TODAY'S HOURS: 8 AM – 4 PM

*Last entry is an hour before closing

TODAY'S HOURS: 8 AM – 4 PM

*Last entry is an hour before closing

BRIT Press Celebrates 60th Anniversary of Publishing Botanical Discoveries and References

Publication is an essential step in the scientific process. Discoveries are considered unofficial until they have been reviewed by fellow scientists and published in journals. Through publication, scientists learn about new findings and debate new ideas.

Llloyd H. Shinners
Lloyd H. Shinners, founder of the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, at work on plant specimens.

This year, BRIT Press celebrates its 60th anniversary of fulfilling this critical role in botany. The hard work of the Press has established it as one of the leading publishers of botanical research, respected around the world.

The Press was first established in 1962 by Lloyd H. Shinners, a member of the Southern Methodist University (SMU) faculty, director of the Herbarium and a prolific botanical researcher. Shinners named the publication Sida, Contributions to Botany, taking the name from a genus of yellow-flowered plants of the mallow family distributed throughout the world and especially common in Texas.

Shinners continued as editor and publisher of Sida until his death in 1971. That year, William F. Mahler, professor of botany at SMU, became editor and publisher. In 1975, Barney Lipscomb was hired as Herbarium Botanist; he served as assistant editor from 1977 to 1982. Lipscomb took over as editor in 1982, a position he still holds today.

Sida became part of BRIT Press in 1987, changing its name to the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (JBRIT) in 2007. The journal is published twice a year and includes articles on systematics, anatomy, ecology, evolution, genetics, and paleobotany. New species of plants are regularly described in the journal. The next issue of JBRIT will be released this month. The 356-page issue includes 24 articles describing research discoveries from botanists as far away as India.

A selection of recent BRIT Press Books

The Press began publishing books in 1987 under the series title Sida, Botanical Miscellany. Titles are devoted to the comprehensive study of one topic and include floras (references that detail all of the plant life of a particular region), monographs, botanical histories and biographies.

This month, BRIT Press released the fifth printing of Range Plants of North Central Texas: A Land User’s Guide to Their Identification, Value and Management by Ricky Linex, a guide to the identification and management of plants found on range lands in our region.

Three more books will be released later this year:

Flora of Colorado, Second Edition. This a collaborative publication with Denver Botanic Gardens is a comprehensive guide to the vascular plants of Colorado and includes detailed plant descriptions, distribution maps, color photos, habitat information, flowering times and elevation ranges for all species.

Manual of Montana Vascular Plants, Second Edition. Vegetation in Montana is diverse, thanks to the large size of the state and its variety of ecosystems including high plains, mountains and forests. This guide to the vascular plants of Montana gives readers tools to identify the more than 2,500 species of plants found in the state.

My Father is the Gardener: Devotions in Botany and Gardening of the Bible. This collection of essays combines botanical and horticultural information with meditations on gardening, the Bible and life. The book opens up ancient knowledge and Scriptural treasures in an accessible, enjoyable way to novice and seasoned gardeners alike.

Congratulations to BRIT Press for sixty years of contributions to sharing botanical knowledge with the scientific community and the world.

Related Articles

Pile of colorful corn cobs
Garden

First Peoples’ Garden features the plants and growing techniques of America’s original gardeners

Wander through a quiet area of the Garden campus near the southeast corner of the BRIT building and you’ll find a special place dedicated to celebrating the people who first gardened this area: the First Peoples’ Garden. This garden features plants grown or used by indigenous Americans for centuries before the arrival of Europeans. “It’s a good place to see the plants that people used everyday to sustain their lives,” says Horticulturist Fernando Figueroa, who is responsible for the garden.

Read More »
Japanese maple herbarium specimen
90th Anniversary

Glimpse the Garden’s history through BRIT Herbarium specimens

Today, the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) are a single organization, but that is a recent development. BRIT and the Garden combined forced in October 2020 after many decades of independent operation. However, the Garden and BRIT worked together for years before the merger. One aspect of that long-term partnership is preserved in specimens in the BRIT Herbarium that were collected in the Garden.

Read More »
Engage

Donor Spotlight: Laura and Greg Bird

Days of nature-filled, playful childhoods, common when Laura and Greg Bird were children, are what the Birds dream the new Baker Martin Family Garden will offer. The Birds serve as co-chairs of the Family Garden Campaign and have contributed a leadership gift through the Bird Family Foundation. 

Read More »
Engage

Donor Spotlight: Nancy Hallman

Nancy Hallman’s connection to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden is inextricably linked with memories of visiting there with her children and, later, grandchildren. 

Read More »