John Hunter Thomas

John Hunter Thomas
Born	(1928-03-26)March 26, 1928 Beuthen, Germany
Died	July 20, 1999(1999-07-20) (aged 71) Menlo Park, California, US
Education	California Institute of Technology (BS) Stanford University (MA, PhD)
Known for	Floristic botany Systematic botany Oakmead Herbarium
Scientific career
Fields	Botany[1]
Institutions	Stanford California Academy of Sciences
Thesis	The vascular plants of the Santa Cruz Mountains of central California (1958)
Doctoral advisor	Ira Loren Wiggins

John Hunter Thomas (March 26, 1928 – July 20, 1999) was an American botanist, professor of biological sciences at Stanford University, curator and director of the Dudley Herbarium, and joint curator at the California Academy of Sciences. He was known for his study of plants in the Sonoran Desert, the Santa Cruz Mountains, and the Alaska North Slope, and for his history of botanical exploration in Washington, Oregon, and California. His doctoral research on the plants of the Santa Cruz Mountains was published as a guide to the vascular plants of coastal, central California, and was recognized as a standard reference work for regional flora. It was used for decades as teaching material for courses in systematic botany and the ecology of vascular plants at Stanford. Thomas helped establish the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve and was a primary contributor to what later became the Jasper Ridge Oakmead Herbarium (JROH). In total, Thomas collected more than 20,000 plant specimens for herbaria throughout his career.