Dickson, J. F.

Yeiser, Jimmie L.

English

UARK (University of Arkansas )

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science Volume 41 Article 31 1987 Woody Plants of South Arkansas: Computer Aided Instruction in Dendrology J. F. Dickson University of Arkansas at Monticello Jimmie L. Yeiser University of Arkansas at Monticello Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas  Part of the Botany Commons, and the Forest Biology Commons Recommended Citation Dickson, J. F. and Yeiser, Jimmie L. (1987) "Woody Plants of South Arkansas: Computer Aided Instruction in Dendrology," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 41 , Article 31. Available at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol41/iss1/31 This article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able to read, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This General Note is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu. 102Proceedings Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 41, 1987IGeneral NotesCOX, G. W. 1985. Laboratory manual of general ecology. 5th Ed.Wm. C. Brown Co., Dubuque, IA. 248 pp.FULMER, R. F., and G. L. HARP. 1977. The fishes of Crowley'sRidge in Arkansas. Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 31:42-45.HARP, G. L.1985. A synopsis of the Hydrometridae of Arkansas.Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 39:130-131.POOLE, R. W. 1974. An introduction to quantitative ecology.McGraw-Hill Book Co. New York, NY. 532 pp.SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE. 1978. Soil survey of ClayCounty, Arkansas. U.S. Dept. Agric. Little Rock, AR. 92 pp.WALKER,E. M.1953. Odonata ofCanada and Alaska. Vol. I.Univ.Toronto Press. 292 pp.WILHM,J. L., and T. C. DORRIS. 1968. Biological parameters forwater quality criteria. BioSci. 18(6):477-481.KAYCARGILLand GEORGE L.HARP, Dept. ofBiological Sciences, Arkansas State University, State University, AR 72467. (Current addressfor KC isDept. ofBotany and Microbiology, Univ. of Arkansas-Fay etteville, Fayetteville, AR 72701.)NEW COUNTY RECORDS OF ARKANSAS VASCULAR FLORAFROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS HERBARIUMA search of specimens in the Vascular Plant Herbarium ofthe University of Central Arkansas was conducted from 1983 to the present tocompile records not documented by Smith (1978) in his Atlas and Annotated List of the Vascular Plants ofArkansas nor in his five supplements(Smith, 1986). Asa result, 916 new county records were located. They represent 650 species in 112 families located in46 counties throughout Arkan-sas. Most records, however, are from Faulkner County or the central part ofthe state. Of special note is one specimen, Lathyrus aphaca L. fromPulaski County. This is an Asian species which Smith (pers. communication) says may represent a waifand may not persist. This yellow floweredlegume was collected from a field near a house in Little Rock where it was growing profusely on May 16, 1971.These species/county occurrence records add to the plant distribution ofa geographical area and are important steps toward the publicationofa manual of vascular plants, a work that is yet to be completed for Arkansas. This listing ofrecords can be found in the Arkansas Native PlantSociety Occasional Papers No. 7.A University ofCentral Arkansas Faculty Research Grant (#212-158-1601) provided partial financial assistance for this project. Iappreciatethe able assistance of Gwen Barber and student workers, including Alice Long, who spent many hours in the herbarium.LITERATURE CITEDCULWELL, D. E. 1987. Additions to the Atlas and Annotated Listofthe Vascular Plants of Arkansas. Ark. Native Plant Soc. Occa-sional Papers #7. 25 pp.SMITH, E. B. 1978. An Atlas and Annotated List of the VascularPlants ofArkansas. Univ.of Ark.Bookstore, Fayetteville. 592 pp.SMITH,E. B. 1986. Additions, Deletions and Corrections for the Atlasand Annotated Listof the Vascular Plants ofArkansas. Ark. NativePlant Soc. Occasional Papers (1 - 5). (Supplement #1 [reprintedfrom 1979] 22 pp; Supplement #2 [reprinted from 1980] 12 pp; Sup-plement #3 [reprinted from 1981] 10 pp; Supplement #4 [reprintedfrom 1982] 18 pp; Supplement #5, 22 pp.)DONALD E. CULWELL, Biology Department, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR 72032.WOODY PLANTS OF SOUTH ARKANSAS:COMPUTER AIDED INSTRUCTION INDENDROLOGYThe objective ofthis paper is to introduce a program forApple IIcomputers designed to supplement existing instruction in the identificationof woody plants and their corresponding common and scientific names. At many universities dendrology is a sophomore level course introducingmajors to the identification, classification, and nomenclature of woody plants ofthe forest. Laboratory fieldexercises reinforce concepts presentedduring lecture and introduce advanced concepts from upper level courses. In this manner, dendrology establishes a foundation through formaland informal instruction leading to the successful completion of the dendrology course and subsequent upper level courses. For example, at theUniversity of Arkansas at Monticello, each weekly trip introduces students to one of Arkansas' many varied habitats and approximately 15 forestspecies of woody plants. These species are described botanically, related to the unique characteristics of the site, and presented as a member ofa dynamic and complex forest community valued forits products and intangible amenities. After a few weeks of study, students have (1) acquiredan appreciation of forest species as members of the broader plant community, (2) participated in the consumptive and nonconsumptive uses ofthe forest, and (3) observed patterns inphenotypic variation explained by concepts from synecology, autecology, and genetics which are appliedto forest management during courses insilviculture, tree improvement, and forest recreation. For these reasons dendrology initiates the foundationfor advanced study in forest resources management and is the base on which professional careers are built. The ability to recognize and identifythe forest resource is fundamental to appreciation, advanced study, and professional development in forestry.Laboratory exercises in dendrology are designed to encompass as many different habitats, forest communities, and species as possible. Sometimessites selected for field study require traveling 40 or more miles from campus. Students needing additional out-of-class review with limited availabletime for study or lacking personal transportation may encounter difficultyreturning to a laboratory site. Consequently, an inexpensive and effec-102Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 41 [1987], Art. 31Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 1987Proceedings Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 41, 1987 103Arkansas Academy of Sciencetive means of collectively presenting species from diverse habitats for review and study by students is needed. Computer graphics offer a partialsolution to this problem.Woody Plants ofSouth Arkansas presents graphic images of leaf silhouettes from 120 species of woody plants native to southern Arkansas.Alleaf images and botanical characteristics needed for. identification were created withComputer Colorworks' Digital Paintbrush System (Figure1). These images were incorporated intoa BASICprogram which presents questions requiring students toenter both a common and a scientific name.I LEAF ARRANGEMENT: ALTERNATE, SIMPLE(A LEAF MARGIN: 5-7 LOBED, SEPARATED BY¦ hN DEEP SINUSES.6 r^/U / GENERAL APPEARANCE: LUSTROUS DARK GREENV V \\/V/ S^H ABOVE, PALER BELOWV$^K V //Z WITH AXJLLARY TUFTS.5J\\M i}-/' LEAF SHAPE: OBOVATE1 VEINS SHOWING\ AXILLARY TUFTS1 2 3 4 5 6SCALE IN INCHESCOMMON NAMEFigure 1.Monitor screen showing common name inquiry prior to userinput.Table 1. Editorial symbols employed by Woody Plants of SouthArkansas to aid students in correcting their response.Symbol Error explannticExtra characterWrong characterfc_ Missing character before her_J .... Missing character alter heX .... Wrong wordjfa .... Word missingThe program begins when the diskette is placed in the disk drive and the computer is turned on. The instructions for operation are thendisplayed. Once the student has read the instructions he is prompted to press the RETURN key to begin. As with many other programs designedfor use on Apple computers, the RETURN key signifies the end of a user input. A randomly selected leaf slide is displayed and the student isasked to input the common name of the species. The student's response is evaluated for accuracy and, ifthe response is correct, adds a pointto his score. Ifthe answer is incorrect the computer will allow a second or third attempt. However, ifthe first response is incorrect the studentcannot change the score by a correct second or third response. Ifthe answer is spelled incorrectly, editorial symbols (Table 1) appear on the screento aid the student in correcting the answer. The same series of questions and responses are then repeated substituting Latin names for commonnames. After three attempts the computer provides the correct answer and advances to the next species. The same sequence is repeated for allspecies on the diskette. After all of the species have been attempted, the student's score is displayed along with instructions for more study ofthe same diskette or another of the 13 diskettes.The program has many strengths as well as weaknesses. This program is user friendlyand encourages computer literacy early in the studentscollegiate career. The program is not only applicable to forestry students taking dendrology, but also botany students, plant taxonomy students,vo-tech students, and even Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. A major strength is that the program will check the student's spelling for mistakes, anduses editorial symbols tomark the mistakes. The student is then given the opportunity to enter the correct answer. Another strength ofthe programis that itscores the student's first response, as itwould be graded ona laboratory quiz. The student is allowed three chances at correct identificationof the species before he is given the correct spelling of the common or scientific name. The program is written such that an infinite number ofquestions may be substituted for the current questions, however, the space on the video screen limits the length of questions. Another advantageis that the program was developed for the Apple IIseries computers, which are reasonably inexpensive, come with graphics capabilities standard,and are found in many high schools and universities.One of the major weaknesses of the program is the resolution deficiency of the Apple IIseries of personal computers. This lack of resolutionlimits the amount of detail that may be shown in the leaf silhouettes. This is a particular problem for finely serrate leaf margins or elliptical leafshapes. Since the program is written for a 5!4 inch disk drive system, space on a given disk is limited to approximately 10 individual "slides",which is an inconvenience ifthe student wishes to review all of the species at one time. Since all of the species cannot be contained on one disk,a cumulative score is not possible. More information than just leaf characteristics is needed to identify many species such as ashes and hickories;however, the lack of resolution makes the inclusion of twig or bark characteristics on the slide very difficult.Inconclusion, Woody Plants ofSouth Arkansas is a user friendly computer program written for the Apple IIseries of personal computers.This program is intended to supplement formal instruction in woody plant identification. Programmed instruction enables infrequent users of thecomputer to easily access over 120 species for study. Leaf shapes and botanical descriptions are computer generated and the user queried for theappropriate name. The program may be adapted to present a variety of questions pertaining to the species.This program is available to the public. Interested individuals may acquire this program by sending 13, 514 inch diskettes to Yeiser at theaddress which follows.J-F. DICKSON, andJ. L. YEISER, Department ofForest Resources, University ofArkansas at Monticello, P.O. Box3468, Monticello, AR 71655.103Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 41 [1987], Art. 31https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol41/iss1/31

Woody Plants of South Arkansas: Computer Aided Instruction in Dendrology

ScholarWorks@UARK

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of ScienceVolume 41 Article 311987Woody Plants of South Arkansas: Computer AidedInstruction in DendrologyJ. F. DicksonUniversity of Arkansas at MonticelloJimmie L. YeiserUniversity of Arkansas at MonticelloFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaasPart of the Botany Commons, and the Forest Biology CommonsThis article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able toread, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking priorpermission from the publisher or the author.This General Note is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the ArkansasAcademy of Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu, ccmiddle@uark.edu.Recommended CitationDickson, J. F. and Yeiser, Jimmie L. (1987) "Woody Plants of South Arkansas: Computer Aided Instruction in Dendrology," Journal ofthe Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 41 , Article 31.Available at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol41/iss1/31102Proceedings Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 41, 1987IGeneral NotesCOX, G. W. 1985. Laboratory manual of general ecology. 5th Ed.Wm. C. Brown Co., Dubuque, IA. 248 pp.FULMER, R. F., and G. L. HARP. 1977. The fishes of Crowley'sRidge in Arkansas. Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 31:42-45.HARP, G. L.1985. A synopsis of the Hydrometridae of Arkansas.Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 39:130-131.POOLE, R. W. 1974. An introduction to quantitative ecology.McGraw-Hill Book Co. New York, NY. 532 pp.SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE. 1978. Soil survey of ClayCounty, Arkansas. U.S. Dept. Agric. Little Rock, AR. 92 pp.WALKER,E. M.1953. Odonata ofCanada and Alaska. Vol. I.Univ.Toronto Press. 292 pp.WILHM,J. L., and T. C. DORRIS. 1968. Biological parameters forwater quality criteria. BioSci. 18(6):477-481.KAYCARGILLand GEORGE L.HARP, Dept. ofBiological Sciences, Arkansas State University, State University, AR 72467. (Current addressfor KC isDept. ofBotany and Microbiology, Univ. of Arkansas-Fay etteville, Fayetteville, AR 72701.)NEW COUNTY RECORDS OF ARKANSAS VASCULAR FLORAFROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS HERBARIUMA search of specimens in the Vascular Plant Herbarium ofthe University of Central Arkansas was conducted from 1983 to the present tocompile records not documented by Smith (1978) in his Atlas and Annotated List of the Vascular Plants ofArkansas nor in his five supplements(Smith, 1986). Asa result, 916 new county records were located. They represent 650 species in 112 families located in46 counties throughout Arkan-sas. Most records, however, are from Faulkner County or the central part ofthe state. Of special note is one specimen, Lathyrus aphaca L. fromPulaski County. This is an Asian species which Smith (pers. communication) says may represent a waifand may not persist. This yellow floweredlegume was collected from a field near a house in Little Rock where it was growing profusely on May 16, 1971.These species/county occurrence records add to the plant distribution ofa geographical area and are important steps toward the publicationofa manual of vascular plants, a work that is yet to be completed for Arkansas. This listing ofrecords can be found in the Arkansas Native PlantSociety Occasional Papers No. 7.A University ofCentral Arkansas Faculty Research Grant (#212-158-1601) provided partial financial assistance for this project. Iappreciatethe able assistance of Gwen Barber and student workers, including Alice Long, who spent many hours in the herbarium.LITERATURE CITEDCULWELL, D. E. 1987. Additions to the Atlas and Annotated Listofthe Vascular Plants of Arkansas. Ark. Native Plant Soc. Occa-sional Papers #7. 25 pp.SMITH, E. B. 1978. An Atlas and Annotated List of the VascularPlants ofArkansas. Univ.of Ark.Bookstore, Fayetteville. 592 pp.SMITH,E. B. 1986. Additions, Deletions and Corrections for the Atlasand Annotated Listof the Vascular Plants ofArkansas. Ark. NativePlant Soc. Occasional Papers (1 - 5). (Supplement #1 [reprintedfrom 1979] 22 pp; Supplement #2 [reprinted from 1980] 12 pp; Sup-plement #3 [reprinted from 1981] 10 pp; Supplement #4 [reprintedfrom 1982] 18 pp; Supplement #5, 22 pp.)DONALD E. CULWELL, Biology Department, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR 72032.WOODY PLANTS OF SOUTH ARKANSAS:COMPUTER AIDED INSTRUCTION INDENDROLOGYThe objective ofthis paper is to introduce a program forApple IIcomputers designed to supplement existing instruction in the identificationof woody plants and their corresponding common and scientific names. At many universities dendrology is a sophomore level course introducingmajors to the identification, classification, and nomenclature of woody plants ofthe forest. Laboratory fieldexercises reinforce concepts presentedduring lecture and introduce advanced concepts from upper level courses. In this manner, dendrology establishes a foundation through formaland informal instruction leading to the successful completion of the dendrology course and subsequent upper level courses. For example, at theUniversity of Arkansas at Monticello, each weekly trip introduces students to one of Arkansas' many varied habitats and approximately 15 forestspecies of woody plants. These species are described botanically, related to the unique characteristics of the site, and presented as a member ofa dynamic and complex forest community valued forits products and intangible amenities. After a few weeks of study, students have (1) acquiredan appreciation of forest species as members of the broader plant community, (2) participated in the consumptive and nonconsumptive uses ofthe forest, and (3) observed patterns inphenotypic variation explained by concepts from synecology, autecology, and genetics which are appliedto forest management during courses insilviculture, tree improvement, and forest recreation. For these reasons dendrology initiates the foundationfor advanced study in forest resources management and is the base on which professional careers are built. The ability to recognize and identifythe forest resource is fundamental to appreciation, advanced study, and professional development in forestry.Laboratory exercises in dendrology are designed to encompass as many different habitats, forest communities, and species as possible. Sometimessites selected for field study require traveling 40 or more miles from campus. Students needing additional out-of-class review with limited availabletime for study or lacking personal transportation may encounter difficultyreturning to a laboratory site. Consequently, an inexpensive and effec-102Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 41 [1987], Art. 31Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 1987Proceedings Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 41, 1987 103Arkansas Academy of Sciencetive means of collectively presenting species from diverse habitats for review and study by students is needed. Computer graphics offer a partialsolution to this problem.Woody Plants ofSouth Arkansas presents graphic images of leaf silhouettes from 120 species of woody plants native to southern Arkansas.Alleaf images and botanical characteristics needed for. identification were created withComputer Colorworks' Digital Paintbrush System (Figure1). These images were incorporated intoa BASICprogram which presents questions requiring students toenter both a common and a scientific name.I LEAF ARRANGEMENT: ALTERNATE, SIMPLE(A LEAF MARGIN: 5-7 LOBED, SEPARATED BY¦ hN DEEP SINUSES.6 r^/U / GENERAL APPEARANCE: LUSTROUS DARK GREENV V \\/V/ S^H ABOVE, PALER BELOWV$^K V //Z WITH AXJLLARY TUFTS.5J\\M i}-/' LEAF SHAPE: OBOVATE1 VEINS SHOWING\ AXILLARY TUFTS1 2 3 4 5 6SCALE IN INCHESCOMMON NAMEFigure 1.Monitor screen showing common name inquiry prior to userinput.Table 1. Editorial symbols employed by Woody Plants of SouthArkansas to aid students in correcting their response.Symbol Error explannticExtra characterWrong characterfc_ Missing character before her_J .... Missing character alter heX .... Wrong wordjfa .... Word missingThe program begins when the diskette is placed in the disk drive and the computer is turned on. The instructions for operation are thendisplayed. Once the student has read the instructions he is prompted to press the RETURN key to begin. As with many other programs designedfor use on Apple computers, the RETURN key signifies the end of a user input. A randomly selected leaf slide is displayed and the student isasked to input the common name of the species. The student's response is evaluated for accuracy and, ifthe response is correct, adds a pointto his score. Ifthe answer is incorrect the computer will allow a second or third attempt. However, ifthe first response is incorrect the studentcannot change the score by a correct second or third response. Ifthe answer is spelled incorrectly, editorial symbols (Table 1) appear on the screento aid the student in correcting the answer. The same series of questions and responses are then repeated substituting Latin names for commonnames. After three attempts the computer provides the correct answer and advances to the next species. The same sequence is repeated for allspecies on the diskette. After all of the species have been attempted, the student's score is displayed along with instructions for more study ofthe same diskette or another of the 13 diskettes.The program has many strengths as well as weaknesses. This program is user friendlyand encourages computer literacy early in the studentscollegiate career. The program is not only applicable to forestry students taking dendrology, but also botany students, plant taxonomy students,vo-tech students, and even Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. A major strength is that the program will check the student's spelling for mistakes, anduses editorial symbols tomark the mistakes. The student is then given the opportunity to enter the correct answer. Another strength ofthe programis that itscores the student's first response, as itwould be graded ona laboratory quiz. The student is allowed three chances at correct identificationof the species before he is given the correct spelling of the common or scientific name. The program is written such that an infinite number ofquestions may be substituted for the current questions, however, the space on the video screen limits the length of questions. Another advantageis that the program was developed for the Apple IIseries computers, which are reasonably inexpensive, come with graphics capabilities standard,and are found in many high schools and universities.One of the major weaknesses of the program is the resolution deficiency of the Apple IIseries of personal computers. This lack of resolutionlimits the amount of detail that may be shown in the leaf silhouettes. This is a particular problem for finely serrate leaf margins or elliptical leafshapes. Since the program is written for a 5!4 inch disk drive system, space on a given disk is limited to approximately 10 individual "slides",which is an inconvenience ifthe student wishes to review all of the species at one time. Since all of the species cannot be contained on one disk,a cumulative score is not possible. More information than just leaf characteristics is needed to identify many species such as ashes and hickories;however, the lack of resolution makes the inclusion of twig or bark characteristics on the slide very difficult.Inconclusion, Woody Plants ofSouth Arkansas is a user friendly computer program written for the Apple IIseries of personal computers.This program is intended to supplement formal instruction in woody plant identification. Programmed instruction enables infrequent users of thecomputer to easily access over 120 species for study. Leaf shapes and botanical descriptions are computer generated and the user queried for theappropriate name. The program may be adapted to present a variety of questions pertaining to the species.This program is available to the public. Interested individuals may acquire this program by sending 13, 514 inch diskettes to Yeiser at theaddress which follows.J- F. DICKSON, andJ. L. YEISER, Department ofForest Resources, University ofArkansas at Monticello, P.O. Box3468, Monticello, AR 71655.103Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 41 [1987], Art. 31http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol41/iss1/31

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Woody Plants of South Arkansas: Computer Aided Instruction in Dendrology

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