Career

Collecting localities

Collections

Literature

Biographical data

 

Brooks, Cecil Joslin

 

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

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

 

Born: 1875, Cambridge, England. Died: c. 1953, Hampstead, England.

 

career:

Metallurgical chemist in the employ of the gold-exploitation of the Borneo Co. Ltd in Sarawak, 1900-10; he collected insects, animals, plants and especially ferns with the assistance of Hewitt (the latter since 1905 Curator of the Sarawak Museum). From 1912-23 he was employed at the goldmine Simau in Benkoelen (SW. Sumatra), travelled subsequently in the Dutch East Indies, and sailed via Australia and New Zealand to Europe in 1924.

He was assisted and inspired by his wife, Alida C. de Jongh of Hilversum (Holland); after her Macroglossum alidae Copel. was named.

Back in England, he devoted himself to the study of his collections and of the butterflies of the British Museum.

He is the author of some small papers.1

Several ferns, e.g. Pteris brooksianus v.A.v.R. and Protolindsaya brooksii Copel. and the Araceae: Amorphophallus brooksii v.A.v.R. were named after him.

 

Collecting localities:

NW. Borneo, Sarawak (betw. 1907-10): Mt Bongo (Febr. 1908) with Hewitt; Bidi (Febr., Apr., Aug.); Sept. 21, 1908 starting from Bidi,2 following the main stream of the so-called right hand of the Sarawak River to its source, crossing the watershed to the upper waters of the Sambas River, visiting Bengkarum Mts and returning to Sarawak by way of Siluas; Mt Penrissen (Apr. 1910); also collecting on Mt Santubong, Mt Poë, Bungo Range, Ban, Singie, G. Kapor, Tringos.-S. Sumatra, Benkoelen (1912-23): Lebong Tandai (Febr. 1913), Lebong Simpang (Ranau, Aug. 1917); G. Lalangi (July 1923), G. Dempo (Aug. 1923).-W. Java: Mt Tjikorai and Garoet Distr. (1915).-SW. Celebes: Maros and G. Bonthain.-Ambon (Moluccas) (Oct.-Nov. 1923 and in ? 1924): G. Salahoetoe, Latehetoe, Mamela, Hila, G. Toena, Telaga Radja, etc.

 

collections:

Mainly ferns. Herb. Sing. [SING]: Borneo plants (pres. 1908-09); Herb. Berl. [B]: from Sarawak (pres. 1908-10); Brit. Mus. [BM]: Java & Sumatra ferns; Herb. Kew [K]: from Sumatra (pres. 1924); Herb. Bonaparte (= Paris [P]): ferns from Sumatra (pres. 1913) and Borneo (coll. 1907-10); Herb. Bog. [BO]; Herb. Leiden [L]: ferns from Borneo, phaner. from Ambon and Sumatra. In the Brit. Mus. [BM] about 3000 nos collected by himself and 200 by other collectors.

In the Buitenzorg Herbarium a list of his collections from Sumatra and Ambon is present, however, without mentioning exact dates; the Sumatra plants are partially numbered with S nos, but also with numbers exceeding 15000 (e.g. from G. Dempo); the Ambon collection, so far as present in the list, has a numbering from 17555-18142 (collected between Oct.-Nov. 1923).

Several papers deal with his botanical collections.3

In Hort. Bog.: Sumatra plants (pres. 1919).

 

literature:

(1) ‘Notes on the fertilisation of a few orchids in Sarawak’ (Journ. Str. Br. Roy. As. Soc. no 54, 1910, p. 99-106; with J. Hewitt); ‘English tombs and monuments in Bencoolen’ (l.c. no 78, 1918, p. 51-58, pl. 4-6); cf. also sub 2 and 3.

(2) C.J. Brooks: ‘A trip to a source of the Sarawak River and Bengkarum Mountains’ (in l.c. 60, 1911, p. 41-51; incl. list of ferns).

(3) Numerous described by van Alderwerelt van Rosenburg in his various books and papers on ferns and fern allies.

E.B. Copeland: in Philip. Journ. Sci. C. Bot. 3, 1908, p. 343-349; l.c. 5, 1910, p. 283-285; l.c. 6, 1911, p. 133-141; l.c. 7, 1912, p. 59-65 (all references dealing with Sarawak collections); and in l.c. 9, 1914, p. 227-233 (Sumatra collection).

C.J. Brooks: ‘The ferns of Mt. Penrissen’ (Sarawak Mus. Journ. no 2, 1912, p. 40-52; new forms described by Copeland); cf. also Journ. Str. Br. Roy. As. Soc. no 60, 1911, p. 50-51 (list).

H.N. Ridley: ‘Some Bornean Aroideae’ (Journ. Bot. 51, 1913, p. 201-202, pl. 527).

Prince Bonaparte, Notes ptéridologiques, fasc. 1, 1915, p. 213-214 (from Benkoelen); fasc. 10, 1920, p. 235-239 and 14, 1923, p. 447-475 (all from Sumatra).

H.N. Ridley: ‘Plants from Bencoolen, Sumatra’ (Kew Bull. 1925, p. 76-94).

H.N. Dixon: ‘New and rare Bornean mosses’ (Journ. Bot. 79, 1941, p. 57-62, 72-77).

 

biographical data:

Backer, Verkl. Woordenb., 1936; The Entomologist 88, 1955, p. 23.