Background

Cyrus Pringle is best known to botany as the founder of the Pringle Herbarium (VT), since 1902 at University of Vermont, and for an unparalleled botanizing career in Mexico between 1885 and his death in 1911. This portion of his career formed the basis for a biography published in 1936 {1}. Less well known is the history of Pringle's earliest commissions, from 1881 to 1884. He began what became annual trips to the western United States by collecting wood specimens on behalf of Charles Sargent, as Sargent prepared the U.S. Census of American Forests and coordinated collecting for an exhibit of American woods mounted by the American Museum of Natural History {2}. At the same time, Pringle collected plants for Asa Gray at Harvard, who continued to expand and revise his Synoptical Flora of North America; sent specimens to botanists specializing in such groups as ferns, grasses, sedges, lichens, fungi, and algae; and collected sets for distribution and sale. Pringle spent portions of four field seasons in southern Arizona, during which time he explored several of its Sky Islands, the surrounding Sonoran Desert upland, and intervening riparian bottomlands.

{1} Davis, H. B. [Helen Burns] 1936. Life and Work of Cyrus Guernsey Pringle. University of Vermont, Burlington.
{2} Sutton, S. B. [Silvia Barry] 1970. Charles Sprague Sargent and the Arnold Arboretum. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.

Catalogue

At present, there number in excess of 1250 collections in Cyrus Pringle's Arizona catalogue. The assemblage includes at least 135 type specimens from Arizona. Nomenclature and synonymy follow a combination of taxonomic databases and literature, with priority for nomenclature employed at the University of Arizona Herbarium (ARIZ).

The construction of Pringle's catalogue from herbarium specimens has been accompanied by an extensive review of major botanical literature, including journals, annual and occasional serials, monographs, and floras. Citations in the literature have been cross-referenced with herbarium specimens when at all feasible. Catalogue entries for which Pringle's Arizona specimens have been cited in the literature include abbreviated citations (refer to Index of Botanical Publications for full reference titles).

Standard database information and images for Pringle's specimens are presented by plant family. Image thumbnails appear with each database record and link to full-size files (requires Java, and browser must allow pop-up windows). Separate pages will be devoted to the Vascular Plants, Bryophytes, and Lichens, Algae, & Fungi comprising the catalogue.

Please note: The process of assembling, cross-referencing, and updating Pringle's catalogue is ongoing. This site will eventually contain a full accounting of the plants he collected in Arizona in the years 1881-1884. Examples are available through through the Vascular Plant family index. Other families will be added periodically. Most recent additions: Monday, February 25 , 2008.

Images

Representatives of nearly all of the vascular plant specimens, and a sample of the non-vascular plants, in Pringle's Arizona catalogue were photographed at the University of Vermont's Pringle Herbarium. Images were acquired in native high-resolution TIFF format (1704x2560 pixels, 300 dpi) using a Nikon 5700 CoolPix digital camera. Lighting was achieved using four 26W (120W incandescent equivalent) full-spectrum (5500K) fluorescent lamps, supplemented by a low-intensity fill flash from the camera. The camera was supported by a fully adjustable boom, and its position was fine-tuned while a circular level rested on the back of the camera. The camera was set on aperture priority mode (F 7.5, ASA 100), and was allowed to focus automatically in focus confirmation mode. Exposure times varied depending on the specimen, but generally were 1/60-1/125 seconds. Saturation control was set to maximum and image sharpening was set to high.

The imaging process began with a series of lighting experiments and continued to provide opportunities for adjustment and modification. Highly dimensional and very flat specimens presented challenges, as did the range of paper types encountered with these historic specimens. Improvement was the rule over the course of making nearly 2000 exposures; nonetheless, some specimens remained recalcitrant and their images may, in one way or another, fail to do justice to Pringle's originals.

Post-acquisition image processing was performed in Adobe Photoshop CS, and involved the following steps: the original dark background of the copy stand was converted to black; 'auto contrast' was applied to the area of the specimen sheet within the image; TIFF images were converted to smaller JPEG files using the Save for Web function (image quality 30). The original TIFF images are archived separately.

Notice regarding image use: The images in this Web site may be downloaded, printed, and projected for research, educational, and other non-commercial purposes. Images may not be posted or linked to directly by other web sites. All uses of images must cite this Web page, and must credit the photographer (Kathryn Mauz, 2004) and the Pringle Herbarium at University of Vermont where the specimens are housed.

Acknowledgements

Collections and facilities at the Pringle Herbarium (University of Vermont) were generously made available by its director, Dr. David S. Barrington. Travel to herbarium collections has been supported by the Office of Arid Land Studies (University of Arizona) and by the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society. Database assistance has been contributed by Edward Gilbert (University of Arizona Herbarium). This Web site is hosted by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (University of Arizona).