The collection contains the correspondence of botanist Reid Moran, primarily from his years as curator at the San Diego Natural History Museum from 1957 to 1982. The collection also includes a small number of reprints, notes, and plant lists.

American botanist and museum curator Reid Venable Moran (1916-2010) is best known for his long tenure at the San Diego Museum of Natural History from 1957 to 1982. A native Californian, Moran earned degrees in botany at Stanford University and Cornell University. After wartime service in the Army Air Corps, Moran obtained his Ph.D. in botany at the University of California in 1951 and was subsequently employed at the Bailey Hortorium before taking the position of curator at the San Diego Museum of Natural History. Moran was recognized as an authority on the systematics of Crassulaceae (the stonecrop family), especially the genus Dudleya. He also studied the floristics of Baja California. Moran’s major publications include The Flora of Guadalupe Island (1996), The Grasses of Baja California, Mexico (1981), and The Vascular Flora of Isla Socorro, Mexico (1989), along with hundreds of technical articles.

3.4 linear feet (4 boxes)

The collection is open to research. Contact the repository for access.