Matt Ritter

Professor | Biological Sciences Department

Director, Cal Poly Plant Conservatory

Areas of Expertise

Trees

Eucalyptus

Horticulture

Ecology and Plant Taxonomy 

Contact Information

805.756.2135

Email

Department Website | Website

Biography

Matt Ritter is a professor in the Biological Sciences Department who specializes in cultivated trees — especially the genus Eucalyptus, which includes more than 700 varieties. He edits Madroño, the California Botanical Society’s quarterly journal of peer-reviewed research articles on the natural history of Western American botanical organisms and vegetation, including those from Mexico to South America. Ritter is also the director of the Cal Poly Plant Conservatory that maintains a diverse, well-documented and accurately labeled living plant collection on campus that supports and faculty teaching and research and student learning. He gained an appreciation for wood and trees in Northern California while growing up next to a wooden boat builder and is also a master furniture maker. Ritter maintains the California Register of Big Trees, a list of more than 200 record-setting state trees.

Education

• Ph.D., University of California San Diego
• B.S., University of California Santa Barbara

Research Interests

• Branching and inflorescence development
• Plant diversity and ecology 

Books and Publications

• Something Wonderful
• Rainwalkers
• California Plants: A Guide to our Iconic Flora
• A Californian's Guide to the Trees Among Us
• Plants of San Luis Obispo: Their Lives and Stories
• Eucalpytus Field Guide
• The Jepson Manual