The UNC Herbarium seeks more information (particularly
a photographic portrait) on H. A. or Tyreeca Davis.
Please email Carol Ann McCormick mccormick@unc.edu
The University of North Carolina Herbarium
has databased approximately 2 dozen specimens collected by Hannibal
Albert Davis and spouse, Tyreeca Davis. No doubt more will be
found as databasing continues. The Davises usually signed their
specimens "Mr. and Mrs. H.A. Davis."
Davis' botanical interests included Rubus
and Viola. Rubus leggii was named by H. A. and
Tyreeca Davis in William Clarence Legg's honor (Davis, H.A. and
Tyreeca Davis. 1953. The genus Rubus in West Virginia.
CASTANEA 18(1): 1-31). "This species is dedicated to the
memory of the late William C. Legg, naturalist of Mount Lookout,
Nicholas County, West Virginia, whom we accompanied on several
pleasant and profitable field trips" (p. 27-28).
The Harvard Herbaria Database lists CM
(Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
USA) as a major repository for Davis' herbarium specimens, though
it seems likely that WVA (West Virginia University in Morgantown,
WV, USA) would have many as well.
A paper in CASTANEA in 1982 lists the address
for corresponding with H.A. and Tyreeca Davis as "Rt. 2,
Box 140, Freeport, Florida," where they presumably retired
after H. A. retired from the Mathematics faculty at West Virginia
University in Morgantown, WV.
Dr. Wayne Davis and Dr. Elizabeth Davis
Swiger established the H.A. and Tyreeca Davis Herbarium Endowment
at WVA in honor and memory of their parents.
Tyreeca Davis earned an A. B. (1926) and
an M.A. (1928; Thesis title "Periodic quadratic tranformations,
and quartic curves left invariant by them") in mathematics
from Cornell Unviersity.
Anonymous (1988) Davis Herbarium Goes to
Carnegie Museum. CASTANEA 53: 83.
The private herbarium of Hannibal A. and
Tyrecca E. Davis has been given to the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh.
This consists of a 10,000 sheet general collection with emphasis
on West Virginia, and 10,000 sheets of Rubus, mostly
from eastern North America. The Rubus material is the
basis for the Davis' (with A. M. Fuller) revision of the North
American Eubati (Castanea 1967, 32: 20-37; 1968,
33:50-76; 1969, 34: 157-179; 1969, 34: 235-266; 1970, 35: 176-194;
1982, 47: 216-219). Although it contains no types, this is the
most valuable collection extant to use in identifying an unknown
specimen. For each species the Davises had a "working type",
usually from the type locality or nearby, which they had carefully
compared to the type specimen. For many species names the type
is too poor to be recognizable: too immature; floricanes only;
primocanes only; parcifronds or novirames; a mixture of more than
one species, or other such problems. With considerable effort,
often observing at different stages of development and sometimes
growing the plants, they were able to prepare good material that
they were confident represented the species described.
The Davises visited most of the type localities
for North American Rubus names, and their collection contains
representatives for nearly all names.
All the Davises' working materials regarding
Rubus (notes made when examining types, manuscripts,
correspondence, annotated reprints, etc.) have also been deposited
at the Herbarium of the Carnegie Museum.
Partial list of publications:
Davis, H.A. and Tyreeca Davis (1953) The
genus Rubus in West Virginia. CASTANEA 18(1): 1-31.
Davis, H.A., Albert M. Fuller, and Tyreeca
Davis (1982) Some comments on Rubus. CASTANEA 47(2):
216-219.
