| Abstract Detail
Kral-ing Through Time: The Impact of Robert Kral on the Past, Present, and Future of Botany in the Southeastern U.S DAVENPORT, LAWRENCE J [1]. Robert Kral and the History of Alabama Botany. The history of Alabama botany is replete with heroes. Pioneers, settlers, travelers (Bartram, Royall, Lyell), academics (Gosse, Buckley, Nevius), and medical doctors contributed early efforts. Mobile pharmacist Charles Mohr dominated the late 19th century, leading to his 1901 posthumous opus, Plant Life of Alabama. Roland Harper held sway until mid-20th century, when floristic studies took hold. Such studies were established at most of the state's universities, beginning with the University of Alabama (Thomas) and Auburn (Freeman) during the 1960s.
But no Alabama botanist stands as tall as Robert Kral. His fifty-year exporation of the backwoods and -waters of the state are truly heroic; his voluminous knowledge of Alabama's flora has been shared in monographs, revisions, federal reports, and floristic accounts. Most importantly, his efforts led directly to the formation of the Flora of Alabama Committee, which met quarterly from 2002 to 2008, culminating in the Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Alabama. In the recordings of those meetings, Dr. Kral provides many invaluable taxonomic insights--and personal, often humorous reminiscences--for the next generation of Alabama botanists.
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1 - SAMFORD UNIVERSITY, Department Of Biology, 800 Lakeshore Drive, BIRMINGHAM, AL, 35229-2234, USA
Keywords:
Kral
Alabama
botanical history.
Presentation Type: Colloquium Presentations
Session: CO1, Kral-ing through time: the impact of Robert Kral on the past, present, and future of botany in the southeastern US
Location: Fort Worth Ballroom 4/Omni Hotel
Date: Monday, June 26th, 2017
Time: 8:30 AM
Number: CO1002
Abstract ID:259
Candidate for Awards:None |
