Career

Collecting localities

Collections

Literature

Biographical data

 

Mjöberg, Eric Georg

 

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors)

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 5: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement I)

 

Born: 1882, Hallands-Ås, Sweden. Died: July 8, 1938, Stockholm, Sweden.

 

career:

Educated at Stockholm College, Ph. D. Lund, 1910. Zoologist-ethnographer; from 1910-13 in Australia; in the employ of the Deli Experiment Station, Medan (Sumatra), 1919-Jan. ‘22; Director of the Sarawak Museum at Kuching (NW. Borneo), 1922-24;1 leaving Borneo in 1926. After his return to Sweden he fell seriously ill, which finally, after ten years, resulted in his death.

Vaccinium mjoebergii J.J.Sm. was named after him (cf. Backer, Verkl. Woordenb., 1936).

 

Collecting localities:1

NW. Borneo, Sarawak. 1922. Murud Expedition:2 leaving (Sept. 6) for Baram Station; Lio Matu (19); Panglah; in northern direction (Oct. 8); Tapo Boan’s village; Dalam Bah, Pah Trap; foot of Mt Murud (Oct. 19-Nov. 1), climbing the top ridge (Nov. 2) and moving camp to an alt. of 6000 ft (6); starting (8) for the top of the mountain (6 days’ stay on the summit); descent: Pah Trap (27); Pamour, Mein; Tamabo Tingan (Dec. 2-3); Lio Matu (8-12); Baram Station (Dec. 18).-1923.3 Mt Dulit Expedition: leaving Baram Station (Jan. 10); following the Tinjar River; foot Mt Dulit (13); camp at 4000 ft alt. (4 weeks); back at Baram Station (Febr. 12). Bidi Caves (June). Mt Poi Expedition: proceeding (Oct. 13) to Lundu; starting for Mt Poi (16); camp at 4300 ft (17-28); camp at 5200 ft (Oct. 29-Nov. 7), climbing the highest peaks; returning to Lundu (8); starting for Simatan (13); camp near foot Mt Poi (15-21); Simatan (22); Lundu (24).-1922-24. Other collecting localities in these years: Mt Matang, Mt Penrissen, Gadin, chiefly from the higher altitudes; vicinity of Kuching, Lundu, Sadong and Santubong.-1925-26. Expedition to Mt Tibang (1700 m alt.) (= Bt Batoe Tibang or G. Tiboeng): proceeding from Samarinda (Sept. 1925) in Dutch E. Borneo; Long Iram; going up the Mahakam to Sg. Boh; ascending Sg. Boh; crossing the watershed; Long Nawang; breaking camp (Nov. 2) and setting out to Mt Tibang via Pajau; Mt Tibang (3 weeks’ stay); Pajau (till mid-Dec.); Long Nawang; downstream the Kajan River to the coast (NE. Borneo), Boeloengan; visiting P. Maratoea (E of Borneo); Kemanis Caves near the Birang River in Berau Distr., starting from Tandjong Redeb (March); trip to Pasir, S of Balikpapan (SE. Borneo); sailing (mid-May) for Bandjermasin and returning to Europe via Java and Singapore.

 

collections:

In his book on Borneo (l.c. p. 56) he mentions his collections of about 15000 specimens of flora and fauna of Sumatra. His zoological collection went to the Nat. Hist. Mus. at Leiden; as to the location of the botanical Sumatra collection no further data are known.

Herb. Sarawak [SAR]: chiefly ferns; trom Mt Dulit and Murud 318 sheets of cryptogams, 178 phanerogams; from Mt Poi 115 sheets of ferns and 90 of phanerogams (70 Orch.). In Herb. Manila [PNH] (pres. 1923) and in Herb. Berkeley (Cal. [UC]);4 both fragmentary collections, type specimens in Herb. Berkeley [UC], so far as available a set of dupl. in Brit. Mus. [BM]. The orchids were sent to O. Ames Herb. [AMES in GH], ferns to Herb. Bonaparte (= Paris [P]) (pres. 1923).5 Other dupl. in Herb. Bog. [BO]: 127 nos of ferns and orchids from G. Tiboeng (pres. 1925-26) and some duplicates (pres. by Merrill); Herb. Farlow [FH in GH]: mosses from Mt Tibang;6 U.S. Nat. Herb. Wash. [US]: 43 dupl. Borneo and Sarawak; also duel. in Herb. N.Y. Bot. Gard. [NY].

Plants from Australia in Herb. State Mus. Stockholm [S]; no botanical Sumatra collections extant, as the fragmentary collection (mostly of ethnographical interest) mouldered away (oral inf. by Mrs Mjöberg, 1957).

 

literature:

(1) E.G. Mjöberg: ‘Borneo, huvudjägarnas land’ (Stockholm 1927); transl. into Dutch, German, and English; into English under the title: ‘Forestlife and adventures in the Malay Archipelago’ (1930). ‘I tropikernas villande urskogar’ (Stockholm).

(2) E.G. Mjöberg: ‘An expedition to the Kalabit Country and Mt. Murud, Sarawak’ (Geogr. Review 15, 1925, p. 411-427, fig. 1-10); cf. also Sarawak Gazette, April 3rd, 1923.

(3) cf. Rep. Sarawak Mus. for 1923.

(4) E.D. Merrill: ‘A collection of plants from Sarawak’ (Sarawak Mus. Journ. 3, 1928, p. 513-557; 157 species of which 30 new ones).

(5) cf. Bonaparte, Notes ptéridol., 14, 1923, p. 477-488.

(6) Mosses by E.B. Bartram in Philip. Journ. Sci. 61, 1936, p. 235-252.

 

biographical data:

Vem är det? 1937, p. 578; Sarawak Mus. J. 8, 1957, p. 1-7.