Scientists & Conservation
The only way to know what we are losing is by identifying what we’ve got. Bromeliads are a diverse and vibrant part of the Florida landscape, and many of the people who first began to identify and collect them worked in Florida. Two of the most prominent scientists were Dr. Henry Nehrling and Mulford B. Foster. The Special Collections and University Archives here at the University of Central Florida have a rich collection of primary sources documenting the lives and discoveries of these men, their friends, and colleagues, as well as housing the Bromeliad Society International (BSI) Archive, 1942-2012
In this case, you will find examples of Mulford Foster’s detailed line drawings and watercolors depicting Bromeliads as well as a look into Henry Nehrling’s life and work at Palm Cottage Gardens in Gotha, Florida.
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Grant Groves Collection on Mulford B. Foster Collection, Circa, 1920's-1978Grant Groves, owner of Color Zone Tropicals, Inc. in Winter Garden Florida, collected materials on Mulford B. Foster. He was a botanist, horticulturist, and a lifelong naturalist, also known as "Father of the Bromeliad", born in 1888 in Elmer, New Jersey and passed away at the age of 89 in Orange County, Florida. Collection includes Foster's black & white sketches, color drawings, oil paintings, three-fold screen art work, news clippings, publications, photographs, slides, negatives, correspondence, and blueprints of Foster's house called "Bromel - La."
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The Bromeliad Society International (BSI) Archive, 1942-2012.The Bromeliad Society International (BSI) Archive consists of historical materials, including photographs related to cultivation of bromeliads; field notes related to the collection of bromeliads in the wild; list of plant entries in judged bromeliad shows; incoming and outgoing correspondence from early bromeliad growers; biographies; administrative records of the BSI such as, copyright registrations, copies of meeting minutes, annual reports, and bylaws; BSI publications; and ephemera, including posters and pins.
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Archival Collection of Dr. Henry H. Nehrling from the Collection of Michael D. Kahn, 1855-1934.Dr. Henry Nehrling was a horticulturist famous for his gardens in Gotha and Naples, Florida. The collection consists of letters, documents, photographs, postcards and monographs which provides insight into the familial and financial affairs of the Nehrling Gardens. It also offers a look at Henry Nehrling during the tumultuous years of Florida's boom and bust, and a glimpse of his failing physical and mental state while he sought refuge in a quiet communal colony in Southwest Florida.
Additional Resources
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Mulford Foster: A Man of Many FacesAn in-depth profile of Mulford Foster about his life and work as a scientist and artist.
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In Memoriam - Henry Nehrling, 1853-1929A profile of the life of Henry Nehrling that was published in The Auk after his death.
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Florida Environments Online (PALMM)"contains both digital full text materials and research bibliographies about the ecology and environment of Florida."
