An Introduction to the Botanical Type Specimen Register

4
\Vitli respect to the editorship of the Carex Cata-
log, Carley, who served the FNA program and the
Type Register project from December 1969 to April
1971, and Petrini, who is the senior technical editor
of the Type Register project, assisted Shetler with
the clay-today technical editing. Harvey and Morse
assisted him with the botanical editing during the
)ear that each spent working at the Smithsonian on
the FNA program-1969-50 and 197 1-72, respec-
ti\elj. Harvey provided botanical supervision of
the data-capture operation during the initial input
of Cn? ex records from the Missouri Botanical Gar-
den, New York Botanical Garden, and the U.S.
National Herbarium, He directed the two-week,
on-site input effort at the New York Botanical Gar-
den in June 1970, Tvhich involved other genera
besides Carex. Cynthia N. Ostroff of the Index
Sominuin Generzcoi urn project assisted part-time
at the Smithsonian in the technical editing of the
Cai ex data from Harvard University. Marilyn An-
draeson helped with the data compilation at the
I\lissouri Botanical Garden, while similar assistance
was rendered by Zella Ellshoff, Robert Helliwig,
and Gail Johnson at the New York Botanical Gar-
den.
At least part of the Carex Catalog was examined
in near final form by Frederick J. Hermann of the
U.S. Forest Service Herbarium at Fort Collins,
Colorado, and Tetsuo Koyama of the New York
Botanical Garden, specialists on Carex and the
family Cyperaceae, respectively. Although both
provided helpful comments, they should not be
held responsible in any way for the final Catalog,
because neither was able to devote the enormous
amount of time that would have been required to
check the file authoritatively. This responsibility
rests with the editors and collaborators.
Several specialists at the New York Botanical
Garden have provided data to the Type Register
for groups other than Carex: Caroline Allen (Lau-
raceae: a few records of selected taxa), Patricia
Kern Holmgren (Brassicaceae: Draba, Thlaspi),
Tetsuo Koyama (Cyperaceae: a few records of se-
lected taxa), John T. Mickel (Schizaeaceae: Ane-
mia subgenus Coptophyllum and segregate genera),
and Ghillean T. Prance (Chrysobalanceae, Di-
chapetalaceae). (See also “Statistical Summary of
Type Register Contents.”) Holmgren has been the
one chiefly responsible for coordination at the work-
ing level of the New York Botanical Garden’s col-
SMITHSOSIAS CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY
laboration in the Type Register project. Mildred
E. klathias, Director, Botanical Gardens-Herba-
I ium, supervised the compilation of data on types
of the family Lamiaceae at the University of Cali-
fornia, Los Angeles, early in the project. Bruce
RIacBrJde assisted in the compilation of the data
lor this family and for the genus MimuZus at the
Missouri Botanical Garden. Other botanists who
deserve mention for playing a part in the project
at the Smithsonian are Amy Jean Gilmzrtin, Mon-
terey Peninsula College, Monterey, California, and
Milosla\ Kovanda, Czechoslovak Academy of Sci-
ences, Prague, .izho spent the years 1969-70 and
1970-5 1, respectively, with the FNA program.
The FNX Editorial Committee (John H. Bea-
man, M’alter H. Lewis, John McNeill, John T.
;\lickel, Peter H. Raven, Stanwyn G. Shetler, Roy
L. Taylor, John H. Thomas) has taken a deep
interest in the Type Register project from the out-
set and provided financial and material support
through the FNA program, as well as invaluable
advice and encouragement. A report on progress
has been given at every meeting of the Committee
since the Register was organized, and much time
has been devoted to evaluation of the present and
future development of the Register.
The pilot processing system was designed by
Reginald Creighton, Manager of Information Stor-
age and Indexing, and programmed by Willard
Handley, both of the Smithsonian’s Information
Systems Division. Creighton worked closely with
Hale to develop the pilot system, which served the
original purposes well, and the Type Register
would not exist if it had not been for Creighton’s
pioneering insight and dedication. When the proj-
ect became more closely associated with the FNA
systems effort, Harriet R. Meadow, Systems Devel-
opment Manager of ENA, designed the present op-
erational sjstem in its general outlines. Kopfler
has been responsible for the detailed design and
FIGURE
1.-Stages in the preparation of records for the Type
Rcgister: a, Constance Carley checks nomenclatural data in
the Gray Herbarium Card Index: b, Mary Jane Petrini
enters corrections into the computer via a remote typewriter
terminal connected by telephone (photos a and b by Walter
G. Peter 111); c, type specimens of the genus Viola (Violaceae)
are examined and discussed with respect to the problems of
recording them in the Type Register by (left to right) M. J.
Harvey, John T. Mickel, and Harriet R. Meadow in the
herbarium at the New York Botanical Garden (photo by
New York Botanical Garden).