ENHS Nature Trails October 2003 Article 1

This month's speaker: Bryan Dutton

If you like the melodrama of wind and abandonment, you'll certainly enjoy Dr. Bryan Dutton's slide talk on the Anemone Friday evening. The word anemone is derived from the Greek anemo meaning wind. Many of you know some of our native Lane County Anemone (deltoidea, drummondii, lyalli, oregana and occidentalis) as windflowers. The French, however, like to equate certain anemone with abandonment, perhaps because the petals easily fall away in the wind. We're fortunate in Oregon to not only have so many representatives of the genus, but also fortunate to have an internationally recognized authority on the genus at Western Oregon University (WOU), Dr. Bryan Dutton.

As a child, after moving to Oregon, Bryan spent many hours wandering his family's farm, exploring and poking at things as kids are wont to do. He was usually by himself, asking his own questions, finding his own answers--a good beginning for a scientist. His father shared his own interests in nature with Bryan, but childhood teachers, unfortunately, offered little inspiration to the budding scientist. Finally, when Bryan got off to college, his undergraduate experience, professors and friends, launched him firmly into the field of biology. One professor, Morris Johnson, perhaps inspired him the most to pursue the study of botany. His experiences at WOU, and especially his field work in China in 1989 and the Ukraine in 1997, became the catalysts for his ongoing research and teaching career, and for his enthusiasm with the "remarkable Anemone." His doctoral thesis work included a systematic revision of a section within Anemone.

Some researchers spend most of their time in the laboratory or in front of the computer, but Bryan's interest in hiking and his ability with the camera, keep him in the out-of-doors for much of his work as well as his leisure. He serves as a coadvisor to the Western Oregon University Natural Science Club, mentoring on field trips: the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (typically twice a year since 1998), Death Valley (spring 2000 and 2003) and The Colorado Plateau. Bryan has undergraduate B.S. degrees in both Biology and Secondary Education from Western Oregon University. He earned his M.S. in Biology from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and his Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he also received The Carroll E. Cox Graduate Student Research Award in Botany, 1990, and The Jane M. Prichard Graduate Student Teaching Award in Botany, 1988. In addition he was the Outstanding Advisor to ASWOU Clubs and Organizations, 2001-2002, WOU, and a Faculty Fellow, 1999-2002, with the Oregon Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (OCEPT).

Bryan currently teaches, writes and continues his research at WOU where he is Associate Professor of Biology and Head of the Department of Biology. He is a coauthor on the Anemone treatment for Flora of North America and the soon to be published Anemone treatment for Flora of China. In addition, he has published several systematic papers on Anemone and Ranunculaceae. He continues his research on Ranunculaceae at Western Oregon University and is currently working on a collaborative, coauthored worldwide monograph of Anemone.

Pasque flower now an Anemone? The genus Anemone (family Ranunculaceae) consists of 70-90 species of perennial, low growing herbs, with considerable morphological variation. Anemone are most numerous in the Northern Hemisphere, but also occur in mountainous and cooler regions of the Southern Hemisphere. They occupy a wide range of habitats, including arctic and alpine tundra, prairie, woodlands, Mediterranean regions, and semidesert. Considerable controversy exists as to the relationship of the genera Pulsatilla, Hepatica, and Knowltonia (South Africa) to Anemone. Molecular evidence indicates that all these genera should be included within Anemone (the only exception may be Hepatica). (Editor's Note: This information is quoted from the web site: http://www.uwm.edu/People/hoot/anem.html)

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