Career

Collecting localities

Collections

Literature

 

Turner, R. Lister

 

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

 

Born: 1875, Apia, Upola, Samoa.

 

career:

Son of a missionary in Samoa, was brought to England when four years of age; educated at Glasgow University (M.A. 1900), one of his subjects being botany; studied theology at Edinburgh, and subsequently took a course in medicine and surgery in London. In the beginning of 1902 he left England for Papua as a missionary of the London Missionary Society, arriving in March of that year; colleague and successor to Rev. W.G. Lawes (see there) at the Training College at Vatorata, Rigo District, from 1905-24 in sole charge of the said College; in the latter year removed to Fife Bay in the Eastern Distr.; in 1930 transferred to Delena near Hall Sound on account of ill health; retired to England in 1939, leaving Papua in February; settled at Dorking, Surrey, England.

Part author of a Motu Grammar and Vocabulary, and author of an article on witchcraft in Papua.

Jasminum turneri C.T. White and Habenaria turneri Rogers were named after him.

 

Collecting localities:

SE. New Guinea, Papua. 1902-09. Rigo District.-1910-24. Rigo District.-1930. Near Fife Bay in the Eastern Distr. (Aug.-Oct., 140 plants); Toulon Isl. (few plants, end of the year).-1931-38. At Delena near Hall Sound.

 

collections:

The first collection (1902-09) was practically worthless as the material was scrappy and badly insect-eaten; it was taken home in 1909. Later collections to Herb. Brisbane [BRI],1 and dupl. of Fife Bay and Delena plants to Herb. Brit. Mus. [BM].

 

literature:

(1) Elaborated by R.S. Rogers in Trans. & Proc. Roy. Soc. South Austr. 49, 1925, p. 254-265; and by C.T. White in Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 51, 1926, p. 296-298, pl. 17.