Collecting Cacti and Other Stubborn Plants for Scientific Documentation

Spikes and spines and herbarium sheets! In this indoor, hands-on workshop, botanist and plant collection guru Dr. Marc Baker will demonstrate proper techniques for collecting and processing cacti and agaves. He will discuss collecting methodology, from documenting field data to accessioning herbarium specimens. Stick around after the workshop for a tour of NHI’s herbarium, featuring more than 9,000 individual plants (many of which were collected by Dr. Baker)!

Materials will be provided (yes, that means cacti and agave too!), but you may wish to bring your own sharp knife.

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Marc Baker earned his M.A. in Biology from Humboldt State University and his Ph.D. in Botany from Arizona State University. He has worked as a professional botanist for almost fifty years, with most of his professional work centered on the autoecology, taxonomy, and distribution of rare plant species, vegetation analysis and mapping, range analyses, and biological assessments. Dr. Baker maintains an academic career that focuses on the evolution and taxonomy of the Cactaceae, primarily Cylindropuntia, and has published numerous journal articles. Dr. Baker has created and maintained two research gardens to study native flora and promote the use of native plants in landscaping.