Event Title

The first plant exploration expedition (1931-1932) of the USDA to the Caribbean Islands

Presenter Information

Maria Camas

Department

Biological Sciences

Faculty Advisor

Sean Carrington

Start Date

1-10-2020 2:00 PM

End Date

1-10-2020 3:00 PM

Abstract

A plant exploration expedition organized by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) targeted the Caribbean Islands and the Guianas between December 31, 1931 and April 1, 1932. The trip was led by famous botanist Dr. David Fairchild and was the first major expedition arranged to the Caribbean region by this federal agency. Two other agriculture scientists joined this plant collecting enterprise; namely, Leonard R. Toy (from University of Florida); and Harold Frederick and Palemon H. Dorsett (both from the USDA). This poster focuses on the documents and photos pertinent to this endeavor. They are housed in the US National Archives at College Station, Maryland and the Library and Archives of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Herbarium specimens were also collected, and they are found in the US National Herbarium, Smithsonian Institution. The three main aims of this expedition were: (1) wild collections of the sea-island cotton, (2) palms, (3) plants with horticultural value for South Florida. All documents and photos are being scanned and organized. These images are being uploaded in one of the webpages of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (https://www.fairchildgarden.org/about-fairchild/mission-history/online-supplementary-data-for-research-publications). As an example of the outcomes of this Caribbean expedition, we provide highlights of the activities conducted in the Lesser Antilles.

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Oct 1st, 2:00 PM Oct 1st, 3:00 PM

The first plant exploration expedition (1931-1932) of the USDA to the Caribbean Islands

A plant exploration expedition organized by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) targeted the Caribbean Islands and the Guianas between December 31, 1931 and April 1, 1932. The trip was led by famous botanist Dr. David Fairchild and was the first major expedition arranged to the Caribbean region by this federal agency. Two other agriculture scientists joined this plant collecting enterprise; namely, Leonard R. Toy (from University of Florida); and Harold Frederick and Palemon H. Dorsett (both from the USDA). This poster focuses on the documents and photos pertinent to this endeavor. They are housed in the US National Archives at College Station, Maryland and the Library and Archives of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Herbarium specimens were also collected, and they are found in the US National Herbarium, Smithsonian Institution. The three main aims of this expedition were: (1) wild collections of the sea-island cotton, (2) palms, (3) plants with horticultural value for South Florida. All documents and photos are being scanned and organized. These images are being uploaded in one of the webpages of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (https://www.fairchildgarden.org/about-fairchild/mission-history/online-supplementary-data-for-research-publications). As an example of the outcomes of this Caribbean expedition, we provide highlights of the activities conducted in the Lesser Antilles.