Leigh's Links -- December 1999

December 15, 1999- ArborQuest.com

Presenting not just another plants-for-sale catalog, ArborQuest.com plant producers networking through this website aim to educate the public on the basics and how-tos of woody plants, to stimulate sound planting decisions based on the correct application of a plant in the cultivated landscape. There seems to be groundwork laid for consumers to acquire their plants from the website once arriving at well-informed decisions. While much of the content is in its early stage, presently there's an excellent article on Witch Hazels (Hamamelis spp.) published, some really interesting facts to be gleaned from the Test Your Woody Plant Knowledge Quiz, and two informative features on trees that are beautiful in winter, and long-lived trees for the millenium. Leave your favorite bit of plant lore and photos in the database at this site by ArborQuest.com, Inc., Monmouth, OR.(****)LF

December 14, 1999- Rooting Database

A botanist can expect to be asked just about anything about any plant at any given moment, and "how can I grow some?' is one of the seemingly simple FAQs which may require a bit of research. So bookmark this UCDavis Rooting Database containing 501 Frequently Grown Plants listed by scientific name or cultivar. The data provided includes Cutting Type, Age-Stage, When taken, Use of  Auxin, Structure Used, Bottom Heat Temp, % Rooting, Time to root, Care, Location, and a Reference for the entry. This is great for experiment-planning purposes as well as maintaining status as a jack-of-all-plants. Site by the Environmental Horticulture Department, University of California, Davis.(****)LF

December 13: OWOW- Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds

Whether it's pronounced "oh wow" or "ow-ow" is somewhat unclear. But citizens, biologists, ecologists, and environmental scientists will want to keep up with this EPA water resource protection website for information available in reports, case histories, publications, and within the participating network of partners and programs. Features include EPA and Bird Conservation, Coral Reef Protection, the Mississippi Basin, National Showcase Watersheds, The National Estuary Program, American Heritage Rivers, Monitoring Water Quality, and Pollution Run-off (NPS). Site by the USEPA Office of Water OWOW (USEPAOOWOWOW), Robert H. Wayland III Director, Washington, DC.(****)LF

December 10, 1999- Botany: dealing with the unknown

Botany is experiencing a renaissance nowadays, between bioengineering and Ginkgo biloba, generating more exciting course content than ever before for the standard Introduction to Plant Biology. "Web Notes" for this professor's course touch on evolution, anatomy, physiology, plant defenses and medicinal botany. Get great study and teaching materials (and find out once and for all why people should drink coffee and eat copious quantities of chocolate) at this site by Esther Iglich, Western Maryland College, Westminster.(****)LF

December 9, 1999- Plants in the Hawaiian Environment- Botany 130

This is a University of Hawaii Distance Learning website jam-packed with information on "Plants in the Hawaiian Environment." Thirty Learning Objectives introduce the Hawaiian flora as if in its own illustrated botany book while an Index of all plants discussed is provided for quick reference, by Hawaiian and scientific names. The pages are very nicely done- a must link for plant geographers and eclectic botanists! Site by Priscilla Millen with Augustine Macalipis, Marilyn Bauer, Lesmeri Sun, Derek Smith, Esther Espino, and Steve Cohen; Leeward Community College, Honolulu,HA. (****)LF

December 8, 1999 - Forests of the Central Appalachians Project

"Forests of the Central Appalachian Project" is a movement by the Virginians for Wilderness, a citizen's committee to gather data independently of what U.S. Forest Service gathers in The Central Appalachian forests of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Anyone who's taken a stroll along the old logging trails and counted the multiple shoots springing out of each supposedly recovering poplar stump can appreciate the sentiment. Biological inventories are taken by Forest Walks; published on the website they are excellent general ecological descriptions. Included are two wetland features, "Folly Mills Calcareous Wetland" - an in-depth study of a rare wetland in the Shenandoah Valley, and an Introduction to the Wetlands of the Allegheny Mountains. Photos and text by Robert F. Mueller, site maintained by Gus Mueller, Staunton, VA.(****)LF

December 7, 1999 - The Torrey Botanical Society Online

The Torrey Botanical Society is open to all with an interest in any phase of botany. Founded in the 1860's by Dr. John Torrey, professor of botany at Columbia College, it is now the oldest botanical society in America. Its modern objective is "to promote interest in botany, and to collect and disseminate information on all phases of plant science." At the website get the latest events and tours schedules, photo essays of recommended New York natural areas, and a timeline of plant exploration in the northeastern United States. Preview Patrick L. Cooney's SYSTEMATIC GUIDE TO FIELD BOTANY (in progress), a method intended to make systematics more palatable to fieldier types. This is excellent material for first time key-users who think there's not much point in learning plants by family characteristics. Site by K-2 Web Design for the Torrey Botanical Society, N.Y.(****)LF

December 6, 1999 - WebMD- Medical Library

With all manner of botanical wonder-treatments creeping into everyday life now as never before, botanists need a link to the PDR Family Guide to Natural Medicines and Healing Therapies for information on 300 herbal remedies. The reference lists each herb's scientifically verified applications, other common uses, special cautions and typical doses. Find this at WebMD, along with the PDR Family Guide to Over-the-Counter Drugs, The World Book Rush-Presbyterian-St.Luke's Medical Center Medical Encyclopedia, and The Yale University School of Medicine Patient's Guide to Medical Tests. Add to this A Searchable Database of articles, medical news, and aids to self-diagnosis, for an indispensable site by Healtheon/WebMD, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia.(****)LF

December 3, 1999 - Riparian Enhancement on Sloughs

The Yolo County Resource Conservation District encourages the honor system when it comes to conservation. Not just another regulatory agency getting in the hair of agriculture and development, its mission is to provide an information network, bridging agricultural issues with science, education, and government, that enables local citizenry to nip potential problems in the bud and thereby eliminate the need for governmental scrutiny. Riparian Enhancement on Sloughs is concerned with the methodology and appropriate species for stream stabilization plantings that halt erosion and weed invasions. Other topics cover native plantings used as Hedgerows and Roadside Plantings, On-Farm Practices, Range Management, Prescribed Fire, Cover Crops, Canal Vegetation, Ponds, and Weeds. Every topic contains lots of plant info at this site by Bizline for the Yolo County Resource Conservation District, Woodland, CA .(****)LF

December 2, 1999- Weeds of the Northern Blackland Prairie

Those living in or passing through parts of north central Texas will appreciate this handy weed identifier, which is at its handiest when the common name of the plant is already known. For example, "salsify" is a plant which is heard about, but hardly exists in the palette of a botanist raised in southern Florida. So it is a good opportunity to finally see the plant behind the name. But if you've only a weed in the hand, be prepared to click every name on the list to see if the mystery plant will appear. The photography is excellent for weed science or environmental science purposes, and links go to various other TAMU sites for materials on plant anatomy that may be useful. Site designed and implemented by Jean Matuson, Plano, TX, with photographs and identifications made by Mary R. Suplick, graduate research assistant at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Dallas, and student at Texas A&M University, Commerce.(****)LF

December 1, 1999- NC State AgNic Entomology: A Guide to Online Insect Systematic Resources

To be a botanist requires having a handle on entomologic resources ultimately, and this internet Guide makes looking up insect info (either by order or by group common name) a breeze. Available in two versions for Shockwave haves and havenots, teachers, kids, professors, and all will appreciate the Guide's clean and easy to use indexing of web resources. Yet another quality Life Sciences publication on the internet from NCSU, NC State AgNic Entomology: A Guide will be open soon for link submissions. Site by Ted Snyder, Department of Entomology, and the NC State AgNIC Systematic Entomology Team, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. (****)LF