Sherwin John Carlquist FMLS (July 7, 1930 - December 1, 2021) was an American botanist and photographer.
Education
He received his undergraduate degree from the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
in 1952 and a Ph.D. in botany in 1956, also at Berkeley. During his graduate studies,
Marion Elizabeth Stilwell Cave instructed him in the nuances of plant microphotography and embryology. Carlquist did a postdoctoral study at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
from 1955 to 1956.
Career
After his postdoctoral studies, he began his teaching career at the
Claremont Graduate School
The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges which includes five undergraduate ( Pomona College, Claremont McKenna ...
. In 1977 he also began teaching at
Pomona College
Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it beca ...
and continued teaching at both institutions until 1992. From 1984 to 1992 Carlquist was the resident Plant Anatomist at
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. His last post was as an adjunct professor at
University of California at Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the Un ...
from 1993 to 1998.
[Sherwin Carlquist]
Biography and Publications.
Accessed online December 5, 2010.
Carlquist studied wood anatomy of the
Gnetophyta
Gnetophyta () is a division of plants (alternatively considered the subclass Gnetidae or order Gnetales), grouped within the gymnosperms (which also includes conifers, cycads, and ginkgos), that consists of some 70 species across the three Reli ...
and was an
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
of many plant taxa, including species of 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. Carnivorous plants still generate some of their energy from photosynthesis. Ca ...
genus ''
Drosera
''Drosera'', which is commonly known as the sundews, is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. 2 volumes. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginou ...
'', the
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...
n genus ''
Stylidium'', and the odd Australian genus ''
Alexgeorgea
''Alexgeorgea'' is a genus of three plant species found in Western Australia belonging to the family Restionaceae named in honour of the botanist Alex George in 1976. The flowers of the female and large nut-like fruit are completely underground e ...
'' whose female flowers are almost entirely underground.
[Sherwin Carlquist]
Plant Discoveries.
Accessed online December 5, 2010.
He has made important contributions to the field of island biology in the footstep of
Alfred Russel Wallace, studying particularly Hawaiian Islands, introducing or emphasizing concepts such as island disharmony, loss of dispersal, increased woodiness, hybridization.
Recognition
The California plant
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
''
Carlquistia'' is named for Carlquist.
[Flora of North America: ''Carlquistia'']
/ref>
In 2006 he was awarded the Jose Cuatrecasas Medal for Excellence in Tropical Botany.
Plant species named after Carlquist
*''Carlquistia muirii
''Carlquistia'' is a rare North American genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae containing the single species ''Carlquistia muirii''. Formerly named ''Raillardiopsis muirii'', the plant was reexamined in the 1990s and moved to a new ...
'' (Muir's tarplant)
External links
Calflora Database: ''Carlquistia muirii'' (Muir's tarplant)
References
1930 births
2021 deaths
21st-century American botanists
Botanists active in Australia
Claremont Graduate University faculty
University of California, Berkeley alumni
American people of Swedish descent
Pomona College faculty
{{US-botanist-stub