John Banister (botanist)
John Banister (* 1650 in Twigworth , Gloucestershire , † May 1692 in Virginia ) was an English botanist and entomologist . Its official botanical author's abbreviation is " Banister ".
Live and act
John Banister is the son of his father of the same name, John Banister. In 1667 he began his theological studies at Magdalen College of the University of Oxford, England, and graduated there in 1674. Until his ordination in 1676 he was a minister at Magalen College. From 1676 to 1678 he was chaplain there.
During his studies he discovered his interest in botany while visiting Oxford Physic Garden and he began to attend the lectures of Robert Morison . Morison, impressed by Banister's skills, convinced Henry Compton , Bishop of Oxford and later London, to send Banister to Virginia on behalf of the Church of England .
Before Christmas 1677 he arrived in Virginia via Barbados and Grenada , where he began his work as a pastor in 1678.
Banister made numerous collecting trips in the area around the James River and sent the plants, mussels and insects he collected with descriptions and the like. a. to Jacob Bobart , Henry Compton, Samuel Doody , Martin Lister , Robert Morison, Leonard Plukenet , John Ray and Hans Sloane .
In 1690 he acquired 1,735 acres of land near the Appomattox River , which two slaves worked for him. The plantation was supposed to finance his botanical studies.
He was accidentally shot while on a collecting trip along the Roanoke River . John Banister was married and had one son.
His catalogs and collection were acquired by Hans Sloane after his death.
Contributions to the works of other authors
John Banister's Natural History of Virginia was left unfinished. He described about 340 species of plants and thus influenced the following works:
- Martin Lister: Historia conchyliorum (1686–1688)
- John Ray: Historia plantarum (Volume 2, 1688 and Volume 3, 1704)
- Leonard Plukenet: Phytographia (1691–1705)
- Robert Morison: Plantarum historiae (Volume 3, 1699)
Honors
William Houstoun named the genus Bannisteria of the Malpighia family (Malpighiaceae) in his honor . Carl von Linné later took over this name and changed the spelling to Banisteria . The name is now synonymous with Heteropteris Kunth .
The genus Banisteriopsis C. B. Rob. is also named after him.
The magazine Banisteria, which has been published since 1992 and is dedicated to the natural history of Virginia, is also named after John Banister. The journal is published by the Virginia Natural History Society .
swell
- Joseph Ewan, Nesta Ewan: John Banister, Virginia's First Naturalist . In: Banisteria number 1, 1992 ( PDF ).
- Keir Brooks Sterling: Biographical dictionary of American and Canadian naturalists and environmentalists . Greenwood Press, 1997. ISBN 0-313-23047-1 .
literature
- Joseph Ewan, Nesta Ewan: John Bannister and His Natural History of Virginia, 1678–1692. University of Illinois Press, Urbana IL 1970, ISBN 0-252-00075-7 .
Web links
- Author entry and list of the plant names described for John Banister (botanist) at the IPNI
- Table of contents of the previous issues of the magazine Banisteria
Individual evidence
- ^ Carl von Linné: Critica Botanica Leiden 1737, p. 92.
- ↑ Carl von Linné: Genera Plantarum . Leiden 1742, p. 194.
- ↑ Carl von Linné: Species Plantarum . Leiden 1753, p. 427
- ↑ Umberto Quattrocchi: CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology . CRC Press, 2000. Volume 1, p. 262. ISBN 0-8493-2673-7 .
- ^ Joseph and Nesta Ewan: John Banister, Virginia's First Naturalist . In: Banisteria number 1, 1992.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Banister, John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English botanist and entomologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1650 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Twigworth , Gloucestershire |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 1692 |
| Place of death | Virginia |