Arthur Anselm Pearson (12 April 1874 – 13 March 1954) was an English

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to humans, including as a source for tinder, traditional medicine, food, and entheogens, as w ...

. He often published under the name A. A. Pearson.

Background and career

Pearson was born in London, but educated in Belgium. After leaving school he worked as a seaman before joining the firm of British Belting & Asbestos Ltd in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

, where he spent the rest of his working career, eventually becoming chairman of the firm. He had an interest in music, especially

madrigals A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance (15th–16th c.) and early Baroque (1600–1750) periods, although revisited by some later European composers. The polyphonic madrigal is unaccompanied, and the number ...

, folk song, and folk dancing, joining the

English Folk Dance Society The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS, or pronounced 'EFF-diss') is an organisation that promotes English folk music and folk dance. EFDSS was formed in 1932 when two organisations merged: the Folk-Song Society and the English Folk Dan ...

in 1924 and helping with the publication of the Folksong Index.

Researches in mycology

Around 1910 Pearson began to research the larger fungi, encouraged by John Ramsbottom,

at the

Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more ...

. His initial papers, co-authored by E. M. Wakefield, were on British

corticioid fungi The corticioid fungi are a group of fungi in the Basidiomycota typically having effused, smooth basidiocarps (fruit bodies) that are formed on the undersides of dead tree trunks or branches. They are sometimes colloquially called crust fungi or pa ...

and

heterobasidiomycetes Heterobasidiomycetes, including jelly fungi, smuts and rusts, are basidiomycetes with septate basidia. This contrasts them to homobasidiomycetes (alternatively called holobasidiomycetes), including most mushrooms and other Agaricomycetes, whic ...

, but he subsequently developed an expertise in the

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

agaric An agaric () is a type of fungus fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus (cap) that is clearly differentiated from the stipe (stalk), with lamellae (gills) on the underside of the pileus. In the UK, agarics are called "mushroo ...

s, publishing a series of papers on this group of fungi from 1919 to 1952. In 1948 he produced a checklist of British species, co-authored with Dr

R. W. G. Dennis Richard William George Dennis, PhD (13 July 1910 – 7 June 2003), was an English mycologist and plant pathologist. Background and education Dennis was born in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, the son of a schoolmaster. He was educated at Thornbury ...

of the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,10 ...

. Pearson spoke several European languages, collected fungi in Spain and Portugal (on which he wrote brief papers), was an active member of the

Société mycologique de France The Société mycologique de France (Mycological Society of France), often known by the abbreviation SMF, is an association linking French and French-speaking mycologists. History The society was founded in 1884 in Épinal in the Vosges by th ...

, and was credited with introducing new, continental ideas on modern agaric taxonomy into Britain. In 1948 he was invited to survey fungi in South Africa, publishing a number of new species as a result. His last works were a series of keys to British agaric genera, several of which were published posthumously by his friend and fellow mycologist P. D. Orton. Pearson was elected president of the

British Mycological Society The British Mycological Society is a learned society established in 1896 to promote the study of fungi. Formation The British Mycological Society (BMS) was formed by the combined efforts of two local societies: the Woolhope Naturalists' Field ...

in 1931 and again in 1952. He was also president of the

Yorkshire Naturalists' Union The Yorkshire Naturalists' Union is an association of amateur and professional naturalists covering a wide range of aspects of natural history. It is one of United Kingdom's oldest extant wildlife organisations and oldest natural history federat ...

in 1946 and a fellow of the

Linnean Society The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...

. He described several new species of fungi and at least eight species of fungi are named after him, including ''Cortinarius pearsonii'', ''Paullicorticium pearsonii'', and ''Squamanita pearsonii''.

Selected publications

*Pearson, A. A. (1921). New British hymenomycetes. ''Transactions of the British Mycological Society'' 7: 55–58. *Pearson, A. A. (1948). The genus ''Russula''. ''Naturalist'' (London) 1948: 85–108. *Pearson, A. A. (1950). Cape agarics and boleti. ''Transactions of the British Mycological Society'' 33: 276–316. *Pearson, A. A. (1954). The genus ''Inocybe''. ''Naturalist'' (London) 1954: 117–140. *Pearson, A. A. & Dennis, R. W. G. (1948). Revised list of British agarics and boleti. ''Transactions of the British Mycological Society'' 31: 145–190.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearson, Arthur Anselm 1874 births 1954 deaths British Mycological Society English mycologists Fellows of the Linnean Society of London Members of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union

Background and career

Researches in mycology

Selected publications

See also

References

External links