The ambitious and expansive Intermountain Flora Project spanned three generations of botanists and the better part of a century. Conceived in the 1940s by Bassett Maguire, the project began in earnest in the 1960s, driven by Maguire's students Arthur Holmgren and Arthur Cronquist. By the time the first volume of Intermountain Flora was published, in 1972, Noel Holmgren (son of Arthur) and Patricia Kern Holmgren (Noel's new bride) had joined the project and committed themselves to seeing it through to completion.
In August 2012, forty years after that first volume, the final volume of Intermountain Flora was published. Colleagues, friends, and admirers of Noel and Pat Holmgren marked the momentous occasion by contributing papers to this celebratory volume. Biographical contributions shed light on the early lives of Noel and Pat and on their individual and joint career accomplishments. Scientific contributions honor Noel and Pat's impact on plant taxonomy, floristics, and ecology.
Whether enjoying the Philharmonic in their perennial seats at Lincoln Center or driving down a Utah dirt road in their SUV, the Holmgrens evince the harmonious accord and the focused discipline that sustains their personal relationship and professional partnership. By virtue of these qualities in particular, they have created a lasting contribution to the botany of the place they love.