Barton Holland Warnock (1911–1998) was an American botanist and leading authority on flora of the

Trans-Pecos The Trans-Pecos, as originally defined in 1887 by the Texas geologist Robert T. Hill, is the distinct portion of Texas that lies west of the Pecos River. The term is considered synonymous with Far West Texas, a subdivision of West Texas. The Tran ...

area and northern Chihuahua Desert.

Biography

Born in

Christoval, Texas Christoval is a census-designated place (CDP) in Tom Green County, Texas, United States. Its population was 504 at the 2010 census. It is part of the San Angelo, Texas, metropolitan statistical area. Geography Christoval is located at (31.197 ...

in July 1911, Warnock grew up at

Fort Stockton, Texas Fort Stockton is a city in and the county seat of Pecos County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 10 in Texas, Interstate 10, future Interstate 14, U.S. Highways U.S. Route 67 in Texas, 67, U.S. Route 285 in Texas, 285, and U.S. ...

and by 1937 graduated from

Sul Ross State University Sul Ross State University (SRSU) is a public university in Alpine, Texas, United States. The main campus is the primary institution of higher education serving the nineteen-county Big Bend, Texas, Big Bend region of far West Texas. Branch campuse ...

(then Sul Ross State College) in

Alpine, Texas Alpine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Brewster County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,035 at the 2020 census. The town has an elevation of , and the surrounding mountain peaks are over above sea level. A university, hospi ...

. He received a master's degree from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

and a Ph.D. from the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

. In 1946 Warnock joined the faculty of Sul Ross State College and a year later was named biology department chair. He worked there for more than 50 years until retirement, during which he continued collecting various plant species in the region. He wrote three books from 1970 to 1977 and was working on a fourth volume. Warnock died from a heart attack at the age of 86 on June 9, 1998 while driving a car near Alpine. After his death the Sul Ross science building was named after him. The

Barton Warnock Environmental Education Visitor Center Barton may refer to: Places Australia * Barton, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Division of Barton, an electoral district in New South Wales * Barton, Victoria, a locality near Moyston * Barton River (Western Australia) ...

, a state park near Lajitas in

Presidio County Presidio County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 6,131. Its county seat is Marfa. The county was created in 1850 and later organized in 1875. Presidio County (K-5 in Texas topological i ...

, Texas, also bears his name and houses his extensive collection of plant specimens. An endemic genus of plants

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family (biology), 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 (herb), ba ...

(''Warnockia'') is named in his honor as well.

Publications

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References

1911 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American botanists University of Texas at Austin alumni Sul Ross State University alumni Sul Ross State University faculty {{US-botanist-stub