lichenological, and mycological herbarium of several 
thousand specimens was given to NYS in 1969 
(Zawyrucha 1977). 
Roy's "Flora of the State Park, Orient. Long 
Island. N.Y." (Latham 1934b) is another very important 
paper, with its notes on vegetation and abundance of 
individual species. He treated the vascular flora "only," '' 
but characteristically could not write about the beach 
without brief mention of important breeding birds, fungi; ; 
lichens, and marine algae. This paper provided the 
historical foundation for a recent floristic re-survey of 
the same tract conducted by Lamont & Stalter (1991). 
Long Island orchids received special attention from 
Latham, and his publications on these plants (Latham 
1927. 1940, 1971b) furnished an historical perspective 
for Lamont, Beitel, & Zaremba (1988) in their update. 
Many rare plants and other organisms were found 
by Latham on eastern Long Island. For example, Roy's 
letter to me of 8 December 1976 contained this 
information on the Curlygrass Fem ( Schizaea pusilla 
Pursh), a widely disjunct species of eastern North 
America, and one of the rarest Long Island plants: "I 
did find the curly grass in two places on Montauk, one 
patch south of the highway and the other in the far 
western end, near the bay." Additional work on ferns 
was summarized in "The Ferns of Eastern Long Island" 
(Latham 1972a). 
As might be expected of someone making 
observations in one place over so many years, Roy 
documented the establishment or spread of several 
plants on eastern Long Island. These included Purple 
Loosestrife [Lythmm salicaria L.] (Latham 1938); 
Common Reed [Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex 
Steud.] (Latham 1957); Santa Maria [Parthenium 
hysterophorus LJ (Latham 1972b); Common Purslane 
[Portulaca oleracea L] (Latham 1978a); Yucca [Yucca 
flaccida Haw] and Pyxie [Pyxidanthera barbulata 
Michx.] (Latham 1978b); and Tall Blue Lettuce 
[Lactuca biennis (Moench) Fem.], which came up in 
debris deposited by the 1938 hurricane, but had not been 
previously reported (Latham 1955). Zawyrucka (1977) 
quoted a Latham letter to him concerning Mexican 
Husk-Tomato ( Physalis ixocarpa Brot. ex Homem.) at 
Orient. These publications well illustrate the historical 
value of Latham’s sustained botanical efforts. 
Roy's work with cryptogams is well documented in 
the Southold and Gardiner’s Island flora (Burnham & 
Latham 1914-1925). Further notes on cryptogams 
appeared separately. In his "Nature Notes from Orient" 
(Latham 1954. 1956), Roy mentioned specific mosses 
used by the Prairie Warbler (Dendroica discolor) as nest 
linings. In other papers he reported moss hosts of the " 
muscicolous fungus Cyphella muscigena Fr. (Latham 
1920). and described the "Habitat of Cephalozia 
francisci on Long Island" (Latham 1917). Specific 
basidiomycetes and galls eaten by the Eastern Box ^ 
Turtle (Terrapene Carolina Carolina) were listed in 
herpetological publications (Latham 1916, 1968. 1969a). 
Additional "purely botanical" papers included 
detailed accounts of Star-flowered False Solomon's-Seal 
[Smilacina stellata (L.) Desf.], Fox Grape (Vitis 
labrusca L.), and Sundews (Drosera spp.) on Long 
Island (Latham 1930, 1971a, 1972c, respectively), and 
general notes on Long Island flora (Latham 1934a). 
Further examples indicate the necessity of 
scrutinizing Latham’s entire literature (even though the 
titles may not mention plants) for important botanical 
tidbits that do not appear elsewhere: The destruction of 
Buttonbush ( Cephalanthus occidentalis L.) swamps at 
Orient is mentioned in a paper on turtles (Latham 
1969b), while the existence of an Atlantic White Cedar 
[ Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) BSP.] swamp on Plum 
Island is documented in an article on Ospreys (Pandion 
haliaetus ) (Latham 1969c). Roy's report of White Oak 
(Quercus alba L.) on western Long Beach, at Orient 
Beach State Park, in "The Black-crowned Night Heron 
at Orient, Long Island " (Latham 1972d), would seem of 
little significance to the uninformed; but its value 
increases when one realizes that the historic or 
contemporary presence of Q. alba was not mentioned by 
Latham (1934b) or Lamont & Stalter (1991) in their 
floristic accounts of the Park. Close study of all of 
Latham’s publications would require many months. I 
have not checked numerous zoological and 
archaeological papers which, because of Latham’s 
attention to detail, will undoubtedly contain incidental 
but significant references to plants. 
Roy Latham, The Lichenologist 
Roy Latham noticed and collected Long Island 
lichens throughout much of his life: "My observations of 
lichens started in 1910 and continued with regularity 
until 1930 and intermittently thereafter" (Latham 1945). 
This is fortunate, as many of these organisms are highly 
specialized and sensitive to human disturbance. A 
number of Long Island records are known only from 
Roy's collections (Brodo 1968: 276-277). 
The Southold and Gardiner's Island flora (Burnham 
& Latham 1914-1925) contained an extensive list of 
lichens, and included a few new combinations (with 
Burnham). 
Latham continued to collect lichens, later becoming 
intrigued with "Iceland Moss" ["Cetraria islandica (L.) 
Ach.," now known as Cetraria arenaria KSmef.], which 
he carefully documented on' eastern Long Island 
(Latham 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948). Of this species, he 
wrote (letter, 8 December 1976): "By early 1950 I 
considered it so general that it could be seen wherever 
looked for from Montauk west." Personal field work on 
Long Island 
Botanical Society 
March - April 1993 
Page 12 
