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Massachusetts, USA |
Our acquaintance with Barre really began second-hand, with mutual friends often mentioning his name as a field collecting partner or his expertise with this or knowledge of that. When we began building this web site we contacted him for input. Soon batch after batch of fabulous images began to arrive by email. Keeping up was a challenge well worth it! We weren't sure whether we were breathless at the beauty of the images or the speed of getting them on the Web before more arrived.
Barre Hellquist is a Professor of Biology at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, Massachusetts. He received his Ph.D. in Botany from the University of New Hampshire where he worked on the correlation of the Potamogeton (pondweed family) to water chemistry and their distribution in New England.
Barre's research interests are in the taxonomy and ecology of the Potamogeton and Nymphaea in North America and the Potamogeton, Nymphaea and Aponogeton of Australia. Presently Barre is involved in a study of the rare, endemic Little Aguja pondweed, Potamogeton clystocarpus, with fellow IWGS member Dr. Edward Schneider. He is also involved in the study of the North American dwarf waterlilies Nymphaea leibergii, N. tetragona, and all hybrids involving these two species. This work is being conducted with Drs. John Wiersema and Thomas Borsch. He is also working with Farmington College in Farmington, New Mexico on the aquatics of the San Juan River Basin.
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Photos by Barre Hellquist |
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His interest in aquatic plants has taken him to China, Siberia,
and Australia in search of new and interesting species. While
on sabbatical leave at the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens, Barre
had the chance to work with Dr. Surrey Jacobs on the Aponogeton
of Australia. This work and that on the Nymphaeaceae will continue
June-mid-August 2002 in tropical northern Australia with Dr.
Surrey Jacobs and IWGS member Andre Leu. 
Barre's other interests include the growing of species waterlilies, especially the Australians and the dwarf hardy species. He also has an extensive collection of flags from around the world, and enjoys traveling whenever possible. He is a member of the IWGS Hall of Fame and is a past member of the IWGS Board of Directors.
Barre has generously shared his extraordinary collection of species images with this web site. They can be found throughout the pages linked from the Waterlily Family Tree.
Recognized in Telopea & three other image galleries
Images by C. Barre Hellquist