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Anderson, James Aidan Robb

 

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

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 8: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement II)

 

Born: 1922, Bamburgh, Northumberland, England.

 

career:

Served in the British Army during World War 11 (1940-46), and was subsequently educated in forestry at Edinburgh University (B. Sc. 1950); studied in Finland, 1950-51. In 1951 he took up an appointment as Assistant Conservator of Forests in the British Colonial Service, and was stationed at Sibu (Sarawak) from 1951-54; in 1955, on return from leave, Research Officer at Kuching; in 1956 seconded to Brunei as State Forest Officer.

He is making ecological studies in fresh-water swamps; a preliminary check-list of the species was in preparation in 1956.

Got his Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh (1961, in absentia), on a thesis dealing with the peat swamp forests of Sarawak and Brunei.1

He was on leave in spring 1971 and would return in the middle of the year for a final short tour before his retirement. He settled at Edinburgh and acts as a consultant to forestry services and timber companies. He is writing a checklist of Sarawak forest trees.

Jarandersonia Kosterm. and Goniothalamus andersonii J.Sinclair were named after him.

 

Collecting localities:

NW. Borneo, 1951 onwards. Mostly in fresh-water swamp forests of Sarawak and Brunei, principally in the Rejang Delta (1954), but besides at Baram (1955), Triso Peninsula (1955), Kayangeran Forest Reserve (1954, 1956), and Badas (Brunei) (1954). NW. Borneo: G. Mulu and Api up the Baram River (June-July 1960), limestone hills; on the principal limestone hills in Sarawak. Terr. of New Guinea: Mt Wilhelm (Sept.).-1964. Sarawak: 2-weeks’ trip to the Kelabit Highlands, based at Bario (June 19 onwards), collecting > 200 nos; G. Selabor, Serian Distr.-1969. With Ilias bin Paie to Ulu Melinau, Hose Mts, Mt Murud; Mt Batu Tibang (Centr. Borneo) (June).2-1970. Kalimantan (Indon. Borneo): Kutai Nature Reserve with a small party of BIOTROP, Indonesia (exploring 6 weeks in May etc).

 

collections:

About 1000 specimens (up to June 1956), numbered in the field series of the Forest Department Sarawak; in Herb. Sarawak [SAR], Sing. [SING], and Kepong [KEP].

His series should be cited with the prefix ‘Si’, with the date of collecting, but the stamped number on the label should be discarded.3 Dupl. also in Herb. Edinb [E]. The Mt Wilhelm plants numbered 1-22.

 

literature:

(1) Author of ‘Field Check List of Trees of Peat Swamp Forests of Sarawak’ (mimeogr., 4 + 18 pp.); ‘The Flora of the Peat Swamp Forests of Sarawak and Brunei etc. (Gard. Bull. Sing. 20, 1963, p. 131-228, 10 pl., 3 tabl., 1 map).

(2) Cf. Fl. Mal. Bull. no 25, 1971, p. 1890.

(3) Cf. Fl. Mal. Bull. no 21, 1966, p. 1434.

 

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