Memories of The N e w York Botanical Garden, 1948-1957 RICHARD S. COWAN

Cowan, R. S. (Western Australian Herbarium, George Street, RO. Box 104, Como, Western Australia, WA 6152, Australia). Memories of The New York Botanical Garden: 19481957. Brittonia 48: 355-358. 1996.--Memories of systematic botany at The New York Botanical Garden from 1948 to 1957 are given.

In 1948, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, life was beginning to return to what passed for normal after the end of World War II. The arrival o f John Wurdack and me, recently discharged veterans, as graduate students at The N e w York Botanical Garden, marked a revival of the earlier practice of having students at the Garden who would at the same time be studying at C o l u m b i a University for the doctoral degree. To John and me, our appointment as Technical Assistants in the herbarium seemed a near-miraculous opportunity to expand our k n o w l e d g e of things botanical, especially of tropical plants. Very few young students, particularly in 1948, had the chance to learn on the j o b the characteristics of whole families by means o f actually identifying great quantities of backlogged specimens. But more than that, we could often talk with the collectors themselves, so that the dried fragments of giant tropical trees glued to herbarium sheets seemed to c o m e to life, and we looked forward to joining the elite ranks of Garden collectors. Instruction in systematic botany at the Garden was informal to say the least, but one couldn't ask for a better, more effective learning experience than I received in just this manner! There was an almost unbelievable backlog of non-research kinds of work awaiting graduate stud e n t s - m a k i n g identifications, filing specimens, and extracting loans, to name but a few. One of my first jobs was to identify several hundred specimens in a large collection of Brazilian plants made by Adolfo Ducke, the dean o f A m azonian botany. With only such tools as the Pflanzenfamilien, Hutchinson, and a preliminary key in Portuguese, I muddled along, learning as I went the tropical members of numerous families. Sharing discoveries with each other helped

John and me to learn more rapidly than either would have done alone. The other formative influence, in this regard, was the opportunity to discuss our newfound information with staff. For example, I " d i s c o v e r e d " that even sterile plants of Indigofera could be recognized by the malpighian hairs on vegetative parts, and, in fact, I thought it might be worth a published note somewhere. W h e n I mentioned this to Joe M o n achino, who was particularly good at recognizing taxa represented only by a scrap, he disabused me of the novelty of my discovery quickly (albeit kindly). Another of the large collections I was assigned to identify included some 600 numbers o f Fr6re Wilson-Browne, an Anglican priest working in what was then British Guiana. It was a good set of plants, mostly from the southern savannas and mountains; in working it over, I found a number of novelties which I published as one of my first papers in the Garden Memoirs, along with notes on all the collections. (The collector was so pleased that he asked if I would like to have his set, in original bindings, of A. R De Candolle's Prodromus which he believed was slowly disintegrating in the tropical heat and humidity. Needless to say, I accepted his generosity, and the v o l u m e s form part o f my library in Australia.) Because o f these experiences, and several others like it, I was able to choose the plant group on which I would spend most of my research c a r e e r - - t h e legumes. Fortunately there were staff members w h o were able and willing to answer our questions and who intimately shaped our concepts of biological species: Bassett Maguire had a broad knowledge of tropical plants; Joe M o n a c h i n o was particularly good at routine identifications,

Brittonia, 48(3), 1996, pp. 355-358. 9 1996, by The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY 10458-5126

ISSUED: 16 Oct 1996

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FIG. 1. Richard C. Cowan, graduate student, 19481952, and staff member of The New York Botanical Garden, 1952-1957, at a party given in his honor at The New York Botanical Garden, on the occasion of his retirement from the Smithsonian Institution in 1985. Dr. Cowan did not retire from botany; he continues to work on the legumes in Western Australia.

especially o f plants o f e c o n o m i c i m p o r t a n c e ; E d A l e x a n d e r h a d a p h e n o m e n a l m e m o r y o f all m a n n e r o f plants; and from " R e d " C a m p I c a m e to realize h o w v a r i a b l e taxa can be t h r o u g h o u t their range, as he illustrated by his m a s s - c o l lecting o f b l u e b e r r i e s over long distances. T h e p a p e r C a m p h a d written with Gilly o n the nature of species b r o u g h t h o m e , to me at least, the idea that the term " s p e c i e s " has m a n y m e a n i n g s , dep e n d i n g on the m a n n e r of origin of the entities; while no o n e has t a k e n up the t e r m s for the different kinds o f species described there, it is an i m p o r t a n t p a p e r conceptually, one w i t h w h i c h all y o u n g t a x o n o m i s t s should be acquainted. It was especially significant to me, for I c a m e a b o a r d

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in S e p t e m b e r 1948 from the University o f Hawaii, w h e r e I h a d j u s t been a w a r d e d a m a s t e r ' s degree in botany, b a s e d in part on a r e v i s i o n o f an e n d e m i c g e n u s o f Urticaceae. T h a t revision I f o u n d e x t r e m e l y frustrating, in part b e c a u s e I lacked the very basic idea o f biological taxono m y - - t h a t all taxa v a r y within t h e m s e l v e s and that it is the task o f the t a x o n o m i s t to d e t e r m i n e w h e r e the discontinuities lie and to interpret them. N o w a d a y s , o f course, y o u n g t a x o n o m i s t s have a m u c h larger repertoire of t e c h n i q u e s to assess such discontinuities in their studies, but the basic idea o f the diversity of taxa is still an i m p o r t a n t starting point. In those days, the l u n c h table was a place where we c o u l d learn more of w h a t we w a n t e d to k n o w than we could learn in m o s t f o r m a l classes. H. A. G l e a s o n was the H e a d C u r a t o r w h e n we arrived; his quiet w i s d o m and wit were to e n l i v e n m a n y o f our early days, especially at the l u n c h table. T h e table itself was a long rectangle with a hot plate on a low stand u n d e r the big w i n d o w s o v e r l o o k i n g the garden entry-way. Regular to s e m i - r e g u l a r m e m b e r s of the table included, in addition to G l e a s o n ( w h o was an early d e s c r i p t i v e plant ecologist a n d t a x o n o mist), W. H. C a m p ( p h i l o s o p h e r a n d t a x o n o m i s t , as well as r a c o n t e u r extraordinaire), B a s s e t t M a guire (the m o s t active tropical plant collector at the time), D. R R o g e r s ( m y c o l o g i s t and a f o r m e r friend in Hawaii), A. B. Stout (a highly r e g a r d e d plant breeder, especially of day lilies), B. O. D o d g e ( w h o s e c o n t r i b u t i o n s in c y t o l o g y a n d genetics are still cited as classics), W. R. Rickett (bibliographer, general botanist, and classicist), and Carol W o o d w a r d (editor of the Journal and other G a r d e n publications). S o m e t i m e s it was botanical gossip that d o m i n a t e d the c o n v e r s a tion, but as often as not, one or the other o f those present p o s e d a q u e s t i o n that resulted in a vigorous but rarely a c r i m o n i o u s d e b a t e - - s o m e times on the nature of species, w h a t the C o d e really m e a n t by a certain passage, or the fine fingerprints o f p l a n t groups that e n a b l e the initiated to r e c o g n i z e them. It was f r o m D o n Rogers and Dr. Rickett (I could n e v e r b r i n g m y s e l f to address h i m by his first n a m e ! ) that I learned to write Latin passably, and from that e x p e r i e n c e 1 learned that botanical Latin can b e correctly written in m o r e than one w a y - - a m o s t v a l u a b l e discovery. M y t w o m e n t o r s rarely a g r e e d completely, so I w o u l d do m y best to write a description and then show it to o n e or the other;

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COWAN: MEMORIES, 1948-1957

after m a k i n g the m a n y n e c e s s a r y c h a n g e s , the s e c o n d authority w o u l d h a v e a go at it. T h e result represented the best of two e x p e r i e n c e d professionals, plus the efforts o f a neophyte. Finally, J o h n ' s and m y d r e a m of seeing firsth a n d the w o n d e r s o f the tropics was realized when, in O c t o b e r 1950, after several weeks o f planning, J o h n and I set out with Bassett M a guire for w h a t was to be a five-month e x p e d i t i o n to the interior of Venezuela. During that period we explored s e v e n m o u n t a i n s , w h e r e we collected a large series o f flowering plants, m a n y o f w h i c h were u n d e s c r i b e d , and some cryptogams. A l t h o u g h there were m a n y lessons to be learned f r o m the trip, o n e o f the most valuable, with Bassett as the instructor, was the p r o p e r preparation o f specimens. A l t h o u g h J o h n and I had m a d e s p e c i m e n s previously, I was c o m p l e t e ly u n a w a r e o f the m a n y fine points he s h o w e d us. There are collectors w h o made m o r e collections than we did, but n o n e could surpass the quality of collections p r e p a r e d by Bassett (and, after some experience, by ourselves). We were not collecting " s n i p p e t s " but collections w i t h a d o z e n or more duplicates containing, in addition to the attached flowers a n d fruits, all the loose parts as c o u l d b e a c c o m m o d a t e d in the sheet. I m a d e other collecting trips in 1 9 5 4 - 1 9 5 5 , to Amapfi in n o r t h e a s t e r n Brazil, M o n t a g n e de K a w in F r e n c h G u i a n a , to the Nassau M o u n t a i n s in Suriname, and to n o r t h w e s t e r n G u y a n a , all for the purpose of trying to relate plant c o v e r to bauxite and m a n g a n e s e ore bodies o f k n o w n distribution and quality as a mineral p r o s p e c t i n g tool. John m a d e n u m e r o u s s u b s e q u e n t expeditions with Bassett, s o m e t i m e s also with B a s s e t t ' s wife, Celia. In spite o f the d i s c o m f o r t s and illnesses of fieldwork in the tropics at that time, I will always m a i n t a i n that as a p r o g r a m o f learning, nothing c a n s u p p l a n t the e x p e r i e n c e o f field study, i n c l u d i n g the e x c i t e m e n t of finding w h a t s e e m e d e v e n in the field to be, and often were, novelties. K n o w l e d g e of what constitutes a maj o r t a x o n o m i c group is partly k n o w i n g its characteristics b u t also, a n d more important, acquiring a " f e e l " for its identity and relationships, and for this purpose, h a n d s - o n e x p e r i e n c e cannot be surpassed. T h e results of these explorations were p u b l i s h e d serially o v e r a period o f several years in the Memoirs, u n d e r the title Bot-

any of the Guayana Highland. T h e G a r d e n then, as now, was no ivory t o w e r for esoteric dilettantes, and we students soon be-

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c a m e a part o f the regular Saturday a f t e r n o o n lecture series in the old auditorium. We were expected to share our e x p e r i e n c e s in a way so as to interest the general public in botany, especially t a x o n o m i c botany. I especially r e m e m ber the twice daily sessions J o h n and I gave in one of the ranges in the c o n s e r v a t o r y on the construction and use o f b l o w g u n s after our return from Venezuela, c o m p l e t e with a d e m o n stration of the device! Similarly, we shared Saturday duty w h e n the b o t a n i s t on duty was there to a n s w e r the p u b l i c ' s questions, from the m o s t trivial to the m o s t p r o f o u n d and u n a n s w e r a b l e . T h e s e e x p e r i e n c e s with the public were also a valuable part o f o u r education, for if a science cannot articulate its w o r t h as well as its needs, it tends to w i t h e r on the vine, so to speak. S o m e t i m e j u s t before Dr. G l e a s o n retired f r o m the head curatorship, Bassett took J o h n and m e aside and pointed out that s o m e o n e should take up the M e l a s t o m a t a c e a e , w h i c h G l e a s o n h a d spent m u c h of his life studying, i n c l u d i n g gathering data on types and o t h e r i m p o r t a n t historical collections. T h e r e was, he said, also the n e e d to have a specialist on the staff for the neotropical legumes, a n d he was giving us first opportunity to a s s u m e t h e s e roles. It d i d n ' t take J o h n all that long to decide he would like the melastomes, and m e scarcely longer to take on the legumes, for I h a d b e c o m e especially interested in the caesalpinioid taxa t h r o u g h i d e n t i f y i n g collections o f t h e m in the backlog. We selected a g e n u s each from o u r n e w specialties as the subj e c t for our doctoral dissertations, w h i c h we finished in due time and to the satisfaction o f o u r respective c o m m i t t e e s . T h e other part of our education that John and I were to gain w h i l e at the G a r d e n was to be acquired by a t t e n d i n g graduate courses at Col u m b i a University, w h e r e J o h n and I were k n o w n as the " G o l d - d u s t T w i n s " b e c a u s e of our irreverent behavior. R e g i n a Duffy, the t e a c h i n g assistant in our b o t a n y labs, declared that either of us would s w e a r to the truth of w h a t the o t h e r had said, e v e n w h e n he h a d not h e a r d it! l think that both she and Prof. M a t z k e were pleased to see the last of us. To attend C o l u m b i a we h a d to m a k e a t i m e - c o n s u m i n g s u b w a y expedition to M o r n i n g s i d e H e i g h t s several times a week. I can say in retrospect, a l t h o u g h I was as certain o f it at the time, that the m o s t boring, unprofitable course o f m y a c a d e m i c life was S a m Trelease's plant physiology, w h i c h b o t h o f us were re-

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quired to take. John solved the problem though: as Sam droned on in his quiet tones, John supported his head on his hand in such a way that the light reflected from his glasses, hiding the fact that he was sound asleep. But he still beat me at grades! So much has changed in the herbarium since John and I occupied space there that I find it difficult on present-day visits to locate the places I used to know so well. It is not difficult, however, to remember the drafty, poorly lighted, barn-like quality the place had then. The windows in my room opened out near the lunch table at a stand bearing the large volumes of cutand-pasted Index Kewensis and overlooked the end of Mosholu Parkway; like all the other windows, my window let in almost as much winter cold as it deflected. At nights, after I began to

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work in earnest on my dissertation, it was necessary to wear a warm hat and coat and wrap my feet and legs in whatever was at hand in order to sit at the binocular microscope to make notes. Whatever discomfort or privation there may have been, the experience of being at the Garden as a student and later as a staff member was an unparalleled, truly unique opportunity that has shaped all the events of my botanical life since, and I am forever grateful for the nine years I spent there in achieving a measure of botanical maturity. The Garden has always represented to me the ultimate in terms of team spirit, where one could solve many important taxonomic problems with minimal material support. It surely is one of the principal centers for taxonomic research in the world, and I am proud to be an alumnus.

To further b o t a n i c a l s c i e n c e b y e n c o u r a g i n g taxonomic research and publishing the results, TIlE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN has suspended publication charges for papers submitted for publication in Brittonia for 1996. T h o s e w o r k i n g i n t h e f i e l d o f s y s t e m a t i c b o t a n y are e n c o u r a g e d to s u b m i t o r i g i n a l r e s e a r c h p a p e r s to: Editor-in-Chief, Brittonia THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN Bronx, New York 10458-5126 U.S.A.