David Richard Hunt (25 September 1938 – 20 May 2019) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

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 ...

and

taxonomist In biology, taxonomy () is the science, scientific study of naming, defining (Circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxon, taxa (si ...

. He was a specialist in

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, ...

and the spiderwort family. He notably compiled the 1999

CITES CITES (shorter acronym for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of inte ...

Cactaceae 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, ...

Checklist.

Personal life

Hunt was married to organist Margaret Phillips and co-founder of the English Organ School and Museum in

Milborne Port Milborne Port is a village, Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Somerset, England, east of Sherborne, and in the South Somerset district. It has a population of 2,802. ...

Life and work

Hunt received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from the University of Cambridge in 1959 and a Master of Arts (MA) degree in 1963. In 1983 he received a doctoral degree (PhD) from the University of Reading. Hunt worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. He was from 1968 to 1982 editor of the journal ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine''. From 1964 to 2005 he was on the Conifer Nomenclature Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society. From 1974 to 1994, he was Secretary and/or Publisher of the International Organisation for Succulent Research. From 1990 to 2003 he was a member of the Council and Scientific Committee of the International Dendrology Society and editor of the Council from 1992 to 1995. From 1989 to 1991 he worked in the Council of Management of the Cornwall Gardens Trust. His specialities were the plant families Cacti (Cactaceae) and Commelinaceae (Commelinaceae).

Honours

The species epithet of the carnivorous plant ''

Utricularia huntii ''Utricularia huntii'' is a medium-sized perennial terrestrial carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus ''Utricularia''. ''U. huntii'' is endemic to Brazil and is only known from five collections. It was originally described by Peter Taylor in ...

'' from the genus of bladderworts has been awarded in his honour.

Selected publications

Volume 13 of the ''Flora Novo-Galiciana'', published by R. McVaugh, Hunt contributed the chapter on the plant family Commelinaceae (University of Michigan Herbarium, pages 130–201). To volume 6 of the flora mesoamericana (subtitle "Alismataceae to Cyperacaea", first published in March 1994) he also contributed the chapter on the plant family Commelinaceae. He also contributed to the published by WD Stevens at the Missouri Botanical Garden Press Flora de Nicaragua for the 2001 volume 1 published the chapter Commelinaceae (pages 638–650). Here is an overview of some of his writings: * * * * * *

References

Sources

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"Hunt, David R."
Short profile at kew.org. 1938 births 2019 deaths English botanists English taxonomists Cactologists {{UK-botanist-stub