John Borg

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John Borg (born November 9, 1873 in Malta ; † May 4, 1945 ibid) was a Maltese-British botanist . His work focused on the flora of his home country, cacti and agricultural issues. Its official botanical author abbreviation is " Borg ".

Live and act

Borg studied at the University of Malta , where he received his Magister Artium in 1894 and his MD in 1898 . At first he worked as a doctor, but increasingly he turned to botany. In 1900 he was already superintendent of the public green spaces and in 1919 superintendent of the agricultural department. He was also director of the Floriana- based Argotti Botanical Gardens , and in 1921 he took over the chair of natural history at the University of Malta. During his work there, he modernized the country's agricultural research, for example by having test fields set up and researching plant diseases.

In addition to his agricultural activities, he distinguished himself primarily through research on the flora and vegetation of the Maltese islands . His work in this regard was reflected in the 1927 publication of the "Descriptive Flora of the Maltese Islands" , an important work on the Maltese flora up to the present day. The work remained authoritative through the 20th century and was reprinted almost 50 years after it was first published in 1976.

In 1933, Borg retired and retired from all public offices. On the occasion of his death in 1945, William Bertram Turrill (1890–1961) paid tribute to him as “Malta's most famous botanist”.

Another focus of his work were cacti , his work "Cacti, a gardener's handbook for their identification and cultivation." Was published in two editions that were reprinted until the 1960s.

Works

  • Catalog of Plants cultivated in St. Antonio Gardens . 1896.
  • Cultivation and Diseases of Fruit Trees .
  • Gardening in Malta .
  • Descriptive Flora of the Maltese Islands . 1927.
  • Cacti. A gardener's handbook for their identification and cultivation . 1937/1951

proof

  1. ↑ Zander, 14th ed., P. 685
  2. ↑ a b WBTurrill: John Borg - Obituary In: Nature 156, July 7, 1945, p. 14, doi : 10.1038 / 156014a0
  3. ↑ a b Biographical information from "Cacti" , 2nd edition, online
  4. ^ DG Frodin: Guide to standard floras of the world , 2001, ISBN 9780521790772 , p. 629

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Borg, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Maltese botanist
DATE OF BIRTH November 9, 1873
PLACE OF BIRTH Malta
DATE OF DEATH May 4, 1945
Place of death Malta