William T. Stearn: Difference between revisions

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'''William Thomas Stearn''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE|FLS|VMH}} ({{IPAc-en|s|t|ɜr|n}}; 16 April 1911 – 9 May 2001) was a British [[botanist]]. Born in [[Cambridge]] in 1911, he was largely [[self-educated]] and developed an early interest in books and [[natural history]]. His initial work experience was at a Cambridge bookshop, but he also had aan positionoccupation as an assistant in the [[Cambridge University Botanic Garden|university botany department]]. At the age of 29, he married Eldwyth Ruth Alford, who later became his collaborator.

At the Botanic Garden he developed a special interest in ''[[Vinca]]'', ''Epimedium'', ''[[Hosta]]'' and ''[[Symphytum]]'', all of which he published monographs on.{{sfn|Avent|2010|p=10}} A series of botanical publications followed,{{sfn|The Linnean Society|1976}} starting with a new species of ''[[Allium]]'' (''[[Allium cyathophorum|A. farreri]]'' Stearn, 1930).{{sfn|Stearn|1930}}{{efn|In 1950 he came to realise this was not a separate species but a [[variety (botany)|variety]] of ''Allium cyathophorum'' and thus renamed it ''Allium cyathophorum'' var. ''farreri'' (Stearn) Stearn.<ref name=WCLAcyfa/>{{sfn|Stearn|1955a}}}} Stearn repeatedly returned to the genus ''Allium'', and was considered a world expert on it; many species bear his name.{{sfn|Robson|2001}}{{sfn|Mathew|2002}}{{efn|Stearn produced 21 publications on ''Allium''}} 1930 would also see his first bibliographic work, on the botanist [[Reginald Farrer]],{{sfn|Stearn|1930a}}{{sfn|Nelson|Desmond|2002|pp=144,146,148}} whom he named ''Allium farreri'' after,{{sfn|Nelson|Desmond|2002|pp=144,146,148}} and also described ''[[Rose|Rosa farreri]]'' (1933){{sfn|Stearn|1933}} and other species named after Farrer. It was while he was compiling Farrer's works in 1930 that he came across the latter's work, ''The English Rock-Garden'' (1919){{sfn|Farrer|1919}} and its account of Barren-worts (''Epimedium''), and kindled a lifetime interest in the [[genus]].{{sfn|Rix|2003}} From 1932, he produced a series of papers on this genus,{{sfn|Nelson|Desmond|2002|pp=144–146}} studying it at Cambridge, Kew and Paris. It became one of the genera which he was best known, and many [[species]] of which now bear his name.{{sfn|Avent|2010}}{{sfn|Rix|2003}} ''Epimedium'' and the related [[woodland]] [[perennial]] ''[[Vancouveria]]'' ([[Berberidaceae]]) would be the subject of his first [[monograph]] (1938){{sfn|Stearn|1938}} and were genera to which he would return at the end of his life.{{sfn|Stearn|2002a}} At the time the taxonomy of this genus was very confused, and with the help of the Cambridge Herbarium he obtained specimens from all over Europe to produce a comprehensive monograph.{{sfn|Prance|2001}} The work was so thorough that it was mistakenly considered a doctoral thesis by other botanists. He also began a series of contributions to the catalogue of the Herbarium, together with Gilmour and Tutin.{{sfn|Heywood|2002}} With [[John Gilmour (botanist)|John Gilmour]] he issued two [[exsiccata]]-like works ''Herbarium flora Cantabrigiense'' and ''Sertum Cantabrigiense exsiccatum'' (1933).<ref name="Triebel & Scholz 2001-2024">Triebel, D. & Scholz, P. 2001–2024 ''IndExs – Index of Exsiccatae''. Botanische Staatssammlung München: http://indexs.botanischestaatssammlung.de. – München, Germany.</ref>

[[Category:BritishPresidents taxonomistsof the Linnean Society of London]]

[[Category:DeathsVeitch fromMemorial pneumoniaMedal in Englandrecipients]]