Botanical Expedition! - Botanical Research Institute of Texas

a publication of the botanical research institute of texas 

volume 18, no. 2, 2007 

Botanical 

Expedition! 

(see page 14)

Director’s 

Note 

Sy Sohmer 

Making a Botanical 

Institute From Scratch 

This is the fanciful title of the talk I am 

Nearly 

Revisiting the history of BRIT 

presenting to the Royal Horticultural Society in early 

September in a dual program of the RHS and the 

Worshipful Company of Gardeners. The latter is one 

of the ancient and prestigious guilds that constitute 

the Corporation of the City of London. I am very 

privileged to be, at present, the only American 

member of the guild, having been installed in July 

of 2005. Since the lecture directly addresses the 

wonderful success BRIT has had over the past 12 

years or so, I thought I would share it with all of you 

here, in a somewhat modified version. 

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) 

was formed on paper in 1987 and was based on 

the collections accumulated at Southern Methodist 

University. BRIT moved into warehouse space in 

downtown Fort Worth in 1991 and its herbarium 

has grown from about 400,000 specimens to over 

1 million today. Its horticultural and botanical library 

expanded similarly from about 50,000 books and 

journals to about 95,000 during the same period. 

The budget has grown from about $175,000 per 

annum in 1993 to about $3 million today, and its 

staff from three to over 30. The core of the general 

operating support is based on the generosity of 

the Bass and Richardson Foundations (without 

which there would be no BRIT), and much of the 

growth has been due to the ability of staff to obtain 

grants for their particular programs. The largest 

of these grants was one of $2.3 million from the 

Moore Foundation for our program in the Peruvian 

Amazon. The program, since its inception, has been 

in nearly every issue of Iridos, including this one. 

All of BRIT’s operating costs are obtained 

as donations from the private sector and most 

of its projects are funded by grants from private 

foundations along with state and national 

government agencies, such as the National Science 

Foundation. During the past 12 years, BRIT has 

established leading programs in horticulture, 

taxonomy, ecology, and database management in the 

Peruvian Amazon. BRIT has led major collection 

activities in Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. 

And on a more local level, we’re producing the 

definitive volumes on the flora of Texas through the 

Illustrated Texas Floras Project. BRIT maintains 

a leading press, publishing a respected scientific 

journal and a number of significant books each year. 

Its education program reaches thousands of people 

a year and has broken new ground in a number of 

areas, particularly with getting children and teachers 

outdoors to connect with the environment and 

fostering their sense of wonder and their sense of 

place. In addition to all these activities, BRIT is 

in the early stages of its first capital campaign to 

build a permanent home adjacent to the Fort Worth 

Botanic Garden. 

The new building will provide the foundation for 

an institute that will take its place among the most 

significant botanical organizations in the world, and 

allow us to more fully collaborate with all of our 

friends and colleagues at the Botanic Garden.

table of contents 

5 Green from the Ground UP 

8 Relaxed Atmosphere Pervades BRIT’s 2007 Annual 

International Conservation Award Gala 

10 An Ancient Chinese Herbal Medicine Helps the Global Fight 

Against Malaria 

12 Shinners Society visits Kew 

13 NDD: Nature Deficit Disorder. What’s the Cure? 

14 BRIT’s Administrative Side Gets Feet Wet in Amazon 

16 BRIT Distinguished Lecturer Series 

17 Awards Corner 

17 UTA Herbarium Donated to BRIT 

18 BRIT Connects to Distance Learning 

19 BRIT’s Brown Bag Botany Needs a Bigger Bag 

20 Trading Cards, Space Exploration, and BRIT Books 

21 A Juicy Event you won’t want to MISS! 

22 BRIT Press 

23 Botany 101 for Lifelong Learners 

23 Get Ready for a Magical Experience… 

24 Twenty Hours and Counting: The Journey of a Lifetime 

25 NSF Awards Grant to BRIT 

26 BRIT Donations 

jUDy SECREST 

iridos volume 18 no 2 

3

iridos 

A publication of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 

509 Pecan Street, Suite 101, Fort Worth, Texas 76102-4068 

817.332.4441 

Metro 817.429.3200 

Fax 817.332.4112 

www.brit.org 

Robert George, EDITOR 

S.H. Sohmer 

DIRECTOR 

Patricia Harrison 

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND HEAD OF EDUCATION 

Cleve Lancaster 

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT 

judy Secrest 

EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT 

& HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES 

O’Letha Griffin 

RECEPTIONIST 

COLLECTIONS 

Amanda Neill, Herbarium Director 

Lee Luckeydoo, Collections Manager 

Tinna Franklin, Collections Assistant 

Brooke Byerley 

Aaron Schad 

Michiko Stone, Plant Mounter 

EDUCATION 

Pam Chamberlain 

Pat Dorraj 

Amber Keller 

Kathy Scott 

RESEARCH 

ANDES TO AMAZON BIODIVERSITy PROGRAM 

john janovec, Co-director 

Amanda Neill, Co-director 

Fort Worth 

justin Allison 

jason Best 

Tiana Franklin 

Keri McNew 

Andrew Reina 

Andy Waltke 

LIBRARY 

Gary jennings 

Peru 

Angel Belarezo 

Pedro Centeno 

Benjamín Chambi 

Miguel Chocce 

Fernando Cornejo 

Dario Cruz 

javier Huinga 

Piher Maceda 

Renán Valega 

jason Wells 

FLORA OF EAST TEXAS PROjECT 

Robert George 

Barney Lipscomb 

FLORAS 

Guy Nesom 

DEVELOPMENT SPECIAL EVENTS/MEMBERSHIP 

Tammie Crole 

Patty Marksteiner 

Amanda Morris 

CONSULTANTS 

Iridos Design - jennifer Henderson, jODesign 

Iridos Editorial - Paige Hendricks, PHPR 

Distribution is free to those providing support to BRIT. Comments and 

suggestions are welcomed and may be sent to the editor at rgeorge@brit.org. 

Conveying an unwritten message with flowers was prevalent in the 18th and 

19th centuries and came to be known as “the language of flowers.” Iridos is 

the Greek word for iris. Iris is a sweet-smelling flower and was the symbol of 

the mythological character Iridos, the messenger of the ancient Greek gods. 

Iridos was the goddess of the rainbow, winging a message across the sky; in 

the Iliad, she was the swift-footed messenger of Zeus and Hera. Iridos was 

selected to carry BRIT’s message. 

Mission: To conserve our natural heritage by deepening our knowledge of 

the plant world and achieving public understanding of the value plants bring 

to life. 

©2007 Botanical Research Institure of Texas 

PUBLICATIONS 

Barney Lipscomb, Head 

judy MacKenzie 

Patrons, 

In my eight years at BRIT I’ve seen many changes, but none 

so dramatic as witnessed in the last year or more. Staff has 

grown as have our goals and aspirations. Our anticipation 

also grows as the dream of a permanent home comes closer 

to reality. Never have I been a part of an organization so 

dedicated to, and ready for, such a demanding change. We 

all see BRIT’s new home as the springboard that will propel our ability to 

meet the demanding challenges of this advancing century. Once again, I 

hope this issue of Iridos gives an interesting and informative account of 

the last several months and a glimpse of what lies ahead. 

Robert George, Editor 

BRIT Spotlight 

Erratum: We express our most sincere apology for incorrectly referring to 

Shinners Society member Marci Mercado as Mercedes Mercado in the 

last Iridos: Volume 8, Number One, page 16. We regret the error. 

Executive Administrative Assistant and Head of Human 

Resources judy Secrest joined the BRIT staff about 

three years ago. She arrived by way of Austin, Texas, 

but has family in the Dallas/Fort Worth area—something 

that’s very important to her. Her position, though 

often underestimated, is crucial to the smooth operation of the entire 

organization. Also, as Head of Human Resources she is an energetic 

advocate for all the BRIT staff. Outside of BRIT she is active in her church 

and enjoys hiking and camping (see related story on page 14). 

Judy Secrest 

COVER PHOTO By TIANA FRANkLIN: A BRIT Expedition Team Navigating the Río Madre de Dios in Peru

y Cleve 

lanCaster, 

direCtor of 

development 

Green 

f r o m t h e 

Ground 

UP 

It could be said that the greatest 

architecture is found in nature. 

Engineering and aesthetic triumphs abound in 

the plant world—in the towering trees of a forest 

and in the delicate curves of a lady’s-slipper 

orchid. Humans created architecture at its best 

to provide profound beauty while showing Homo 

sapiens’ dominance over the forces of nature. Has 

the pendulum of subduing nature perhaps swung 

to the extreme?


6 

A Building to REflEct thE Mission 

An opportunity to explore that question 

came to BRIT as it began developing plans 

for a new headquarters adjacent to the Fort 

Worth Botanic Garden. We want to use 

the natural properties of our earth and its 

plants as we construct the facility. Ideally, 

the building will express BRIT’s mission to 

conserve our natural heritage by deepening 

our knowledge of the plant world and 

achieving public understanding of the value 

plants bring to life. 

“We are committed to fulfilling our 

mission in this exciting process,” says Sy 

Sohmer, BRIT Executive Director and 

President. 

A discovery phase began in the spring 

of 2006 with what is called an ecocharrette. 

With “green” design experts 

facilitating, we participated in a day-long 

meeting with architects, engineers, BRIT 

administrative staff, board members serving 

on an Owners Group Committee, and 

other stakeholders. We explored the full 

range of design and energy components 

that could be part of a new building. It 

became clear that the process would be 

guided by and include Leadership in Energy 

and Environmental Design (L.E.E.D.) 

certification. Additionally, at the core of 

consideration was the view that the building 

itself would teach BRIT’s mission through 

demonstration. 

Historically, BRIT’s programs are 

managed in four major areas: collections, 

research, publications and education. Each 

has extraordinarily diverse requirements 

of climate and light control. A new, fifth 

element—the visiting public, in large 

numbers—added a challenge as the work 

space for the programs was considered 

for the new building. Accommodating 

people working at BRIT and people visiting 

BRIT would require a building design that 

balanced the need to preserve scientific 

collections with the need to create a 

comfortable interior for visitors. 

gREEn nuts And Bolts 

From an environmental perspective, we 

looked at the following challenges and how 

to ameliorate potential problems: 

g Water use and conservation – abatement 

of pollutants in runoff from parking areas, 

capture of rainwater, use of 

drought tolerant plant species 

g Sunlight control – position the building 

to maximize illumination of interiors and 

provide screening to 

control solar heat gain, 

– position windows to 

maximize illumination 

of work areas 

and minimize the 

damaging effects of 

sunlight in the library 

and herbarium 

g Light pollution – select 

lighting fixtures that 

control the escape of 

light to surrounding 

urban area 

g Heat island control 

– design exterior to 

increase reflective 

properties of surfaces 

that decrease 

temperatures in the 

surrounding landscape 

g Energy conservation 

– use geothermal 

strategies to reduce 

energy consumption in 

heating and cooling, and 

use natural insulating 

properties of plants 

g Carbon pollution – 

select materials for 

exterior and interior that minimize the 

carbon produced by manufacturing, 

transportation to building site, and 

materials installation 

From a community impact perspective, 

we questioned how one creates a home 

for BRIT that complements the human 

architecture of the Botanic Garden and 

Cultural District while making tangible the 

conservation mission at the institute’s core. 

Several of the possible answers have been 

discussed in the months since the ecocharrette; 

we now share them with you. 

From the ground up, we feel the new 

The term “heat island” refers to urban air and surface temperatures 

that are higher than nearby rural areas. Many U.S. cities and suburbs have 

air temperatures up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the surrounding 

natural land cover. 

The heat island above shows a city’s heat island profile. It shows how 

urban temperatures are usually lower at the urban-rural border than in 

dense downtown areas. The graphic also shows how parks, open land, and 

bodies of water can create cooler areas. 

Heat islands form as cities replace natural land cover with pavement, 

buildings, and other structures. These areas absorb more of the sun’s 

heat than natural surfaces, causing surface and air temperatures to rise. 

The loss of trees and shrubs also eliminates the natural cooling effects of 

shading and evapotranspiration, a process that draws heat from the air to 

convert water contained in vegetation to water vapor. 

COURTESy NATURAL RESOURCES CANADA

COURTESy CNRC 

facility should address the issue of water 

conservation through innovative parking 

for visitors to the garden and BRIT. To this 

end, we are exploring ways to reduce asphalt 

and other paving to a minimum by using 

permeable systems that allow rainwater to 

pass through a green-planted parking lot. 

These systems allow pollutants transferred 

from cars to the planted parking surface 

to be carried by rainwater and flow into 

specially prepared aggregates of soil and 

membranes; there, the pollutants are broken 

down. Finally, the cleansed rainwater enters 

the watershed for a slow underground 

journey to the Trinity River. 

We plan to further address water 

conservation, control of runoff, and heat 

island effect issues with a planted roof. 

A green roof slows rain runoff and allows 

any runoff to be captured. In one strategy 

considered, runoff from the roof and 

surrounding landscape could be captured in a 

retention pond. The pond would then provide 

water in low rain periods and serve as an 

educational demonstration of the importance 

of wetlands. Planted roofs also reduce the 

Vegetation 

Growing Medium 

Filter Layer 

Drainage Layer 

Roof Membrane 

Fiberboard 

Thermal Insulation 

Vapour Barrier 

Gypsum Board 

Steel Deck 

number of reflective surfaces, helping control 

heat island issues, as do the planted walls 

being considered for much of the building. 

Both roof and walls could utilize the natural 

insulating and cooling properties of plants. 

The sun’s path through the southern sky 

provides both opportunities and challenges 

for energy efficiencies. We calculated the 

sun’s impact on lighting and temperature 

gain, and have discussed the orientation of 

the building and shading options. 

For the new building, planned energy 

conservation begins below ground. Here, we 

envision one of several types of geothermal 

systems available for heating and cooling the 

building. One such system is composed of 

a set of subterranean pipes extending 250 

feet underground where the earth provides 

a constant temperature of about 50 degrees 

Fahrenheit. Through the closed recycling 

pipe system we’ll be able to exploit the 50 

degree temperature for cooling and—with a 

little energy boost—for heating, too. Such 

systems are estimated to reduce energy 

demand by 50 percent. 

Carbon production could be limited, as 

Green Roof System Reference Roof 

Diagrammatic of a green roof versus a traditional roof 

Diagrammatic of a geothermal system for cooling and heating 

well. When possible, we will select materials 

manufactured with little carbon output and 

made within a few hundred miles of Fort 

Worth. The proximity to the site reduces the 

carbon produced by transportation. 

Planning green to meet L.E.E.D. 

certification is challenging. BRIT is 

dedicated to meeting the challenge as plans 

for its headquarters continue to evolve. The 

collaboration of human architecture and 

nature’s gifts promises to show the many 

ways we can support a sustainable world. 

COURTESy DEPT. OF ENERGy 

7 

iridos volume 18 no 2


8 

These were not the words we expected 

to hear from BRIT’s International Award 

of Excellence in Conservation recipient, 

Ruth Carter Stevenson. But the next 

words quickly neutralized the impact. 

“I soon learned why.” A collective sigh 

of relief emanated from over 500 guests 

seated in the ballroom of the Renaissance 

Worthington Hotel in downtown Fort 

Worth on April 26. The guests had gathered 

to honor Mrs. Stevenson’s accomplishments 

in conservation. They were not prepared, 

however, for her introduction, her disarming 

charm, and her relaxed elegance. 

As she continued, her tell-it-like-it-is, 

get-it-done approach became apparent. 

Not only is she President of the Board of 

Trustees of the Amon Carter Museum, she 

also serves on countless committees, boards, 

and foundations. In the realm of conservation, 

she has left her special mark on Fort Worth, 

across the city, and all along the banks of 

the Trinity River. 

Relaxed Atmosphere Pervades BRIT’s 2007 

Annual International Conservation Award 

Gala 

Ruth Carter Stevenson 

When the Vice Chair of BRIT’s Board of 

Trustees, Mr. Ed Bass, hung the prestigious 

medal around her neck, Mrs. Stevenson 

asked that he stay with her at the podium. 

In a display of mutual admiration, she had 

a gleam in her eye when she pronounced, 

“I decided Ed needed a special award. 

We need an Order of the Blue Stem (an 

important native grass).” In jest, and as 

an acknowledgment, Mrs. Stevenson then 

slipped a ribbon adorned with Johnson 

grass, clothed in blue paint, over his head, 

setting the tone for her down to earth and 

delightful acceptance speech. 

The evening drew to a close, and the 

crowd that gathers once a year lingered, 

then departed. Though they each went his 

or her separate way, a common thread 

united them: supporting and believing in 

BRIT’s mission. And on this night each left 

with an extra broad smile, having met one of 

Fort Worth’s greatest conservationists. 

PHOTOS By GLEN E. ELLMAN 

“Why haven’t the thousands of dried plants in BRIT’s herbarium been composted?” 

Thanks go to: Carroll Collins, serving as 

chair of the steering committee; Tim McKinney, 

Chairman of BRIT’s Board of Trustees, serving 

as the evening’s master of ceremonies; 

Beverly Leche, who designed the beautiful 

floral centerpieces; and Fort Worth artist, jane 

Molpus, who created a painting depicting leaves 

of Mrs. Stevenson’s favorite tree, the Ginkgo, in 

both summer and fall. 

Thanks go to: members of the 2007 

steering committee: jerry Ball, Tammie Crole, 

jeanne Donovan, Carole Findlay, Pat Harrison, 

Cleve Lancaster, Bill Lawrence, Beverly Leche, 

Patty Marksteiner, Lou Martin, Ann McKinney, 

jane Molpus, Therese Moncrief, Amanda Morris, 

Bob O’Kennon, Iona Richardson, Betsy Schaffer, 

Frank Sherwood, Sara Sohmer, Sy Sohmer, Dick 

Steed, Sue Sumner, Suzy Williams and Patsy 

Zimmerman. 

Ed Bass receives an award Mayor Mike Moncrief, Sara Brown, 

Tim McKinney, Ruth Carter Stevenson, Sy Sohmer 


Since the establishment of the award in 1995, the International Award of Excellence galas have honored outstanding conservationists 

and played an important role in raising public awareness of BRIT’s mission and in securing funds to continue the work of the Institute. 

Thanks to the corporate sponsors, host committee, and patrons who provided support through contributions and attendance. 

We look forward to seeing you at BRIT’s award dinner in 2008!

13th Annual International Award 

of Excellence in Conservation 

honoring 


The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) 

Extends Heartfelt Thanks to 

OUR hOnORaRy cO-hOsts 

Edward P. Bass • Van Cliburn • Carroll W. Collins • Gunnie Corbett • Lucy Darden • Kay Granger • Rosie and Mike Moncrief 

Pamela and Stephen Murrin III • Judith and Tim Sear • Sara and Peter Sterling • Robert L. Thornton 

AND TO OUR CORPORATE SPONSORS 

Ginkgo 

Crystelle Waggoner Charitable Trust, Bank of America, Trustee 

Amon G. Carter Museum • Fort Worth Business Press 

Paeonia 

Corbett Companies • Star-Telegram 

Convallaria 

Advanced Cast Stone, Inc. • American Airlines • BNSF Foundation • Frost Bank 

Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP • Mary Potishman Lard Trust • Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth 

Sundance Square • Texas Capital Bank • XTO Energy, Inc. 

Justicia 

Alcon • Cantey Hanger, LLP • Corgan Associates, Inc. • JPMorgan Chase • Luther King Capital Management 

Komatsu Architecture • McCaslin & Company, LLP • The Projects Group and The Beck Group • Southern Methodist University • Southwestern Exposition 

and Livestock Show • Texas Christian University • Texas Christian University Environmental Sciences • Thompson & Knight, LLP and Thompson & Knight 

Foundation • TXU Electric Delivery 

AND TO OUR TABLE HOSTS 

Ginkgo 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward P. Bass 

Paeonia 

Lucy Darden and Gail W. Rawl 

Convallaria 

Bill and Mitzi Davis • Karen and Tim Hixon • Mr. and Mrs. John R. Lively • Tim and Elaine Petrus 

Rick and Betsy Schaffer • Anna Belle P. Thomas • Patsy and Bill J. Zimmerman 

Justicia 

Anonymous • Mr. and Mrs. Lee Bass • Tom and Therese Moncrief • Mr. and Mrs. William J. Nolan 

Mary Palko • Mr. and Mrs. Sebert L. Pate • Polly and Olcott Phillips • Mrs. Rosalyn G. Rosenthal 

AND TO OUR INDIVIDUAL HOSTS 

Ginkgo 

Mr. and Mrs. Craig R. Hamilton • Hodges Fund of the Community Foundation of North Texas • Capt. Robert J. O’Kennon • William E. Scott Foundation 

Paeonia 

Mr. and Mrs. Sid R. Bass • Dr. and Mrs. Robert W. Brown • Katherine Campbell • Jeff Davis • Mrs. Helen K. Groves • Christel Laughlin 

Dr. and Mrs. W. S. Lorimer, Jr. • Sue and David Nivens • Regina Rogers • Dick Steed, Jr. • Mr. and Mrs. Peter Sterling, Jr. • Sue and George Sumner 

Convallaria 

Connie Beck and Frank Tilley • Margaret and Jim DeMoss • Marty Leonard • Dr. and Mrs. William F. Mahler • Rinda R. Medary 

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Meeker • Jane and O’Dell Molpus • Gwynn W. Ramsey Ph.D. • Dr. and Mrs. William E. Tucker 

Justicia 

Mary P. Barkley • Calloway’s Nursery/Mr. James C. Estill • Louise and Frank Carvey • Drs. Mark and Nancy Dambro • Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Findlay 

Cornelia C. Friedman • Kenneth and Cherrie Garrett Foundation • Carol P. Hendrix • John and Kathy Hickey • Huitt-Zollars, Inc • C. Brodie Hyde II 

Mr. and Mrs. William M. Lawrence • Beverly T. Leche • Patsy and Scott McDonald • John L. Merrill • Dr. Max and Dr. Susan Mitchell Foundation • F. L. 

Orman Olive B. Pelich • Iona and Denny Richardson • Scottie Richardson • Margret M. Rimmer • Rylander, Clay & Opitz, LLP/Don and Linda Craig 

Sergio and Mary Anne Sanchez-Zambrano • Mr. and Mrs. Frank H. Sherwood • Suzy Williams 

iridos volume 18 no 2 9


10 

An Ancient Chinese Herbal Medicine 

Helps the Global Fight Against Malaria 

Every year, an estimated 300-500 million people are infected with malaria, 

a mosquito-borne parasitic disease (see 

diagram) that causes between 1.5 and 2.7 

million deaths per year in tropical and 

subtropical areas. New cases of the deadly 

disease are increasing, particularly in sub- 

Saharan Africa. African children under the 

age of five and pregnant African women 

have the greatest risk of dying from malaria. 

With the advent of global warming, some 

scientists postulate that malaria may spread 

north to temperate climates, including the 

Southern United States. 

tRAditionAl solutions fRoM thE 

PAst 

Traditional healers have skillfully used 

herbal medicines to treat malaria symptoms 

for millennia, and cinchona trees (in the 

genus Cinchona) have provided traditional 

medicines to native Peruvians for 3,000 

years. In the 1820s, the antimalarial drug 

quinine was first extracted from the red 

bark of cinchona trees. No one knows for 

sure which species of Cinchona was first 

used by Jesuit monks to treat malaria in the 

17th century, but commercial production 

of quinine has centered on Cinchona 

ledgeriana. For the past 300 years, malaria 

has been variously treated with cinchona 

bark, quinine, and its synthetic derivatives. 

Tonic water, an essential ingredient in 

that refreshing summer gin and tonic, was 

originally used to treat and prevent malaria 

in British India. Today, many boutique tonic 

waters still contain spicy tasting quinine. 

ModERnizing solutions 

During World War II, the Japanese 

takeover of the East Indies cut off nearly 

all the world’s supply of cinchona bark and 

quinine, seriously endangering the war 

effort. Many World War II battles took 

place in tropical areas where the control 

and prevention of malaria among Allied 

troops was essential. For a time, in the 

Pacific theater, more American solders 

were reportedly dying from malaria than 

from gunshot wounds. In the meantime, 

scientists worked to develop synthetic 

antimalarial compounds. 

After World War II, the use of synthetic 

quinine derivatives, notably chloroquinine, 

in the treatment and prevention of malaria 

spread all over the world. Chloroquinine 

was relatively cheap to produce, highly 

effective in malaria treatment and 

prevention, and less toxic than other 

treatments. 

However, the parasitic organisms that 

cause malaria, Plasmodium falciparum 

and P. vivax, mutate rapidly. In the 

face of widespread use and misuse of 

chloroquinine-based drugs, mutation has 

led to drug resistant strains and the recent 

increase in malaria. 

by 

marissa 

oppel, ms 

Acts givE hoPE 

Today, hope lies in a compound derived 

from an herb used in Traditional Chinese 

Medicine, artemisinin, a chemical 

compound derived from Artemisia annua 

(also known as sweet wormwood, sweet 

Annie, and quinghao). Sweet wormwood, an 

established non-native in the United States, 

is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to 

treat fevers and other ailments. The drug, 

artemisinin, and its derivatives are effective 

against drug-resistant malaria. Further, 

drugs that combine artemisinin derivatives 

with longer-acting antimalarial drugs, are 

known as ACTs, and are now the first line

of defense against malaria. China is a major 

producer of sweet wormwood and ACTs. 

REsistAnt PARAsitE PRoBlEMs REMAin 

Still, the possibility of specific resistance to 

artemisinin-derived drugs is a major concern. 

Recently, scientists at St. George’s University 

in London reported significant findings. A 

single minor mutation can give rise to an 

altered protein in the parasite rendering the 

use of drugs containing only artemisinin 

derivatives ineffective. Therefore, use of 

ACTs with its combination of artemisinin 

derivatives and other anitmalarial drugs, 

may slow the spread of resistance and make 

treatment more effective. In response, the 

World Health Organization (WHO) recently 

issued a ban on the use of drugs containing 

only artemisinin derivatives, citing concerns 

that it could increase drug resistant strains and 

reduce the effectiveness of ACTs. Additionally, 

counterfeit drugs that contain levels of 

artemisinin derivatives that are too low to be 

effective could also lead to drug resistance. 

thE nEw hoPE 

Nevertheless, parasite resistance to 

artemisinin-derived drugs would leave the 

world without an effective defense against 

malaria. The development of new antimalarial 

drugs is urgently needed. The plant kingdom 

provides hope. Researchers all over the 

world are studying chemical compounds 

from plants in search of new treatments. 

Wild quinine (Parthenium integrifolium), 

sunflower (Helianthus annuus), buttonbush 

(Cephalanthus occidentalis), flowering dogwood 

(Cornus florida), and American holly (Ilex 

opaca) are all plants growing right here in 

Texas that have been traditionally used to treat 

malaria. Recent research has shown that the 

tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima), considered 

a “weed” tree in many areas of the United 

States, contains three antimalarial compounds. 

So, the next antimalarial drug could come 

from a plant growing in the South American 

rainforest or even one in your own backyard— 

literally. 

Artemesia annua 



Shinners Society 

12 

The landscape 

design and collec- 

visits Kew 

of specimen cases in 

original wooden cabinets 

tions of unusual 

were interspersed with 

and beautiful plants 

individual research 

at London’s Royal 

carrels. Before electric 

Botanic Gardens, 

light, these balconies 

Kew, have delighted 

were illuminated entirely 

visitors for three 

by daylight flooding 

centuries. Kew’s 

glorious Victorian 

In the Kew Herbarium from top left to bottom right: 

Sy Sohmer, Debbie Whitehead, Andrea “Tudy” 

through the glass roof, 

limiting research time 

glass and iron Palm Harkins, Judith Sear, Sara Sohmer, and Mary Palko. on winter days. 

House, where a cycad 

The 7-million- 

presented to the Gardens in 1775 still flourishes, specimen herbarium is also housed in several 

thrilled me as a child. There, inside the Palm newer buildings, and further construction is 

House, I once walked through a luxuriant tropical underway in part because plant specimens vary 

forest; outside austere post-World War II London more in size and shape than do books in a world- 

rose again from flames. 

class research library. We pored over the slim 

This year, in May, during a week-long London folders of dried and pressed plants traditionally 

trip organized by Mary Palko (BRIT board 

associated with botanical specimens, but were also 

member) and led by Sy and Sara Sohmer to introduced to deep individual drawers containing, 

coincide with the Chelsea Flower Show, members for example, a single, large tropical seed, a huge 

of BRIT’s Shinners Society (planned giving) 

cactus pad, or a fleshy leaf the size of a serving 

enjoyed the gardens and conservatories of Kew platter. In the basement, the Spirit Collection 

in perfect late spring sunshine. Bob O’Kennon (for non-botanists an intriguing and appropriate 

(retired American Airlines pilot and current BRIT conjunction of name and location) requires an 

board member) pointed out blooming hawthorns; entire floor below ground level with dedicated 

he carried out years of research on Crataegus in shelves and drawers for vials and bottles of pickled 

the gardens and herbarium at Kew during brief and preserved plant specimens. 

layovers from flights between Dallas/Fort Worth From the specimen repository to the library 

Airport and London. 

and the publications department, with its gorgeous 

For Sy and Bob, it was a homecoming. For botanical illustrations, the herbarium hums with 

Shinners members, it was a privileged tour of the life. Staff tea times are not merely informal coffee 

world’s most extensive botanical collection. 

breaks. Morning and afternoon, the large, airy 

The day began as Daniela Zappi, assistant break room is filled with personnel and visiting 

keeper for regional teams, welcomed us in the researchers in collegial discussion. 

original herbarium building and guided us through While Kew’s London headquarters specializes 

Wing C, built in 1877. We ascended wrought in preserved plant material, Kew’s second facility 

iron spiral staircases to balconies where hundreds at Wakehurst Place in the countryside south 

by 

Judith sear, 

Brit Board 

memBer 

PHOTOS By BOB O’KENNON 

of London houses the Millennium Seed Bank 

Project. Once again, Shinners Society members 

were welcomed by Andy Jackson, the director, who 

explained that by 2010 the Bank aims to collect 

and conserve 24,000 plant species in danger of 

extinction—representing 10 percent of the world’s 

seed-bearing flora. Long-term seed viability is 

preserved by below ground storage in temperaturecontrolled 

vaults. 

The vaults resembled radiation fall-out shelters, 

suggesting that, in case of the complete demise of 

life as we know it, the sole survivors might be 

Kew’s botanists and their remarkable supply of 

seeds. 

The giant leaves of the water lily Victoria amazonica 

A profusion of lily species

STAFF PHOTO 

NDD: 

Nature Deficit Disorder 

What’s the Cure? 

Take a moment to think back to your 

their fingertips. By contrast, further studies 

childhood. What did you do with your time show the positive effects of unstructured time 

growing up? Did you watch a lot of TV, or did in outdoor settings. Those positive outcomes? 

your parents encourage you to go outside and They are reduced symptoms of ADD, increased 

play? How many hours per week did you spend memory skills and ability to concentrate, and 

outside? 

increased feelings of well-being and self esteem. 

Now think about today’s kids. Do they spend We must take responsibility for changing 

their days differently? Do they watch more TV our own habits, guiding our children and 

and play more video games? How much time do supporting community efforts that devote time 

you think they spend outside? 

to reconnecting people with their natural world. 

Disturbingly, research shows that the 

Opportunities to get children outdoors are key. 

average six year old spends less than .3 percent Our goal is to help children develop a sense of 

(Yes, that’s a decimal in front of the three!) of a place, and connect them to nature. BRIT, along 

year outside, excluding time they spend playing with schools, and community and state parks, 

organized sports. If you do the math, you’ll find work to inspire children and instill appreciation, 

that’s just 29 minutes per week. Sobering, isn’t it? knowing that appreciation leads to a sense of 

What is the result? Author Richard Louv says stewardship. 

it’s causing a Nature Deficit Disorder epidemic. The BRIT Education Program exemplifies 

In his book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our these goals. Through partnerships with school 

Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, Louv districts and organizations such as the REAL 

describes a rapidly rising incidence of childhood (Rainwater Environmental Alliance for Learning) 

obesity, learning disabilities (including ADD and Schools Initiative, we’re able to work with 

ADHD), and a growing “biophobia” endemic teachers, to move children outside and give them 

to an entire generation. Scientific studies have a “sense of place” in nature. The specialized 

documented that outdoor activity replaced training we offer teachers, through professional 

with lifestyles featuring extended time indoors development, provides tools to help students 

portends major negative consequences Rob for Denkhaus the and students learn while sample outside…about life in the science, math, art, 

younger generation. These days children marsh often at the sit Fort Worth language Nature arts, Center fine arts, and nutrition Refuge. and health. By 

immobile, with electronic devices to entertain, integrating curricula, teachers say they have more 

inform, communicate, and bring the world to time to use the outdoors as a classroom. 

by 

amBer Keller, 

eduCation 

And that time spent outside is powerful. 

When asked what she likes most about taking 

students outside for learning, one Fort Worth 

first grade teacher said, “The kids love it! It’s 

instant motivation. They get to move and touch, 

and behavior outside is always much better than 

inside.” 

What do students need to reap the benefits 

of nature? The real prescription is just beyond 

our own thresholds. It requires repeated 

opportunities to explore outdoors, and then 

reflect upon the interactions and events students 

see occurring every day. Affinity for and love 

of nature, along with a positive environmental 

ethic, grow out of regular contact with the natural 

world during early childhood. And those repeated 

exposures to nature can happen at school, too. 

It seems that we, as the stewards of our children 

and our environment, now more than ever before, 

must help deliver this medicine. 

At BRIT we will continue to provide 

experiences that illuminate the wonders of the 

natural world. We will create connections that 

lead to sound choices for the environment and for 

a healthy life. Please join us in this cause. Our 

pledge? There is “No Child Left Inside.” 

STAFF PHOTO 



14 

BRIT’s Administrative Side Gets Feet Wet in Amazon 

Are you the adventurous type? Maybe vicariously adventurous? We invite you to enjoy Judy Secrest’s 

journey tagging along with a BRIT botanical expedition into the remote upper Amazon Basin. Judy 

is BRIT’s Executive Administrative Assistant and Head of Human Resources (see Spotlight, page 4). 

Luckily, she loves to hike and go camping. 

Here are some of the 249 steps that judy 

struggled to ascend with her gear in tow to get 

to the CICRA grounds. 

Next to the tent where plants were pressed and meals eaten, judy scrutinizes the lush 

vegetation. 

KyLE RASMUSSEN 

The river provides some protein to 

complement the ubiquitous beans and rice. 

TIANA FRANKLIN 


A trip to the market for supplies while in the bush 

includes the obligatory pair of rubber boots, not to 

mention a “bunch” of bananas (carried by jason Wells). 

The team loads on at Laberinto for the expedition (jason 

Wells and Amanda Neill in foreground). Laberinto is 

important mainly for its role as an upriver port for Puerto 

Maldonado – about 90 minutes away. 

jUDy SECREST 

jUDy SECREST 

TIANA FRANKLIN


Here’s Judy! 

The expedition team vists one of the “civilized” way stations along the river (l to r: seated on bottom 

step-Benjamín Chambi, Tiana Franklin; second step—Angel Belarezo; third step—Piher Maceda, jason 

Wells; fourth step-Amanda Neill, judy, Haffet (expedition cook). 

Some of the sights judy observed along the river (tapir and tamarin). 



jUDy SECREST 

judy encounters garden plants and “wildlife” at CICRA 

judy finds her first ripe cacao pod. 

jUDy SECREST 

jUDy SECREST 



16 

BRIT Distinguished Lecturer Series 2006-2007 

Our popular “Explorers of the 21st Century” lecture series brought internationally recognized scientists and new audiences 

together and connected with more students than ever in its 12-year history. Guest lecturers interacting with students and 

teachers in discussions before the public reception were an added dynamic. 

If you didn’t make it, 

here’s what you missed! 

February: Dr. Thomas 

Croat, Ph.D., P.A. Schulze 

Curator of Botany, 

Missouri Botanical 

Garden, St. Louis, 

described his 40 year career exploring tropical 

plants worldwide and the adventures he 

experienced along the way, including ascents 

into the top of the canopy of forests, sunken 

boats, and attacks by peccaries. Though 

literally risking life and limb, Croat successfully 

managed to study some of the most remote 

areas of South America and collect hundreds 

of new species. 

March: Bruce Beehler, Ph.D., Vice 

President, Melanesia Center for Biodiversity 

Conservation, Conservation International, 

Washington, D.C., shared his career as an 

ornithologist and tropical ecologist, including 

recounting a field survey in the Foja Mountains 

Previously this season, in September, Stephen 

j. O’Brien, Ph.D., Chief of the Laboratory of 

Genomic Diversity at the National Cancer 

Institute, National Institutes of Health 

presented Tears of the Cheetah, Roar of 

the Lion—Mark of the Plague. Dr. O’Brien, an 

internationally known researcher, revealed 

clear links between environmental change and 

its effects on native fauna. 

(Indonesian New Guinea) that documented over 

40 new species of plants and animals, including 

a honeyeater bird, a “lost” bird of paradise, a 

tree kangaroo, and what may be the largestflowered 

rhododendron. 

April: Bonnie Jacobs, Ph.D., Director, 

Environmental Science Program and Associate 

Professor, Department of Geological Sciences, 

Southern Methodist University, transported 

the audience to her Ethiopian Plateau study 

site. Here, she studies fossils and sediments 

and reconstructs the 28-million-year-old 

floral and faunal communities, landscapes, 

and climate. This gave us insight into Africa’s 

evolutionary and climatic history, and the 

potential impacts 

of environmental 

change today. 

The final spring 

lecture, by one of 

the most influential 

conservationists of 

Healthy Planet, Healthy People: A Climate for Understanding 

How are we humans affecting the health of our own environment? Is our changing 

environment affecting us? A rising incidence of human diseases has emerged as a direct 

result of changes in the environmental health of the planet. 

To help us understand, the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, the University of North Texas 

Health Science Center, and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden collaborate as institutions dedicated to 

conservation through research and education. This free public lecure series explores the origins 

and development of diseases and the direct relationship between environmental quality and 

human health. Three leading international scientists will share 

their perspectives from their diverse fields of study. 

February 7, 2008, 6:30p.m. 

Leonhardt Lecture Hall 

Fort Worth Botanic Garden 

“Tibetan Ethnobotany and Climate 

Change” 

jan Salick, Ph.D., Curator of Ethnobotany, 

Missouri Botanical Garden 

our time, Eric Dinerstein, Ph.D., Chief Scientist 

and Vice President for Science, World Wildlife 

Fund, Washington, D.C., was a look at remote 

and threatened areas of our earth. We chased 

an elusive population of tigers in Nepal 

and shared his inspiring dream of restoring 

thundering herds of bison to the grasslands 

of Montana. 

The Fort Worth Botanic Garden, the 

Fort Worth Garden Club, and the Fort Worth 

Botanical Society hosted these lectures and 

provided receptions for guests in the Deborah 

Biggs Moncrief Garden Center. Annabelle 

Thomas graciously provided funding for spring 

lectures, and American Airlines generously 

provided travel sponsorship. 

Next time you book a flight with American 

Airlines, please enter this code for Business 

ExtrAA: 786685. You will be supporting BRIT and 

earning your own AA miles at the same time. 

March 6, 2008, 6:30p.m. 

Leonhardt Lecture Hall 

Fort Worth Botanic Garden 

“From Water to Dust: Medical 

Wonders 

from the Earth” 

Robert Finkelman, Ph.D., Research Professor, 

University of Texas at Dallas 

(The upcoming lecture series will be restructured to include one internationally known scientist in the fall and two leading scientists in the fields of medical 

geology and ethnobotany in the spring. The University of North Texas Health Science Center and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden are partnering with BRIT. ) 

STAFF PHOTO

Iridos Wins top honors in 2006 Inspire Awards 

Each year the League of American Communication Professionals (LACP) holds a competition for 

print based newsletter and magazine publications. For 2006, 

Iridos received top honors in its class. Christine Kennedy, 

managing director of the LACP called the Iridos entry 

“remarkable in light of tremendous competition.” More than 

425 entries from seven countries were received for the 2006 

Inspire Awards. Most of the credit goes to Jennifer Henderson 

of JODesign (layout design and print management), Paige 

Hendricks of Paige Hendricks Public Relations Inc. (editorial 

management), and Southwestern Colorgraphics (the printer). 

Next year we’re going for the gold! 

Go to: www.lacp.com for the main webpage. 

Go to: www.lacp.com/2006inspire/C17.htm for Iridos results. 

UTA Herbarium Donated to BRIT 

The herbarium at the University of Texas at 

Arlington (UTA) is a physical monument to the 

teaching and research activities of botanists 

and their students at UTA. A random specimen 

pulled from this collection is likely to have 

Drs. Louis Bragg, Robert Neill, john Bacon, or 

Archibald Hopkins on the label as the collector. 

These UTA professors added specimens to the 

collections from Texas, surrounding states, and 

Mexico. Their many students added collections 

as well, primarily from Tarrant County. The bulk 

of the growth in this 7,000-specimen herbarium 

took place over the last 40 years, though a 

small collection existed at UTA before. Some of 

the early specimens were gifts or exchanges from 

the SMU Herbarium, and include Central Texas 

specimens collected by Ferdinand Lindheimer over 

150 years ago. 

The herbarium moving crew: Front row l to r: Amanda 

Neill, Frances Ockels, Keri McNew, Tiana Franklin 

Back row l to r: Andrew Reina, Asha McElfish, Justin 

Alison, and Marissa Oppel. 

In 2006, the Department of Biology at UTA offered BRIT the generous gift of the entire UTA Herbarium, 

including 35 metal herbarium cabinets. The laboratory space occupied by the herbarium was needed for 

other biological research at UTA, and student demand for botany classes had unfortunately diminished. It 

was agreed the specimens would be of more use by joining the BRIT-SMU collections. The specimens were 

packed by BRIT herbarium staff and volunteers and transported in November 2006. These specimens are 

now being added to the BRIT-SMU Herbarium. This example illustrates our mission to take in orphaned 

collections, which adds to the herbarium’s value, especially when many of the specimens are local in origin 

and are unique (unduplicated) student collections. 

The gifts of the UTA Herbarium plus the Albert Ruth Collection from the Fort Worth Museum of Science 

and History (detailed in Iridos 18:1) in 2006 contributed over 15,000 specimens to the 32,933 total new 

accessions in the BRIT Herbarium last year. 

STAFF PHOTO 

awards corner 

Outstanding Educators Honored 

with Wendy Owsley Garrett 

Science Teacher Award 

Pat Dorraj, Donnette Durham, Nancy Burleson, and 

Amber Keller 

At an evening of celebration on May 14, BRIT 

honored two area teachers for their commitment to 

excellence in science teaching. The annual tradition, 

begun by former trustee Wendy Owsley Garrett, 

recognizes achievement and celebrates student 

success through the work of teachers who have 

participated in BRIT professional development. The 

2007 Wendy Owsley Garrett Science Teacher 

Award was presented to two outstanding educators 

in local school districts, Donnette Durham and 

Nancy Burleson. 

Donnette Durham is the Science Lead Teacher 

and 5th grade science teacher at Fort Worth ISD’s 

Alice Carlson Applied Learning Center. In addition 

to attending BRIT workshops and REAL Schools 

Initiative events, Donnette participated in BRIT’s 

Environmental Science youth Mentoring Program 

last summer and in several Botany 101 classes. Donnette 

received a $1,000 honorarium and will be honored at 

the International Award of Excellence in Conservation 

gala in the spring of 2008. 

“Until this past summer when I participated 

in the Environmental Science youth Mentoring 

Program, I didn’t have as great a passion for 

science and teaching science as I now possess. 

This program ignited me. My involvement with 

the summer mentoring program allowed me to 

grow immensely—as a scientist and as a science 

teacher.” 

Nancy Burleson is a 1st grade teacher at Watauga 

Elementary in Birdville ISD. Nancy has been teaching 

science for 20 years. She came to BRIT looking for 

new approaches to teaching and learning science. 

Nancy received a $500 honorarium and will be 

honored at the 2008 spring International Award of 

Excellence in Conservation gala. Nancy reports that 

her excitement and “thinking like a scientist” after 

BRIT workshops spread to her students, who then 

shared their learning at home with their parents. 

The entire BRIT staff and Board of Trustees 

appreciate and respect educators like Donnette and 

Nancy for their outstanding contribution to science 

education and their dedication to children. 

STAFF PHOTO 



18 

by pam ChamBerlain, eduCation 

“Welcome to the conference.” These 

recorded words are the first audible signals that 

call my distant audience as their image snaps 

to the television monitor of the Tandberg 

videoconferencing equipment. I see teachers 

giving last minute instructions, children restless 

in their seats, and those closest to the camera are 

making faces as they await my initial greeting, 

“Welcome to BRIT.” 

This is distance learning. BRIT partners with 

the Region 11 Educational Service Center and a 

host of prestigious providers like the Fort Worth 

Museum of Science and History, the Amon 

Carter Museum, the Monnig Meteorite Gallery, 

and the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge 

to deliver quality programming that carries our 

mission across the state of Texas and beyond via 

the airwaves. 

Since its initial broadcast in February 2007, 

BRIT delivered programming to over 2,350 

PreK-12 students and adults in 22 Texas school 

districts and in Florida. We were pleased to 

have several schools book additional programs 

after a positive experience with their first BRIT 

videoconference. 

Tightly scripted 45-60 minute segments 

captivate, teach, and interact with students, 

BRIT BRIT 

Connects Connects to 

Distance Distance Learning Learning 

teachers, and adults for maximum impact— 

the result of creatively combining the “TV 

entertainment” element of distance learning 

with the excellent pedagogy of BRIT’s education 

staff. The very nature of videoconferencing is 

interactive so we developed broadcasts beyond 

“talking heads” in a lecture only presentation 

by utilizing questions and answers, hands on 

experiments, and games that engage and motivate 

our targeted audiences. The teacher is crucial to 

providing a positive learning environment while 

facilitating a videoconference at their site. So, 

before, during, and after a broadcast, BRIT strives 

to support and maintain a good relationship 

with teachers by fostering open and frequent 

communication and follow up. Each broadcast 

package includes preview background information 

for teacher preparation, pre- and post extension 

activities, and actual materials for real on-site 

investigations. This ensures teachers will want to 

facilitate BRIT distance learning programs over 

and over again. 

In all, five programs were created 

and delivered during the 2007 spring 

semester. 

• Carry the Light, exploring 

photosynthesis and the transfer 

of energy in a food chain 

• Bella Comes to BRIT, a plant’s journey from 

Peru to BRIT 

• King Quigley’s Allergies, the important role of 

plants in our everyday lives 

• Incredible Edibles, current and historical use of 

plants for food and medicine 

• Green Monsters, a fun, end-of-the-year program 

combining botany and art using delightful 

children’s literature 

Virtual tours of the herbarium, library, and 

Andes to Amazon Biodiversity Program’s research 

in the Peruvian rainforest offer options for real 

science and real scientists to present to students 

across the globe. In fact, in this remarkable 

way, there is no limit to the content possibilities 

for BRIT distance learning programs. Grab the 

remote! Click in today! We’re on it!

BRIT’s Brown Bag Botany 

Needs a Bigger Bag 

What if everybody within a three-block radius 

of BRIT’s downtown Fort Worth location were 

aware of its Brown Bag Botany series? Would we 

be bursting at the seams to contain the audience? 

We’re not far from that now. Attendance has 

grown at these noonday informal affairs, so come 

early to assure yourself a seat. 

Last February, Robert George (East Texas 

Flora Project Coordinator) filled the room when 

he presented his thoughts on the relationships of 

the geology of eastern Texas and the plants that 

grow there. Focusing on Texas, he chronicled the 

global forces of nature and their effect on present 

day East Texas geology. He then correlated the 

geology with the soils and plants. 

Marissa Oppel followed in March with a 

presentation on the pharmacology, ethnobotany, 

and phytochemistry (that’s the chemical 

compounds in plants) of South Texas plants. 

Besides a plethora of information on the chemical 

content of the plants and possible uses, she 

included interesting historical background. This 

hot topic was also well attended. 

In April, TCU/BRIT graduate student 

Ethan Householder supplied additional 

dimension to his cover story in the last Iridos 

issue. His discourse on the vanilla orchid in 

Peru was both spirited and political with a 

passion hard to deny. This is far from the last 

we’ll hear of Ethan. 

Last 2007 Program in the Bag 

November 14, Noon to 1:00 pm 

BRIT Learning Center 

“Weston Gardens - a Fort Worth Historic Treasure” 

Randy Weston, owner, Weston Gardens in Bloom 

Hear the saga of the restoration and renewal of the historic Leon Bandy Estate, originally built 

in the 1930s. Owner Randy Weston will discuss how he and his wife accomplished their goal of 

preserving a historical garden while adding new horticultural and architectural elements relevant 

to today’s garden enthusiast. 

Finally, in May, now recently graduated 

TCU student Romina Gazis spoke on fungi 

of Peru and their relationships to insects. She 

focused on a family of insects (Erotylidae) that 

feed on fungi and fungi that parasitize insects. 

The spores of these fungi often enter through 

insects’ spiracles (tiny 

holes in their sides 

for oxygen intake). 

These spores, growing 

internally, eventually 

erupt from inside the 

insect leaving a ghastly 

frozen shell. 

Adios, insect! 



20 

Trading Cards, Space 

Exploration, and BRIT Books 

PHOTOS By ROBERT GEORGE 

Did you ever collect baseball cards? Well, two 

unique books known as Dutch trade card albums might interest you. Recently donated 

to the library, one illustrates cacti and the other succulents. They are prized by 

collectors for their rarity, artistic appeal, and accuracy of species depicted. Authored 

by A.J. Van Laren, Cactussen and Vetplanten (literally, fat plant), published in 1931 

and 1932 respectively, both contain over a hundred cards. They were published by 

the Verkade Biscuit Company in Zaamdam, outside of Amsterdam, an enterprise that 

produced trade cards and the albums to paste them in from 1903 to 1940. 

The cards, with colorful art on the front and advertising on the back, were a means 

of selling products. Artistic themes ranged from wildlife and plants to country scenes. 

Collected individually, much like baseball cards, they were pasted into the published 

albums. 

In the case of BRIT’s new acquisitions, the text is very accurate, ample, and 

scientific in nature. And it’s no wonder. Author, A.J. Van Laren, was curator of 

Amsterdam’s botanic garden, Hortus Botanicus, a garden that had its beginnings in 

1638, and is one of the oldest in Europe. 

hAvE You hEARd? 

The space program is progressing! No, not NASA’s space exploration program, but 

BRIT’s program to make space. We’re working in the journal stacks clearing the 

topmost shelf, long used for duplicates storage, to make room for our growing library. 

In the rare book room, we have moved the preservation materials and work space 

into the archives work area. Making use of the vacated sections by moving and 

consolidating books, we’ll bring over items that are underutilized in the children’s 

library in BRIT’s other main building. The program has opened up new frontiers, 

thanks to the determination and muscle of volunteers John Kovac, Jerry Sorenson 

and Satyatit Balial. 

Speaking of volunteers, we have recently bid farewell to two longtime volunteers. 

We sorely miss Ruth Ginsburg and Robbin Brodsky, but they will be assets in their 

new communities. Their departure highlights how much we rely upon volunteers to 

continue, maintain, and provide quality library services.

A Juicy Event 

(you won’t want to miss!) 

Wine connoisseurs, aficionados and 

enthusiasts alike will gather, mingle, and 

enjoy myriad pleasures on October 19th 

at The Fort Worth Club at Fête du Vin: 

Botanical Research Institute of Texas’ 

(BRIT) Premier Wine Auction and Dinner. 

Guests will taste delicious wines, savor 

gourmet food, and even get some exercise 

raising bid paddles to 

benefit BRIT. 

Celebrating the natural 

connection between 

winemaking and botany, 

Fête du Vin will help 

BRIT advance its mission 

to conserve our natural 

heritage. Botanists have 

always played a vital role 

in cultivating the world’s 

vineyards, and Fête du Vin 

honors the symbiosis of this 

relationship. 

Starting at 7 p.m., 

guests at this black-tie affair 

will enjoy an elegant evening featuring an 

expansive silent auction and a red-hot live 

auction with renowned auctioneers David 

Reynolds and Colleen Buckley of Reynolds 

& Buckley Auctions in San Francisco. 

As bid paddles fly in the live auction, 

guests can bid on an exquisite selection 

of unique lots from exceptional wine 

collections. Here’s a sample of what you’ll 

find in the mix: rare lots from California 

such as Arrowood and Hanzell, rare wine 

verticals, and domestic and international 

travel vacations (such as a week at a 

private home in Bariloche, Argentina). 

Also on the live auction list are a patron 

package to the 

2008 Sonoma 

Jazz Festival, 

unique tours (like 

a guided tour 

of the Chelsea 

Flower Show 

and dinner in 

London), and a 

chance to create 

a signature salsa 

by spending two 

hours at Renfro 

Foods during 

a test kitchen 

tour with owner 

and salsa chef Doug Renfro. Just think! 

Customize your formulation and take 24 

jars away to share with friends and family! 

In the silent auction, bidders will be 

tempted by the many items that include 

wine tastings, trips, and treasures. A VIP 

tasting at Taittinger Chateau & Vineyards 

is 

on the 

block, 

as are 

membership 

and tickets for 

two to The Wine 

& Food Foundation 

of Texas’ tastings and 

events for a year; dinner 

at the Royal Sonesta in New 

Orleans; menus prepared by 

celebrity chefs; autographed 

books about wine, botany, and 

cooking; rare wine verticals; a stay in 

the historic Driskill Hotel in Austin; and 

to top it off, a double Magnum of Melville 

Winery Terrace Estate Pinot Noir, 2004. 

Tickets start at only $300 per person 

– and you are invited! Or try a table for 

10 at $2,500, $5,000 or $10,000. Call 

now and reserve your spot by ringing 

Amanda Morris at 817-332-4441, ext. 15, 

or emailing amorris@brit.org or visit www. 

brit.org. Underwriting opportunities are 

also available. 

BRIT is inviting you to join us for Fête 

du Vin, the Premier Wine Auction and 

Dinner, on Friday evening, October 19, 

2007, at The Fort Worth Club in 

downtown Fort Worth, Texas. 



22 

Journal of the Botanical 

Research Institute of Texas 

(J.Bot.Res.Inst.Texas) (formerly 

Sida, Contributions to Botany) is an international journal 

of systematic botany and has been a source of current 

research in classical and modern systematic botany for 

readers throughout the world for nearly 50 years. The 

journal publishes primary research papers in fields such as 

anatomy, biogeography, chemo-taxonomy, ecology, evolution, 

floristics, genetics, paleobotany, palynology, and phylogenetic 

systematics. Coverage is not restricted to any geographical 

area, and papers are contributed from authors around the 

world. It is published twice a year, with papers and abstracts 

in two languages. All papers are peer-reviewed and are 

frequently illustrated with maps and line drawings. Each issue 

includes short communications on floristic discoveries, book 

reviews, and notices of new publications. 

Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas: 

n Annual 2007 subscription rates for individual subscription 

within the U.S., $41 

n Individual subscription outside the U.S., $41 

n Organizational subscription within the U.S., $85 

n Organizational subscription outside the U.S., $95 

n I am interested in subscribing, please send a free sample copy. 

n I would like to subscribe; payment is enclosed. 

Guidelines for contributors to the Journal of the Botanical 

Research Institute of Texas are available at www.britpress.org — 

click on Authors Submitting a Paper under Reference/Support 

NAME: _____________________________________________ 

ADDRESS: _____________________________________________ 

_____________________________________________ 

_____________________________________________ 

PAyMENT: n Check n Visa n MasterCard 

n AmEx n Discover 

$_____________ total in U.S. dollars 

Credit card number: ______________________________ _________ 

Expiration date: _____/_____/_____ 

Print name as listed on credit card: __________________________ 

__________________________________ 

Signature:__________________________________________________ 

Tel. No._____________________________________________________ 

For information or subscription payment, contact: 

judy MacKenzie/BRIT Press 

509 Pecan Street, Suite 101, Fort Worth, Texas 76102-4068 USA 

jmackenzie@brit.org 

Web site: http://www.britpress.org 

introducing a new name 

for a Respected Journal 

As 2007 dawned, BRIT’s scientific journal, Sida, 

Contributions to Botany, 

became known as the Journal 

of the Botanical Research 

Institute of Texas (J. 

Bot. Res. Inst. Texas). The 

journal contains all the content 

and style as before; it’s just in a 

new wrapper (see illustration). 

The issue, packed with over 60 articles, reports on 21 

new species. One of the new plants reports to be the 

smallest bamboo in the world, measuring less than 

an inch in height. This diminutive bamboo, collected 

in French Guiana, may also be the only bamboo that’s 

an annual. Christened Raddiella vanessiae, the 

name Raddiella is derived from the Italian botanist 

Giuseppe Raddi (1770-1829). The specific epithet, 

vanessiae, is named after Vanessa Hequet, who 

collected the plant in 2001. 

The study in French Guiana is joined in the issue 

by others performed in the United States, Mexico, 

India, Nepal, Brazil, and Ghana. Two articles on the 

genus Taxus (common name: yew) by Richard W. 

Spjut comprise over 100 of the 782 pages in this 

issue of JBRIT. Spjut gives an account of the genus 

worldwide and names six new species. 

Finally, one article tackles the task of tracking 

vegetational changes in three abandoned rice fields in 

South Carolina over a period of 39 years. It even details 

the effects of the category four hurricane Hugo in 1989. 

Though written for the scientist, the article’s information 

affects us all when it’s used as the foundation for 

significant decisions concerning the environment. 

the Press Publishes 

four Books in 2007 

Tundra to Tropics: The Floristic 

Plant Geography of North America 

By Steven P. McLaughlin 

Floristic areas in North America 

are areas characterized by particular 

groupings of plant species. Most of 

the species belong within one of 

four large floristic areas covering 

all of North America: Northern, Southwestern, 

Eastern, and Neotropical. In an uncommon approach, 

the author draws his data from already published 

accounts of 245 smaller areas within Canada, the 

United States, and Mexico. The data (including 19,500 

species) were analyzed through statistical methods to 

identify the four major regions and 27 smaller “floristic 

subprovinces.” 

BRIT Press 

Muhlenbergia (Poaceae) 

de Chihuahua, México 

By yolanda Herrera Arrieta and Paul 

M. Peterson 

In the grass genus Muhlenbergia, 

59 species are detailed from the state 

of Chihuahua; 17 of these occur only 

within Mexico. About the size of Arizona, 

Chihuahua is Mexico’s largest state, a complex area of 

grassland and desert with high mountains along the 

western side and bordered on the north by New Mexico 

and Texas. Species of Muhlenbergia are prominent 

members of nearly all of the area’s plant communities. 

The book has keys, descriptions, nomenclature, 

specimen citations, distribution maps, and illustrations. 

Botanists most readily appreciate this, but ecologists, 

conservationists, land managers, and ranchers also 

will find pertinent information. The authors are from 

the National Polytechnic Institute in Durango, Mexico 

(Herrera), and the Smithsonian Institution (Peterson). 

The Genus Psychotria (Rubiaceae) 

in the Philippine Archipelago 

By S.H. Sohmer [BRIT Director] and 

Aaron P. Davis 

The authors provide technical 

descriptions and illustrations for 

112 species of Psychotria (coffee 

family) in the Philippines, including 29 

new species and nine new varieties. With about 2,000 

species, Psychotria is probably the world’s largest 

predominately woody genus. Most of the species are 

small trees, and many produce psychoactive chemical 

compounds. Many of the Philippine species are known 

only from collections made early in the 20th century, 

before the rapid decimation of forests began in 1960. 

Many species are already extinct or severely restricted 

in their present-day distribution. Dr. Sohmer’s fieldwork 

and collections in the 1980s contributed much to this 

study done during his employment at the Bishop 

Museum in Hawaii. Coauthor Aaron Davis works 

primarily from the Kew Herbarium in England. 

Trees in the Life of the Maya World 

By Regina Aguirre de Riojas and 

Elfriede de Pöll 

How should we treat our natural 

surroundings? Trees in the Life of 

the Maya World brings together 

the knowledge of the shaman and the 

scientist, the myths and arts of ancient 

civilizations, and the practices of modern people. The 

authors treat it all with wisdom and clarity of vision and 

in the process the question is answered.

Botany 101 

Beginning this fall, BRIT Education is collaborating with TCU Extended Education to offer one of our growing public programs to a larger audience. BRIT Botany 

101 courses are posted on the TCU Extended Ed website, and starting in spring 2008, will be marketed through that department’s fine catalog ,which reaches over 45,000 

people in the North Texas area. Please visit www.lifelong.tcu.edu online to check the status of the courses and to register. BRIT members receive a 15% course fee discount. 

FALL AND SPRING SCHEDULE 

31 October 2007, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. 

BRIT Learning Center, Course Fee: $40 

“Bubbling Cauldrons and Ghastly Plants” with instructor 

Barney Lipscomb, head of BRIT Press and Leonhardt Chair 

of Texas Botany 

Peek inside the fiery cauldron of BRIT botanist and 

messenger of death, Barney Lipscomb, and discover the 

mysterious power and mischievousness of plants past and 

present. Learn about uses of classical “herbs” in murders, 

suicides, and executions. The brainy Mr. Lipscomb will 

take you on a fast-paced, Vegas-style multi-media journey 

through the cultural, historical, and mythological aspects 

of poisonous plants. Then, for your protection, he will 

impart to you his arcane knowledge of toxic plants, and 

tell you what to do in case of suspected poisoning. Finally, 

he’ll share the most important factor in poison protection. 

Wearing of costumes for this interactive lecture with 

an exhibit of Mr. Lipscomb’s curiosities is strongly 

encouraged. 

6 & 13 November 2007 (Three-part course includes 

daytime field trip TBA), 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. 

BRIT Learning Center, Course fee: $60 

“North Texas Grasses You Should know” 

with instructors Guy Nesom, Ph.D. and Robert George, BRIT 

botanists 

just what is that grass, anyway? Explore the 

characteristics of the grass family and learn the identities 

of 20 or more grasses commonly found in this region. 

Become the grass expert in your neighborhood. Students 

are encouraged to bring in unidentified specimens with 

seedheads from this confounding group of plants. Grass 

for Lifelong Learners 

Get Ready for a Magical Experience… 

Once again BRIT will partner with the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Fort 

Worth Botanical Society, and the Fort Worth Garden Club to present the 

highly successful Butterflies in the Garden event in March 2008. This event 

features thousands of live tropical butterflies from around the world in the 

lush setting of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden’s conservatory, and will be 

accompanied by the award winning exhibit, Partners in Pollination, which 

focuses attention on one of the most vital ecological partnerships on earth: 

the plant and pollinator relationship. 

specimens and reference handouts will be provided. A 

ten power loupe is recommended, if you have one. We’ll 

schedule a daytime field trip by consensus at the end of 

the course. 

2, 9, 16, and 23 April 2008 (Five-part course includes 

daytime field trip TBA), 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. 

BRIT Learning Center, Course Fee: $80 

“An Overview of Botany: Learn to Identify Plants” with 

instructor Amanda Neill, BRIT Herbarium Director, and 

Co-director, Andes to Amazon Biodiversity Program 

Learn the elements of plant identification after Amanda 

provides a foundation of basic botany. This course equips 

learners with specific terminology and techniques and 

reveals a whole new world of plants before your very 

eyes! 

The Value of Botany + How to Use a Key April 4 

Plant Morphology April 9 

Important Plant Families I April 16 

Important Plant Families II April 23 

1 May 2008, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. 

BRIT Learning Center, Course: $40 

“Collecting, Pressing, and Mounting Plant Specimens” 

with instructors Lee Luckeydoo, Ph.D., BRIT Herbarium 

Collections Manager, and Tiana Franklin, BRIT Botanical 

Research Assistant, Andes to Amazon Biodiversity Program 

Learn how to properly collect, press, and mount plants 

to create your own herbarium; create a learning 

collection for students, gardeners, or naturalist groups; 

or contribute to the collections of local herbaria. Dress 

comfortably and come prepared for hands-on learning! 

See the spring TCU Learner’s Guide or www.lifelong.tcu. 

edu for information about BRIT’s other upcoming spring 

Botany 101 courses. 

“Art and Science” with instructors Barney Lipscomb and 

Pam Chamberlain 

join this combined course with a botanical illustration 

workshop, tour of BRIT’s botanical prints, and lecture 

on Redouté for a well-rounded introduction to art and 

science. 

“Digital Nature Photography” with instructors Tiana 

Franklin and Bob O’Kennon 

Learn the basics of digital photography and visit the 

Fort Worth Botanic Garden to photograph plants and 

butterflies in March. 

BRIT is located in downtown Fort Worth at the 

corner of 4th and Pecan Streets 

Butterflies in the Garden, 2008 will have several new elements, 

including online ticket purchase, designated discount days 

for groups, and special events to involve children in the 

educational and conservation messages of the exhibit. 

Proceeds from the exhibit will 

support established public education and 

environmental projects of the Fort 

Worth Botanical Society and BRIT. 

BriT 

Fort Worth, Texas 

major arteries 


20 Twenty Hours 

and Counting: 

The Journey 

of a Lifetime 

by tiana franKlin 

whAt if You hAd 20 houRs to tRAvEl? 

Here’s an idea: travel from cosmopolitan 

downtown Fort Worth into the depths of the 

Peruvian Amazon, by way of a couple of spins 

in an airplane, two rides in a car, and one in a 

Peruvian boat called a peke-peke. Get ready— 

you’ll be hours and hours away from modern 

civilization and the comforts of a big city: no 

hot water, no air-conditioning, and with at best, 

a thatched roof over your head. 

Does this sound miserable? Not really—not 

when you’re compensated by the view of 

sunrise reflecting on the Madre de Dios River, 

sweeping across untamed forest, and lightly 

touching giants that are the Andes Mountains. 

Welcome to morning at the Los Amigos 

Biological Station. 

High on a terrace, 297 steps above the 

meandering Madre de Dios River that travels 

east to empty into the mighty Amazon River, 

sounds abound. Listen to the chatter of small 

tamarin monkeys, the dawn chorus of the birds, 

and the grumbling thunder in the distance that 

is the howler monkeys. Visually, it’s a sea of 

green. There are towering trees like nutmegs 

(Myristicaceae), Brazil nuts (Lecythidaceae), 

chicle trees (Sapotaceae), and kapok trees 

(Bombacaeae). Below, the understory is full 

of small shrubs with lianas winding about 

them. And beneath the understory? There lie 

all the microorganisms that keep the entire 

system in balance—the fungi, bacteria, and 

the thousands of insects. This all combines to 

make the inconveniences inconsequential. 

Virola sebifera (Nutmeg Family) 


PIHER MACEDA 

PIHER MACEDA 

how MY JouRnEY BEgAn 

In fact, the above describes part of my journey 

thanks to BRIT and Texas Christian University 

(TCU). The journey began with a serendipitous 

series of events: my graduation from Southern 

Methodist University in Dallas, the arrival 

of John Janovec and Amanda Neill at BRIT, 

the birth of the Andes to Amazon Program, 

and the collaboration between TCU and 

BRIT. Through this collaboration I get all the 

advantages of a strict academic atmosphere 

on a university campus and the advantages 

of BRIT’s herbarium and the Amazon of 

southeastern Peru as my laboratory! I feel as 

if I’ve been given a new set of glasses to look 

at the world with. In the Amazon, the endless 

sea of green I can now parse out into the 

appropriate plant families and begin to ask 

pertinent questions about how it all functions. 

I have undergone a magic Lasik procedure; 

it’s that dramatic. I worked in a part of the 

world where my education and labors and their 

outcomes are directly related to the fate of the 

area and the opportunity to conserve it. 

Few graduate experiences can even 

approach the impact of the BRIT/TCU/ 

Amazon amalgam. The outstanding faculty and 

programs at TCU and the guidance, direction, 

and student program at BRIT have taken me 

all over the western hemisphere. TCU students 

Ethan Householder, Romina Gazis, Rebecca 

Repasky, and I have traveled to countries 

throughout the Americas—from Canada in the 

north to Costa Rica in Central America, to the 

Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, to Peru 

in South America. Collectively we’ve given 

more than 30 presentations relating to some 

aspect of our research. We have spent from 

three months to a full year in remote jungles in 

the Andes and Amazon, and we have survived 

to tell the tales. 

MY JouRnEY continuEs 

BRIT has a remarkable dedication to students 

and learning and to conservation. BRIT 

catalyzes the advancement of knowledge. Such 

willingness to collaborate brings our stories 

from the depths of the Amazon jungle to 

BRIT’s home in Fort Worth and beyond. My 

hope is that great deeds begun as small seeds 

of inspiration will grow and flourish. BRIT is 

that inspiration for me. Thank you, for the 

journey begun.

NSF Awards Grant to BRIT 

REINALDO AGUILAR 

jOHN jANOVEC 

PIHER MACEDA 

jOHN jANOVEC 

The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced in 

August the award of a $450,000 grant to BRIT’s Andes 

to Amazon Biodiversity Program (AABP) to continue 

botanical fieldwork in the Madre de Dios region of 

southeastern Peru. The work is crucial. Botanical 

research in the region has just begun to identify 

the breadth and significance of this extraordinary 

biodiversity hotspot. 

dAtA gAthERing And intEgRAtion ARE KEY 

Botanical data collected previously have not 

been well integrated with the ecological data 

available from the region. In fact, there has 

never been a major, long-term systematic 

inventory of regional plants and 

habitats prior to BRIT’s work 

there. For 

instance, 

according 

to recently published 

information, the entire region of Madre de 

Dios has 1,833 plant species (excluding 

ferns). Yet, preliminary botanical surveys of 

just the smaller area around the Los Amigos 

Conservation Concession in Madre de Dios 

by the AABP team have already found more 

than 2,000 species of plants. Among these, 

at least 20 are new to science. 

Thanks to the NSF, the AABP 

will expand its botanical and ecological inventory. 

Then, via the Atrium Biodiversity Information System 

at BRIT, it can organize and distribute a huge database 

of all existing and new botanical data, images, and 

descriptions. 

There are both practical and intellectual benefits. 

By integrating science, education, and technology, 

the proposed project will serve as a foundation of 

information for many researchers and projects in 

Madre de Dios and beyond. It’s also a testbed for 

connecting inventory data with new information 

management techniques. Plant and habitat surveys and 

inventories will provide data and images for a color field 

guide to the study region: Guide to the Plants of the 

Los Amigos Biological Station and Conservation Area. 

Expect other digital and paper manuscripts as well. 

Users of Atrium will benefit from multiple points of 

access to all data and images, assuring that the project 

will have an impact on studies reaching across other 

disciplines, including herpetology, entomology, forest 

ecology, mammalogy, ornithology, and conservation 

management. The first inventory of its 

kind to be dynamically integrated, it will 

feature a new generation of high-resolution 

aerial digital imagery and Geographic 

Information Systems (GIS) analyses. 

BRoAdER iMPActs 

In the larger sense, this project 

moves people closer to the 

techniques and products of 

plant and habitat inventory. It will 

underscore the value, diversity, and 

beauty of the Amazonian 

ecosystems. It will 

make readily available, 

to everyone, the plant data, images, and 

ecological datasets in the Atrium Biodiversity 

Information System. Over the project’s fouryear 

period and beyond, digital and print products 

promise to contribute baseline data to encourage 

and improve other regional projects by promoting 

conservation in Peru. Importantly, it is a way to reach 

both local Peruvian communities and the general 

public, worldwide. 

Direct benefits to individuals and families of 

residents in communities in Madre de Dios include 

income, education, technical training, and newfound 

appreciation for the diverse forests surrounding them. 

The project also involves education, training, and 

outreach activities to engage a postdoctoral fellow 

in botany/ecology, a graduate student, Peruvian 

undergraduate students, and the many students 

and teachers that pass through the BRIT Education 

program every year. 

Thank you to the National Science Foundation 

from BRIT and the colleagues, students, and people 

who are enlightened by such generosity—in the Andes, 

the Amazon, and all around the world. 



26 

Donations 

1 December 2006 to 31 May 2007 

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE 

Anonymous* 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward P. Bass* 

Amon G. Carter Museum** 

Mrs. Frank Darden* 

Mr. and Mrs. William S. Davis* 

Frost Bank** 

Mr. and Mrs. George C. Hixon* 

Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP#** 

Mr. and Mrs. john R. Lively* 

Mr. and Mrs. Howell Mann 

Mr. and Mrs. Timothy W. McKinney 

Mr. and Mrs. Timothy L. Petrus* 

Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth#** 

Leo Potishman Fund - Bank One Trustee 

Mary Potishman Lard Trust** 

The Richard E. Rainwater & Darla Moore 

Charitable Remainder Unitrust No. 2 

Mrs. Lawrence Gabriel Rawl* 

S & B Technical Products#/Corbett 

Companies** 

The Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust 

Star-Telegram#** 

Mrs. john Reese Stevenson 

Sundance Square** 

Texas Capital Bank** 

Mrs. Philip K. Thomas* 

Crystelle Waggoner Charitable Trust, Bank of 

America, Trustee#** 

XTO Energy, Inc.** 

Mr. and Mrs. Bill j. Zimmerman* 

SUSTAINING LEVEL 

Anonymous* 

Mr. and Mrs. Harry E. Bartel 

Mr. and Mrs. Lee M. Bass* 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Bass 

Ms. Connie Beck and Mr. Frank Tilley* 

Dr. and Mrs. Robert W. Brown* 

Mr. William R. Burk 

Mrs. Katherine Campbell* 

Cantey Hanger, LLP** 

Corgan Associates, Inc.** 

Dr. and Mrs. Ivan Danhof 

Mr. jeff R. Davis* 

Mr. and Mrs. james B. DeMoss III* 

Ms. Caroline M. Dulle 

Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin j. Fortson 

GideonToal 

Mrs. Helen Groves* 

Craig Hamilton and Company/Mr. and Mrs. 

Craig R. Hamilton* 

Mr. and Mrs. james j. Hayes 

Hodges Fund of the Community Foundation of 

North Texas* 

Huitt-Zollars Inc.* 

Luther King Capital Management** 

Komatsu Architecture** 

Mrs. Phillip Laughlin* 

Ms. Erica Laughlin 

Dr. and Mrs. W. S. Lorimer, jr.* 

Ms. Barbara H. Marshall 

Mrs. Thomas F. Mastin, jr. 

Mrs. Ruth A. May 

McCaslin & Company, LLP** 

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence H. Meeker* 

Mr. and Mrs. William M. Miller 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Moncrief 

Mr. and Mrs. Tom O. Moncrief* 

Mr. and Mrs. j. David Nivens* 

Mr. and Mrs. William j. Nolan* 

North Texas Medical Associates 

Capt. Robert j. O’Kennon 

Ms. Mary G. Palko* 

Mr. and Mrs. Sebert L. Pate* 

Mr. and Mrs. j. Olcott Phillips* 

The Projects Group and The Beck Group** 

Ms. Regina j. Rogers* 

Mrs. Rosalyn G. Rosenthal* 

Mrs. A. Hardy Sanders 

Mr. and Mrs. john A. Schrader 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Self 

Southern Methodist University#** 

Southwestern Exposition & Livestock Show** 

Mr. Richard D. Steed, jr.* 

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Sterling* 

Dr. and Mrs. George C. Sumner* 

Texas Christian University** 

Texas Christian University Environmental 

Sciences** 

Thompson & Knight LLP and Thompson & 

Knight Foundation** 

Dr. and Mrs. William E. Tucker* 

TXU Electric Delivery** 

University of North Texas Health Science 

Center, Fort Worth 

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas yorio 

PATRON LEVEL 

Mrs. Frances Allen 

Ms. Sally B. Allsup 

Mr. and Mrs. William C. Bahan 

Mr. john T. Bailey 

Mr. and Mrs. William V. Boecker 

Mr. and Mrs. Martin C. Bowen 

Mrs. Evelyn H. Breaux 

Mr. and Mrs. Frank P. Carvey, jr.* 

Mr. Carroll W. Collins 

Mr. and Mrs. Ralph F. Cox 

Mr. Chris Davidson and Ms. Sharon Christoph 

judge and Mrs. Patrick W. Ferchill 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Findlay* 

Mr. and Mrs. Diego O. Giordano 

Mrs. W. K. Gordon, jr. 

Mr. Donald D. Grantges 

H3 Hardy Collaboration 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Henderson 

Dr. and Mrs. joe F. Hennen 

Mr. and Mrs. john P. Hickey* 

Ms. Tracy Holmes 

Mr. C. Brodie Hyde II* 

Mrs. S. Gordon johndroe, jr. 

Mollie L. & Garland M. Lasater, jr. Charitable 

Fund of the Community Foundation of North 

Texas 

Mr. and Mrs. William M. Lawrence* 

Ms. Martha V. Leonard* 

Mr. jerry j. Loftin 

Dr. and Mrs. Wm. F. Mahler* 

Mr. and Mrs. Scott McDonald* 

Mr. and Mrs. David M. Porter 

Dr. Gwynn W. Ramsey* 

Dr. and Mrs. Larry E. Reaves 

Reynolds Cattle Company 

Dr. and Mrs. Edward D. Richardson*/Ms. 

Scottie 

Richardson* 

Mrs. Margret M. Rimmer* 

Rylander, Clay & Opitz, LLP/Don and Linda 

Craig* 

Dr. and Mrs. Sergio Sanchez-Zambrano* 

Mr. and Mrs. jack A. Schutts 

Mr. and Mrs. Tim Sear 

Mr. and Mrs. Frank H. Sherwood* 

Ms. Carole Ann Taggart 

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen L. Tatum 

Mr. and Mrs. George Vavrek 

SUPPORTING LEVEL 

Ms. Anne Adams 

Dr. and Mrs. H. Barry Bailey 

Mrs. Theodore M. Barkley* 

Ms. Claire M. Barry 

Dr. and Mrs. Clifton H. Beasley, jr. 

Mr. Robert E. Birk 

Mr. Robert L. Bowen, jr. 

Mrs. Malcolm Bridges 

Mr. and Mrs. Don Brunson 

Ms. Martha Burg 

Dr. Tony Burgess 

Mrs. Karen and Mr. Mike Burkett 

Mr. Kerry Burns 

Calloway’s Nursery/Mr. james C. Estill* 

Mr. and Mrs. H. Paul Carl 

Casa Flora, Inc. 

Mr. and Mrs. james H. Cashion, jr. 

Ms. Sally Channon 

Mr. and Mrs. Lee F. Christie 

Mr. and Mrs. Fred T. Closuit 

Ms. Martha Cole 

Mrs. William A. Colley 

Dr. and Mrs. Ernest F. Couch 

Mr. and Mrs. john M. Craddock 

Mr. and Mrs. Bob Crow 

Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Baker 

Mr. Tom Dera 

Mr. and Mrs. David Diesslin 

Mr. Edward D. Doherty 

Dr. and Mrs. Nowell Donovan 

Mr. and Mrs. Terry K. Dunlap 

Ms. joan Echols 

Dr. Maureen A. Finnegan 

Mrs. Bayard H. Friedman* 

Ms. Lauren Geffert 

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen E. Geis 

Mr. and Mrs. Preston M. Geren, jr. 

Dr. and Mrs. Robert W. Gracy 

Mr. Stanley Graner 

Mr. and Mrs. B. Doug Harman 

Mr. and Mrs. Frederick j. Harrison 

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Harrison 

Mrs. Carol P. Hendrix* 

Dr. and Mrs. William j. Hess 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Hill 

Mr. and Mrs. Lindsay B. Holland 

Ms. Sally A. House 

Mr. Gordon Hultmark 

Mr. and Mrs. john H. james 

jammy, Inc./Mr. and Mrs. Ralph L. Bradley 

Mr. and Mrs. Phillip G. john 

Dr. and Mrs. Allen S. Kent 

Mrs. Arch P. Kimbrough 

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas M. Kleuser 

Dr. and Mrs. Norval Kneten 

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis F. Kornfeld, jr. 

Dr. and Mrs. Martin L. Lazar 

Mr. and Mrs. David Leaverton 

Mrs. Rachel j. Ledbetter 

Dr. and Mrs. David P. Lewis 

Mr. and Mrs. William C. Lewis 

Dr. Benjamin G. Liles, jr. 

Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy III 

Mr. and Mrs. Henry C. Lynn 

Mrs. Lynne Manny 

Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Martin, jr. 

Mrs. Paul Warren Mason 

Mr. R. john McKay and Ms. jo Deaton 

Mr. and Mrs. Clyde McKinney 

Ms. Becky Meadows 

Mr. and Mrs. William W. Meadows 

Medical Dames Club 

Mr. and Mrs. john L. Merrill* 

Mr. j. Harris Miller 

Mr. and Mrs. William A. Mizell 

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Mosher 

Native Plant Society of Texas 

Dr. and Mrs. William H. Neill 

Ms. Betty Norvell 

Mr. F.L. Orman* 

Ms. Elizabeth B. Parks 

Ms. Elizabeth Patterson 

Mrs. joseph Roman Pelich, jr.* 

Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Pinkus 

Mr. Robert L. Powell 

Ms. Mary H. Pritchett 

Dr. and Mrs. Richard K. Rabeler 

Mr. and Mrs. jerry Reedy 

Mr. and Mrs. Roger B. Rice 

Ms. Ann M. Robinson 

Mr. john B. Rohrbach and Ms. joan H. Massey 

Dr. and Mrs. Nealie E. Ross, jr. 

Mr. Brian F. Rowe 

Shannon Gracey Ratliff & Miller LLP 

Mr. and Mrs. Bill Shaw 

Mr. Ed Shipman 

Mr. and Mrs. Martin D. Siegel 

Mr. Charles M. Simmons 

Mr. and Mrs. Nick A. Stoynoff 

Mr. and Mrs. Gordon E. Sylvester 

Dr. and Mrs. joseph Tarride, jr. 

Dr. and Mrs. Gerald L. Vertrees 

Mrs. Dieter W. Wagener 

Mr. Donald L. Wall and Mrs. Mary Ann Faucher 

Mr. and Mrs. William P. Warner 

Mr. and Mrs. William R. Watt, jr. 

Mrs. james M. Watts 

Ms. Marjorie Weir 

Mr. jeffrey K. Wentworth 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Widmer 

Mrs. Suzanne S. Williams* 

Mr. and Mrs. Larry Wisdom 

Woman’s Council DABG

PARTNER LEVEL 

Ms. Florence L. Adams 

Mr. and Mrs. Marshall W. Amis, jr. 

Anonymous 

Arlington Garden Club 

Mr. jim Atkinson and Ms. judy Wood 

Avant-Garden 

Mr. H. Bruce Ayars 

Mrs. john R. Bain 

Ms. Barbara S. Baker 

Mr. and Mrs. joseph D. Bennett 

Dr. james E. Brooks 

Ms. Tommie W. Broyles 

Ms. jane A. Bruckner 

Ms. Gail Carswell 

Mrs. M. Karen Carter 

Mr. and Mrs. Kenton L. Chambers 

Ms. Sherry Clark 

Mr. and Mrs. Alan Cook 

Mr. F. Lee Cook 

Mrs. Diane M. Cornwall 

Mrs. Robert G. Craft 

Ms. Carol L. Davis 

Ms. Carol Doogs 

Mr. and Mrs. Eugene j. Dozier 

Ms. Sher Dunaway 

Ms. Kimberly Edge 

Ms. jerilyn R. Edmunds 

Ms. Lori Eklund 

Mrs. Hal D. Ferrell 

Ms. Trish Flaster 

Mr. Bill Forbes 

Ms. Sharon V. Foster 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Freedman 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward C. Fritz 

Mr. Bob Gamble 

Mr. and Mrs. Elliott Garsek 

Mr. Robert George and Mrs. Frances Polster 

Dr. Russell D. Greaves 

Mr. and Mrs. Ira M. Gross 

Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Grover 

Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Hamilton 

Mrs. Tommy Hancock 

Dr. and Mrs. Gary S. Hartshorn 

Mr. Dan Hays 

Ms. Felecia Hays 

Mr. and Mrs. Thad Heartfield 

Mr. and Mrs. Walter Hesson 

Mr. B.F. Hicks 

Dr. john janovec 

Mrs. Irvin jarrell, jr. 

Mr. and Mrs. Gary L. jennings 

Dr. and Mrs. Carl Bruce jones 

Mr. and Mrs. Karl K. Keffer 

Mr. and Mrs. Byron L. Keil, Sr. 

Dr. and Mrs. Gordon B. Kelly 

Mr. and Mrs. David R. Kent, jr. 

Mr. and Mrs. W. Cleve Lancaster 

Mr. and Mrs. William A. Landreth, jr. 

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Leavens 

Mr. Barney L. Lipscomb 

Mr. Landon Lockett 

Ms. Shirley D. Lusk 

Dr. and Mrs. Michael MacRoberts 

Mr. and Mrs. Coy Martin 

Ms. Beth Maxwell 

Mr. and Mrs. joe j. McEntire 

Dr. and Mrs. Paul M. McKenzie 

Mrs. Elizabeth M. McMath 

Mr. and Mrs. William H. Michero 

Ms. janet G. Miller 

Mockingbird Garden Club 

Mr. and Mrs. Steve B. Moss 

Ms. Mary Thorpe Parker 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert j. Patton 

Mr. and Mrs. Henry B. Paup 

Mr. P. Michael Peck 

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Penz 

Ms. Doris Peterson 

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas L. Phillips 

Mr. and Mrs. Cal Porcher 

Dr. and Mrs. Om Prakash 

Dr. and Mrs. Manfred G. Reinecke 

Mr. and Mrs. Ray Rhyne 

Mr. and Mrs. james j. Richardson 

Ms. joyce G. Roach 

Mr. Wade Roitsch 

Dr. and Mrs. Robb H. Rutledge 

Mr. joseph Salgado 

Mr. Graham Schadt 

Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Schweitzer 

Ms. judy Secrest 

Dr. Varsha P. Shah 

Dr. Richard W. Spellenberg and 

Ms. Naida D. Zucker 

Ms. jo Spencer 

The Reverend and Mrs. john H. Stanley 

Mr. Henry Stewart 

Dr. john L. Strother 

Mrs. jack Sutherland 

Dr. Kathleen Swigger 

Mrs. Louis E. Taylor 

Mrs. joy Terry 

Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Thompson 

Ms. Anita Tiller 

Mr. and Mrs. jack Umberson 

Mrs. Warren Wagner, jr. 

Dr. and Mrs. Frederic H. Wagner 

Mr. and Mrs. john R. Walker 

Mrs. Kathleen Walker 

Waverly Park Garden Club 

Mrs. Laura Whitelaw 

Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Williams 

Ms. Gloria T. Winfree 

Mr. Steve Winter 

Ms. june Wolff 

The Woman’s Club of Fort Worth, Inc. 

Mrs. julie Zobal 

Foundations 

Bass Foundation 

BNSF Foundation** 

Amon G. Carter Foundation 

Kenneth and Cherrie Garrett Foundation* 

Kent Foundation 

Dr. Max and Dr. Susan Mitchell Foundation* 

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation 

Alvin and Lucy Owsley Foundation 

Roach Foundation, Inc. 

Sid W. Richardson Foundation 

The Arch & Stella Rowan Foundation, Inc. 

William E. Scott Foundation* 

Matching Gift Companies 

AT&T Foundation Matching Gift Program 

ExxonMobil Foundation 

Hallmark Corporate Foundation 

Pepsico Foundation 

Texas Instruments Foundation 

In-Kind 

Fort Worth Business Press** 

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History 

Dr. and Mrs. B. O’Dell Molpus, jr.* 

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Sterling 

The University of Texas at Arlington 

In-Kind to the Library 

Anonymous 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward P. Bass 

Mr. William R. Burk 

Mr. Richard Clifford 

Dr. and Mrs. Nikolaus Fischer 

Mr. and Mrs. Gary L. jennings 

Ms. joann Karges 

Mrs. Rachel j. Ledbetter 

Mr. Barney L. Lipscomb 

Dr. Lee Luckeydoo and Mr. john Dreese 

Dr. and Mrs. Guy L. Nesom 

Mrs. Elizabeth Reid 

Mrs. Sharon Schoech 

University of Wisconsin 

In Honor of 

Mr. Barry Kessler Bailey 

Drs. Bonnie and Louis jacobs 

Mr. and Mrs. Tom O. Moncrief 

Mrs. Ruth Carter Stevenson 

Mrs. Elaine Petrus 


Tim’s Landscape 

Ms. Ruth May 


Drs. Leo & Georgine Vroman 

Petal Pusher’s Garden Emporium 

Ms. Susan Urschel & Mr. Paul Schmidt 

Dr. and Mrs. Craig Kneten 

Mr. and Mrs. Chapman R. Mays 

Dr. Henri Liogier 

Mr. George Diggs 

Ms. Shirley D. Lusk 

Mr. and Mrs. Bill j. Zimmerman 

Dr. Barton H. Warnock 

Steve, Randy & Michelle Moree 

Mrs. Frank Darden and Mr. Carroll Collins 

Mr. Van Cliburn 


Gail and Bill Landreth, jr. 

Mrs. Pat Harrison 

In Memory of 

Ms. A. Wilhelmine Gibboney 

Ms. Mary Ellen Boecker 

Dr. Frank W. Gould 

Ms. Gina Thomas 

Mrs. Adrienne Baker 

Mr. Duncan Forbes 


Ms. Margaret Hays 

Mr. Steve yanik 


Ms. Edith Keith Alderman 


Mr. Lloyd Shinners 

Mrs. Adrienne Baker and 

Mrs. Elizabeth Cirone 

* Host Committee 2007 Award of 

Excellence in Conservation Gala 

** Corporate Sponsor 2007 Award 

of Excellence in Conservation Gala 

# Corporate Conservator 

Gifts to the Capital Campaign will 

be 

published separately 

From 

Dr. and Mrs. H. Barry Bailey 

Dr. james E. Brooks 

Mr. and Mrs. Alan Cook 



Mr. and Mrs. Bob Crow 

Ms. Carol Doogs 

Dr. Maureen A. Finnegan 

Mrs. W. K. Gordon, jr. 

Dr. and Mrs. Robert W. Gracy 

Ms. Felecia Hays 

Mr. and Mrs. jerry K. Hendrix 



Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Leavens 

Native Plant Society of Texas 

Mrs. Elizabeth M. McMath 

Mr. and Mrs. William M. Miller 

Mr. j. Harris Miller 

Ms. Doris Peterson 

Mrs. Lawrence Gabriel Rawl 

Ms. Regina j. Rogers 

Mrs. Louis E. Taylor 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Widmer 

The Woman’s Club of Fort Worth, Inc. 

From 

Ms. Sally B. Allsup 

Mr. and Mrs. William V. Boecker 

Mrs. Malcolm Bridges 

Mr. and Mrs. William S. Davis 

Mr. and Mrs. David Diesslin 

Mr. Bill Forbes 

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Harrison 

Mr. Dan Hays 

Ms. Elizabeth B. Parks 

Mr. and Mrs. Timothy L. Petrus 

Dr. and Mrs. Nealie E. Ross, jr. 

Dr. and Mrs. George C. Sumner 

Dr. and Mrs. Frederic H. Wagner 

Mr. and Mrs. Bill j. Zimmerman 

Thank You! 


27

Botanical research 

Institute of texas, Inc. 

509 Pecan Street, Suite 101 

Fort Worth, Texas 76102-4068 USA 

herbaria of sMu, BRit and vanderbilt 

lloyd shinners collection in systematic 

Botany 


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Botanical Expedition! - Botanical Research Institute of Texas

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