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Ever Heard of Ovamboland?

11/29/2021

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As the California Polytechnic State University herbarium team embarked on digitizing their collection, the Robert F. Hoover Herbarium, they came upon a recurring theme: hundreds of the yet un-digitized specimens told of a far-away place called "Ovamboland." This led to some obvious questions: where is (or was) Ovamboland, and why do we have so many specimens from this mysterious place? Notes from Nature volunteers may have asked these same questions as they have transcribed over 4000 specimens from the Cal Poly Hoover Herbarium.
​Where is Ovamboland?
Fortunately, for these questions, we have the internet. Some quick research revealed that Ovamboland was a territory in the extreme north of modern-day Namibia, home to multiple Ovambo people groups. Ovamboland was established as a self-governing state in 1968 by the South African government, which had took it upon itself to administer all of southwest Africa during the Apartheid era. Ovamboland as a formal territory was dissolved with the independence of Namibia in 1989, though the old name of this region is still generally understood [1].
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Why does the Cal Poly herbarium have so many specimens from Ovamboland?
The flora of Ovamboland is featured in the Cal Poly Hoover herbarium due to the work of Robert J. Rodin, an accomplished botanist with an impressive resume of exploration. Born a Californian, Rodin was stationed in Guam and China while serving in WWII, explored southern Africa as a postdoc, worked as a professor in West Pakistan for several years (during which time he made forays into the Himalayas), spent a year as a Fulbright Professor in Delhi (India), and participated in a National Geographic Expedition to Ovamboland. Rodin was a botany professor at Cal Poly for 23 years, from 1953-1976, and as such, he loaded the herbarium with specimens from his travels and studies.[2]
One of Rodin's specialties was the ethnobotany of Ovamboland. Accordingly, many of his specimens from the region include the Kwanyama (a local language) name for the plant and descriptions of how the locals use the plant. These notes are fascinating windows into the culture of the Ovambo people and speak to a rich relationship of the people with their natural resources. Some species were used as remedies for nosebleeds, swelling, and infertility. Others found uses as arrow shafts, fences, or in the construction of huts.
Other notes on specimens portray unique relationships of people and plants beyond usage as food, medicine, and tools. Take for example, this African endemic shown to the right: Tragia okanyua, a stinging nettle of the Euphorbiaceae (rather than the Urticaceae, as in the worldwide "stinging nettle" native to Europe). Rodin reports that, in Ovamboland, "​If children will not herd cattle or do their work, parents threaten to rub this on them." Now that's a unique form of punishment!
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The notes on the specimen to the left describe semi-supernatural beliefs or uses of plants. Rodin reports, "If you have lost something, carry a stick of this and you will find the lost item. If you hit this plant with a stick, you will have a fight with someone." Plants are not just objects of consumption, but also integral in other aspects of peoples' lives. They're sought out, admired, consulted, and sometimes avoided for a plethora of reasons (like this particular plant...we won't go into detail about why men try not to touch it. But the note tells all!). Ovamboland, while unique it its flora and specific plant-people relationships, is not unique in the importance of plants in the lives of humans.
Thanks to Robert Rodin and many others, we have the privilege of learning how other people around the globe view and treasure their natural resources. These notes remind us that no matter where you are, we as humans are unified in our dependence on plants.
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Delightful Discoveries from the Newly Digitized

11/18/2021

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Digitization reveals unexpected discoveries, not only in botany, but in history. Each specimen represents a plant and at least one person: their journey, their interests, and their circumstances.
Prior to the California Phenology Network, the Cal State Herbarium (CSLA) was in "the dark." No specimen data had been transcribed and no specimens were imaged. Now, thanks to digitization efforts from students, technicians, and hundreds of dedicated volunteers (especially on Notes from Nature!), new stories are coming to light.
This month, Notes from Nature volunteers polished off the 5th expedition of CSLA herbarium specimens, containing over 2,800 records from across the globe. The spatial and temporal range of specimens in this collection continues to amaze. Specimens from Australia, Canada, Ireland, and Malaysia were included in the mix, ranging in collection date from 1874 to 2001.
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The oldest specimen in this assemblage was a delicate woodfern, Aspidium spinulosum var. intermedium, now known as Dryopteris carthusiana.
This specimen was collected by one Henry Gillman in 1874 near Concord, Massachusetts. Henry Gillman was not a famous botanist. Our research suggests that he was an Irish archeologist with some interests in botany, though much of his efforts were spent on advocating for the rights of Jews (at one point, he was even received by the pope for his efforts!).[1]
Gillman collected this fern when he was 41 and working as the assistant superintendent of construction for several lighthouse districts near the Great Lakes. Why he was in Massachusetts collecting woodland plants at that time is up for speculation, but likely has to do with his apparent love for the woods.
Another noteworthy collection from this batch of specimens is this early specimen of red tarweed (Orobanchaceae), now known as Parentucellia latifolia. This species originates from Europe, and indeed, the specimen was collected in Umbria, Italy in 1888. Why would an Italian plant be of any interest to California botanists?
Red tarweed has since become a weed in several parts of the world, including Australia and California, where it takes advantage of their Mediterranean climates. Having a historic specimen from the native distribution of this species can help us understand how the plant has invaded and whether it has changed to adapt to its non-native range. It is also an important reference for anyone attempting to identify a unknown plant collected in California. They just might find that this unassuming herb has spread further than we previously thought!
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Distribution of Parentucellia latifolia specimens in CCH2, spanning from California to Italy to Australia
These any many more specimens are being uncovered by digitization efforts of the California Phenology Network and countless others. In aggregate, the data enable powerful research that reveal trends in ecology and evolution. Singularly, the specimens provide snapshots into times past, representing the stories of people, places, and the plants the undergird them all.
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Standardizing Phenological Data: Progress and Process

11/4/2021

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One of the primary goals of the California Phenology Network has been to develop data standards for phenological data: community-developed guidelines for formatting and storing phenological data (e.g., data on whether plants are flowering or fruiting). If data standards are developed and widely adopted, phenological data can be shared across the many organizations that gather these data, and researchers can more easily use data from multiple data sources to conduct research.
Let's say, for example, that a graduate student would like to investigate whether the flowering times of red maple (Acer rubrum) have changed over time, and whether this change is different between the West and East Coasts of the U.S. (these types of questions are a hot topic right now...just check out our phenological research page!). This grad student could use phenological data from herbarium specimens in CCH2 to look at West Coast maples, then herbarium-based phenological data from the Consortium of Northeastern Herbaria (CNH) portal for East Coast maples. But what if the data aren't in the same format? How can the grad student be sure that a specimen recorded as "flower present" in the CCH2 follows the same rules as the specimen recorded as "in flower" by the CNH? What if she wants to go a step further and incorporate data from iNaturalist?
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Flowering red maple specimen from CCH2
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Flowering red maple observed on iNaturalist
Photo by Richard Stromberg
CC BY-NC
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Flowering red maple specimen from CNH
Combining datasets from different sources can be a huge headache, especially when data collection protocols data differ widely between sources. For example, some phenological datasets come from herbarium specimens, some from human observers in the field (e.g., the US National Phenology Network), and some from phenocam images (e.g., the National Ecological Observatory Network). To empower greater integration of these data--and therefore phenological research at greater scales than previously possible--the CAP Network has launched a Plant Phenology Standards Task Group within the global biodiversity data standards organization, TDWG.
This task group brings together global experts in data standards and users and providers of phenological data to determine a common format in which phenological data can be stored and shared among data providers. The task group established a charter (which can be found here) and had their first working group meeting on November 3rd, 2021. The group is now working to gather information about what phenological datasets exist, as well as what use cases researchers and data users may have that would need to be addressed by these data standards.
This Task Group is in very early stages, and we welcome input and membership from any interested parties. You can find more information on our GitHub page or by emailing the Task Group conveners, lead PI Jenn Yost and project manager Katie Pearson. Stay tuned for updates, and we're excited to move forward with the process of developing community standards.
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This project made possible by National Science Foundation Award 1802312.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.


Poppy images courtesy of Matt Ritter

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