Abstract Detail

Systematics

Snow, Neil [1].

The Kansas and Regional Reference Collection: A tool for promoting outreach of the T.M. Sperry Herbarium at Pittsburg State University.

A Reference Collection (RC) is a set of specimens set aside from the main collections to expedite the identification of plants by student and professional taxonomists, ecologists, and external stakeholders such as consultants and extension agents. A RC consists of one or two confirmed specimens (flowering/fruiting) of each plant taxon native or non-native to a state or regional area. Having specimens of all taxa in a stand-apart RC located adjacent to dissecting scopes and needed identification resources (Floras, reprints, monographs, Internet) expedites identifications by obviating repeated entry back into the main stacks to pull folders. Easy access to authenticated specimens also contributes to quality control of identifications, a critical consideration given that all data associated with a specimen are wrong if the specimen is misidentified. Wear and tear and misfiling of specimens also decreases in the main collections when a RC is on site. The Kansas and Regional Reference Collection (KRRC) of the T.M. Sperry Herbarium at Pittsburg State University was initiated in 2013 for these purposes. It presently includes approximately 800 taxa, or about one third of the ca. 2400 taxa native or non-native to Kansas and nearby (to southeast Kansas) counties in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. A goal is to complete holdings of the KRRC by 2020. All stakeholders are encouraged to use the KRRC because it is intended to be a community resource. Figures and a flow chart illustrate its construction.

1 - Pittsburg State University, Department of Biology, 1701 S. Broadway, Pittsburg, KS, 66762, USA

Keywords:
herbarium
Reference collection
teaching
outreach
quality control.

Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P, Systematics Section/ASPT Posters
Location: Exhibit Hall/Savannah International Trade and Convention Center
Date: Monday, August 1st, 2016
Time: 5:30 PM This poster will be presented at 5:30 pm. The Poster Session runs from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Posters with odd poster numbers are presented at 5:30 pm, and posters with even poster numbers are presented at 6:15 pm.
Number: PSY005
Abstract ID:274
Candidate for Awards:None