is a Japanese botanist and ''
Nepenthes''
taxonomist
In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given ...
whose work in the 1960s and 1970s contributed much to the current popularity of these plants.
[Clarke, C.M. & C.C. Lee 2004. ''Pitcher Plants of Sarawak''. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu.] His best-known work is the 1976 guide ''
Nepenthes of Mount Kinabalu''. ''
Nepenthes kurata'' was named in his honour.
[Cheek, M. & M. Jebb 2013. Recircumscription of the ''Nepenthes alata'' group (Caryophyllales: Nepenthaceae), in the Philippines, with four new species. ''European Journal of Taxonomy'' 69: 1–23. ]
Kurata has described a number of new ''Nepenthes'' species, including ''
N. campanulata'',
[Kurata, S. 1973. ''Nepenthes'' from Borneo, Singapore and Sumatra. ''Gardens' Bulletin Singapore'' 26(2): 227–232.] ''
N. eymae'', ''
N. mindanaoensis'',
[Kurata, S. 2001. Two new species of ''Nepenthes'' from Sumatra (Indonesia) and Mindanao (Philippines). ''Journal of the Insectivorous Plant Society (Japan)'' 52(2): 30–34.] ''
N. peltata'', ''
N. rhombicaulis'',
and ''
N. saranganiensis''.
[Kurata, S. 2003. A new Philippine pitcher plant, the third species having a saddle-shaped stem. ''Journal of the Insectivorous Plant Society (Japan)'' 54(2): 41–44.] He also described ''
N. pyriformis'',
which was subsequently recognised as a
natural hybrid by
Charles Clarke.
[Clarke, C.M. 2001. ''Nepenthes of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia''. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu.] Other natural hybrids named by Kurata include ''
N. × ferrugineomarginata'', ''
N. × kinabaluensis'', and ''
N. × kuchingensis''.
References
20th-century Japanese botanists
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
21st-century Japanese botanists
{{Japan-botanist-stub