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Variation and Evolution in Plants and Microorganisms Toward a New Synthesis 50 Years After Stebbins (2000) / Chapter Skim
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1 G. Ledyard Stebbins (1906-2000) -- An Appreciation
Pages 3-5

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From page 3...
... During those years, he was, by his own account, shy and relatively unpopular; but he learned to ride horseback, explored the Santa Ynez Mountains, and fell under the influence of the botanist Ralph Hoffmann, who taught him much about the plants and natural history of that lovely area. Enrolling in Harvard University in 1924, Ledyard at first had difficulty defining his major, but the summer between his freshman and sophomore years was spent investigating the plants around Bar Harbor, Maine, the family home, and brought him into contact with Edgar T
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From page 4...
... With an associate, Professor Percy Sanders, he undertook the cytogenetic study of Paeonia, which was the first of a series of essentially biosystematic investigations of diverse plant groups that were to characterize the remainder of his research career. During this time, he discovered complex structural heterozygosity in the western North American species of the genus, an exciting find that was to fuel his enthusiasm for further cytogenetic investigations.
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From page 5...
... He also began investigating grasses, first Bromus and then Triticeae, with the objective of developing perennial grasses that would provide forage on the dry rangelands of California, and which eventually led to his extensive studies of the genus Dactylis, which he pursued throughout its native range in western Eurasia and North Africa in the decades to follow. Never successful, this quest nonetheless led Stebbins to many interesting discoveries, and broadened the scope of his knowledge of the details of evolution in plants in such a way as to expand the coverage of and insights provided in his landmark book.
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