Career

Collecting localities

Collections

Literature

Biographical data

 

Whitehead, John

 

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

 

Born: 1860, Muswell Hill, England. Died: June 2, 1899, Hainan, China.

 

career:

Ornithologist who incidentally collected plants.

He is commemorated in Rhododendron and in Kuhlhasseltia whiteheadii Rendle.

 

Collecting localities:1

Leaving England in Oct. 1884: Singapore; trip of 3 months to Malacca: Alor Gajah, Pulo Sebang (end of Dec. →), Merlimau (end of Jan. 1885 →), Chin Chin (Febr. 17-24), trip to G. Ophir in Johore (Febr. 25-March 4), Chin Chin, Kesang, Malacca town (March 5), and sailing for Singapore again (8); sailing (Apr. 1) for Br. N. Borneo: Labuan; Sandakan (Apr. 10), P. Gaya (Apr. 28-May 8), Padas River, Patatan, return to Labuan (May 19), Padas River (June 1), Mempakol, Gadong (June 5), ascending the Padas River (till June 14), back at Mempakol (17), Labuan; leaving (Aug. 24) for Kudat (arriving Aug. 27); setting out to the Benkoker (= Bengkoka) River (31); back to Kudat (Nov. 16); Labuan (Nov. 22-end of Jan. 1886), making a trip to Singapore and back during that period; leaving Labuan (Febr. 9) to set out on a Kinabalu expedition via the Tampassuk route, but not proceeding beyond Tamp assuk-plain, from where he returned to Abai (25); departing (March 12) to P. Gaya and Labuan; Br. N. Borneo: Lawas River; Lukutan River (Apr. 10); Batu-Batu (17); to Mempakol (18); to P. Tiga (21); Qualla Penyu; Labuan (May 3); trip to NW. Borneo: Brunei (end of May-June). Aug. 1 sailing for Batavia, and Soerabaja (10), in E. Java visiting: Tosari (staying more than 2 months, leaving Oct. 25), G. Tengger; Lawang, Singosari; leaving Soerabaja (Nov. 19) for Centr. Java: Djokja, Magelang, Salatiga, Semarang; sailing (Dec. 16) for Singapore. Back at Labuan (Jan. 10, 1887); Br. N. Borneo: start (Jan. 25) for Mt Kinabalu by Tampassuk route; collecting in the highlands (-Apr. 16), but once more failing to reach the higher altitudes; Labuan, leaving (June 18) for the Philippines: Palawan (Taguso), on Aug. 2 going to Blegi to make an abortive attempt to reach the highlands of the island; returning to Labuan (first half of Oct.); starting again (mid-Dec.) on an expedition to Mt Kinabalu, via Kiau, this time reaching the highest summit (Febr. 11, 1888), and exploring Kinokok Valley (March), returning in April.1-1895-96 (according to Biogr. Index Britten & Boulger from 1893 onwards). Journey in the Philippines: Luzon, Manila; sailing (Oct. 19, 1895) for Mindanao, in which island collecting on Mt Dulangan, a spur of Mt Halcon; back in Luzon, Manila (Febr. 16, 1896).2 In NW. Luzon collecting was done in the highland of Lepanto.

 

collections:

Herb. Brit. Mus. [BM]: small collection from Mt Kinabalu (purch. 1889); coll. from the Philippines (pres. 1895, 1897). The last collection was elaborated by Rendle.3 No data on possible botanical collections from Java and the Malay Peninsula are known to me.

 

literature:

(1) J. Whitehead: ‘Exploration of Mount Kinabalu, North Borneo, with an appendix, giving full descriptions of the various species of mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, etc., collected by the author in Borneo, Palawan, and Eastern Java’ (London 1893; no collected plants mentioned).

O. Finsch: ‘John Whitehead’s Reisen, besonders in Nord Borneo and seine Besteigung des Kina Balu’ (Deutsche Geogr. Bl. 16, 1893, p. 283-301).

Itineraries also in Sarawak Mus. Journ. 2, 1915, p. 152-157.

(2) cf. Merrill in Philip. Journ. Sci. sect. A, 1907, p. 184.

(3) A.B. Rendle: ‘New Philippine plants’ (Journ. Bot. 34, 1896, p. 355-358).

 

biographical data:

Biogr. Index Britten & Boulger in Journ. Bot. 37, 1899, p. 526, and l.c. 42, 1904, p. 384, and in 2nd ed. by Rendle, 1931.