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

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Addenda & Corrigenda)

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

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

Born: 1877, Kinlough, NW. Ireland. Died: 1942, Hayes, Middlesex, England.

career:

Since the end of the 19th century till 1931 physician in the service of the Government of Siam, and in charge of the Botanical section, Ministry of Commerce (1921-31). Since 1932 he lived at Hayes, continuing the publication of numbers of the ‘Florae Siamensis Enumeratio’.

Author of many papers relating to the vegetation and flora of Siam.¹

Some plants, e.g. Dipterocarpus kerrii King and Loranthus kerrii Craib were named after him.

Collecting localities:

Mainly in the Siamese Malay States, sometimes on the boundary of Malaya: e.g. in Perlis at Padang Besar (May 1919) and G. Ina or G. Titi Basah on the Siam-Perak boundary (Aug. 1923); from Mergui by steamer to Rangoon, arriving June 8, 1932; leaving (9) for Penang (arrival 12); proceeding to Pulau Langkawi (16), collecting there and leaving (21); back at Penang (22), sailing for Europe on the 23rd.

collections:

Herb. Kew [K], and in Herb.? Bangkok [BK]; he numbered partly in the field, partly after study.² His private herbarium, 32.546 spec. (incl. 1022 crypt.) was received in the Brit. Mus. [BM] in 1942 (Alston in litt.).

Notes, MSS, etc., have been presented to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew-Surrey; orchids and orchid paintings in Herb. Kew [K].

literature:

(1) For the greater part published in the Journ. Siam Nat. Hist. Soc. (= ? the later Journ. Thail. Res. Soc. Nat. Hist.) and in Kew Bull. Also author of: ‘Early botanists in Thailand’ (Journ. Thail. Res. Soc. Nat. Hist. 12, 1939, p. 1-27).

(2) Part of the results of his collecting was published by Craib in ‘Florae Siamensis Enumeratio’.

biographical data:

Burkill in Gard. Bull. Str. Settlem. 4, 1927, nos 4-5; Backer, Verkl. Woordenb., 1936; Proc. Linn. Soc. Lond. 154, 1943, p. 285-286 (non vidi); ‘Flore génér. de l’Indo-Chine’, tome prélim. 1944, p. 43-44; Kew Bull. 1951, p. 9; Blumea 11, 1963 p. 427-493, portr., itin., bibliogr.

photo gallery: