Career

Collecting localities

Collections

Brooke, Winifred Mary Adelaide

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 5: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement I)

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 8: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement II)

Born: 1893, Stroud Green, London, England.

career:

Made a botanical exploration of the Canary Islands (7 in all) in 1936, proceeded to South Africa in August, staying there for over a year, making numerous sketches of flowers, but not preserving any specimens. From 1949-50 she explored several remote districts of Bolivia, making her headquarters at Cochabamba. When leaving, she travelled down the Chilean coast, collecting when there was an opportunity. In 1953 a botanical trip in Sarawak was planned, and she stayed there from 1954-55.

Collecting localities:

1954. NW. Borneo, Sarawak: landed at Kuching (Jan.); March 11 returning from a two-week stay at Santubong coast at one of the mouths of the Sarawak River; on the voyage back to Kuching visiting the Turtle Islands and collecting a little there in Talang Talang and Satang; by government launch to Betong on the Saribas River; subsequently invited to stay at Lundu, collecting on Mt Gading and making a 4-day excursion to Berumput on the Indonesian frontier (some of her men bringing down plants from the top, 5000 ft); at intervals collecting on Mt Matang (3000 ft) near Kuching; staying in forest camps in the Rejang Delta, first at Kelupu on the island of Lassa (1 week), and another week at a sawmill at Sungei Kelapaan on a tributary of the Lassa River, both localities in swamp forest; return by launch to Sibu, and by outboard 70 miles up the Rejang to Kapit and further to the Methodist Mission of Nanga Mujong (staying 1 week); from Kapit on a large outboard for 8 hours up the Pelagus rapids and on to a camp of the Borneo Company at Nanga Bah; proceeding up river to Belaga, and visiting the Bakun rapids up the Balui; Pasang rapids; trip to Teneong mountain, where she fractured two ribs, in the meanwhile her assistant Ahmad bin Topin continuing collecting; returned at Kuching for medical attention (end of Sept.); during the wet season camping at the Forest Reserve of Sungei Raya, staying at Serian and at the rubber estate of Samarahan, all in the vicinity of Kuching, up to early 1955; arriving at Lawas in the 5th Division (end of May), making headquarters there until Sept.; 2-day trip up the river and to the Murut longhouse at Maputi; in Aug. with a plane of the Borneo Evangelical Mission to Bahkelalan (3000 ft) close to the Kelabit Plateau, exploring Mt Belinki (5000 ft), in all remaining 12 days; back at Kuching, from where visiting the rocky limestone district of Bau, the entrance to the Kuching River (staying at Tanjong Po); last long trip to Simanggang in the 2nd Division on the Lupar River and proceeding by outboard to Lubok Antu on the E. frontier (staying 2 weeks in the district).

collections:

Early collections from the Canary Islands (1936), and Bolivia and Chile (1949-50) in Herb. Brit. Mus. [BM], New York [NY], and Chicago [F].

Sarawak collections: in Herb. Leiden [L], Brit. Mus. [BM], Geneva [G], and Sarawak [SAR]. Eventually partial sets will be found in Edinburgh [E] (special families), Chicago [F], Stockholm [S], Zürich [Z], and Adelaide [AD]. From Nanga Mujong up to end Sept. 1954 she was assisted by Ahmad bin Topin (see there), whose name is not mentioned on the labels.

Unfortunately it is evident that part of the data mentioned on the field labels is not reliable, especially as regards the habit. Loranthaceae and herbaceous plants are e.g. mentioned as shrubs or trees, probably due to Dyak collectors who operated on themselves and gave wrong information when asked for particulars. For non-initiated botanists these erroneous data will be very confusing.

Also dupl. in Herb. Edinb. [E].