Information on meetings before the year 2000 can be found in Bartonia.
2023
January 26
Exploring Cryptic Biodiversity: Towards a Better Understanding of the Ecological Processes that Regulate Soil Seed Banks
Castilleja Olmsted, University of Pittsburgh
February 23
Declining Trends of Narthecium americanum in Wharton State Forest
Jessica Ray, Raritan Valley Community College
March 23
The Ecological Importance of Small Forests in Our Megalopolis
Vince D’Amico, Team Leader, Philadelphia Field Station, US Forest Service
On Zoom and at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Enter through the side entrance on 19th Street. Take the elevator behind the reception desk to the third floor, then follow the signs to the Bees Classroom.
April 27
Climate Change and Plant Diversity: A Paleobotanical Case Study of Pennsylvanian Peat Swamps
Benjamin Muddiman
By Zoom
May 25
Taking Cues from Habitat: Under-Utilized Native Plants for the Garden: Janet Novak
Social Media for Botany: Andrew Conboy
By Zoom
2022
January 27
Connecting Lichens and People in the Urban Experience
James Lendemer (New York Botanical Garden) and Jessica Allen (Eastern Washington University), authors of the book Urban Lichens
February 24
Botany and the Henry Foundation
Susan Treadway (Director) and Henry Ortmeyer (Curator), the Henry Foundation (Gladwyne, PA)
March 24
Philadelphia’s Tree Plan
Erica Smith Fichman, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
Read about Philadelphia’s Tree Plan.
April 21
How the Symbology and Biology of Dandelions Drives the Love and Hate of a Cosmopolitan Weed
Lena Struwe, Rutgers University (Lena’s bio)
May 26
Elan Alford, Conservation Fellow at Mt. Cuba Center (see her description of conservation work at Mt. Cuba)
September 22
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
Members are invited to present photos or slides. To do that, email your materials to Joe Rucker: jbr.botanical@gmail.com. If possible, consolidate your photos in a single PDF or PowerPoint file, but individual photos are also OK. The deadline for submission of photos is noon on the day of the meeting.
October 27
Plants of the Appalachian Shale Barrens
Ian Caton, Wood Thrush Native Nursery
November 17
Identifying Changes in the Wabash River Corridor’s Vascular Plant Flora
Richard Hull, recipient of the Bayard Long Award
December 15
How plants cultivate microbes to obtain nutrients
James White, Rutgers University (White lab web site)
2021
January 28
Regulatory Botany
Jason Hafstad, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
February 25
The Lichen Flora of Wickecheoke Creek Preserve (Hunterdon County, NJ)
Dennis Waters
March 25
A Plantsman’s Adventures in Kazakhstan and the Altai Mountains
Paul Meyer, former director of Morris Arboretum
April 22
Urban Landscape Inspirations from Native Plant Communities
Ethan Dropkin of Larry Weaner Landscape Associates. To get a taste of Ethan’s thinking, read his article on design insights from native plant communities.
May 27
Tools for Understanding and Identifying the Flora of the Mid-Atlantic States
Alan Weakley, Director of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium, coauthor of Flora of Virginia, and author of Flora of the Southeastern United States
September 23
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
Members are invited to present photos or slides. To do that, email your materials to Joe Rucker: jbr.botanical@gmail.com. If possible, consolidate your photos in a single PDF or PowerPoint file, but individual photos are also OK. The deadline for submission of photos is the day before the meeting.
October 28
A Little Knowledge: Citizen Scientists Put Philadelphia’s Botanical Heritage to Work in Urban Natural Areas, Part II
Steve Jones of Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers
November 18
Evolving from Mushroom Enthusiast to Amateur Mycologist, 40 Fascinating Years and Counting
Dave Wasilewski (see his blog, Deep Funga)
December 16
Pyroentomology 101
Steve Mason, Immaculata University
The talk will draw from his new paper, “Responses from bees, butterflies, and ground beetles to different fire and site characteristics: A global meta-analysis” (www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320721003177).
2020
January 23
Ecological Restoration and its Role in Wildlife Management: Building Plant Communities to Support Animals
Michael McGraw of Applied Ecological Services
February 27
Forests in the City: Understanding Urban-driven Changes in Plant Recruitment Dynamics
Max Piana, UMass-Amherst and the US Forest Service
March 26: Meeting cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak
April 23: This meeting will take place on-line by Zoom.
All are welcome to attend. Members will receive instructions for joining the meeting on the day of the meeting. Non-members can request this information by emailing philbotclub@gmail.com.
Some Like It Hot: Effects of Climate Change on Plant Communities
Kerrie Sendall, Rider University
May 28: Note the change of format and speaker
Ecology of Pasture Trees in Post-Agricultural Forests
Marion Holmes, University of Pittsburgh
This meeting will take place on-line by Zoom. All are welcome to attend. Members will receive instructions for joining the meeting on the day of the meeting. Non-members can request this information by emailing philbotclub@gmail.com by 10 PM the day before the meeting.
September 24
Overview of the iNaturalist App and the City Nature Challenge from Billy Brown
and Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
Members are invited to present photos or slides. To do that, email your materials to Joe Rucker: jbr.botanical@gmail.com. Ideal is a single PDF or PowerPoint file, but individual photos are also fine.
October 22
Re-Discovering Central New Jersey Forests with Historic Roots to Aldo Leopold and Joseph Bonaparte
Dan Druckenbrod, Associate Professor and Director of Sustainability at Rider University (faculty page)
November 19
The Importance of Urban Gardening in the Time of COVID-19
Brenda Lin, CSIRO (profile)
December 17
A History of the London Planetree in Philadelphia
Lara Roman, US Forest Service (profile)
2019
January 24
Wood Decay Fungi of Philadelphia
Luke Smithson, President of the New Jersey Mycological Association
February 28
Bees and Urban Flora: Exploring the Trophic Ecology of Ornamentals, Remnants, and “Weeds” in the City
Doug Sponsler, Penn State
March 28: Note the change of program
A Little Knowledge: Citizen Scientists Put Philadelphia’s Botanical Heritage to Work in Urban Natural Areas
Steve Jones, President of Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers
April 25
Japanese Flowering Cherries: A 100-Year-Long Love Affair
Anthony Aiello, Morris Arboretum
May 23
Investigating Geoedaphic Meadows, Glades, and Grasslands in Southeastern Pennsylvania
Will Ryan, Academy of Natural Sciences
September 26
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
Members are invited to bring photos, slides, or specimens to show. As a new feature for our September meetings, members are also invited to talk about apps they use in the field.
October 24
Weed Ecology
Natalie Howe, USDA/APHIS
November 21
A Gloriously Futile Tallgrass Prairie and Oak Savanna Restoration Attempt in Central Iowa
Rob Fleming, Landscape Architect
December 19
The Delmarva Lichen Manual: A New Botanical Resource for the Atlantic Coast
James Lendemer, New York Botanical Garden
The meeting will be followed by a holiday party.
2018
January 25
Every Square Foot: Experimenting with Native Plants in the Home Landscape
John Janick (Good Host Nursery)
February 22
Seeing into the Future: The Plight of Plants and Ecosystems with Climate Change
Clint Springer (Saint Joseph’s University)
March 22
Lichens of Mercer County, New Jersey
Dennis Waters
April 26
Mid-Atlantic Megalopolis: Understanding Urbanization through Plant Specimens
Tatyana Livshultz (Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University) and Cindy Skema (Morris Arboretum)
May 24
Environmental Niche Divergence in Southeastern Kalmia Species: Integrating Phylogeny, Community Composition and Ecology
Tesa Madsen-Queen (Bayard Long awardee)
September 27
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
Members are invited to bring photos, slides, or specimens to show.
October 25
Impacts of Overabundant Deer and Invasive Plants on Forests in Central New Jersey: Historical, Empirical and Experimental Evidence
Jay Kelly, Associate Professor of Biology at Raritan Valley Community College
November 15
The Strange But True Story of the Dawn Redwood
Jill Jonnes, historian and author of Urban Forests: A Natural History of Trees and People in the American Cityscape (jilljonnes.com/)
December 20
The Historic Role of Fire in the Pine-Oak Forests of Western Maryland
Lauren Howard, Arcadia University
The meeting will be followed by a holiday party.
2017
January 26
Systematics and Evolution of the Grass Subfamily Arundinoideae, a Dustbin Taxon
Jordan Teisher (Academy of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany)
February 23
Plants of Southern Europe: A Visit to the Apennines, Sardinia, and Northern Greece
Janet Novak (past president of the Philadelphia Botanical Club)
March 23
Global Change Influences on Wetland Plant Invasions
Tom Mozdzer (Bryn Mawr College)
April 27
The Schuyler Lecture in North American Botany and Botanists
The Beginnings of Botany in Michigan: From Thomas Nuttall (1810) to the Douglass Houghton Era (1830-1840)
Anton Reznicek (University of Michigan Herbarium; coauthor of Field Manual of Michigan Flora)
May 25
Trees of Philadelphia
Ned Barnard (author of Philadelphia Trees) and Catriona Briger
September 28
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
Members are invited to bring photos, slides, or specimens to show.
October 26
Bulbs of Turkey
Yasemin Konuralp (author of Wild Flowers of Turkey)
November 16
Building a Checklist and Mapping the Flora, Resetting the Bar for Maryland
Wes Knapp (North Carolina Natural Heritage Program)
December 14
The Gentle Green Shroud: Vegetation of Cemeteries and their Critical Role in Environmental Land Management
David Hewitt (past president of the Philadelphia Botanical Club)
The meeting will be followed by a holiday party.
2016
January 28
An overview of the contributions of Bayard Long, curator of the Academy of Natural Sciences’ herbarium (PH) from 1910 to 1969
Gerry Moore (USDA Plants Database)
February 25
Kin structure and mating system of the veery (Catharus fuscescens) in the Mid-Atlantic Piedmont, with a review of nest site vegetation and the use of alien plant parts in nest construction
Matthew R. Halley (Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University)
March 24
Agricultural Legacies in the Mixed Mesophytic Forest: Effects of Past Land Use on Forest Herb Communities
Marion Holmes (Ohio University), recipient of the Bayard Long Award in 2015
April 28
The Schuyler Lecture in North American Botany and Botanists
Conservation Status of Intertidal Plants in Mid-Atlantic Estuaries
Rob Naczi (New York Botanical Garden)
May 26
The Disappearance of Butter and Eggs (Linaria vulgaris) from Center City
Kenneth Frank, author of Ecology of Center City, Philadelphia
September 22
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
Members are invited to bring photos, slides, or specimens to show.
October 27
The Status of Rare Plant Protections in New Jersey
Ryan Rebozo (Director of Conservation Science, Pinelands Preservation Alliance)
November 17
Beyond Honeybees: Beetles, Butterflies, Bumblebees, and Other Pollinators
Dan Duran (Drexel University)
December 15
The Philadelphia Botanical Club: A History of Natural History
David Hewitt (President of the Philadelphia Botanical Club)
The meeting will be followed by a holiday party.
2015
January 22
Some Natural History of Philadelphia
David Hewitt, President of the Philadelphia Botanical Club
February 26
The Laboulbeniales, an Enigmatic Group of Insect-Parasitizing Fungi
Danny Haelewaters, Harvard University. Danny was the recipient of the club’s Bayard Long Award in 2014.
March 26
Buzz around the Blossoms: the Beauty, Importance and Wonder of New Jersey’s Native Bees
Dan Cariveau, Rutgers University
April 23
The Schuyler Lecture in North American Botany and Botanists
European Plant Collections of John Stuart Mill at the Academy of Natural Sciences
Ernie Schuyler, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
May 28
Weeds Under Your Car: Island Biogeography of Parking Lots
Lena Struwe, Rutgers University
October 1
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
Members are invited to bring photos, slides, or specimens to show. If you plan to bring conventional slides, click here to e-mail us or call Janet Novak (215-248-2642) so we can arrange to have a slide projector.
October 22
Earth, Wind, and Fire: Resource Allocation Strategies of Rhynchospora knieskernii J. Carey (Cyperaceae) in a Disturbance-Dependent Ecosystem
Marilyn Sobel (Drexel University), recipient of the Bayard Long Award in 2012
November 19
Witmer Stone: The Fascination of Nature
Scott McConnell (author of Witmer Stone: The Fascination of Nature)
At the Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Enter the Academy through the door on 19th Street near the corner with Cherry Street, and the security guard will direct you to the meeting room.
December 17
How to Build Two Houses From One: The Evolution of Separate Sexes in Angiosperms
Cindy Skema (Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania)
The meeting will be followed by a holiday party.
2014
January 23
Plants and their History in and around the German Township
Nicole Juday, Horticulture Education Coordinator at the Barnes Foundation
February 27
Chile Peppers: Heat and History
Joseph Rucker, Director of Research and Development at Integral Molecular, a biotech company in West Philadelphia
Location: Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Enter the Academy through the door on 19th Street near the corner with Cherry Street, and the security guard will direct you to the meeting room.
March 27
The Natural History of Spring Wildflowers: A Closer Look
Carol Gracie, author and photographer
April 24
The Schuyler Lecture in North American Botany and Botanists
Native Americans, Smokey Bear and the Rise and Fall of Eastern Oak Forests
Marc Abrams, Professor of Forest Ecology and Physiology, Penn State
May 22
Plant Hunting in China
Ron Rabideau
Ron works at RareFind Nursery, where he is photographer, discoverer of new plants, and hybridizer of rhododendrons and other plants.
June 26
Members’ Reports on Spring Botanizing
This informal meeting will be held as a joint meeting with the Special Pinelands Plants Course of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. Members to bring photos, slides, specimens, or stories from their recent time in the field. If you plan to bring conventional slides (as opposed to a digital presentation), email us at philbotclub@gmail.com or call Janet Novak (215-248-2642) so we know to have a slide projector.
Note the location: Pinelands Preservation Alliance headquarters at 17 Pemberton Road in Southampton, New Jersey. For directions, see the PPA directions page.
September 25
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
Members are invited to bring photos, slides, or specimens to show. If you plan to bring slides or a digital presentation, click here to e-mail us or call Janet Novak (215-248-2642) so we can arrange to have an appropriate projector.
October 23
PA Lake Plants – What, Where, Why?
Ann Rhoads, Retired Morris Arboretum Senior Botanist
November 20
The Influence of Disturbance on the Demography of the Rare Pine Barren Gentian (Gentiana autumnalis) in New Jersey
Ryan Rebozo, Drexel University
December 18
Greenland Nursery: Propagating Natives for Philadelphia Parks
Maximilian Blaustein, Manager of the Greenland Nursery of Fairmount Park, Philadelphia
The meeting will be followed by a holiday party.
2013
January 24
Tree-Ring Analysis at Jefferson’s Monticello: Current Applications to Garden and Landscape History
Daniel Druckenbrod, Assistant Professor of Environmental Sciences, Rider University (Dr. Druckenbrod’s web page)
Location: Marvin Comisky Conference Center at Blank Rome
February 28
Origin and Diversification of Monnina, a Neotropical Genus in Polygalaceae, Fabales
Alina Freire-Fierro, Collection Manager, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Location: Marvin Comisky Conference Center at Blank Rome
March 28
Biological Invasions from Three Perspectives
Jessica Gurevitch, Professor of Ecology and Evolution, SUNY Stonybrook
Location: Marvin Comisky Conference Center at Blank Rome
April 25
The Schuyler Lecture in North American Botany and Botanists
Early Temperate North American Botanical Collectors, 1585-1730
James Reveal, Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland (Dr. Reveal’s CV)
The talk will be an illustrated presentation featuring images of early artwork and actual specimens gathered in temperate North America from the days of Sir Walter Raleigh up to the Bartram era.
Location: Marvin Comisky Conference Center at Blank Rome
May 23
Status of Five Critically Endangered Pennsylvania Plants
Ann Rhoads, Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
Location: Marvin Comisky Conference Center at Blank Rome
September 26
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
Members are invited to bring photos, slides, or specimens to show. If you plan to bring slides or a digital presentation, click here to e-mail us or call Janet Novak (215-248-2642) so we can arrange to have an appropriate projector.
October 24
A Brief Introduction to the Freshwater Green Algae of New Jersey and Pennsylvania
John Hall, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
November 21
Life in the Concrete Jungle: Patterns and Drivers of Biodiversity in the World’s Cities
Myla Aronson, Hofstra University
December 19
Ragweed and Civilization
Ken Frank
After the talk will be the annual holiday party.
Location: Marvin Comisky Conference Center at Blank Rome
2012
January 26
Orchids and Their Fungi: What Do We Know and What Do We Need to Know?
Melissa McCormick, Research Scientist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
February 23
Behind the Doors of the Academy of Natural Sciences Herbarium: a Botanical Treasure Trove 200 Years in the Making
Alina Freire-Fierro, Collections Manager, and Tatyana Livshultz, Assistant Curator of Botany, at the Academy of Natural Sciences
If you’ve ever used an identification key, a flora, or a distribution map to learn something about a plant, you have, indirectly, accessed the treasure trove of botanical information housed in the world’s herbaria (collections of dried preserved plant specimens). Now botanical club members have the opportunity to experience a herbarium directly by going behind the scenes at the herbarium of the Academy of Natural Sciences, the oldest herbarium in the Americas, to see its operations and to learn about the history of herbaria and their vital function in science and conservation today.
The organizers need a head count to plan this event. RSVP by January 27 to Alina at 215-299-1157 or to philbotclub@gmail.com with the subject line “RSVP herbarium open house.”
Location: The Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Enter the Academy through the door on 19th Street near the corner with Cherry Street, and the security guard will direct you to the herbarium.
March 22
Putting Amazonian Plant Diversity in Historical, Geological, and Ecological Context
Benjamin Torke, Assistant Curator, Institute of Systematic Botany at the New York Botanical Garden
April 26
1892: The First Field Trip of the Philadelphia Botanical Club to Bartram’s Garden—The Formation of the Club and the Preservation of Bartram’s Garden
Joel Fry, Curator, Bartram’s Garden
Location: The Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Enter the Academy through the door on 19th Street near the corner with Cherry Street, and the security guard will direct you to the meeting room.
May 24
Plants Grown from Seeds Collected by Meriwether Lewis in the Herbarium of Henry Muhlenberg
Ernie Schuyler, Academy of Natural Sciences
Location: The Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Enter the Academy through the door on 19th Street near the corner with Cherry Street, and the security guard will direct you to the meeting room.
September 27
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
Members are invited to bring photos, slides, or specimens to show.
Location: Marvin Comisky Conference Center at Blank Rome
October 25
The Invasive Ailanthus altissima in Pennsylvania: a Case Study Elucidating Species Introduction, Migration, Invasion, and Growth Patterns in the Northeastern U.S.
Matthew Kasson, Virginia Tech
Location: Academy of Natural Sciences
November 15
Urban Apiflora of the Mid-Atlantic
Charlie Nichols
Location: Marvin Comisky Conference Center at Blank Rome
December 20
Gesneriad-Hunting in China: Disappearing Mountains, White Bees, Venomous Caterpillars and Grandma’s Chirita
Stephen Maciejewski, President of the Liberty Bell chapter of the Gesneriad Society and Grant Coordinator for the Gesneriad Conservation Center in China
Join Stephen Maciejewski as he takes us on a 15-day journey into a seldom-seen section of China. Follow him and Professor Wei Yi-Gang, author of Gesneriaceae of South China as they travel 3,000 kilometers in search of beautiful, rare and still unnamed species of gesneriads. You’ll see plants never seen before: many Chiritas, other gesneriads and plants like the cave-growing iridescent blue Begonia edulis. Plus spectacular scenery, including otherworldly karst mountains, caves larger than ball parks, elaborate rice fields and quaint villages. And learn how a little caterpillar can have a unsettling effect on your plans. For those with a culinary interest, there’s marijuana soup, stir-fried white bees with ginger and a lovely green slime fungus with vegetables.
After the talk will be the annual holiday party, with wine and cheese.
Location: Academy of Natural Sciences
2011
January 27
Meeting cancelled because of snow.
February 24
Advancing Our Understanding of the Flora of the Northeastern U.S.A. and Adjacent Canada
Robert Naczi, Curator of North American Botany at the New York Botanical Garden (Rob Naczi’s profile)
Abstract: During the past two decades, botanical knowledge has increased considerably. Accordingly, The New York Botanical Garden has renewed its commitment to research on plants of the Northeast by embarking on a program to produce new resources for plant identification and geographic distributions. This presentation will review the Garden’s legacy in northeastern botany, explain the need for a new Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern U.S.A. and Adjacent Canada, and describe progress on the project. (More on the Manual of Vascular Plants project)
March 24
Putting Milkweeds in Context: Reconstructing The Biogeography and Ecology of the Evolution of Floral Novelty
Tatyana Livshultz, Assistant Curator at the Academy of Natural Sciences (Profile)
April 28
Mycorrhizal Fungi and Their Interactions with Plants in Urban Environments
Amy Karpati, Director of Conservation Science at the Pinelands Preservation Alliance
May 26
Lewis David von Schweinitz: Mycologist, Botanist, Illustrator
David Hewitt, Research Associate in Botany at the Academy of Natural Sciences
September 22
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
Members are invited to bring photos, slides, or specimens to show. If you plan to bring slides or a digital presentation, click here to e-mail us or call Janet Novak (215-248-2642) so we can arrange to have an appropriate projector.
October 27
Diversity Gained, Diversity Lost: Long-Term Changes in Woody Plants in Central Park, New York City and Fairmount Park, Philadelphia
Robert Loeb, Associate Professor of Biology and Forestry, Pennsylvania State University
November 17
The Bipolar Nature of Amelanchier (Rosaceae)
Michael Burgess, Research Botanist, Morris Arboretum
Commonly called shadbushes or serviceberries, the genus Amelanchier contains attractive shrubs to medium-sized trees that are closely related to apple, pear, hawthorn, cotoneaster, and mountain ash. Amelanchier is distributed across the North Temperate Zone and is most taxonomically diverse in North America. The taxonomy of Amelanchier has long been viewed as perplexing, as exemplified by Fernald, who stated that “no genus in North America, except of course Rubus and Crataegus, has offered so much perplexity and has such contradictory treatment as Amelanchier.” Indeed, polyploidy, which is coincident with asexual reproduction, and frequent hybridization, does induce significant taxonomic confusion in Amelanchier. However, despite this complexity, recent research has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of Amelanchier, and has revealed, for the first time, a dimension of the genus characterized by morphologically, ecogeographically, and genetically distinct taxa.
Location: The Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Enter the Academy through the door on 19th Street near the corner with Cherry Street, and the security guard will direct you to the meeting room.
December 15
What Do 200 Years of Study Have to Tell Us About Pennsylvania’s Lichens?
James Lendemer, New York Botanical Garden
Location: The Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Enter the Academy through the door on 19th Street near the corner with Cherry Street, and the security guard will direct you to the meeting room.
2010
January 28
Regularly Managed Native Vegetation: Roadsides and Right-of-Ways
Steve Eisenhauer, Regional Director of Stewardship and Protection, Natural Lands Trust
February 25
Meeting cancelled because of snow
March 25
Origin and Evolution of Beer
Ernie Schuyler, Academy of Natural Sciences
April 22
Thomas Horsfield: Philadelphia to Java to London
Barbara Ceiga and Ernie Schuyler, Academy of Natural Sciences
The talk will be followed by a viewing of prints that Horsfield made from his inked specimens from Java.
May 27
Vignettes from the Coastal Plain
Stevens Heckscher, Natural Lands Trust
September 23
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
Members are invited to bring photos, slides, or specimens to show.
October 28
Climate Change Research in Northern Mongolia: the Ecology of Warmer Pastures
Brenda Casper, PhD, Professor of Biology, University of Pennsylvania
November 18
Diatoms: Philadelphia’s most common algae are beautiful and excellent ecological indicators
Donald Charles, PhD, Phycology Section Leader, Academy of Natural Sciences
December 16
Floral Scents, Color and Architecture: A Look at the Floral Phenotypes of Pawpaws (Asimina: Annonaceae)
Kate Goodrich, PhD, Assistant Professor of Plant Biology, Widener University
2009
January 22
Ecosystems and Plants of Cambodia and Thailand
Tatyana Livshultz, Academy of Natural Sciences
February 26
Notes on the Natural History and Evolution of the Cape Flora, Southern Africa
Chris Hardy, Keeper of the Herbarium and Assistant Professor, Millersville University
March 26
Pennsylvania’s “Little Newfoundland”: Glacial Till Barrens on the Pocono Plateau
Roger Latham, Continental Conservation
April 23
Unusual Ferns of North America
Robbin Moran, New York Botanical Garden
May 28
The Private Life of Trillium
John Gyer
September 24
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
October 22
Darwin and Botany in a Changing World: 150 Years after The Origin of Species
This afternoon symposium replaces our regular evening meeting.
November 19
Rare Plant Conservation in the Pinelands of New Jersey: Some Case Studies
Emile DeVito, Ph.D., Manager of Science & Stewardship for the New Jersey Conservation Foundation
December 17
Biology and Restoration of Schwalbea americana (American Chaffseed) in New Jersey
Jay Kelley
The annual Holiday Party follows the meeting.
2008
January 24
Revealing Camera Studies of Plants in the Florida Everglades and Keys
Stevens Heckscher, Natural Lands Trust
February 28
The Diversity and Evolution of Rainforest Tree Communities in the New World Tropics
Benjamin Torke, The Academy of Natural Sciences
March 27
The Ascomycete Genus Neolecta in New England
David Hewitt, Harvard University
April 24
Highlights of the Andean Flora
Alina Freire-Fierro, The Academy of Natural Sciences
May 22
Rare Plant Conservation in the New Jersey Pinelands
G. Russell Juelg, Pinelands Preservation Alliance
September 25
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
October 23
Two Centuries of Philadelphia Botany in Newfoundland
Ann F. Rhoads, Morris Arboretum, and Alfred E. Schuyler, The Academy of Natural Sciences
November 20 (Note the change of program.)
To Boldly Botanize: Thomas Nuttall’s Explorations in the Early Nineteenth-Century North America
Steve Grund, Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program at the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
December 18
The Latest on the Systematics of North American Atriplex
Elizabeth H. Zacharias, Harvard University Herbaria
Annual Holiday Party following the meeting
2007
January 25
The Rubus Problem: a Review of the Taxonomy of the Raspberries and Blackberries of the Northeastern United States
Gerry Moore, Brooklyn Botanic Garden
February 22
Plants of Belize, Cultural and Botanical Melting Pot
Robert F. C. Naczi, Delaware State University
March 22
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Plant Habitats Scrutinized
Richard Mellon, Mellon Biological Services
April 26
Plants and Geology of Burnt Cape, Newfoundland
Elizabeth Smith and Jackie Bessey, Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve, Raleigh, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
May 24
Recovery of a Lichen Community near the Palmerton Zinc Smelters
Natalie M. Howe, University of Pennsylvania and The Academy of Natural Sciences
September 27
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
October 25 (at the Academy of Natural Sciences)
Benjamin Smith Barton: Naturalist and Physician in Jeffersonian America
Alfred E. Schuyler, The Academy of Natural Sciences
Meeting in the Academy’s library followed by a wine and cheese reception
November 15
Lichens of the Limestone Barrens of the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland
James C. Lendemer, New York Botanical Garden
December 20
Botanical Collections in the Tepui Highlands of Guyana
Erin A. Tripp, Duke University
Annual Holiday Party following the meeting
2006
January 26
Floristic Resources of Evansburg State Park, Montgomery County, PA
Nancy Khan, Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers
February 23
Plant Diversity in New Jersey Pinelands Fens (a.k.a. Savannas)
Matt Palmer, Columbia University
March 23
The Native Grasslands and Meadows of Pennsylvania — Past, Present, and Future
Roger Latham, Continental Conservation
April 27
A Southern California Spring Odyssey — Desert Wildflowers in a Record Rainfall Year
Douglas Ripley, Headquarters U.S. Air Force Environmental Division, Washington, DC (retired)
May 25
Adventures with Seep-Weeds and Sea-Blites: Systematics of the Genus Suaeda
Wayne R. Ferren, Jr., Maser Consulting
September 28
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
October 26
Floristic Diversity in the Western Cape Region of South Africa
Ann F. Rhoads, Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
November 16 (at the Academy of Natural Sciences)
Botanical Art Before Linnaeus in the Library of The Academy of Natural Sciences
Alfred E. Schuyler, The Academy of Natural Sciences
December 21
Update on the New Jersey Flora Project
Joseph R. Arsenault, Environmental Consulting
Annual Holiday Party following the meeting
2005
January 27
Highlights of the Madagascar Flora
Lucinda McDade, The Academy of Natural Sciences
February 24
Ectomycorrhiza Underground Networking, or Fungi and the Wood Wide Web
Lena Jonsson
March 24
Cedar Glades: History, Ecology, and Conservation
Jeffrey L. Walck, Middle Tennessee State University
April 28
Flora of the Warren Grove Gunnery Range, Burlington County, New Jersey
Walter Bien, Drexel University
May 26
The Historical Ecology of Eastern Oak Forests: Past, Present, and Future
Marc Abrams, Pennsylvania State University
September 22
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
October 27 (at the Academy of Natural Sciences)
Getting Wet with Plants in Eastern Pennsylvania Lakes
Ann F. Rhoads and Timothy A. Block, The Morris Arboretum
November 17
Morphology and Distribution of Juncus longii — Clarifying its Status as a Species
Wesley M. Knapp, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
December 15 (at the Academy of Natural Sciences)
Fire, Rain, and Flowering along Florida’s Lake Wales Ridge and Adventures in the Everglades
Amy E. Faivre, Cedar Crest College
2004
January 22
The Bryophytes of New Jersey
Bill Olson, Maser Consulting, Matawan NJ
February 26
The Lichens of New Jersey
James Lendemer, Center for Systematic Biology and Evolution, The Academy of Natural Sciences
March 25
Plant Diversity and Exotic Species Invasion in Southern Appalachian Riparian Systems
Rebecca L. Brown, Patrick Center for Environmental Research, The Academy of Natural Sciences
April 22
The Flora of Coastal Plain Seasonal Ponds on the Delmarva Peninsula
William McAvoy, Delaware Natural Heritage Program
May 27
Exotic Trees in Our Landscapes, and Rutgers’ Urban Forestry Program
John Kuser, Rutgers University
September 23
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
October 28
Botanical Exploration in South Africa and Namibia
Ted Gordon, Pine Barrens Inventories
November 18
Peter Collinson and His Philadelphia Friends
Elizabeth P. McLean, The Academy of Natural Sciences
December 19, 2 PM
Dedication of the Benjamin Smith Barton Historical Marker
712 Arch Street, Philadelphia.
The Botanical Club, along with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, and the Philadelphia Chapter of the Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, will host a short ceremony at 2 PM to install a historic marker honoring the prominent botanist Dr. Benjamin Smith Barton, who wrote the first textbook on American botany. He died on December 19, 1855.
Barton was a faculty member of the University of Pennsylvania and a staff member of the Pennsylvania Hospital in 1803 when Meriwether Lewis came to our city at the behest of President Thomas Jefferson to prepare for an expedition across the American West.
Barton tutored Lewis in the collection, labeling, and preservation of plant specimens, resulting in the archival collection held today at the Academy of Natural Sciences.
The ceremony will be held at the location of Barton’s 1803 home: 712 Arch Street on the south side of Arch Street, about 195 feet from the 7th Street intersection.
2003
January 23
Saving an American Treasure — The Lewis and Clark Herbarium during the next 200 years
Richard M. McCourt, The Academy of Natural Sciences
February 27
Between a Rock and a Soft Place: Plant Habitats Scrutinized
Rick Mellon, Mellon Biological Services
March 27
Pollination, Breeding System, and Cushion Structure of the Alpine Forget-Me-Not (Eritrichium nanum)
Heinrich Zoller, University of Basel, der Schweitz
April 24
Around the World: 80 Days and 80 Plants, with Stops in Zimbabwe, China, British Isles, and the Americas
Harold Sweetman, Jenkins Arboretum
May 22
Philadelphia Botany and Horticulture in the Time of Lewis and Clark
Joel T. Fry, Historic Bartram’s Garden
September 25
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
October 23
Mosses and the Conservation of Natural Communities.
Terry O’Brien, Rowan University
November 20
The Forest Primeval
Ann F. Rhoads, Morris Arboretum
December 18
The Lost Worlds of Venezuela: Flora of the Tepuis and Table Top Mountains
Lena Struwe, Cook College, Rutgers University
2002
January 24
A Review of Witmer Stone’s Contributions to Botany
Gerry Moore
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn NY
February 28
Sex Life of Amaranthus cannabinus
Margot Bram
The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia PA
March 28
New York Metropolitan Flora Project
Steven E. Clemants
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn NY
April 25: REVISED SPEAKER
Evolution and Distribution of Dendrobium Orchids
Howard P. Wood
Research Associate in Botany at The Academy of Natural Sciences
May 23
Limits to Restoring Native Woodlands to Urban Lands
Steven N. Handel
Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ
September 26
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
October 24
Fifty-six Orchids of New Jersey: A Video Film Presentation
David Snyder, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; Division of Parks and Forestry, Office of Natural Lands Management; Natural Heritage Program
November 21
Spatial and Temporal Views of Tidal Freshwater Plants: Their Seed Banks and Germination Ecology
Mary Leck, Rider University
December 19
What Can Mites Tell Us about the Systematics of Western Hemisphere Pitcher Plants?
Robert F. C. Naczi, Claude E. Phillips Herbarium, Delaware State University
2001
January 25
Useful Lichens: From Antibiotics to Zinc Concentrators
Speaker: Robert Hill, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation Land Natural Resources, Harrisburg, PA
February 22
The Sarah P. Duke Gardens: A Jewel in the University’s Crown
Speaker: Richard A. White, Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Duke University, Durham, NC
March 22
Acanthaceae and Other Interesting Plants of South Africa
Speaker: Lucinda A. McDade, The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA
April 26
Science, Policy and Management of an Invasive Plant, Purple Loosestrife
Speaker: Erik Kiviat, Hudsonia Ltd., Annandale, NY
May 24
Highlights on Botanical History and Exploration of Quebec-Labrador
Speaker: Jacques Cayouette, Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre,
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
September 27
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
October 25
The Crataegus Problem
James A. Macklin
The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia PA
November 15
More South Florida Goodies
Stevens Heckscher
Natural Lands Trust, Media PA
December 20
Carex polymorpha and other Botanical Treasures of the Nescopeck Creek Valley, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Ann F. Rhoads and Timothy A. Block
Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA
2000
January 27
Phyllanthus (Euphorbiaceae) in Hepatitis Virus
David Unander
February 24
A Look at the Potomac Gorge and its Flora
Robert G. Johnsson
March 23
Selected Plant Communities and Flora of the Engadine Region of Switzerland
Ted Gordon
April 27
Retirement Party for Alfred “Ernie” Schuyler
Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
May 27
Rare Plants of Bucks County
Ann F. Rhoads
September 28
Members’ Reports on Summer Botanizing
October 26
Plants, Pests, Poisons, and Pot-Forensic Botany
Meredith A. Lane
November 16
Distribution of Aquatic and Wetland Plants in Relation to Land Use in Mullica River Basin Streams
Speaker: Kim Laidig, Pinelands Commission, New Lisbon, NJ
December 14
Botanical Management Strategies in Fairmount Park
Speakers: Richard J. Horwitz, Alfred E. Schuyler, and Bradley W. Thompson, The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA
