90 



REPORT OF THE CURATOR i)V THE HERBARIUM 



FOR 1938 



To 'nil': DiRi-x'TdR. 



T suliniil iK-rcwitli u^\ rc])(»rt for the year enclini;' December 31, 

 1938. 



The Her barium 



Due to circumstances 1)e_\'on(I our control, the herl)arium was 

 left last }-ear without the ser\-ices of a mounter, so tliat few 

 finished herbarium s]xxnnicns were added to tlie collection. Idans 

 are imcler wa}' for a continuation of mountinj^-, and it is hoped that 

 the material on hand will be mounted and inserted during" the 

 coming" year. The collection is being constanth' enriched by ex- 

 changes with other botanic gardens throughout the world and 

 through gifts by tmiversities and indiyiduals (see list of Her- 

 bar-ium Accessions, ]). 93). ddie herbarium contains a number of 

 early American collections (1815-1840) ui)on which I am now 

 working. These came cliieil}- from the heiTarium of Ste])hen 

 Calyerley, an old l)rook]_\'n resident about \\-hom 1 have lieen able 

 to find almost nothing. These old collections are yaluable both 

 for the specimens in\-oK'ed and for the light that is shed on the 

 activities of earl\- American scientists of this period, and on the 

 former distribution of nati\-e flora o\er a region now largely 

 occu])ic(l by city conditions, and still being cnicroached upon by 

 the steady gi'owth of the city. .As a result of mv collections in 

 Tennessee during the summer of 1938, api)ro.Kimately 8000 speci- 

 mens are added to otu" herbarium collection, or for exchange with 

 other institutions. 



Local Flora Si-.criox 



The great need ol this ai'ca. \\-hich shows i^ilants n;itive in the 

 New York region growing in their natiu'al habitats, is a series of 

 high limestone rocks or ledges which will ])rovide a home for 

 ])lants — partly rock ferns, but including many others — absolutely 

 restricted to this type of enyironment. Such limestone ledges 

 occur in northwestern New Jerse\-, extending in a northeasterly 

 direction (realb' an extension ol the Shenandoah \'alle\- lime- 

 stones) through Orange Count}', New York, and across the 



