Arthur Rice Kruckeberg, born 21 March, 1920 in Los Angeles, fell in love with the plant world at an early age. He immersed himself in local flora and ornamental plants for gardens all during his school years. After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree with honors (Phi Beta Kappa initiate) at Occidental College in 1939, he began graduate studies in botany at Stanford University. World War II intervened and Art became a Japanese Language Officer in the US Navy. All during the war years, Art found opportunities to pursue studies of plant life in the Pacific theatre (Hawaii, the Mariannas, the Philippines, and in Japan). After the war, with the aid of the G.I. Bill, Art earned his Ph.D. degree at the University of California (Berkeley) in 1950; his thesis on serpentine ecology and evolution started him on 50 years devotion to the ecology of serpentines and other “kooky” habitats worldwide. So in 1950, Art began his 50 years tryst with the University of Washington, starting as a lowly instructor and finally as emeritus professor of botany in 1989.During this long career at UW, Art devoted himself to a variety of endeavors: He taught general botany and biology, plant evolution, and a course in ornamental plants. He served as chair of Botany for seven years (1971-1977) and carried on research in plant ecology and evolution, with many publications on these topics. Public service has been an important part of his career: adult education (field trips, lectures, short courses), published articles for the general public and a strong commitment to regional conservation. In the latter arena, he aided the state in establishing a Natural Area Program, served on boards of The Nature Conservancy and other conservation groups. Art was a cofounder in 1976 of the Washington Native Plant Society. Besides numerous research papers, he has written several books, all of which are in reach of the general public.
California Serpentines: Flora, Vegetation, Geology, Soils and Management Problems. University of California Press, 1985.
Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, 1st ed. 1982; 2nd ed. 2996.
Natural History of Puget Sound Country. University of Washington Press, 1991.
Geology and Plant Life: The Effects of Land Forms and Rock Types on Plants. University of Washington Press, 2002.
Art’s passion for plants is seen in his four-acre home garden, now incorporated and preserved as the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden, in Shoreline, Washington. With his wife Mareen, the garden has become an outstanding botanical collection and have great aesthetic value to the community.
What follows is a selection of titles by A. R. Kruckeberg in the field of ecology, evolution and systematics. See elsewhere in this biography for book titles by A. R. Kruckeberg.Kruckeberg, A. R.1951. Intraspecific variability in response of certain native plant species to serpentine soil. American Journ. Botany 38:408-4l9
Kruckeberg, A. R. 1957. Variation in fertility of hybrids between isolated populations of the serpentine species; Streptanthus glandulosus Hook. Evolution 11: 185-211
Kruckeberg, A. R. 1958. The taxonomy of the species complex, Streptanthus glandulosus Hook. Madrono 14:217-227
Kruckeberg, A. R. 1969a. Soil diversity and the distribution of plants, with examples from western North America. Madrono 20:129-154).
Kruckeberg, A. R. 1969b. Plant life on serpentinite and other ferromagnesian rocks in northwestern North America. Syesis 2:15—114.
Kruckeberg, A. R. and J. L. Morrison. 1983. New Streptanthus taxa (Cruciferae) from Califonia. Madrono 30:230-244.
Kruckeberg, A.R. and D. Rabinowitz. 1985. Biological aspects of rarity in higher plants. Annual Reviews of Eco1ogy and Systematics 16: 447—479.
Kruckeberg, A. R. 1986. An essay: The stimulus of unusual geologies for plant speciation. Systematic Botany. 11:455—463.
Kruckeberg, A. R. 1991. An essay: Geoedaphics and island biogeography for vascular plants. Aliso 13:225-238.
Kruckeberg, A. R. 1993. Serpentine biota of western North America. In The Vegetation: of ultramafic (Serpentine) Soils. Eds. A. J. M. Baker, J. Proctor and R. D. Reeves. Andover, UK: Intercept. 19-23
Kruckeberg, A. R. and R. D. Reeves. 1995. Nickel accumulation by serpentine species of Streptanthus (Brassicaceae). Field and greenhouse studies. Madrono 42: 458-469
Coleman, R. G. and A. R. Kruckeberg. 1999 Geology and plant life of the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountain Region. Natural Areas Journal 19:320-340
Kruckeberg, A. R. 1999. Serpentine barrens of western North America. Ch. 19 in Savannas, Barrens and Rock Outcrop Plant Communities of North America. Eds., Anderson, R. C., J.S. Fralish, J. M, Baskin. Pp.309-32l. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
