The colony of Virginia had the first flora, a listing and descriptions of the plants of an area, of any of the 13 colonies. The first edition of the Flora Virginica appeared in two parts in 1739 and 1743, with the second edition in 1762. In 2012, 250 years after this second edition of Flora Virginica, the Foundation of the Flora of Virginia Project published the modern Flora of Virginia. Following the manual’s publication, in 2017 the Flora of Virginia App became available and has had several updates since then. The Flora of Virginia App also covers most of the flora of Maryland. Maryland and Virginia share similar geology, landforms, major trends of plant evolution, and climate; both are experiencing changes in flora due to climate change.
In this presentation Marion Lobstein, a cofounder of the Foundation of the Flora of Virginia Project, will share the story of the development and the future of these resources. She will also comment on publications on the flora of Maryland in the 1984 Herbaceous Plants of Maryland and the 1972 Woody Plants of Maryland. The usefulness of such resources to document changes in our flora will also be discussed.
Marion Lobstein is a Professor Emeritus at Northern Virginia Community College. Her academic degrees include a BSEd (Biology) from Western Carolina University, MAT from UNC-Chapel Hill, and MS in Biology from George Mason University. She is a founding board member of the Flora of Virginia Project and served on that board for 20 years. As a founding Board and Life Member of the Virginia Native Plant Society, co-author of Finding Wildflowers in the Washington-Baltimore Area, and a tour leader for the Smithsonian Resident Associates Program which included field trips in Maryland as well as DC and Virginia, Marion is familiar with the flora of Maryland.
