Carl Clawson Epling (15 April 1894 – 17 November 1968) was an American
botanist
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
and
taxonomist. He is best known for being the major authority on the
Lamiaceae
The Lamiaceae ( )
or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...
(mint family) of the Americas from the 1920s to the 1960s. In his later years he also developed an interest in
genetics
Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...
.
[ University of California: In Memoriam − Carl Clawson Epling, Botany: UC Los Angeles]
December 1970.
History
Epling obtained his B.A. from the College of Agriculture at
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
in 1921. He received his M.A. in 1923 and Ph.D. in 1924 from
Washington University, with a dissertation on the genus ''
Monardella''.
[Find A Grave Memorial.com: Dr Carl Clawson Epling (1894-1968)]
/ref>
Epling's first academic position was as an instructor in botany at Oregon State College
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...
in 1921-22. [ He became staff member at the ]University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
in 1924. [ In 1941, he was made a faculty research lecturer at UCLA. ][ He was honored by UCLA with an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1963. ][ He retired from UCLA in 1965. ][
From 1944 until his retirement, he held the title of systematist in the ]Agricultural Experiment Station
An agricultural experiment station (AES) or agricultural research station (ARS) is a scientific research center that investigates difficulties and potential improvements to food production and agribusiness. Experiment station scientists work with f ...
. [
He was also a researcher in ]population genetics
Population genetics is a subfield of genetics that deals with genetic differences within and between populations, and is a part of evolutionary biology. Studies in this branch of biology examine such phenomena as adaptation, speciation, and pop ...
. At the time of his death he was studying the flora
Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''.
E ...
of Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
ian rain forests. Carl Clawson Epling died in Santa Monica, in 1968. [
]
Works
Epling published more than one hundred scientific works ranging from monographs to contributions to local floras, and described numerous genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
and species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
new to science—including the well known psychoactive ''Salvia divinorum
''Salvia divinorum'' (Latin: "sage of the diviners"; also called ska maría pastora, seer's sage, yerba de la pastora, magic mint or simply salvia) is a plant species with transient psychoactive properties when its leaves are consumed by che ...
''. [
]
Citation
Honours
In 2012, the genus name of ''Eplingiella
''Eplingiella'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Lamiaceae.
Its native range is eastern Brazil.
The genus name of ''Eplingiella'' is in honour of Carl Epling
Carl Clawson Epling (15 April 1894 – 17 November 1968) was an ...
'' was named in his honour.
Personal
Epling was born in Waverly, Illinois, son of Allen Judson Epling and Inez S. Epling. He was married to Ruth Persons Epling, they had 2 children; Elizabeth and anthropologist Philip Judson Epling (1931-1973).[
]
See also
*
*
References
* Mathias, M.E. (1970). Carl Clawson Epling (1894–1968). Taxon 19: 88–92.
WKU.edu: Carl Epling - Chrono-Biographical Sketches
{{DEFAULTSORT:Epling, Carl Clawson
American botanical writers
American taxonomists
1894 births
1968 deaths
American geneticists
Population geneticists
Botanists active in California
University of California, Los Angeles faculty
Oregon State University faculty
University of California, Berkeley alumni
Washington University in St. Louis alumni
Scientists from California
Writers from Los Angeles
20th-century American botanists
20th-century American non-fiction writers