCE 2023

Plans are underway for the 8th annual Life

Discovery Conference, which will take place

March 22-25, 2023 at Florida A&M University

in Tallahassee, Florida. This education-

focused conference is organized as a joint effort

between the Ecological Society of America,

the Society for the Study of Evolution, and

the Botanical Society of America. Educators

who teach high school, community college,

and undergraduate courses in life sciences

are invited to take advantage of this unique

opportunity to network with educators at the

various levels. This year’s theme is ‘”Variants

in Biology Education: What can we learn from

pandemics” Find more info at https://www.

esa.org/ldc/.

The California Botanists Luncheon, started back in 2008, is an ongoing event at the Botany

meetings for anyone interested in California plants to get together, mingle, and hear about

important events in California botany such as projects, funding, and new positions. This year’s

short presentations included the progress of the California Consortium of Herbaria projects

(CCH1 & CCH2.org), the state’s allocation of major funding for "biorepository upgrades

and orphan collections," updates in the Jepson eFlora, and notification of the upcoming

Southern California Botanists meeting (hosted by CalBG.org). After the three-year hiatus, it

was wonderful to see in person some of our community of California botanists. We hope to

see many of you next year in Boise!

California Botanists Meet in Anchorage

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215

STUDENT SECTION

By Ioana Anghel and Eli Hartung

BSA Student Representatives

Botany 2022 Review

It was so great seeing so many of your faces

again in person at Botany 2022 in Anchorage!

Students made up 42% of the total conference

attendees with 534 total students. About a

quarter of the students were undergraduates,

and three quarters were graduate students.

About two thirds of total students attended

the conference in person. Returning face-

to-face highlighted how important it is to

have in-person interactions to cultivate our

botanical network. At the same time, about

a third of students attended virtually. We

hope the opportunity to tune in remotely

helped students stay connected to the

botanical community this year, even though

they couldn’t be there in person. The hybrid

meeting format was challenging, and we

are working with the BSA Board to make it

a more integrated piece of the conference in

future years.

The Student Reps worked to encourage

more interactions between students and the

botanical community at a variety of events.

Our first event of the week was the Planting

the Seeds of Science Communication Workshop

on Sunday, where 10 superstars in their

respective areas of sci-comm shared tips for

engaging audiences about plants. The next

day, we held the widely popular Careers in

Botany Luncheon where students were able

to connect with 20 panelists. We then helped

host a very well-attended Student Social at the

Top of the World Deck of the Hilton where

we chatted late into the night. We also held

three in-person CV Review Sessions and a few

more online for those attending remotely. We

also had a Student Chapter Meet-up where

we discussed ideas to connect members with

other chapters across the country.

For those of you who have not filled out the

Conference Survey, please visit https://www.

surveymonkey.com/r/KLG7CQ5 to help us

make the conference a better experience for

you in the future.

Reach us by email or Twitter:

Ioana: studentrep1@botany.org; @ioana_anghel

Eli: elishartung@gmail.com; @hartung_eli

CAREERS IN BOTANY

LUNCHEON

At the Careers in Botany Luncheon,

we had 20 panelists with careers in

academia, government, non-governmental

organizations, consulting companies,

herbaria, botanical gardens and museums.

They represented the spectrum of career

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stages, and they worked in five countries,

eleven U.S. states, and two territories. A total of

83 students attended, with approximately half

graduate students and half undergraduates.

Below was the flier we used to advertise the

event, and here is where you can read more

about the panelists at the Careers in Botany

Profiles:

https://botany.org/home/careers-

jobs/careers-in-botany/careers-in-botany-

profiles-2022.html.

STUDENT SOCIAL

Thank you to the 175 of you who attended the

Student Social! We had a great time getting to

know each other in the never-ending daylight

of Anchorage.

CV REVIEW SESSIONS

We had three in-person opportunities for

students to work with botany professionals to

improve their resume. We also paired remote

attending students and professionals to do the

same. We had a total of 18 students and nine

professionals working together on resumes.

Thank you so much to Jacob Landis, Jenny

Xiang, Matthew Rubin, Elizabeth Hunter,

Suneeti Jog, Angela McDonnell, Sara Handy,

Brittany Sutherland, and Naomi Fraga for

helping students with this important career

skill!

PLANTING THE SEEDS

OF SCIENCE

COMMUNICATION

WORKSHOP

Our first sci-comm workshop was a great

success with 10 panelists and 20 attendees.

The workshop panelists were a diverse

group of plant science communicators who

reach people through various platforms

including community outreach, museums

PSB 68 (3) 2022

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and botanical gardens, social media, video,

and writing. First, the panelists spent a few

minutes introducing themselves and their

work. Then, we had small group discussions

on a variety of topics including what it’s like

to get started in video sci-comm, strategies to

tell compelling stories in social media posts,

and how to engage in social media arguments

about science more productively. We learned

so much from the panelists, both through

their engaging presentation content and style,

and in the super interesting small discussions.

Read the section “Heard at the Planting the

Seeds of Science Communication Workshop”

to learn some tips from our panelists.

STUDENT CHAPTER

MEET-UP

We held our first-ever Student Chapter Meet-

up at the conference this year. The event was

initiated and organized by Anisa Khalid, a

motivated undergraduate who is the President

of her local BSA Student Chapter at University

of Central Florida. We would love to host this

at the conference each year. To maintain this

momentum, the Student Reps are organizing

a Student Chapter Meet-up as part of the

Botany360 program (https://botany.org/

home/resources/botany360.html). We are

planning to hold it very soon. Stay tuned on

the @Botanical_ Twitter and BSA Student

Newsletter to hear more details.

NETWORKING BOARD

For our conference Networking Board, we

heard from 11 labs recruiting for more than 18

positions including master's and PhD student,

research assistant, post-doc, and technician

openings in 10 states across the country.

About half of those recruiting did not attend

Botany, so be sure to reach out to them using

the contact information listed on the board!

We also heard from 32 early career researchers

looking for graduate school positions; post-

docs; and jobs in industry, government, lab,

or field positions. For those of you recruiting,

please check out this list!

https://tinyurl.com/264nuk7t

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BEYOND THE

CONFERENCE

Last year, we launched a new committee to

support students and early career profession-

als through the BSA Early Career Profes-

sional Development Committee. This group

is working hard to help students and junior

botanists meet other professionals, find men-

tors, and take advantage of various opportu-

nities. Their GRFP workshop and mentorship

opportunity is aimed at helping students ap-

plying for the NSF award this year, and it has

already kicked off earlier in September.

They also put together an “Applying to

Graduate School” workshop in September,

which can be viewed at https://tinyurl.

com/2p8x5wej.

Learn more about the committee at: https://

botany.org/home/governance/early-

career-committee.html.

ADVICE FROM THE

CAREERS IN BOTANY

LUNCHEON

We had another great time at this year’s

Careers in Botany Luncheon. First, thanks

again to the professionals and students who

came and helped make this such a great event!

We got great feedback from professionals and

students alike from this event and wanted

to share what we’ve gained. We asked the

professionals, “What was an important piece

of advice that you gave at the Careers in

Botany Luncheon that you think students

should remember?” We asked the students,

“What was the most important advice you

learned at the Careers in Botany Luncheon at

Botany 2022?”

Professionals

“Plants matter! Botany

is so fundamental to

life, that you would be

surprised how diverse a job

market is out there: from

Agro-Tech to botanical

surveying, from academy

to NGOs; just follow your passion!”

-Tamir Klein, Weizmann Institute of Science

“It is never too soon to start planning for

retirement. Even if you don’t yet have a “real

job,” start a Roth IRA and try to max it out

every year. You may feel like you have no

money, but being able to squirrel away in your

20s, will make you so far ahead of the game in

your 40s. It goes by quicker than you think!”

-Ann Erickson, Bureau of Land Management

“Work around your

priorities. Life is full of

compromises, but when

your priorities are clear you

can better assess what

sacrifices or risks are worth

taking. This requires self-

reflection and being honest with yourself.

Adopt a growth mindset. Knowing how to

learn is one of the most valuable lessons for a

person. Things you don’t know become things

you don’t know yet. Be brave, work hard, and

show up. Know your plant(s)! Whether it is a

molecular mechanism or an ecological process

you’re investigating, learn about the biology of

the organism you’re studying. Be interested in

other levels of organization: molecular-

organismal-ecological-evolutionary. Does it

make biological sense? Also, learn about the

plants that surround you and get interested in

your local flora. At some point this will be very

PSB 68 (3) 2022

219

useful. Not all advice is good advice for everyone,

so take what resonates with you. What works for

me doesn’t necessarily work for others.”

-Amelia Merced

“Network, network, network.

You never know who might

change your life or introduce

you to a partner that will be

critical for future success.

Meet as many people in

your field as possible. A close

second is to always say 'yes' to an opportunity.”

-Wesley Knapp, NatureServe

“Clearly communicating

your expectations and

limitations is key to avoiding

m i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g s

with your colleagues

and maintaining a good

network of collaborations.”

-Andrés J. Cortés, Colombian Agricultural

Research Corporation

Students

“You can tailor a job to fit your interests.”

“We all can learn from people at different

career stages (younger or older).”

HEARD AT THE

PLANTING THE SEEDS

OF SCIENCE

COMMUNICATION

WORKSHOP

We had a great turnout for the Planting the

Seeds of Science Communication workshop.

We asked those who attended what sci-comm

advice they gained (or gave) at the workshop

would be valuable and impactful to the

broader botanical and scientific community:

“Be your authentic and

true self. All your plant

(science, cat, etc.) love

will shine through!

It is ok to take

social media breaks.

Be mindful of what you are saying.”

-Tanisha Williams, Bucknell University

“The world will be a better

place with more science

communicators. The

barrier to entry is low, and

there are never too many.”

-Jacob Suissa, Cornell

University

PSB 68 (3) 2022

220

PAPERS TO READ FOR FUTURE LEADERS

As we continue in our careers, we hope to see the academic culture shift to be healthier and

more inclusive. Below are a few papers the BSA community recommends reading if you hope to

lead. We hope to continue to recommend “

Papers to Read for Future Leaders” to BSA Student

members. If you have papers you would like us to include, please share it with us via this Google

form: https://tinyurl.com/y5dp8r4m.

• Allen, K., J. Reardon, Y. Lu, D. V. Smith, E. Rainsford, and L. Walsh. 2022. Towards im-

proving peer review: Crowd-sourced insights from Twitter. Journal of University Teach-

ing & Learning Practice 19(3). https://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol19/iss3/02

• Gin, L. E., N. J. Wiesenthal, I. Ferreira, and K. M. Cooper. 2021. PhDepression: Examin-

ing how graduate research and teaching affect depression in life sciences PhD students.

CBE—Life Sciences Education 20(3).

• Herz, N., O. Dan, N. Censor, and Y. Bar-Haim. 2020. Opinion: Authors overestimate

their contribution to scientific work, demonstrating a strong bias. Proceedings of the

National Academy of Sciences 117: 6282–6285.

• Ramírez-Castañeda, V., E. P. Westeen, J. Frederick, S. Amini, D. R. Wait, A. S. Achmadi,

N. Andayana, et al. 2022. A set of principles and practical suggestions for equitable

fieldwork in biology. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(34). https://

doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2122667119

• Tilghman, S., B. Alberts, D. Colón-Ramos, K. Dzirasa, J. Kimble, and H. Varmus. 2021.

Concrete steps to diversify the scientific workforce. Science 372: 133–135.

221

ANNOUNCEMENTS

IN MEMORIAM

JONATHAN GIDDENS

(1986-2021)

Dr. Jonathan Giddens passed away

unexpectedly on November 12, 2021, at age

35. Jon was a lifelong Oklahoman, growing

up in Jenks, OK before completing his

undergraduate and graduate degrees at the

University of Oklahoma (OU).

At OU, Jon pursued his interests in plants and

environment, first earning an undergraduate

degree in Interdisciplinary Perspectives of the

Environment in 2008. Then, in 2014 he earned

his Master’s in Plant Biology, working with Dr.

Wayne Elisens on morphological variation

in the Iva Annua Complex (Asteraceae:

Heliantheae). It was during this time that I

first got to know Jon, initially as a committee

member, and then as his major advisor for

his PhD work. Over the course of his PhD,

he developed a series of research projects

focused on water use and drought tolerance

in eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana).

He was especially drawn to studying plant

hydraulics and how hydraulic traits might

help explain why this species is so successful

in encroaching into Oklahoma grasslands. Jon

defended his Plant Biology PhD in May 2021,

and we were still working on transitioning

his dissertation chapters into manuscripts for

journal submission.

Although Jon was early in his career, he had

already impacted so many people with his love

for plant biology. He was a teaching assistant

for multiple plant courses at OU, including

Introduction to Plant Biology, where his

enthusiasm motivated many students to give

plants a second look. He even converted some

of them to Plant Biology majors! He received

multiple university level teaching awards

based on evaluations from the students he

taught.

Finally, Jon was well known within BSA. He

was very actively involved, serving in multiple

roles in the student section, including as

Student Representative to the Executive

Committee from 2013 to 2015. He was always

a friendly and enthusiastic presence.

I deeply regret that we will never be able to

know what Jon would have done next in his life

and career. But it is clear that he had already

impacted so many and will remain with them.

-Heather McCarthy, Associate Professor of

Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma

PSB 68 (3) 2022

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223

• A Field Guide to the Plants of Armenia

• The Hidden Beauty of Seeds & Fruits: The Botanical photography of Levon Biss

• Kaplan’s Principles of Plant Morphology

• Orchid Species from Himalaya and South East Asia Vol 2 (G-P), Vol 3 (R-Z).

• The Western Woodlands of Ethiopia: A Study of the Woody Vegetation and Flora

Between the Ethiopian Highlands and the Lowlands of the Nile Valley in the

Sudan and South Sudan

BOOK REVIEWS

A Field Guide to the

Plants of Armenia

Tamar Galstyan

2021;

ISBN: 978-1-9997345-8-9

£25 (Paperback); 592 pp.

Filbert Press, UK

The Republic of Armenia

is a landlocked country in the southern

Caucasus, situated northeast in the Armenian

Highland, with a mixture of lava plateaus,

volcanic cones, fault-fold ranges, and Lake

Sevan in a tectonic depression. Armenia has

a highland continental, dry climate, with cold

winters and warm summers. Temperatures

depend upon elevation. Average midwinter

temperature is 0ºC; midsummer temperature

exceeds 25ºC. Average precipitation ranges

from 250 mm per year in the lower Araxes

River Valley, to 800 mm at the highest altitudes,

with heaviest rainfall in the mountains. Its

specialized habitats support a multiplicity of

species in breathtaking landscapes.
Plants of Armenia is the first English-language

guide to Armenia’s diverse flora, including

more than 1000 species. Arrangement is

alphabetical by family; monocots separated

from dicots with colored margin tabs. The

guide holds 1900 color photographs, each

identified by its Latin binomial, name in

Armenian, short diagnostic description,

flowering time, and elevation range. Nearly

1800 range maps show geographic distribution;

where applicable, they indicate critical or

endangered/vulnerable status (red dot) and

endemism (green). The plates are clear, and

the guide is well bound for frequent use, with

rounded corners for safety; the coated cover

provides protection from moisture and soil,

and its compact 21 × 14.5 cm size fits in a

backpack.
The introductory pages briefly describe

Armenia’s biogeography, climate,

geomorphology, and native vegetation. A

glossary of botanical terms and species index

close the book. “Field guides are a way for

people to connect with the environment by

putting a specific face on the term biodiversity

(Stevenson et al., 2001: 15-16). The economics

of traditional publishing dictate that paper

field guides must have commercial viability,

PSB 68 (3) 2022

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so they tend to focus on popular geographic

areas.” In this instance, the book relies

on residents, tourists, and the Armenian

diaspora, satisfying pride and longing for our

ancestral homeland.
Personally, I am smitten with the extraordinary

Oncocyclus section Iris; the guide’s cover

shows Iris iberica subsp. elegantissima (Sosn.)

Fed. & Takht., with “flowers up to 10cm in

diameter, the stems usually 20-30cm height.

The falls reflex very sharply so that the blade

lies almost vertically” (Mathew, 1989: 52). I

had an opportunity to observe these beauties

in abundance on the rocky high plateaus

surrounding Erzurum, Kars, and Lake Van,

in early May 1997. “By May or June, the

rhizomes are getting a consistent baking every

day, continuing for several months” (Mathew,

1972: 130); these alpine growth conditions are

difficult to replicate in temperate areas.
Markarian (2004: 43) recounts details about

Dr. Giovanni Franceso Gemelli Careri’s visit

to Armenia on May 26, 1694. Mr. Careri

described a unique flower in the Talin area in

Armenia: “In those villages I saw a vague and a

strange flower, that every Italian prince would

definitely pay much to have in his garden.

The stalk is no more than a half palm high,

on top of which are three white flowers that

are straight, and three others, that fall into the

form of a triangle of purple color with a tiny

black rose in the middle, and other three of

lighter color entangled in the same flower.”
By coincidence, Srpazan [Archbishop Ashjian]

had read this account on May 25, last year.

Immediately he decided to go to the village of

Talin to find the flower, taking photographers

with him. “We visited the Armeno-Turkish

frontier, prayed in the Haygavank Church,

admired the monastery of Horomos, and

finally reached Talin. We started our search

with some shepherds. No hope. We inquired

whether there was a knowledgeable woman

in those parts who might have some special

love towards flowers. We found one. She was

the wife of the principal of the school, Mrs.

Rima Hakobian, who told us of a lady in town

who a couple weeks ago brought some flowers

from the fields ‘like the one you described.’

We rushed to see Mrs. Siranoush Gevorgian

and her collection of wildflowers. We were

late; they had wilted. But we kept insisting,

so the lady told us to go to St. Christopher’s

Cemetery, suggesting that we might find it

there. We rushed and, lo and behold, several

flowers of the type described were there

smiling at us, like little urchins, teasing us, and

how happy we were to finally get to them. We

kissed the flowers, made a bouquet of them,

then prayed for the man from whose tomb

we had picked them. The name of that man?

Ardoush, son of Sedrak Grigorian, 1924-1976.

‘Sorry Ardoush, instead of bringing flowers to

your grave, we just stole what nature had given

to you. Forgive us.’ Later Archbishop Ashjian

learned the scientific name for this flower, Iris

elegantissima.”
Galstyan’s travels to see plants in their natural

habitats led to a Facebook page, “Plants of

Armenia," a career as a guide for botanical

tours in Armenia, and the creation of a travel

company, SkyGreen. We owe gratitude to

the author and those photographers and

enthusiasts she consulted for contributing to

this splendid volume. We also acknowledge

the “largely unsung toils of taxonomists and

field biologists who provided the very basic

knowledge that is required for field guides to

exist” (Holt, 2016: S94).
Although Plants of Armenia was written for a

general audience, it ranks as an authoritative

reference for species identification, often

providing two views to show variable

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morphology, which should also interest

professional botanists. Highly recommended

for its illustrations, range maps, and layout,

it could also prove informative for use in

surrounding regions.

REFERENCES

Holt, R. D. 2016. Geographical variation in the avail-

ability of natural history field guides? Personal reflec-

tions, causes, and consequences. The American Natu-

ralist 188: S90-S95.
Markarian, H. 2004. Etchmiadzin Chronicles. Out-

reach 26: 37-43.
Mathew, B. 1972. Plant Portraits. Iris elegantissima.

Bulletin of the Alpine Garden Society 40: 130-131.
Mathew, B. 1989. The Iris. B.T. Batsford Ltd., London.
Stevenson, R. D., W. A. Haber, and R. A. Morris. 2001.

Standing on the shoulders of taxonomists: Electronic

field guides and user communities in the ecoinformat-

ics revolution. Website: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/

viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.195.2801&rep=rep1&

type=pdf

–Dorothea Bedigian, Research Associate, Mis-

souri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

The Hidden Beauty of

Seeds & Fruits: The

Botanical Photogra-

phy of Levon Biss

Levon Biss

2021.

ISBN: 9781419752155

Hardcover, $40.00; 144 pp.

Abrams Books, NY

An herbarium’s carpological collection

contains plant parts that are too chunky to be

pressed on an herbarium sheet: seeds, bark,

gum, fruits (e.g., cones), and leaves. Many of

these cross reference with herbarium sheets

and help to enrich the preserved collection.

Taxonomists have made use of carpological

collections to correct identifications, e.g.,

Farjon (1995) lectotypified a Mexican pine

with an ovuliferous cone found among

carpological material in the herbarium at

Vienna (W).
Levon Biss is an award-winning British

photographer, widely praised for producing

peerless images with a macro lens of his

generation. Biss polished his skills when

compiling photographs for Microsculpture

(2017), a unique photographic study of insects

in exceptional magnification. Applying his

skills as a professional photographer, his

artist’s eye, his background in graphic design,

and eagerness to tackle technical challenges,

Biss devised a customized technique for

macrophotography, using instruments he

designed, shooting numerous “stacked”

photos to maintain sharp focus throughout,

and subsequently compiling the segments into

magnificent prints. The resulting photographs

possess considerable depth, revealing every

minute detail. Biss explains that in mounting

a camera onto a microscope, one obtains only

a very shallow depth of field. Consequently,

he creates a composite view by combining

many photographs, then flattens them down

to produce one single high-resolution file.

Hence each final photograph might be the

combination of 8000 to 10,000 individual

photographs.
Microsculpture led to international exhibitions

that ensued from it that displayed large format

photographs across Europe, the Middle East,

South America, and the USA, with solo shows

in 22 countries. Later his acclaim opened

exceptional access to treasured historical

museum collections, entrée normally granted

only to research scholars whose credentials

warrant admission to these vaults holding

scientific specimens, and viewed by the lay

public as mere cabinets of curiosities.

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Biss was welcomed to work with the

carpological collection at the renowned Royal

Botanic Garden Edinburgh herbarium. Over

a period of 6 months, he inspected many

thousands of specimens. Ultimately, Biss

selected 100 fruits and seeds to photograph

for the project. The final images display seeds

and fruits from around the world in exquisite

detail, enabling the viewer to appreciate

their intricate textures and their anatomy,

which offers potentials for environmental

adaptations. For the viewer, Biss’ stylish

photographs generate admiration for the

beauty of the hidden natural world. If one

accepts the premise that there is nothing more

transformative than the healing forces of the

visual and musical arts, in this meeting where

art meets science in the botanical photography

of Biss can be found emotional as well as

educational support and ample examples to

inspire appreciation of nature’s biodiversity,

so urgently in need of protection.

REFERENCES

Biss L. 2017. Microsculpture: Portraits of Insects.

Abrams Books, NY.
Farjon A. 1995. Typification of Pinus apulcensis Lindley

(Pinaceae), a misinterpreted name for a Latin Ameri-

can pine. Novon 5: 252-256.

–Dorothea Bedigian, Research Associate, Mis-

souri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri,

USA

Kaplan’s Principles of

Plant Morphology

Donald R. Kaplan. Edited

and compiled by Chelsea

D. Specht.

2022. ISBN

9781482245196 (hard-

back), 9780367655419 (pa-

perback), 9781315118642

(e-book)

1317 pp; US$300.00.

CRC Press, Taylor & Francis

Group, LLC, Boca Raton, FL

To paraphrase Dennis Stevenson’s summary

of Chapter 23, on Angiosperm Inflorescence

Morphology: “There is an extensive amount

of literature on morphology published in

German. This book is an excellent synopsis

of that work.” It is true that Don Kaplan

was a master of the German morphologists,

from Hoffmeister through von Goebel, on to

Troll and finally Hagemann, and their ideas

and illustrations form a solid foundation for

Kaplan to build upon. But besides simply

compiling, organizing, and interpreting this

massive German literature, he extends their

work using his own prolific research and that

of his many students.
Kaplan's goals are simple: “1) to teach the reader

how to analyze the basic structural features of

plants that are altered to produce the major

variations in plant form and 2) to determine

the significance of the morphological variants

in the environments in which the plants grow.”

And Kaplan is an excellent teacher (a recipient

of the BSA’s Charles Edwin Bessey Teaching

Award) who realized that the only way for

students to develop a deep understanding of

a concept is to be presented with a variety of

perspectives and challenges, in a variety of

situations, and to be led to the most logical

conclusion. This is the goal of the book.

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Kaplan begins with the concept of homology

in Chapter 1, where he introduces the

three criteria that will be used to analyze

morphological structure throughout the

text. The first is position within the body of

the plant. Second are any special criteria or

distinctive characteristics of the structure

in question, and third is the existence of

intermediates between distinctive structures.

He then demonstrates how to apply these

criteria using familiar flowering plants. In

Chapter 2, he views these concepts from the

perspective of the entire plant kingdom (sensu

lato) and then ties them to internal anatomy

and development in the next four chapters.
Kaplan’s is not the traditional American

approach to plant morphology, which focuses

on evolutionary relationships and adaptive

trends. Rather, the constraints are the

morphological principles themselves as they

influence ontogeny. Chapter 3, describing

the relationship between morphology and

anatomy, provides an opportunity for Kaplan

to question the traditional maxim that the cell

is the “building block of the organism” and

morphology is the result of how the blocks

are put together. Kaplan’s morphological

approach begins analysis at the whole plant

level and brings it down to the cell. He presents

his alternative “organismal theory,” which

argues that cells “fill in” the morphological

form determined by the organism (Kaplan

and Hagemann, 1991). Clear examples of

morphology’s primacy are the complex forms

of coenocytic algae, with multiple nuclei but

no cellular compartmentalization, which I

continue to find intriguing.
The next 12 chapters address specific aspects

of organogenesis, or the development and

variability of major organ systems of the plant.

Because of Kaplan’s step-by-step approach

in applying the morphological principles,

documented with detailed illustrations,

this third of the book is a treasure trove of

examples illustrating virtually every variation

of vegetative plant structure you can think of

(and probably many you weren’t aware of).

In more than one instance, Kaplan delights

in teaching you that there can be more than

one way to achieve what appears to be a very

similar structure and only careful study will

permit a determination. And again, like a

good teacher, Kaplan will frequently end a

section with a comment like: “However, to

date there have been no developmental studies

made to see if…”, as a way of pointing out

future projects the reader may be interested in

pursuing.
The second half of the book (six chapters)

deals almost exclusively with reproductive

structures, mostly pteridophytes (192

pp.) and gymnosperms (290 pp.). Floral

shoots, floral organs, and inflorescences

are covered in three separate chapters

totaling 148 pages. Throughout these

reproduction chapters, Kaplan regularly

reminds the reader of the morphological

and developmental convergence between

vegetative and reproductive phases of growth,

always following the common morphological

principles. A final short chapter covers the

root.
In addition to the thorough descriptions of

form and its development, the book is filled

with little bits of information I either had

forgotten about or never knew. For instance,

why is it that many conifer pollen grains

develop their “wings?” The traditional, and

“obvious,” explanation is to facilitate wind-

borne pollination. No, they are “water wings!”

While Gifford and Foster (1989) mention this

in a paragraph in the third edition of their text,

who remembers? Kaplan understood that you

need deep explanations to overcome common

PSB 68 (3) 2022

228

misconceptions. He spends 10 pages and 7

figures, mostly from the publications of Joseph

Doyle, examining the correlations between

variations in megagametophyte structure

and presentation (at the time of pollination),

with presence and size of “air bladders” on

the microgametophyes (pollen grains) in a

range of gymnosperm genera. If the ovules

are inverted with the micropyle pointed

down, the pollination drop is exuded at the

bottom and the pollen grains have buoyant

sacci so they float up to the nucellus within

the ovule. If the ovules are orthotropous, with

a pollination drop on top, the grains lack sacci

and sink down to the nucellus. And who even

knew about the prodigious output of Joseph

Doyle, “one of the most notable students of

Gymnosperm structure and evolution in this

century”? Kaplan notes that because Doyle

published mostly in a local Irish journal, “his

reputation suffered” [p. 974].
So how does this compendium compare with

the original four-volume “Odin Readers”

Kaplan (1998) published for students in

his later classes? First, the equivalent of a

fifth volume was added. The original series

ended with what is now Chapter 19. Kaplan

had drafts of the next four chapters, which

Specht edited and compiled along with

files from the mostly finished final chapter

(Specht, personal communication). Almost

nothing is missing from the original (except

for his section on classification, which, as

noted in a footnote, continues to change

with ongoing phylogenetic work). Second,

each new chapter begins with a paginated

outline of topics (a useful device to scan for

your interests), and third, figures are inserted

into the text rather than compiled at the end

of a chapter. Changes in nomenclature have

been made, as necessary, throughout the text,

and several, but not all, of his original hand-

drawn illustrations have been professionally

re-done. Line drawings are crisp, as are most

photo images. However, if they were poor

quality in the originals, there is only so much

enhancement you can do. Especially on some

whole specimen and habitat shots, I would

have preferred to see new, sharper, images

presented. Some, but not all, of the chapters

have a summary or update section bringing

new information to bear on the topics covered.

Most useful were: Michael Christianson’s

contribution to seedling development in

Chapter 6; Rolf Rutishauser’s observations and

updates on phyllotaxy in Chapter 7; Jennifer

Richards’ commentary on specialized shoot

branches in Chapter 13; Julie Kang and Nancy

Dengler’s review of molecular controls on leaf

symmetry in Chapter 15; Alejandra Vasco

and Barbara Ambrose’s reviews and edits

of the pteridophytes in Chapter 19; Dennis

Wm. Stevenson’s summary of inflorescence

morphology in Chapter 23; and James Seago’s

contributions to the final chapter on roots.
Unfortunately, there is not much of a market

for an advanced plant morphology textbook

these days. But, there is a huge need for

plant geneticists and breeders, developmental

botanists and physiologists, and plant

ecologists and evolutionary biologists to be

able to understand the foundations of plant

morphology relevant to their specific research

interests (Minelli, 2018). At the very least,

there should be a copy of Kaplan’s Principles of

Plant Morphology in every library supporting

plant researchers.
Finally, in answer to Stevenson’s challenge

about a controversy between “the Trollians

(including Don Kaplan)” and Laurie Johnson

at the 14

International Botanical Congress in

Berlin (1987): “Guess who prevailed!” It was

not Kaplan.

PSB 68 (3) 2022

229

REFERENCES

Gifford, E. M. and A. S. Foster. 1989. Morphology and

evolution of vascular plants, 3rd ed. New York. W.H.

Freeman and Company.
Kaplan, D. R. 1998. Plant Biology 107. Principles of

plant morphology, Volumes 1-4. Berkeley, CA. Odin

Readers.
Kaplan, D. R., and W. Hagemann. 1991. The relation-

ship of cell and organism in vascular plants. BioSci-

ence 41: 693-703.
Minelli, A. 2018. Plant evolutionary biology. The

Evolvability of the phenotype. New York. Cambridge

University Press.

-Marshall D. Sundberg, Roe R Cross Professor of

Biology, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS.

Orchid Species from Himalaya and South

East Asia Vol 2 (G-P), Vol 3 (R-Z).

Eng Soon Teoh

Vol. 2 (G-P)

2021, ISBN 978-3-

030-80427-5, ISBN

978-3-030-80428-2

(eBook)

Hard cover, $179.99;

ebook, $169.00; MyCopy,

a Springer service which

allows library patrons of

institutions with subscrip-

tions to SpringerLink, to

order a personal, print-on-demand soft cover edi-

tion of an eBook for $39.99 364 pp.

Vol. 3 (R-Z)

2022, ISBN 978-3-

030-97629-3, ISBN

978-3-030-97630-9

(eBook)

Hard cover, $179.99;

ebook, $169.00; My copy,

$39.99

Three volume set, $499.99.

181 pp.; Springer Nature

Switzerland AG, Geweber-

strasse 11, 6330, Chem, Switzerland.

(Full disclosure: Dr. Teoh and I have been

friends since 1974.)
This three-volume monumental work—I

reviewed volume 1 previously (Arditti,

2021)—describes and illustrates a total of

118 genera, 879 species, and approximately

232 hybrids. Not included in the 879 species

number are color variations and cultivated

varieties of species. Whenever possible, species

are shown in their natural habitats. Some were

photographed in botanical gardens, private

collections, commercial establishments, and

a variety of sites. Altogether there are 1304

illustrations of species and 255 images of

PSB 68 (3) 2022

230

hybrids. The total number of illustrations is

a staggering 1559. Of the species included in

the three volumes, sixteen in seven genera

were first described in the 21st century and

may not be well known.
I am amazed by the large number of

photographs Dr. Teoh has included in this

book because not all of the illustrated species

are in cultivation (or are cultivated rarely).

In addition to photographing many species

in Singapore, Dr. Teoh photographed a large

number in other countries (and many locales

in each country), to which he traveled for the

sole purpose of photographing orchids. Some

photographs, all properly acknowledged, are

by others.
In addition to photographs, paintings from

classic old orchid books are included. A few

of these books are available in Singapore, but

not many. A fair number of these illustrations

can be found online and downloaded, but the

resolution is too low for quality publication.

Collecting and accumulating these

illustrations in proper format and resolution

was not easy. Having searched for illustrations

myself, I know how difficult this can be.
In text quality, organization, format, style of

writing, and other details, these two volumes

are as excellent as the first volume. Having

already dealt with that volume (Arditti, 2021),

I will not repeat my statements here for the

sake of brevity. Suffice to say that volumes 2

and 3 describe and illustrate 388 species and

many of their variants (I did not count them)

plus approximately 177 hybrids clearly, well,

and in great detail. Like volume 1, volumes

2 and 3 are a pleasure to read and look at.

Together these three volumes describe a very

large number of orchids and should satisfy

the curiosity and/or needs of many orchid

aficionados and plant scientists in general.

In the words of the author himself, “This work

is not a comprehensive flora of the region.

No single sane person should try to write a

comprehensive illustrated flora of the region,

there being, I am told 1256 species in India,

4000 species in Indonesia . . .” And 3000

species in Malaysia, 900 in the Philippines,

1300 in Thailand, 1040 in Myanmar, and

many more in other countries of the region.

New species are being described almost

daily. Many species are found in more than

one country, and orchid taxonomists never

cease to add and delete (or maybe “add” and

“delete”) species by splitting and combining

taxa (and always arguing about it). Therefore,

to accurately determine the number of species

“from Himalaya and Southeast Asia” is indeed

a task, which can drive a “single sane person”

to insanity.
Comprehensive orchid floras of countries or

even parts thereof, regions, or continents, and/

or encyclopedias of the family are notoriously

difficult (or close to impossible) to write. Many

ambitious such books, single or multi volume

(the latest is six volumes), by one or more

well- or lesser-known authors, which languish

in my library and collect dust on its attest to

this. Therefore, Dr. Teoh was wise to present

only a judicious and impressive selection of

the myriad orchid species, which are found

from the Himalayas to Southeast Asia.
Some of these species deserve special mention

for a variety of reasons:

• Grammatophyllum scriptum was given

its specific epithet because the mark-

ings on its sepals and petals were

thought to resemble Hebrew letters.

It was first described by the “blind

seer of Ambon,” Georgius Everhardus

Rumphius (1627, Wölfersheim, Ger-

many – 1702, Ambon, Indonesia) who

drew it on a coconut tree.

PSB 68 (3) 2022

231

• Grammatophyllum speciosum plants

may well produce the largest of all or-

chid plants. They can weigh as much

as 2000 kg. A plant I saw on a tree in

the Bogor Botanical Gardens in Indo-

nesia many years ago was that large or

perhaps larger.

• Several orchids in the region, known

as Jewel Orchids—as for example,

Ludisia and Macodes—have beautiful

foliage that is shown very well in Dr.

Teoh’s photographs. They are cultivat-

ed for their foliage. Their flowers are

not impressive.

• Paphiopedilum henryanum was named

by a combative and controversial pri-

vate taxonomist (i.e., one not associ-

ated with a scientific institution) for a

convicted orchid poacher and smug-

gler, probably to spite established or-

chid scientists with whom both the

“namer” and “namee” did not get

along. Unusual and eccentric individ-

uals are common in the orchid world.

• Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim, the Sin-

gapore National flower as Vanda Miss

Joaquim, is a natural hybrid, a single

plant, which was discovered in 1893

by Miss Agnes Joaquim (1854-1899),

an avid gardener who is not known

to have grown orchids, in a clump of

bamboo in her garden. Henry Ridley

(1855-1956), then director of the Sin-

gapore Botanic Gardens, named it in

her honor. According to an urban leg-

end, Agnes Joaquim herself took the

orchid to Henry Ridley. This is proba-

bly not true. The herbarium specimen

has a date and a note in Ridley’s own

hand indicating that he received the

plant from her brother, Joe Joaquim

(ca. 1850-1899), a lawyer who grew

orchids. About 20 years ago, a non-

orchid expert with a personal agenda

suggested that Miss Joaquim actually

bred the orchid. There is not a shred

of evidence to support this suggestion

(Arditti, 2022), but it created a contro-

versy that still continues (Arditti and

Hew, 2007). As a co-author of a book

about Vanda Miss Joaquim (Hew et al.,

2002), I am in the middle of it.

• Spathoglottis Primrose (Spathoglottis

aurea × Spathoglottis plicata) is the

very first human-made orchid hybrid

produced in Singapore in 1932 by R.

E. Holttum (1895-1990), then Direc-

tor of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Holttum produced the hybrid only

after he learned how to use Knud-

son’s asymbiotic method of seed ger-

mination (solution B) from the Ger-

man mycorrhiza expert Hans Burgeff

(1883-1976), who visited Singapore

on his way to the Bogor Botanical

Gardens in Indonesia.

• Taeniophyllum is a leafless epiphytic

orchid. Its fleshy roots are green and

probably fix carbon via CAM. I saw

many plants on trees in the Bogor Bo-

tanical Garden. Sometimes they are

hard to see.

These books are not free of problems. An

error by the author is the use of “pod” in the

Spathoglottis section to describe orchid fruits,

which are capsules. All other problems are

due to inattention to detail, sloppy (if any)

editing, careless production, and low editorial

standards—all of which I encountered in some

of my books that were published by Springer-

Verlag.

PSB 68 (3) 2022

232

• Volume 1 has lists of references for

every genus and a general list of ref-

erences. There is only a general list of

references in volume 2. Like volume

1, volume 3 has a list of references for

every genus and a general list of ref-

erences. A careful publisher would

have insisted that a major three-vol-

ume work like this should have only

a single list of references (or literature

cited) for all volumes in volume 3.

• There are indexes of species and hy-

brids (in this order) in volume 1, but

no index of countries. The order of in-

dexes in volume 2 is hybrids, species,

countries. In volume 3 the order is

species, countries, hybrids. A publish-

er who pays attention to detail and has

high editorial standards would have

insisted on the same three indexes in

all volumes, all in identical order. Bet-

ter yet, the indexes should have been

combined (one each for species, hy-

brids, and countries) in volume 3.

• There is no general index. A non-

sloppy publisher would have insisted

on, or provided, a general index for

an interesting and complex work like

this, which contains a great wealth of

information. The lack of such an index

renders difficult the use of this terrific

book. An excellent publisher like John

Wiley and Sons (my favorite) did that

for several one-, two-, or three-vol-

ume books of mine. In multi-volume

books, Wiley moved all indexes and a

sole list of reference to the last volume.

In book reviews it is often stated at the end

that whatever faults or problems a book has

do not detract from its value. I would like to

end by stating that the value Dr. Teoh’s truly

excellent book was reduced by the mediocre,

even low, publication standards of Springer.

REFERENCES

Arditti, J. 2021. Orchid species from Himalaya and

South East Asia. Vol. 1 (A-E). Plant Science Bulletin

67: 137-139.
Arditti, J. 2021. Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim. How

did it originate? Orchids 90: 926-930.
Arditti, J., and C. S. Hew. 2007. The origin of Vanda

Miss Joaquim. In: K. M. Cameron, J. Arditti and T.

Kull [eds.], Orchid Biology, Reviews and Perspectives,

Vol. IX, 261-309. The New York Botanical Garden

Press, New York.
Hew, C. S., T. W. Yam, and J. Arditti. 2002. Biology

of Vanda Miss Joaquim. National University of Singa-

pore Press, Singapore.

– Joseph Arditti, Professor Emeritus, Univer-

sity of California, Irvine.

PSB 68 (3) 2022

233

The Western

Woodlands of

Ethiopia: A Study

of the Woody Veg-

etation and Flora

Between the Ethio-

pian Highlands and

the Lowlands of the

Nile Valley in the

Sudan and South

Sudan

Scientia Danica. Series B, Biologica, vol. 9

Ib Friis, Paulo van Breugel, Odile Weber, and Sebsebe

Demissew

2022. ISBN: 978-87-7304-440-7

Hardcover, 386,00 kr; (~$40); 521 pp.

Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab.

Plant biodiversity is deeply endangered, yet

we have not identified many species that

exist on our planet. There is much that we do

not know about how such unknown species

contribute to the ecosystem. We are at risk

of losing vital taxa before they have been

named. This is particularly true for forests,

which hold immense biodiversity. Major new

threats to biodiversity and individual species

include habitat degradation, climate change,

over-exploitation, increased pollution,

mining, unsustainable logging (e.g., roads and

infrastructure) and oil exploration—all direct

results of human activities. Such destruction

also exacerbates climate change, since the

woodland forests retain a large proportion of

the world’s carbon that would otherwise be in

the atmosphere. By reshaping the biodiversity

in an area, humans are restructuring the

whole ecosystem and making it less resilient

to natural disasters.
Realizing that the western woodlands of

Ethiopia had been less studied than the

highlands, a collaboration in field and

herbarium studies was initiated in 1980

between the Ethiopian government and

the University of Copenhagen to increase

information about those still largely intact

western woodlands. That led to establishment

of the Ethiopian Flora project, funded by

SAREC (Swedish Agency for Research

Cooperation with Developing Countries).
The Western Woodlands of Ethiopia represents

the pinnacle of four decades of collaboration

between Friis, Demmisew, van Breugel,

Weber, and numerous other collaborators. It

follows up their previous 10-volume floristic

characterization (Friis et al., 2010). This opus

magnus, weighing nearly 9 pounds (with its

contents matching its heft), holds a treasure

trove of topics, including botany, geology,

history, phytogeography, and soils. The

volume is dense with data.
Data collection was done using a technique

termed relevé, an initial concept that was

developed by Swiss ecologist Jacques Braun-

Blanquet during the mid-20th century. Relevé

is useful to classify species diversity of plant

cover in large areas. Specifically, % Cover

Concept: Individual species (taxon) is said

to have 10% cover if it covers 10% of the

area of a relevé. In field data collection, each

taxon (species) is rated with a cover class of

1–5, with 1 being 75%–100% to 5 (1%–5%).

Sociability Concept: Class 1—Species occurs

in large, nearly pure stand; Class 2—Species

occurs in large aggregates or carpets; Class 3—

Species occurs in small aggregates or clusters;

Class 4—Species occurs in isolated clumps

or bunches; Class 5—Single occurrence of

species in relevé.
The authors used their data for clustering

and principal component analyses to study

continuity and discontinuity of the vegetation

and the drivers of variation. They found

that their clusters relate to variables such as

PSB 68 (3) 2022

234

latitude, altitude, climate, and soil types, while

slope, fire frequency, and other parameters

were less important.
The decade-long controversy involving the

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)

is central to the results reported in this

monograph. Ethiopia’s western highlands hold

important tributaries to the Nile, particularly

through the Blue Nile, but also through 10

or more other rivers running to the Nile.

The new Ethiopian GERD reservoir will

encompass substantial areas investigated here.

The authors warn (p. 398) that “much of the

area with relatively high species-richness, will

be flooded by the reservoir behind the GERD

dam if the project develops as planned.”
The reference work concludes with seven

appendices documenting the authors’

findings. Particularly useful are the complete

records of field observations and species

lists in Appendix 1, distribution of taxa

on geographical areas in Appendix 4, and

ecological adaptations of species in Appendix

5. The book closes with a valuable 15-page

List of References, containing some venerable

rare titles including Poncet (1709)—a source

that I found useful when preparing literature

reviews about the desert regions of Kenya and

Sudan—and an indispensable 8-page index to

plant names. The stature of the authors and

their long devotion to this project provides

reliably precise data and computations that

will inform future Ethiopian students to

recognize the ecological and environmental

uniqueness of their western woodlands,

hopefully leading to further support for its

preservation. The mapping and analyses

are made with prevailing, tested techniques

(including DIVA-GIS, ArcMap, Q-GIS,

UPGMA, various ordination methods) and

careful attention to detail. This subject is

unquestionably significant, and I would expect

that this monograph will become adopted

as the standard reference for specialists,

and may serve as a model for other regional

biogeographers.
Paper quality is an essential consideration for

a book such as this, to retain permanently

each plant photograph and colorful map.

Printed in Denmark by Narayana Press on

sturdy paper stock, this robust hardcover copy

should withstand long-term handling well.

REFERENCES

Friis, I., S. Demissew, and P. van Breugel. 2010. Atlas of

the potential vegetation of Ethiopia. Royal Danish Acad-

emy of Sciences and Letters. Biologiske Skrifter 58.
Poncet, C. J. 1709. A Voyage to AEthiopia, made in

the years 1698, 1699, and 1700. Describing particu-

larly that Famous Empire; as also the Kingdoms of

Dongola, Sennar, part of Egypt, &c, with The Natural

History of those Parts. London. https://www.google.

com/books/edition/A_Voyage_to_AEthiopia_Made_

in_the_Years/HEEGAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0.

–Dorothea Bedigian, Research Associate, Mis-

souri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri,

USA

PSB 68 (3) 2022

235

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science dealing with the study

& inquiry into the form, func-

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Plant Science Bulletin

Fall 2022 Volume 68 Number 3

Wearing your Botany on

your sleeve!

Spotted at Botany 2022

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