12-Apr-1999:

Recent activity has focused on the Pinaceae, thanks in large part to numerous contributions I have received from Michael Frankis, a dedicated British conifer taxonomist. I have also received help and encouragement from a wide variety of other scientists interested (almost exclusively) in the conifers -- few people seem interested in the 'oddities' of Ephedra, Gnetum and Welwitschia, while cycad lovers are a breed apart, dominated almost exclusively by collectors and breeders. The Cycad Pages, a site rather similar to the Gymnosperm Database, is now available online. It is dedicated exclusively to cycads and is run by Ken Hill, one of the premier cycad taxonomists. For this reason I have put very little effort into further developing the cycad portion of the site.

Another theme on the site has been making 'legal'. In the past, I posted printed information protected by copyrights. This is a widespread practice on the Net and is largely ignored by the Authorities as long as the information is not being used for commercial purposes. However, the long-term trend is toward enforcement of copyright regulations. In response, I have gradually been removing all copyrighted material and replacing it with material written by myself or by contributors, and I have been seeking permission for use of particularly good images.

30-Nov-1998:

Much has happened in the last four months. The database has been moving to an actual database format, resulting in much greater standardization. There have been extensive revisions in the Pinaceae, including all of Larix, most of the smaller genera, and sizable chunks of the larger ones. I have particularly focussed on the genus Pinus, thanks largely to my acquisition of Farjon & Styles 1997 and Richardson 1998. I have also just finished a pretty complete revision of Dacrydium, and there have been extensive additions in all genera of the Araucariaceae. Conversely, the Gnetales and Cycads continue to receive short shrift, in the former case due to a paucity of data (though I have just acquired some promising material on wood anatomy) and in the latter simply because I'm swamped with trying to rough out the Conifers.

Also, the database has become sufficiently popular that I am continually being distracted by new and interesting ideas being sent my way. Lately, this has included information on Huon pine (Lagarostrobos franklinii), Pinus krempfii, and a bunch of big trees, notably the Coast Redwood, Sequoia sempervirens. Thanks to all contributors.

25-Jul-1998:

The Gymnosperm database is now in its third home. It started at
http://www/brigadoon.com/~earlecj/
and for some reason bits and pieces of it are still present at that address, and that address is still coming up in search engines. I left that address when Brigadoon.com went bankrupt and the service became extremely spotty. Then the database was briefly ported to
http://www.earthlink.net/~earlecj/
but the problem there was, only 6MB allowed for web pages, and that required removing a lot of the graphics on this site. So, I have most recently moved here, to GeoCities, where I have 25 MB of web space and thus room for expansion -- for at least a few more months. Enjoy!

12-Jun-1998:

In the near future, look for a list of threatened and endangered gymnosperm taxa and the completion of the taxonomic revision of Pinaceae. After that, I expect to move over to Cupressaceae of Africa (again drawing heavily on the work of Farjon and his colleagues), and that will probably get me through the summer.

The site continues to be graphics-poor, partly because of my server space problems but also because preparing text for the Web is considerably less time-consuming than preparing graphics, which typically require quite a lot of image optimization. The priority at this time is developing a fairly current taxonomic structure in place and providing descriptions and range information on all genera and species.

21-Feb-1998:

Since getting a scanner, there has been a sustained period of copying illustrations and descriptions. It's getting to the point where most of the database consists of verbatim quotes from various sources. This is rather useful when taxonomic ambiguities arise because it links a description to a clearly identified taxon. See Pinus luchuensis for an example.

I've also recently added some new features. Theres a list of genera that may help you find your taxon of interest until such time as I make the Database searchable. Incidentally, I'm making slow progress on the search feature and hope to have it online within a month or so. Finally, I've added a list of Topical essays that potentially pertain to a wide variety of taxa, such as a piece on determining tree ages.

The basic structure is in place for all taxa. Most taxa are represented by rather little text and no graphics. The most complete presentations can be found for species native to the U.S. and Canada. Less coverage is in place for Australasian species, the Cycadales, and much of the Cupressaceae. Lately, I've added a bunch of stuff on Asian conifers and assembled a relatively coherent picture of Podocarpaceae taxonomy (thanks mostly to the scholarship of David de Laubenfels. Would love to receive a copy of his 1982 article in Flora de Venezuela. If anyone would care to send data on the more obscure taxa (things like New Caledonian species, anything in Gnetum, monotypic Cupressaceae genera, central Asian species...), such information would be very welcome.

26-Nov-1997:

People sometimes write and say, "Who supports the database?" The answer is, I do. I have put the whole thing together, typing, scanning, or grabbing stuff off the Web; I don't get paid for this and I do pay for the disk space to store it all. Well, I now (26 Nov 1997) want to make it perfectly clear than any assistance would be welcomed. Here's a wish list:

• A place to put it all. I pay $1/megabyte/month for disk space, and considerations of economy are one thing that keeps this site graphics-poor. Donation of a permanent site (maybe even a URL!) on a stable server, such as an academic institution, would be much appreciated.
• Data! If anyone wants to take a taxon under their wing and do the research, write it up in standard format, and send it in -- I'll look it over, add it to the database, and credit the author. I've gotten e-mail from dendrology students who really like the site -- perhaps a dendrology class could take on contributing to the database as a project. If you have specialized knowledge, such as the dendrochronological use of a taxon or the aboriginal uses of it, that would also be welcome. Graphics are also welcome (especially if I ever get big server space).

This page is from the Gymnosperm Database
URL: http://www.geocities.com/~earlecj/newstuff.htm
Edited by Christopher J. Earle
E-mail:earlecj@earthlink.net
Last modified on 12-Apr-1999