Benjamin Matlack Everhart (born 24 April 1818; died 22 September 1904) was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

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 ...

Biography

His father, William Everhart, the son of a

Revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

soldier, was a merchant, and a member of

congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

in 1853-55. Benjamin was educated in private schools in West Chester, and spent his early life in mercantile business there and in Charleston, South Carolina, making a comfortable fortune. From boyhood, he was an ardent student of

botany Botany, also called plant science (or plant sciences), 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 "bot ...

, and after retiring from business in 1867 he devoted himself almost entirely to that science, particularly to

cryptogam A cryptogam (scientific name Cryptogamae) is a plant (in the wide sense of the word) or a plant-like organism that reproduces by spores, without flowers or seeds. The name ''Cryptogamae'' () means "hidden reproduction", referring to the fact ...

ic botany. In connection with J. B. Ellis, of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

, he was active in issuing yearly fifty volumes, called ''The Century of North American Fungi'', each volume describing 100 species. At the same time, with

William A. Kellerman William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conq ...

, of

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

, they published the ''Journal of Mycology''. He discovered many new fungi. The genus ''Everhartia'' was named by

Pier Andrea Saccardo Pier Andrea Saccardo (23 April 1845 in Treviso, Treviso – 12 February 1920 in Padua) was an Italian botanist and mycologist. Life Saccardo studied at the Lyceum in Venice, and then at the Technical Institute of the University of Padua ...

in Everhart's honour (in 1888), as well as the following species: * ''Everhartia hymenuloides'' Sacc. et Ellis * ''Melanconis Everhartii'' Ellis * ''Myrioccoccum Everhartii'' Ellis & Sacc. * ''Ophionectria Everhartii'' Ellis & Gal. * ''Mucronoporus Everhartii'' Ellis & Gal. * ''Pestalozzia Everhartii'' Sacc. & Syd. * ''Sorosporium Everhartii'' Ellis & Gal. * ''Dothiorella Everhartii'' Sacc. & Syd. * ''Gloeosporium Everhartii'' Sacc. & Syd. * ''Myxosporium Everhartii'' Sacc. & Syd. * ''Phyllosticta Everhartii'' Sacc. & Syd. * ''Physalospora Everhartii'' Sacc. & Syd. * ''Septoria Everhartii'' Sacc. & Syd.

Family

His brother James Bowen Everhart was a member of congress.

Notes

References

* Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Everhart, Benjamin Matlack 1818 births 1904 deaths American mycologists People from West Chester, Pennsylvania 19th-century American businesspeople