Abstract Detail

Ethnobotany

Jennings, Caroline [1], Borer, Catherine [2].

Plant identification and mapping in a culturally and historically significant cemetery.

Zuber Cemetery is an African-American cemetery located in Floyd County, Georgia, USA. The cemetery was used by slave families in the local area as early as 1847, well before the onset of the Civil War, and continued to be used into the 1980s. It covers approximately one hectare on privately-owned, forested land that is now bordered by farms, a few modern homes, and a railroad. Slave families typically could not afford traditional headstones to use as grave markers, but many planted specific perennial plants to mark the resting places of their loved ones. Our goal in this project is to create a detailed map of the entire cemetery, which will include the locations of graves, as well as the many species of plants that mark the graves. We have started with a portion of the cemetery and have mapped the locations of graves and plants in the area, using GPS as well as a compass and tape. This detailed map includes numerous plant species, and documents many that were planted as grave markers in the cemetery. This project is helping to preserve the history of this local treasure, while exploring the botanically significant aspects of the cemetery. This work is providing new information to support the preservation and management of the Zuber Cemetery, and to educate the public about this historically and culturally important site.

1 - Berry College, Biology, 2277 Martha Berry Hwy., Mount Berry, GA, 30149, US
2 - Berry College, Biology, P.O. Box 490430, Mount Berry, GA, 30149, United States

Keywords:
Cemetery
Grave marker
vegetation mapping.

Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P, Ethnobotany Posters
Location: Arizona Ballroom/Starr Pass
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2019
Time: 5:30 PM This poster will be presented at 6:15 pm. The Poster Session runs from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Posters with odd poster numbers are presented at 5:30 pm, and posters with even poster numbers are presented at 6:15 pm.
Number: PET008
Abstract ID:789
Candidate for Awards:None