BOTANICAL EXPLORATIONS IN THE AMERICAN WEST - 1889-1989 - AN ESSAY ON THE LAST CENTURY OF A FLORISTIC FRONTIER

For many Americans the term "frontier" evokes images of cowboys and Indians, but for historians the "frontier hypothesis" is an explanation of the movement and evolution of people and institutions over time from settled urban areas into unexplored regions of remote wilderness. The hypothesis is predictive and may be applied to botanical explorations, the development of floristics models, and the evolution of systematic institutions. The earliest naturalists were lone generalists; they were followed by institutionally sponsored collectors in organized expeditionary groups. These naturalists typically presented their discoveries to urban-situated "professionals," who published the results. With the settlement of the frontier came local naturalists who published their own discoveries. Published floras evolved over time as each region became settled, with more details being included as the native plants became better known. Initially the first floras were expansive and general. These were followed by concise, descriptive local manuals, which evolved into multivolumed illustrated regional floras with a monographic format. The frontier hypothesis predicts that there should be a westward movement of institutional power caused by increased conservatism in the established eastern institutions coupled with a movement of talented people closer to the frontier. The hypothesis also states that when the frontier ends, there should be a rapid maturation of all institutions along with a reduction in their numbers, more specialization in their missions, a concentration of wealth and power to a few, and a greater uniformity of ideas expressed by all. The key to the future of systematic botany is to fight the tendency to suppress new ideas. With the end of the botanical frontier in the continental United States, the systematic community must decide how it will consolidate its institutions, what its missions will be, and how it will attempt to remain creative.