Re: taxonomy

At 11:13 AM 3/18/99 -0800, Jerry Heverly wrote:
>The teacher has offered extra credit for a project wherein we are asked to
>press 35 specimens of different species and record genus, species, location
>and date of find.  Sounds interesting so I think I'll do it.  But I'd like
>to do it with style.  I thought about various 'themes' I could use to make
>an interesting group:
>
>--all from one vacant lot?  I'm afraid this would yield too many composites.
>--all natives?  Nah, been done to death already.
>--rare species?  I'm not sure I'm willing to traipse all over N.California
>in pursuit of that one Agathis is bloom and finding 35 in bloom might be
>daunting...but maybe.
>
>Anyone got any ideas?
>Jerry Heverly, Oakland, CA

Years ago, while in college myself, we were given an assignment in leu of a
class (the professor had to leave town suddenly).  It merely stated write a
report on the economic uses of some plants.  Feeling this was particularly
boring as plainly stated, I took it a bit farther.  I catalogued all of the
'useful' plants on the Jr. college campus.  It turned out to be very
interesting as the site was made up of various old home properties with their
associated left-over or abandoned gardens, and ajacent wild-lands full of
Calif. natives.  I arranged them in the report like a walking tour (i.e. "as
you pass the science building, on your left you'll find some Kumquat trees
in front of Mr. so-and-so's office"), listing the plants as I came upon them
on a tour of the grounds.  I included a small paragraph about each, noting
their full names, place of origin, and possible uses (food, medicine, etc.).

A got a very good grade on the assignment and the teacher was very pleased.
Many years later, when I happened to be visiting the site for another
reason, I happened to be close to this professor's office.  I caught him in
the hallway and we chatted some.  After some conversation, he realized what
student I had been and told me that he still had my report which he used in
his botany classes as a handout, where students would roam the grounds in
search of the original plants I had described!!  I couldn't beleive it!

Maybe you could press some specimens local to this campus or the surrounding
areas?

Regards,
Sean O.

Sean A. O'Hara                       sean.ohara@poboxes.com
h o r t u l u s   a p t u s          710 Jean Street
'a garden suited to its purpose'     Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
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