August 31, 2011

TROY professors showcase research in new book
 

TROY -- The work of two Troy University professors will have an impact on conservation for decades to come.

Dr. Michael Woods, professor of botany and curator of the Troy Herbarium, and Dr. Alvin Diamond, assistant professor of biology, curator of the Troy Herbarium and director of the Arboretum, are co-authors of "The Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Alabama."

The book, which features the work of not only Woods and Diamond but six other experts from across the state, is the first comprehensive statewide checklist of vascular plants to be produced since 1901, and includes notes on rarity, nativity and selected synonyms. The combined total of 3,743 species and 1,120 genera in 204 families indicates considerable floristic variety and elevates Alabama high among states with great overall plant diversity

"It is exciting to know this book will be the baseline for all botanical studies conducted in Alabama for at least the next half-century," Woods said. "As plant research and discovery in Alabama continues forward, this list will prove useful to botanists, conservation biologists, ecologists and anyone interested in or working on vascular plants in Alabama."

Diamond said this book represents a tremendous amount of work to document the incredible diversity of plant life in Alabama.

"It will be an invaluable reference for anyone interested in plant biology and conservation for years to come," he said.