However, LeRoy Abrams transferred to Stanford University to complete his Bachelor's Degree in Botany. LeRoy then enrolled in graduate school at Stanford and his mentor, Professor Dudley, suggested that LeRoy study the flora of Los Angeles and southern California for a Master's Degree.

LeRoy Abrams' Master Thesis was a book entitled: Flora of Los Angeles and Vicinity.

Later, LeRoy went to Columbia University in New York for his Ph.D. in Botany and also associated with the New York Botanic Garden (NYBG). LeRoy completed a dissertation entitled: The Phytogeographic Distribution of Trees and Shrubs of Southern California..

An original edition of LeRoy Abrams' dissertation as well as all three editions of his Flora of Los Angeles and Vicinity (1904, 1911, 1917) have been acquired by the Ballona Institute. Both LeRoy Abrams' thesis and dissertation included a focus on the Ballona ecosystem, including sand dunes, coastal prairies, and marshes (freshwater and saltwater). The Ballona Instiute has also acquired a copy of the unpublished field notes of LeRoy Abrams of his travels and collections in Los Angeles and southern California.

1902: Additions to the Flora of Los Angeles County I. By LeRoy Abrams, Stanford University

1903: Additions to the Flora of Los Angeles II. By LeRoy Abrams, Stanford University

1903: New Native Plant at Ballona on June 10, 1902. By LeRoy Abrams, Stanford University

1904: Flora of Los Angeles and Vicinity. By LeRoy Abrams. Stanford University. 484 p.

1908: Phytogeography of Trees and Shrubs of Southern California. LeRoy Abrams. NYBG. 205 p.

1991: Article Shows Cypress Tree Discovered in 1915 by LeRoy Abrams. By Kimberly Kincheloe, 17 April 1991

2004: LeRoy Abrams Finds Plants on Mt. Baldy. By Robert van de Hoek, Ballona Institute

2004.: LeRoy Abrams at Ballona Wetlands, 1898-1903. By Robert van de Hoek, Ballona Institute