Dennis Magee (UMass B.S. Wildlife 1967; M.S. Forestry, 1970) has just completed the huge task of identification of 460 accessioned sheets of grasses from North America and other locations around the world held in the University of Massachusetts Herbarium. The specimens have been in the cabinets for many years as “undetermined”.

Dennis, an expert on grasses, has taught courses on grasses for 35 years including presently at Eagle Hill Institute in Steuban, Maine. His botanical research was far reaching as a research associate on expeditions from Devon Island in Canadian high Arctic (1971) to Colombia, South America (1978).

In addition, he is author of 5 botanical reference books (among other books) including the Flora of the Northeast, 1999, a work started by an earlier herbarium curator, Harry E. Ahles, and later taken up by Dennis after Ahles passing. His extensive use of the University of Massachusetts Herbarium collections over many years contributed to this work. A second edition of the Flora with companion CD was published in 2007 by University of Massachusetts Press. Dennis has also contributed nearly 300 specimens from the Northeast to the Herbarium collected by him in the past 40 years. THANK YOU, DENNIS!