Dr. Charles M. Clarke (born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

) is an

ecologist Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. Ecology overlaps with the closely re ...

and

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

specialising in the

carnivorous plant Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods, and occasionally small mammals and birds. They have adapted to grow in waterlo ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

Nepenthes ''Nepenthes'' ( ) is a genus of carnivorous plants, also known as tropical pitcher plants, or monkey cups, in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus includes about 170 species, and numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids. They are m ...

'', for which he is regarded as a world authority.Ellison, A. & Adamec, L. eds., 2018. Contributing Author Information. ''Carnivorous Plants: Physiology, ecology, and evolution''. Oxford University Press. . Clarke has an

honours degree Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, ...

in Botany from

Monash University Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...

, and a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

Ecosystem management Ecosystem management is an approach to natural resource management that aims to ensure the long-term sustainability and persistence of an ecosystem's function and services while meeting socioeconomic, political, and cultural needs. Although indi ...

at the

University of New England University of New England may refer to: * University of New England (Australia), in New South Wales, with about 26,000 students * University of New England (United States), in Biddeford, Maine, with about 6,000 students See also * New England Coll ...

, in

Armidale Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 23,967 as of the 2021 census. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands reg ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. Clarke first travelled to Borneo in search of

pitcher plants Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of pitcher plant are considered to be "true" pitcher plants and are formed by specialized ...

in 1987. In 1989 and 1990 he lived in

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

, studying the

ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...

of ''Nepenthes''. In between travels, Clarke has taught

Ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...

and

Biometrics Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics and features. Biometric authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used t ...

James Cook University James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cair ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, and worked as a

horticultural Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

consultant in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. He now works at the Cairn's Botanic Garden. Clarke has written five books and guides on ''Nepenthes'', which present a synthesis of the research performed on his travels around the

Malay Archipelago The Malay Archipelago is the archipelago between Mainland Southeast Asia and Australia, and is also called Insulindia or the Indo-Australian Archipelago. The name was taken from the 19th-century European concept of a Malay race, later based ...

. The most significant of these works are the monographs ''

Nepenthes of Borneo ''Nepenthes of Borneo'' is a monograph by Charles Clarke on the tropical pitcher plants of Borneo.Clarke, C.M. 1997. ''Nepenthes of Borneo''. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu. It was first published in 1997 by Natural History ...

'' (1997) and ''

Nepenthes of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia ''Nepenthes of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia'' is a monograph by Charles Clarke on the tropical pitcher plants of Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, and their minor surrounding islands. It was published in 2001 by Natural History Publications (Born ...

'' (2001).Clarke, C. 2002
Twelve years of ecological research on ''Nepenthes'' in Southeast Asia - some personal highlights.
''Proceedings of the 4th International Carnivorous Plant Conference, Hiroshima University, Tokyo'': 1–7. Clarke has described six species of ''Nepenthes'': '' N. baramensis'' (now known as '' N. hemsleyana''Scharmann, M. & T.U. Grafe 2013. Reinstatement of ''Nepenthes hemsleyana'' (Nepenthaceae), an endemic pitcher plant from Borneo, with a discussion of associated ''Nepenthes'' taxa. ''Blumea'', published online on 8 May 2013. ), '' N. benstonei'', '' N. chaniana'', '' N. izumiae'', '' N. jacquelineae'', and '' N. tenax''.

Publications

* Clarke, C., Schlauer, J., Moran, J. & Robinson, A.S., 2018. Systematics and evolution of ''Nepenthes''. ''In'': Ellison, A.M. & Adamec, L., eds.: ''Carnivorous plants: physiology, ecology, and evolution.'' Oxford University Press, 58-69. * Clarke, C.M. 1992. The ecology of metazoan communities in ''Nepenthes'' pitcher plants in Borneo, with special reference to the community of ''Nepenthes bicalcarata'' Hook.f. Ph.D. thesis,

, N.S.W. 269 pp. * Clarke, C. .1993. ''

Carnivorous Plant Newsletter The ''Carnivorous Plant Newsletter'' is the official publication of the International Carnivorous Plant Society (ICPS), the largest such organization in the world. It is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California. History and editorship The news ...

'' 22(1–2): 27–28. * Clarke, C.M. & R.L. Kitching 1993. The Metazoan Food Webs from Six Bornean ''Nepenthes'' Species. ''Ecological Entomology'' 18: 7–16. * Clarke, C.M. & J.A. Moran 1994. A further record of aerial pitchers in ''Nepenthes ampullaria'' Jack. ''Malayan Nature Journal'' 47: 321–323. * Clarke, C.M. & R.L. Kitching 1995. Swimming Ants and Pitcher Plants: a Unique Ant-Plant Interaction from Borneo. ''Journal of Tropical Ecology'' 11(4): 589–602. * Clarke, C.M. 1997. ''

''.

Natural History Publications (Borneo) Natural History Publications (Borneo) Sdn. Bhd. is a publishing house based in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo. It is among the leading English language and natural history publishers in Malaysia and the entire Southeast Asian region. The company has publish ...

Kota Kinabalu Kota Kinabalu (; formerly known as Jesselton), colloquially referred to as KK, is the state capital of Sabah, Malaysia. It is also the capital of the Kota Kinabalu District as well as the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the ...

. xi + 207 pp. * Clarke, C.M. 1997
Another nice trip to Sumatra
''

'' 26(1): 4–10. * Clarke, C.M. 1997. The effects of pitcher dimorphism on the metazoan community of the carnivorous pitcher plant ''Nepenthes bicalcarata'' Hook.f. ''Malayan Nature Journal'' 50: 149–157. * Clarke, C.M. 1998. Initial colonisation and prey capture in ''Nepenthes bicalcarata'' (Nepenthaceae) pitchers in Brunei. ''Sandakania'' 12: 27–36. * Clarke, C.M. 1998. The aquatic arthropod community of the pitcher plant, ''Nepenthes bicalcarata'' (Nepenthaceae) in Brunei. ''Sandakania'' 11: 55–60. * Clarke, C.M. 1998. A re-examination of geographical variation in ''Nepenthes'' food webs. ''Ecography'' 21(4): 430–436. * Clarke, C.M. 1999. ''Nepenthes benstonei'' (Nepenthaceae), a new pitcher plant from Peninsular Malaysia. ''Sandakania'' 13: 79–87. * Clarke, C.M. 2001. Ecology & Conservation of Montane ''Nepenthes'' (Nepenthaceae) in Sumatra. Fourth International Flora Malesiana Symposium. 20–24 July 1998, Kuala Lumpur. * Clarke, C.M. 2001. ''

''.

. ix + 325 pp. * Clarke, C.M. 2001. ''A Guide to the Pitcher Plants of Sabah''.

. iv + 40 pp. * Moran, J.A., M.A. Merbach, N.J. Livingston, C.M. Clarke & W.E. Booth 2001. ''Annals of Botany'' 88: 307–311. * Clarke, C.M. 2002. ''A Guide to the Pitcher Plants of Peninsular Malaysia''.

. iv + 32 pp. *Clarke, C.M., T. Davis & R. Tamin 2003. ''Nepenthes izumiae'' (Nepenthaceae): a new species from Sumatra. ''Blumea'' 48: 179–182. *Moran, J.A., C.M. Clarke & B.J. Hawkins 2003. From Carnivore to Detritivore? Isotopic Evidence for Leaf Litter Utilization by the Tropical Pitcher Plant ''Nepenthes ampullaria''. ''International Journal of Plant Sciences'' 164: 635–639. *Dong, T.T.X., Q.M. Xiao, C.M. Clarke, H.S. Zhong, N.J. Zhao, K.L. Chun & K.W.K. Tsim 2003. Phylogeny of ''Astragalus'' in China: Molecular evidence from the DNA sequences of 5S rRNA spacer, ITS, and 18S rRNA. ''Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry'' 51(23): 6709–6714. *Clarke, C.M. & C.C. Lee 2004. ''A Pocket Guide: Pitcher Plants of Sarawak''.

. vi + 81 pp. *Cantley, R., C.M. Clarke, J. Cokendolpher, B. Rice & A. Wistuba 2004
''Nepenthes clipeata'' Survival Project
International Carnivorous Plant Society. *Clarke, C.M., C.C. Lee & S. McPherson 2006. ''Nepenthes chaniana'' (Nepenthaceae), a new species from north-western Borneo. ''Sabah Parks Journal'' 7: 53–66. *Clarke, C.M & R. Kruger 2006. ''Nepenthes tenax'' C.Clarke and R.Kruger (Nepenthaceae), a new species from Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. ''Austrobaileya'' 7(2): 319–324. *Clarke, C.M. 2006. Introduction. In: Danser, B.H. ''

The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies "The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies" is a seminal monograph by B. H. Danser on the Nepenthes, tropical pitcher plants of the Dutch East Indies and surrounding regions. It was originally published in the ''Bulletin du Jardin Botanique de Bu ...

''. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu. pp. 1–15 *Clarke, C.M., U. Bauer, C.C. Lee, A.A. Tuen, K. Rembold & J.A. Moran 2009. ''Biology Letters'' 5(5): 632–635. *Chin, L., J.A. Moran & C. Clarke 2010. Trap geometry in three giant montane pitcher plant species from Borneo is a function of tree shrew body size. ''New Phytologist'' 186 (2): 461–470. *Clarke, C.M., J.A. Moran & L. Chin 2010. Mutualism between tree shrews and pitcher plants: perspectives and avenues for future research. ''Plant Signaling & Behavior'' 5(10): 1187–1189. *Clarke, C., J.A. Moran & C.C. Lee 2011. ''Nepenthes baramensis'' (Nepenthaceae) – a new species from north-western Borneo . ''Blumea'' 56(3): 229–233.

References

* Clarke, C.M. 1997. ''Nepenthes of Borneo''. Natural History Publications (

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

. xi + 207 pp. {{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Charles Australian taxonomists 20th-century Australian botanists Australian ecologists Monash University alumni University of New England (Australia) alumni Academic staff of James Cook University Academic staff of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Science teachers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Australian botanists