Career

Collecting localities

Collections

 

Thorne, Robert F.

 

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

 

Born: 1920, Spring Lake, N.J., U.S.A.

 

career:

Botanist, graduated with A.B. from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire (1941), awarded the M.S. (1942), and the Ph.D. on the flora of SW. Georgia (1949) at Cornell University. Subsequently to the State University of Iowa, later (1960) Associate Professor of Botany; at present Curator of the Herb. of Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (Cal.) and Honor. Professor in the Claremont Graduate School. Though most of this earlier research has been in floristics, in recent years he took up the study of angiosperm phylogeny and geography. As a Fulbright Scholar he worked with Prof. Herbert at Brisbane, Queensland, and travelled widely in Australasia in 1959-60. After his return to the States he paid visits to Bogor, Singapore, etc., when en route by plane to England, where he would stay 5 months, working at Kew and the British Museum.

 

Collecting localities:

1960. NE. New Guinea: with E.E. Henty near Lae, along Busu River (May 23), Markham Point and ridge above (24), Lae Bot. Garden (25), Oomsis Logging Area and Markham River (26); jointly with J.S. Womersley (May 31-June 5) in the vicinity of Kikiepa, Wantoat Patrol Post Area, Lae Subdistr., and Morobe Distr. (Finisterres); with J.S. Womersley (June 9-11) to Bulolo, Wau, and Edie Creek areas, up to c. 7000 ft; with J.S. Womersley to SE. New Guinea (13-18): Port Moresby, Brown River, Sogeri Plateau areas, Rouna Falls. W. Java: Tjibodas Mountain Gardens (July 23, with A. Dilmy). Singapore: Bt Timah (July 27, with Prof. Gilliland).

 

collections:

In Australian New Guinea about 525 nos, viz 27437-27541 in his own series (coll. May 23-26), and the others numbered in the NGF series with J.S. Womersley. In Java and Singapore his own numbers 27814-27824, and 27825-27835 respectively. The NGF numbers are placed at Lae [LAE] etc. (see sub New Guinea Forests); collections under his own numbers (mostly 5 sheets apiece) at Lae [LAE], Brisbane [BRI], the 1st set probably going to State Univ. of Iowa [IA] and the others to the U.S. Nat. Herb. [US] and Leiden [L].

The 1st set of the Australian collection (appr. 8000 nos) will be deposited at Iowa [IA] or U.S. Nat. Herb. [US], the 2nd at Brisbane [BRI]. The 1st set of the New Caledonia collections (>700 nos) is planned to go to Paris [P], the 2nd to Iowa [IA] or U.S. Nat. Herb. [US], and the 3rd to Brisbane [BRI].