William Baldwin (botanist)

William Baldwin
Baldwin in 1843
Born(1779-03-29)March 29, 1779 September 1, 1819)
Newlin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, US
DiedSeptember 1, 1819(1819-09-01) (aged 40)
Franklin, Missouri, US
Alma materUniversity of Pennsylvania (MD)
Scientific career
FieldsBotany
Author abbrev. (botany)Baldwin

William Baldwin (March 29, 1779 – September 1, 1819) was an American physician and botanist who is today remembered for his significant contributions to botanical studies, especially Cyperaceae.[1][2]: 15–16  He lived in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Georgia, and served as a ship's surgeon on two voyages overseas.[3] He published only two scientific papers,[4] but his major contributions were in the knowledge that he imparted to other botanists in his letters to them and in the thousands of specimens that he provided for their herbaria.[5] He wrote letters to Henry Muhlenberg, Stephen Elliott, William Darlington, Zaccheus Collins, and others. His most important collections were from Georgia, Florida, and eastern South America. When he died, he left a large herbarium that proved to be of great value, especially to Lewis David von Schweinitz, John Torrey, and Asa Gray.[6] He had a special interest in the plant family Cyperaceae[7] and his incomplete, unpublished manuscripts were a major source for monographs by John Torrey and Asa Gray.[8][9] The historian Joseph Ewan has said that "Baldwin's treatment of a number of genera, especially in the Cyperaceae, showed penetrating observation, understanding, and diagnosis".[7] The genus Balduina was named for him by Thomas Nuttall.[10] Most of what we know of him is from the biography written by his friend, William Darlington, in 1843.[11]

  1. ^ Howard Atwood Kelly. 1914. Some American Medical Botanists Commemorated in our Botanical Nomenclature: pages 104-112. The Southworth Company, Publishers: Troy, NY, USA. (see External links below)
  2. ^ Makers of American Botany, Harry Baker Humphrey, Ronald Press Company, Library of Congress Card Number 61-18435
  3. ^ John William Harshberger. 1899. The Botanists of Philadelphia and Their Work: pages 119-125. T.C. Davis and Sons: Philadelphia, PA, USA. (see External links below).
  4. ^ Clark A. Elliott. 1979. Biographical Dictionary of American Science: page 22. Greenwood Press: Westport, CT, USA; London, England.
  5. ^ Harry Baker Humphrey. 1961. Makers of North American Botany: pages 15,16. The Ronald Press Company: New York, NY, USA.
  6. ^ Ronald L. Stuckey. 1971. "The first public auction of an American herbarium including an account of the fate of the Baldwin, Collins, and Rafinesque herbaria". Taxon 20(4):443-459.
  7. ^ a b Joseph A. Ewan. 1969. A Short History of Botany in the United States. Hafner Publishing Company: New York, NY, USA; London, England.
  8. ^ John Torrey. 1836. "Monograph of North American Cyperaceae". Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York 3:239-448.
  9. ^ Asa Gray. 1835. "A monograph of the North American species of Rhynchospora". Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York 3:191-219.
  10. ^ Thomas Nuttall. 1818. The Genera of North American Plants and a Catalogue of the Species to the Year 1817 vol.2 page 175. D. Heartt: Philadelphia, PA, USA. (see External links below).
  11. ^ William Darlington. 1843. Reliquiae Baldwinianae Kimber and Sharpless: Philadelphia, PA, USA. facsimile edition with introduction by Joseph Ewan. 1969. Hafner Publishing Company: New York, NY, USA; London, England.