The herbarium at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden is global in scope owing notably to the career of Dr. Robert F. Thorne (b. 1920). Thorne is best known for his classification system for flowering plants. Before modern phylogenetic methods and DNA data, Thorne?s system presaged later phylogenetic results. Thorne?s research was supported by extensive collecting (>65,000 numbers); nearly 15,000 remain unaccessioned. These include specimens from areas and of taxa that are poorly represented in U.S. herbaria. This is a two-year project to process the Thorne backlog. Specimen data will be captured into the herbarium?s database as part of label-making. Industry standards will be used to produce herbarium specimens that will endure. All work will be by trained personnel supervised by permanent staff who have years of experience. Accessioning these specimens will document the collecting that informed Thorne?s ideas on plant relationships. Herbarium specimens underpin knowledge of plant diversity on Earth, images of specimens are used to illustrate publications, and specimens provide material for DNA. At least two individuals will be trained in all aspects of plant specimen processing. RSABG has an excellent record of recruiting entry-level assistants and nurturing them into skilled members of the staff. RSABG participates in regional programs for students from ethnic groups that are underrepresented in science and news of opportunities on this project will be disseminated through these.
This grant supported all phases of the processing of the ca. 14,000 back-logged collections of Dr. Robert F. Thorne, an eminent botanist who collected all over the world and whose career was almost exclusively at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. He was one of a small group of mid-20th century scientists who sought to understand the relationships among flowering plants in the days before evidence from DNA became available. His specimens are especially interesting to botanists because the Thorne system was the closest to what has been revealed based largely on DNA evidence over the last 15 years ot so. As such, the specimens that constitute his intellectual legacy (along with his archives which will also be at RSABG) provide windows into the processes and evidence whereby he devised his system. Thousands of specimens have been fully curated and many were exchanged with other institutions. These can now be studied by scientists, students and the general public. The Intellectual Merit of project involves provision of these specimens and their attendant data for study. Broader Impacts focused on training of human capacity with numerous entry level individuals trained (some as staff, some as students) via the project. Some of these have gone on to become permanent staff members and two are in graduate school. A web site was also created: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Folger_Thorne
