Charles Edward Glass (24 May 1934 – 23 February 1998) was an American

horticulturalist 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 ...

and plant collector. Together with his best friend, Bob Foster, Glass collected and

scientifically described A species description is a formal scientific description of a newly encountered species, typically articulated through a scientific publication. Its purpose is to provide a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it diffe ...

dozens of

cacti A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

species, edited the '' Cactus and Succulent Journal'', led the

Lotusland Ganna Walska Lotusland, also known as Lotusland, is a non-profit organization, non-profit botanical garden located in Montecito, California, Montecito, Santa Barbara, California, California, United States. The (15 hectare, ha / 37 acres) garden ...

botanical garden, and ran a garden and shell business. He also wrote books and curated a botanical reserve in Mexico, helping discover more plant species.

Early life

Glass was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and his family enjoyed the arts. His childhood home was in Spring Lake, New Jersey. His mother, Lillian, sang opera, and his father, Beaumont, played the violin for the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

and he was the "founding conductor" of the Monmouth Symphony Orchestra. After attending private school in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, Glass briefly studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

before enlisting in the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

in 1953, serving as a radio operator in Germany. Following his service, he studied drama in New York and participated in master classes with opera diva

Lotte Lehmann Charlotte "Lotte" Pauline Sophie Lehmann (February 27, 1888 – August 26, 1976) was a German-American dramatic soprano noted for her successful performances with international opera houses, on the recital stage and in teaching.She gave memorable ...

, where he met Ganna Walska, founder of

Career

In 1960, Glass moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and developed a passion for

, purchasing a nursery he named "That Cactus Shop". He became editor of the '' Cactus and Succulent Journal'' in 1964, a position that shaped his career. Partnering with Robert Foster in 1968, the two undertook 18 expeditions to Mexico, discovering or reclassifying dozens of cacti species. They co-owned Abbey Garden Press, co-authored works on succulents, and collaborated on various botanical endeavors. In 1973, Glass and Foster became co-directors of

, where they redesigned the gardens to include significant collections of cacti, succulents,

aloe ''Aloe'' (; also written ''Aloë'') is a genus containing over 650 species of flowering plant, flowering succulent plant, succulent plants.WFO (2022): Aloe L. Published on the Internet;http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-4000001341. Acc ...

s, bromeliads, and cycads. Beyond his botanical pursuits, Glass was a passionate scuba diver and shell collector, editing '' The Conchologist'' and collecting shells worldwide. Proficient in multiple languages, he translated and performed over 300 Filipino folk songs on television and stage in the Philippines and the U.S. In 1991, he became

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

of El Charco del Ingenio, a botanical reserve in

San Miguel de Allende San Miguel de Allende () is the principal city in the Municipalities of Mexico, municipality of San Miguel de Allende (municipality), San Miguel de Allende, located in the far eastern part of Guanajuato, Mexico. A part of the Bajío region, the t ...

, Mexico, where he organized plant exploration expeditions and helped discover 42 new plant species. After leaving in 1997 due to permit restrictions, he began a new non-profit plant research initiative based in his San Miguel, Rancho Alcocer home, in collaboration with Mario Mendoza García. Glass authored several books, including ''Cacti and Succulents for the Amateur'' (with Foster) and ''Cacti'' (with Clive Innes). He served as vice president of the California Cactus Growers and the African Succulent Plant Society. He was also an honorary life member of the Sociedad Mexicana de Cactología and participated in the International Organization for Succulent Plant Study. Glass is commemorated in the species '' Mammillaria glassii'' and the shell '' Bathyliotina glassi''. He died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

in 1998, shortly after launching a new research initiative.

References

External links

List of plant species described by Glass
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glass, Charlie American horticulturists Conchologists 1934 births 1998 deaths People from New York City