Records (the Tallest, Broadest, Most, Earliest, etc)

A new equivalent of “ornithological golf” (a better one than the failed “annual plant count” modeled after CBC) for amateur botanists, even adaptable to the most casual among us.  To wit:  going for new records—the Guiness Book of plant superlatives.

There are almost numberless possibilities.  For example, the other day I chanced across a bay tree with extra-big leaves.  I picked the largest one I could find and took it home, checked the Jepson Manual, which gives maximum dimensions as 10 X 3 cm.  This one was 20? X 6.5 cm.

And, voila—an instant new record to be broken.

Note: for purposes of quality control and documentation, it is best whenever possible to collect a voucher.

Some of us, notably Jim West and myself, have been doing this harmless hobby for years.

Best part is, even rank amateurs can indulge in this entertaining botanical game, and actually add something to the greater scientific edifice in the process.

Birding has (I almost said degenerated) evolved into a similar sporting sort of activity, but the result, whatever the initial motivation, is a greatly more sophisticated fund of knowledge regarding bird distribution and field identification.

There is an existing equivalent for a small subset of the botanical world, i.e. the N---‘s “National Registry of Big Trees”, which documents the largest individuals of all tree species in the U.S.

Endless possibilities, and for the time at least, it is surprisingly easy to find new records.  In general, of course, maxima are the most alluring:  the tallest, the broadest, the most, the earliest etc.

There are of course many more parameters for a given species that those few given in the brief descriptions in the Jepson Manual, so it is often necessary to consult other references, or even delve into the primary literature.  All of which can only deepen your interest and open new doors.

And . . . isn’t this another “natural” for the Internet?  What better way to get the info out there fast, and to get other people involved, and get yourself more deeply informed about our flora, and to make and break those records!